| They bear Mary’s name.
Members of the same family, they stand beside her in
the Church, at the service of others.
After the Revolution, the Church of France witnessed
an explosion of generous responses to the pressing needs
of the times.
On July 23, 1816 at Our Lady of Fourvière twelve
young men from the Seminary of Lyons made a pledge:
“We solemnly promise to consecrate our whole life
with all our energy to establishing a Society of the
Blessed Virgin. Its aim will be to proclaim the salvation
of Christ to all, under the protection of his mother…”
This original momentum soon gave rise to the various
branches of the Marist Family: religious, priestly and
lay.
In the early years of the Church Mary played an important
yet discreet role by her listening and availability,
by her way of seeing people and events, by her own particular
way of taking part in the life and mission of the Church.
We are convinced that the Church of our day needs men
and women who will continue to show her marian characteristics
of mercy, simplicity, patience, and presence among the
poorest.
We believe
- that Mary is present in the Church today as she
was present a t Pentecost,
- that she teaches us how to be disciples of Jesus,
- that with her it is still possible to “start
a new Church”,
- and that she is our Ordinary Resource.
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