Happy New Years for the Marianist Family 2016 & 2017 The next two years are very important for the Marianist Family. It was 200 years ago that Venerable Adèle de Batz de Trenquelléon founded the Daughters of Mary Immaculate. Blessed William Joseph Chaminade founded the Society of Mary a year later, in 1817. Both religious congregations arose from the Sodality of Bordeaux. Throughout these coming two years there will be much shared regarding our Marianist heritage and our Marianist spirituality. We pray these bicentennials of the Marianist Family will do much to bring us back to our roots. These two years must be filled with intense prayer that God will grant us many favors through the intercession of our Marianist saints. We highlight this New Year with a summary of Blessed Chaminade s basic principles, which though written as he considered the religious orders, apply to the entire Marianist Family. Basic Principles of the Marianist Family 1. The Marianist Family is the Family of Mary. All the members are her children. 2. The divine life of Christ is the basis for all spirituality in the Marianist Family. It is the allinclusive principle. 3. Jesus Christ was born of Mary natus ex Maria Virgine. This sums up everything. 4. By faith and baptism we are conceived by the Holy Spirit, but we must be born of the Virgin Mary. 5. In Mary, Jesus Christ formed Himself to us. In Mary, we must form ourselves to Christ. 6. Mary cooperates with the Holy Spirit to form us as she formed Jesus. 7. Members of the Marianist Family ponder the mysteries of the life of Jesus Christ to grow in their union with Him. 8. Mary found joy in her spiritual motherhood, which began at the Annunciation and was proclaimed on Calvary.
9. Devoted to Mary and formed by her, members of the Marianist Family grow in the likeness of Christ. On Calvary, Jesus properly forms his Church. 10. The Marianist Family receives from its mother the life it communicates to all whom it serves in the apostolate. 11. The Marianist Family has a high ideal because of its relationship with Mary, its mother. 12. According to this principle, everything in the Marianist Family must be understood. All the rules of the Marianist Family flow from this principle. We begin this year with a suggested prayer service begging God s grace on the Marianist Family all over the world. This prayer service was first used for the Northeast Marianist Family Council meeting in 2014. The hymns used were composed by Bro. Stan Zubek, SM, who serves at the Marianist Family Retreat Center at Cape May Point, New Jersey.
PRAYER SERVICE IN CELEBRATION OF THE 200 th ANNIVERSARIES Gathering Song: The 3 o clock Prayer Welcome Opening Prayer O Lord, you gave Blessed William Joseph Chaminade the grace to dedicate himself totally to the Virgin Mother of God, in order to transmit faith in the world; grant that following his example, we may bear witness to Christ by the holiness of our life. We ask this through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God forever and ever. Amen Sharing: As we read these excerpts from Blessed Fr. Chaminade, we pray that we may come to understand and appreciate the grace he was given which he has shared with us and given the strength to live it. Readings from Blessed Chaminade (pause and share after each segment)_ * The Spirit of God wishes to occupy the souls of those He calls to his service, to fill their mind with His light, to supply what they lack and all that is unable to lead them. God takes His place within us only after an entire surrender of ourselves. We die but to live. All of Christianity and all its perfection is but in this death and in this life. This is the doctrine of St. Paul: Existimate vos mortuos quidem esse peccato, viventes autem Deo 1 (728 11 March 1834. To Fr. Chevaux). +++ 1 Consider yourselves dead to sin but alive to God.
* Often penetrate yourself with the thought of all that the Lord has done and suffered for you May you always love to depend entirely upon Him and to do nothing except it be for Him and His good pleasure (1042 31 March 1838. To Claude Mouchet). Be really faithful to the Lord, not as a slave through fear, but as a good son through love (1042 31 March 1838. To Bro. Claude Mouchet). +++ * I must share with you a sentiment that has been dominant in my heart for a long time. It is an almost constant fear that God is withdrawing His blessings from St. Remy I think we are still doing some good there; but what is this good before God if we do it seeking ourselves; if we do it for ourselves, for our glory, our own esteem, our own motives, etc., than really and solely in the interests of religion and of the Society? I have often thought of it, especially in the presence of God, and here is my answer: nothing will ever change for either of you unless you both enter into the beautiful paths of faith, the same as you once did by an entire devotedness to the service of our good Master and of His august Mother (607 5 November 1831. To Bro. Clouzet). * In the great ensemble of religious orders, we have a family trait that distinguishes us essentially from all the others All periods of the Church s history are marked with the struggles and the glorious triumphs of the august Mary. Ever since the Lord put enmity between her and the serpent, she has constantly overcome the world and hell Mary s power is not diminished She is today, as she was formerly, the incomparable Woman, the promised Woman who was to crush the serpent s head she is the hope, the joy, and the life of the Church and the terror of hell. To her, therefore, is reserved a great victory in our day: hers will be the glory of saving the faith from the shipwreck with which it is threatened among us. +++ Now, we have understood this design of Providence and have hastened to offer Mary our feeble services in order to labor under her orders and combat at her side. by a special vow, that of Stability, to assist her with all our strength until the end of our life, in her noble struggle against the powers of hell. And as an Order justly celebrated has taken the name and standard of Jesus Christ, so we have taken the name and standard of Mary and are ready to hasten wherever she calls us, in order to spread her cult, and through it the kingdom of God in souls.
This is certainly the distinguishing character and family trait of both our Societies: we are in a special manner the auxiliaries and the instruments of the Blessed Virgin in the great work of reforming morals, of preserving and propagating the Faith, and by the fact, of sanctifying our neighbor. She entrusts to us the projects which are inspired by her almost infinite charity, and we make a vow to serve her faithfully till the end of our life, to carry out punctually all that she tells us. We are glad that we can thus spend in her service the life and strength that we have pledged to her (1163 24 August 1839. To the Preachers of Retreats). +++ Hymn Intercessions Until Christ By Bro. Stan Zubek, SM Response Lord have mercy, hear our prayer Our Father Prayer for Canonization O God who inspired your servant, Blessed William Joseph Chaminade with an ardent zeal to preach filial piety towards the Blessed Virgin Mary, and who through him has raised up in the Church several religious families devoted to the same apostolate, be pleased to manifest his virtues by granting us, despite our unworthiness, the miraculous favors we ask through his intercession. Amen. Hymn Joyful, Joyful - Stan Zubek, S.M.
Joyful, Joyful Joyful Joyful we adore you God of glory God of love His-t'ry tells of might-y her-oes, in'spir'd by God from heav'n a-bove And to-day we come to-geth-er and cel'-brate this man of God Lo! be-fore the thrones of heav-en Stands our Bless-ed Cha-mi-nade. Sol-diers, rul-ers, lead-ers, states-men, won through val-'rous feats sub-lime, Conquests of our ad-mi-ration writ-ten on the scroll of time. But the world ig-nores the con-quests of im-mor-tal souls for God. Lo! be-fore the hosts of heav-en Stands our Bro-ther Cha-mi-nade. Glory be to God the Father, Glory be to God the Son Glory be to God the Spirit, Glory thru blest Cha-mi-nade Fill us with his lov-ing spir-it so like Cha-mi-nade we'll be. Loving models, sons of Ma-ry, here and in e-ter-ni-ty. "Chaminade Blessed" is based on "Hail Our Father! Hail Our Leader! Chaminade" by Lawrence J. Gonner, SM (1934) 87.87DD to the tune of Joyful Joyful Text Stan Zubek, S.M. (email: stanzubek1@yahoo.com) 21 Jan. 13z