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Every religious congregation has a founding story. Stories identify us. To borrow from theologian and spiritual writer Wendy Wright, stories are important because they speak about who we are, and to whom we belong.[footnoteRef:1] The founding story is not only a narration concerning where a group came from, but it is also like a north star, a helpful guide pointing towards where the group needs to go. [1: Wendy M. Wright, Seasons of a Family’s Life, Cultivating the Contemplative Spirit at Home, (San Francisco, 2003) 40.]

The Marianist story begins with Father William Joseph Chaminade, founder of the Society of Mary,[footnoteRef:2] who was born in France in 1761. He lived through the French Revolution and witnessed the brutal attack on the Church in France and the incredible social, political, and ecclesial change that resulted from the Revolution. At the outbreak of the Revolution he managed to remain in France, ministering underground, constantly in hiding and disguise. In 1797, during a lull in the Revolutionary activity and after the initial bloodshed and violence Blessed Chaminade came out of hiding. However the lull was of short duration and soon more difficulties arose and this time Blessed Chaminade was forced into exile in Saragossa, Spain where he arrived on October 11th, the eve of the Feast of Our Lady of the Pillar. It was during this time of exile dedicated to reflection, prayer, conversation with others in exile, and preparation for the day when he would return to France that he visited the Basilica of Our Lady of the Pillar where he not only dedicated himself to prayer, but also was able to observe the faith of the many pilgrims who daily visited the important Marian shrine. For Marianists, the experience of Blessed Chaminade in exile and at the foot of the statue of Mary has formed a very important piece of our story, our Marianist mythology.[footnoteRef:3] During these years in exile there evolved within Blessed Chaminade a certain intuitive sense vis-à-vis what he was to do upon returning to his native country. His deep desire and goal was to re-Christianize France, not through the usual structure of parish life, but instead through the establishment of communities of faith dedicated to Mary. He instinctively recognized that new circumstances call for new methods and approaches and the years in exile turned out to be a period of gestation in which his intuitions and plan matured. It was also in Saragossa that Blessed Chaminade experienced what he later described as a vision of the future Society of Mary, the religious order of brothers and priests he was later to found. In all of this, Chaminade was convinced that it was Mary who inspired his plan and thus the work he was to do was hers. Finally, in 1800, Blessed Chaminade was able to return to France and begin this work that he received at the foot of the statue of our Lady of the Pillar. [2: For the sake of non-Marianist readers, let me point out the name “Society of Mary” is used by both Marianists and Marists and so sometimes for clarity sake we will write: Society of Mary, Marianist. In this project I use only Society of Mary.] [3: Jennifer Rodriguez in her book Our Lady of Guadalupe (Austin, TX 1994) 37 says: “Myths are the stories that a culture uses to create coherence in its life, values, and symbols. In myths a culture tells its story of origin and its understandings of the major issues of life and death.” ]

Not to be distributed or used without permission.

Father James Schimelpfening, SM, D.MIN.

The French Revolution helped set in motion one of the greatest upheavals in Western history that affected all aspects of life and continued to assert an influence throughout the West for years to come. As often happens, it is in difficult and turbulent times when all things familiar are threatened if not actually razed that charismatic figures come forward who have an innate sense of how to act in the face of the trauma. Blessed Chaminade was such a charismatic person. Back in Bordeaux and with support of the Bishop he began establishing communities of faith (Sodalities) dedicated to and bearing the name of Mary. He was convinced that the multiplication of communities of faith would revitalize the faith in France. These communities were comprised of men and women of all social classes without distinction of any kind. Attentive to what was happening around him Chaminade didn’t hesitate to draw on the popular slogans of the Revolution, and seek to cultivate communities of equality and fraternity. These communities gathered for prayer and formation, but they would also go out in mission and through a variety of works seek to transform the culture and re-birth the faith of the people. In 1816 and 1817, two religious orders, one for women (the Daughters of Mary Immaculate, the Marianist Sisters) and one for men (the Society of Mary, Marianists) grew out of these communities of committed men and women. A unique characteristic of the two religious orders is that they grew out of the lay movements rather than the reverse, which more often than not would be the norm. Together, the Sodalities and the two religious orders formed the Family of Mary. The Society of Mary quickly spread throughout France and not long afterwards moved beyond France, even to North America, before the death of Blessed Chaminade in 1850.

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In the vision of Blessed Chaminade there is only one Marianist vocation, but it is lived in a variety of ways by women and men, professed and not professed,[footnoteRef:4] ordained and not-ordained all seeking to embody faithfully the charism of our Founders[footnoteRef:5] while also sharing in a common mission which Blessed Chaminade understood as participating in the mission of Mary, that of continuing to bring Christ into the world. All Marianists, Blessed Chaminade insisted, were to be missionaries. The lay communities and religious orders were to be one family, mutually supportive in life and ministry, forming communities of faith that would, in themselves, be witnesses in the world. Faith as Blessed Chaminade understood it, was to be a faith of the heart. For Chaminade the interior life was the most important, yet it would be an interior life that would always send the Marianist out, not close him/her up within. Marianists were to be men and women of deep, even contemplative prayer as well as highly apostolic. Influenced by the French School of Spirituality of his day, his own deep love of Mary, and his experience in Saragossa, Blessed Chaminade insisted that the communities and religious orders bear the name of Mary and be consecrated to God through her. Marianist religious and those lay women and men who profess vows, take a vow of stability that not only expresses a lasting commitment, but also in Blessed Chaminade’s understanding would give expression to one’s pledge to share, with others in community, Mary’s work of incarnating Christ, or creating a Christian milieu. Each day Marianists renew in prayer [4: In addition to the members of the two canonical religious orders who profess vows, so also some of the lay Marianists who are not canonical religious also profess vows.] [5: Marianists recognize Blessed William Joseph and Mother Adèle de Batz de Tranquelléon (founder of the Marianist Sisters) as co-Founders of the Marianist Family. ]

this covenant, this alliance with Mary.[footnoteRef:6] It is important to note, and it is clear in his writing, that Blessed Chaminade’s theology and pastoral practice were very Christ-centered, very Marian, and very Incarnational. Chaminade strongly believed that a sure way to bring people to Christ, Chaminade’s ultimate ambition, was through Mary, his Mother. [6: Until more recent years this prayer was called a “Prayer of Consecration to Mary” however, in the post Vatican II times this can be confusing so we often speak of dedication or of consecration to God through Mary. Nevertheless, in our tradition we still hold on to the idea of there being a covenant between the individual Marianist and Mary. ]

If you ask a Marianist to describe the Marianist charism you will receive a variety of answers rather than a single standard definition. Who Marianists are cannot be fully and easily depicted in a simple compact statement because the charism that Chaminade received and passed on has a variety of characteristics. Nevertheless, Marianists do agree on certain key features although the priority or description might vary to some extent. It is important to note that to say that something is “characteristic” does not mean that it is unique and exclusive to Marianist life. No, characteristic refers to those aspects of gospel living and Christian faith that Marianist life and spirituality highlight as a particular focus, that are constitutive, and the combination of which paints a more complete portrait of the Marianist charism and tradition. As Blessed Chaminade himself said: “Although all religious orders have a common spirit, yet each order has a spirit of its own. This spirit results from divine inspiration, and it has been adapted to the circumstances and needs of each century.”[footnoteRef:7] [7: Quoted by Lawrence J. Cada, in A Short History of Marianist Spirituality (Madrid, Spain 2000) 67.]

A concise statement of what a Marianist seeks to live and become has been traditionally expressed by a statement rooted in the Constitutions of 1839 that Chaminade himself wrote: the Marianist seeks the most faithful imitation of Jesus Christ, Son of God, become son of Mary for the salvation of all. This became the most popular and often quoted summary statement of the ultimate goal of Marianist life. In article 5 of the Constitutions of 1839 Chaminade writes: “The Society has essentially but one end, which is the most faithful imitation of Jesus Christ.” It recognizes and celebrates that unique relationship that all share with God – that we are God’s sons and daughters, created in God’s image and likeness – while also stating we are daughters and sons of Mary, what Chaminade often referred to as spiritual maternity. Marianists, both lay and professed religious, take that relationship seriously, establishing it as a hallmark of Marianist life. However, it doesn’t stop there because it is unambiguous in its mission focus, we give ourselves to the work of helping to beget the reign of God. There is rooted in this statement a deep spirituality and an apostolic mission. It is first and foremost Christocentric, yet it is also Marian. It is relational and it is apostolic. From this central statement and focus a great deal flows that collectively identifies Marianist life and mission.

At the heart of the Chaminadean charism is the person of Mary. She is not only in our name, but she is unreservedly at the core of Marianist life. How essential Marianists view our relationship with Mary is possibly best articulated by the concluding line of article 114 of the Rule of Life 1983: “The spirit of the Society is the spirit of Mary.” Blessed Chaminade’s entire life and work is imbued with the spirit of Mary without ever losing sight of Christ who remains primary in Chaminade’s life and work. His devotion to Mary, traditionally referred to as filial piety, was unmistakably present in Chaminade’s life even from his youth. His exile to Saragossa served to deepen this relationship, not just in terms of devotion and piety, but also in terms of missionary zeal. Chaminade’s life and work were interwoven with his understanding of Mary’s role in the work of salvation, and understanding rooted in scripture and certain beliefs, such as her Immaculate Conception. Chaminade attempted to instill this love of Mary in those who formed part of the communities and religious orders he formed. Chaminade believed that an important element of the Marianist mission was to make Mary known, loved and served in the belief that, as a true disciple, she would always lead others to Christ. The Marianist love of Mary was based on Jesus’ own love for his mother, for it was precisely Mary’s union with Christ as mother and woman of faith that made her so important in the eyes of Chaminade. Christ, for Chaminade, was the sole mediator between God and us and consequently he did not view Mary as Mediatrix.[footnoteRef:8] In its opening and foundational chapter the Rule of Life of 1983 offers a synopsis of a Marianist view of Mary. The Rule emphasizes Mary’s faith, her openness to the mission that God gave her, of Jesus being formed in her by the Holy Spirit, her sharing in all his mysteries, and at his death proclaiming her our Mother. (art. 5) The article that follows expresses our belief that she is a “precious gift of God” and that moved by Jesus’ own love for her, “we dedicate ourselves to her so that the Holy Spirit, in whose action she cooperates with a mother’s love, may form us more fully to the image of her Son.” [8: Joseph Stefanelli, Our Marianist Heritage, 42.]

Chaminade often spoke of our being formed by Mary into the image of her Son. However, this is controversial as some theologians assert that this is the work of the Holy Spirit. All the same, Marianists, the article states, have an alliance with Mary, and consequently seek to assist her in “her mission of forming in faith a multitude of brothers [and sisters] for her first-born Son,” (art. 6). It is hard to know how to state accurately, in a contemporary theologically correct way, what Chaminade saw as Mary’s role. The Rule of Life uses Chaminade’s way of speaking of Mary. I suspect that most Marianists today hold this in tension, believing that while ultimately this is the work of the Spirit, Mary is involved and is very much concerned for our formation. I will return to this in a later chapter. The introductory chapter of the Rule of 1983 goes on to refer to Mary as the first of disciples, a model of the Christian life. Finally, the section concludes by saying that like Mary, “we wholly commit ourselves to the mystery of our vocation.” (art. 8), and it is the element of mystery that makes it hard to explain.

Those Marianists who profess vows profess a vow of stability. Marianist stability is different from the Benedictine, monastic stability that focuses not only on fidelity to the monastic life, but on living it within a particular monastery.[footnoteRef:9] For Marianists the vow of stability is the icon that expresses much of our “Marianist Mariology.” Stability, as Chaminade framed it, is both a steadfast commitment to God but also a pledge of faithfulness to Mary with whom the Marianist develops a conscious and intentional relationship. Blessed Chaminade believed Mary to be inseparable from Christ, that she was “the first and for all time the most important collaborator of Christ in his mission to redeem and sanctify humanity.”[footnoteRef:10] Consequently by our profession of stability we share in this relationship and in the work of Mary. It is in this light that Marianists contextualize what Chaminade wrote in his famous Letter to the Retreat Masters of 1839: “We embrace the religious life in the name and for the glory of the Blessed Virgin Mary.” We do not suggest, and Chaminade never intended this either, that we replace God with Mary or put Mary before God. No, to be in a religious order that bears her name indicates a special relationship with her that includes our collaborating with her in her vocation and great desire to have her Son known, loved and faithfully followed. Like other commitments in life, we are part of a great enterprise, but our way of being in this enterprise is in a Marian way. According to Chaminade, Mary has no ambition other than the glory of God,[footnoteRef:11] and neither do we. Marianist scholar Joseph Verrier, S.M. quoted Blessed Chaminade who wrote: “When we make the vow of stability, we do not make directly a vow of consecration to the most Blessed Virgin; but it is included indirectly since we commit ourselves to remain – evidently, in the case of perpetual profession – in a Society that is entirely devoted to her.”[footnoteRef:12] Although Marian devotion and piety is evident in the lives of Marianists, most especially older Marianists, the [9: Rule of Benedict, 4:78 and 58:17] [10: Joseph Verrier “Marianist Stability” in Commentary on the Rule of Life of the Society of Mary (Dayton, OH: NACMS 1994) 740.] [11: Verrier, “Marianist Stability” 742] [12: Chaminade, Letters, no. S.1052 to Mathieu, June 4, 1838; Vol. 8, pt., p.102 as quoted by Joseph Verrier, in “Marianist Stability” 749.]

Marianist relationship with Mary goes much beyond devotion for it is very active and mission focused, always with an eye on Christ and the kingdom of God.

Faith is another indispensable trait of the Chaminadean charism. Blessed Chaminade was himself a man of deep faith as evidenced by his unrelenting resolve to give of himself totally to the work he believed he was called to do, and to bear all things while persevering in that work. Faith made William Joseph Chaminade a very patient man, accustomed to waiting for the providential moment in history and in an individual’s personal life. For Chaminade, to be a person of faith is to be alert to and mindful of God’s active presence. When William Joseph Chaminade looked at the world around him, and reflected and pondered on what he observed with the light of faith. Faith was fundamental in the thought and practice of Blessed Chaminade and so he sought to underscore the practice of faith in all things. He encouraged Marianists, for example, to meditate on the Creed, not as an intellectual exercise as such, but to be moved by the mysteries and beliefs formulated in the Creed, to know them with the heart and to live them. Blessed Chaminade spoke of faith as “faith of the heart.” He understood that people are energized and moved by the heart, and so our faith in order to be passionate, zealous if you wish, it must come from the heart while never ignoring the importance of correct understanding. From his own experience, Chaminade knew that his disciples would never be faithful to mission and Christian life, nor would they be open to the plan and desires of God, unless they were people of deep faith.

Although instruction was always an important part of the lay community gatherings, there were also devotion, prayer, and the act of consecration that rounded out the formation, all of which was meant to inspire, deepen and guide in faith. All Marianists know well Chaminade’s insistence that “the interior was the most important.” To become men and women of faith was essential, and Mary was the model Chaminade offered, especially in the icon of the Annunciation. Prayer and a strong interior life nurtured this faith. Blessed Chaminade was so convinced of the importance of the interior life that he even insisted in the Constitutions of 1839 that if for some special reason a Brother was not able to participate in the monthly day of recollection, then he would be given the opportunity to do so privately on another day and that his fellow Brothers in community would assume all his responsibilities for the day so that he would be totally free to devote himself to prayer and reflection.[footnoteRef:13] In article 34 of the Constitutions Chaminade wrote: “the spirit of mental prayer, along with devotion to the blessed Virgin, should be the characteristic virtue of the religious of Mary and the one, without exception, in which each endeavors to excel. Mental prayer” the article continues to note, “is the common and unique source of all virtues.”[footnoteRef:14] Chaminade always held in balance two important aspects of Marianist life, the interior life and the apostolic life, consequently Marianists were to be contemplatives in action. Faith, for Blessed Chaminade, was not passive, but quite active. Likewise, Chaminade knew that maturation in faith and the witness of faith happens best in community, and this leads to the next characteristic of the Chaminadean charism. [13: Constitutions of 1839, article 74] [14: Constitutions of 1839, article 34]

Community is where and how Marianists live the charism. From the very genesis of his work, Blessed Chaminade believed that forming communities of faith was essential; it was to be a new approach, a new method of evangelization. The parish as a model would no longer succeed in post-revolutionary France. Bringing people together for mutual support and growth, and sending them out in mission was what was needed. These communities are communities of faith and it is faith that brings people together, inspires them, and bonds them. He also saw that in post-revolutionary France these communities would need to be open to everyone. “Equality, fraternity, and liberty” were mottos of the revolution that attracted and empowered many, so Chaminade adapted them for the community life he was proposing. Consequently, the communities were inclusive: all ages, social and economic classes, lay and cleric, men and women, single and married. Likewise, although Blessed Chaminade moderated the groups and offered formation and direction, it was the membership that assumed the leadership roles and performed the many tasks that leadership of the groups demanded. Chaminade formed an organizational structure that invited participation, leadership, and shared responsibility and this in turn became the structure for the religious orders as well. When the two religious orders were formed from membership of the lay communities, the religious continued to be members of these other communities providing guidance and support. Blessed Chaminade intended that the religious orders would be the “directors that would never die,” providing ongoing support and guidance for these emerging, developing and growing communities. Community was, and continues to be, an essential trait of Marianist life in the two religious orders. Life in community is not meant to be an escape, no, being community is itself a mission for the entire Marianist family. Chaminade described it as witnessing to the fact that the gospel can be lived today in all the force of the early Christian community, portraying what he referred to as a “nation of saints.” Not only was the individual Marianist to seek the “most faithful imitation of Jesus Christ” but also, as Marianist scholar Joseph Stefanelli, S.M. points out, so was the community and the Society of Mary as a whole. The imitation of Christ is too great to be achieved alone; we need the mutual support and encouragement of community.[footnoteRef:16] Stefanelli goes on to point out that a careful reading of the Constitutions of 1839 along with Chaminade’s other writings makes it clear that community is not simply a place where we happen to be together, but it is where a group intentionally comes together and agrees to be Christ.[footnoteRef:17] Likewise, the community is not made up of a group of celibates, but it is a community of celibacy. It is not a community of individuals who are poor or obedient or prayerful, but it is a community of poverty, of obedience, of prayerfulness.[footnoteRef:18] Life in community is always intentional. [16: Joseph Stefanelli, Our Marianist Heritage, 80] [17: Joseph Stefanelli, Our Marianist Heritage, 87] [18: Joseph Stefanelli, Our Marianist Heritage, 93]

Blessed Chaminade spoke of the Marianist community as having “but one heart and one soul.” Chaminade believe that in this simple phrase is found a synopsis of the entire Constitutions.[footnoteRef:19] However, he was not naïve about how challenging this goal would be. No, on the contrary Chaminade knew that living in community and the work of the apostolate would be demanding. He understood that the achievement of “union of heart and of soul which should reign among religious can exist only by the attention and care of each member…to cement it…and to restore it when it has been momentarily broken.”[footnoteRef:20] Chaminade understood very well that for Marianists to succeed they would need to be persons of faith and formed in the virtues of Jesus and Mary. As we’ve seen already, conformity with Christ was important for Chaminade and this means to share in his inner dispositions. As Marianists our entire life is aimed at conformity with Christ, and this shapes all that we do, including our relationship with Mary, the Mother of Jesus. As part of his system of spirituality for Marianists, Chaminade developed what we have known as the System of Virtues or what today we sometimes call the Habits of the Marianist Heart. The aim of this System is to form the Marianist in the virtues, the inner dispositions, of Jesus and Mary that make life in community possible and enhances Marianist presence and effectiveness in ministry as well. This System was a process meant to lead to holiness in a way comparable to the traditional categories of purification, purgation, and union. Chaminade referred to these as purification, illumination, and union. Chaminade was convinced that faithful practice and growth in these virtues, just the preparation virtues alone, would form Marianists in holiness and thus become the “nation of saints” that he desired the communities to witness. [19: Constitutions of 1839, article 131] [20: Constitutions of 1839, article 136]

As mentioned previously, Blessed Chaminade did not hesitate to draw on the mottos of the French Revolution in the foundation of communities of faith, the Sodalities in Bordeaux. Consequently, an essential component of Marianist life from the beginning has been equality. Traditionally within the Society of Mary we have spoken of this as “mixed composition” while today we might refer to this spirit of equality as the “discipleship of equals.”

Mixed composition refers to the unyielding belief that equality exists between all members of the Society of Mary. As the current Rule of Life of 1983, in reference to the male religious, describes it: “There is only one Marianist vocation, but we welcome as our members men of varied background and training. All have the same rights and duties as religious. The one Spirit is manifest in a variety of complementary gifts and ministries.”[footnoteRef:21] This means that we are non-ordained and ordained without distinction that the primary vocation is Marianist, and we are all brothers to one another. The word “brother” in fact, is the customary word used when referring to all members of the Society of Mary unless for some reason the intention is to specifically refer to the ordained priest. With the exception of the Superior General (we are technically classified as a clerical order), a non-ordained or ordained member can hold any position of leadership. Much to the surprise of some, it is not unusual for a non-ordained Marianist to be director of a community, even in the setting of a Marianist sponsored parish where the pastor is a priest. The majority of the membership of the Society of Mary is in fact non-ordained. Although equality has been characteristic of the Society of Mary from the beginning, it has been a bumpy road at times, but embracing and being faithful to this intention of the Founder is perceived as a unique gift to the Church. [21: Rule of Life of the Society of Mary, 1981, article 12.]

Discipleship of equals is an important part of the Marianist tradition that the entire Marianist Family embraces as essential and important. Father Stefanelli says that the difference between the Marianist religious and those lay Marianists who are not religious is not in “its object, its purpose, or its goal.”[footnoteRef:22] The difference is in the means. Blessed Chaminade always placed great stress on the “one faith and one baptism” in which all share. Our vocation, our call to holiness, and our mission are built on baptism. Here lies our basic and essential equality as Christians and as Marianists we build on it in relation to our vocation as Marianists. Accordingly, whenever Marianists gather, no matter if they are men or women, members of one of the two religious orders or not, we always gather as brothers and sisters, both reverencing and calling on the unique gifts of each Marianist. A metaphor that for me fittingly describes this equality is that of a round table. When members of the Marianist Family gather we sit at a round table where there is no head or place of honor, but instead all are equal and both equally share in the gifts of our Founders and are equally responsible for faithfully living the charism our Founders offered the Church. A contemporary depiction of the Last Supper painted by Polish artist Bohdan Piasecki in 1998 would be, I believe, a very Marianist way of looking at the scene, for the artist depicts men, women, and children gathered with Jesus around the table, and not just men. [22: Joseph Stefanelli, Marianist Heritage in the Rule of Life, 97]

Mission and apostolic involvement is central to Marianist religious life. However it is not characteristic of our lives because we are religious but because we are Christian, and like all Christians we share in Christ’s work because of baptism. Vatican II and the post-Conciliar Church has emphasized repeatedly that all are called to holiness and to participation in ministry and the mission of the Church. Nevertheless, apostolic engagement is an essential component of Marianist life for, as already indicated, we seek the faithful imitation of Jesus Christ and are sons of Mary for the salvation of all. Chaminade’s understanding of mission was to engage in ministry through the development of communities of faith dedicated to Mary. He wanted to show the world that it is still possible to live the gospel today in all its fullness. Through these communities Chaminade wanted to show the world how to live the gospel. In other words he wanted to teach by example – a picture is worth a thousand words – and the picture was to be the how of living community and this includes all its messiness, not some perfect ideal end product. Young people speak of “walk-the-talk” and it is in the daily effort to live what we proclaim that is appealing and inviting. The Rule of Life points out that: “community itself is a primary instrument to fulfill our mission.”[footnoteRef:23] Chaminade understood the importance of example and that for Christian community to be credible it had to be all-inclusive and diversified. For us to be faithful to his charism we must strive to give our ministry this same authenticity through fidelity to his method. [23: Rule of Life of 1981, article 67]

A characteristic of mission in the Marianist charism is marked by its universal nature and the centrality of faith. Our understanding of universal comes from the marriage feast of Cana and Mary’s instruction to the servants that they were to do whatever Jesus asked of them. In his Constitutions of 1839 Chaminade underlines the universal nature of our mission when he writes: “The Society of Mary does not exclude any kind of work; it adopts all means that Divine Providence ordained of it in order to attain the end that it proposes.”[footnoteRef:24] Although, for example, Marianist religious have been heavily involved in school ministry we were not to be a teaching Order. Schools, as Chaminade often reminded the early Marianists, was a means to an end, the end being formation in faith.[footnoteRef:25] [24: Constitutions of 1839, article 6] [25: Letter to father Chevaux, February 7, 1834 as quoted in Gadiou, Louis and Délas, Jean Claude Marianists in a Continuing Mission, Sargent, Robert [Trans.] (Marianist Resources Commission, 1973) page 141]