Feature
Charism of The Society of Mary
Fr David Kennerley SM
The Society of Mary emerged out of the French Revolution and its secularising spirit. The first Marists were diocesan seminarians who became captivated by the sense that Mary wanted a religious congregation of men and women working beside laity to rebuild the Church.
For Marists, the heart of this renewed Church was Mary and her manner of quiet, non-judgmental outreach to others – our being humble instruments of mercy. Jean Claude Colin who founded the Marist Fathers with their Brothers recognised how jealous the post-Revolutionary age was to its newfound freedoms. Given many in France had abandoned the faith, or not had the benefit of a pastor or Catholic teacher for nearly 25 years, he saw people now needed to be evangelised with great sensitivity ‒ as a mother concerned for her struggling child. For Colin, Marists have to be ‘hidden and unknown’ evangelisers, always acting so that nothing in them is an obstacle to Christ meeting any person, especially those most estranged from him.
Historically, the first ministry of Marists was missions to the most isolated rural villages, those most neglected during the Revolution. In a sense, the corollary of this first work was quite naturally the mission to Oceania – very distant people, and lands posing such difficulties no-one else wanted to go there. Today, New Zealand Marists are working in the Pacific Islands, the Philippines, Peru, Thailand and London city-centre.
Marists live in community for prayerful support and work educating youth, serving in pastoral areas, assisting in chaplaincies, and engaging in outreach through the media. Our focus continues to be that of building up the body of Christ in a secularising age, ever conscious of Mary, unobtrusively present beside the apostles at the birth of the Church.
Fr David Kennerley SM is Provincial of the Society of Mary, based in Wellington.
Marists seek to encounter, love, serve and follow Jesus as Mary, sharing his love with others.
Jane Langham
When I discovered Marist spirituality in a Marian Mothers’ group several years ago, I valued its simple women-to-women format for reflecting, sharing, praying and supporting one another. Marist Laity facilitate this outreach among women. I still meet with a group who share Marist lay resources. I embraced Marist spirituality with inner excitement yet peacefulness knowing ‘this is what I have always wanted’ and find it a great support to my faith.
It’s not just for women. Laity form part of our Marist ‘tree of many branches’. Founder Fr Jean Claude Colin and his companions saw laity sharing the three aims of all Marists: growing in personal holiness; reaching out to those who don’t know God’s love; and supporting the Church.
Today, Lay Marists try to respond creatively as missionaries of prayer and action in everyday life. To be Marist is to seek to be a disciple in the style of Mary. Mary’s invitation is to live, grow and share her knowledge of being loved by God. Mary wants to gather everyone into God’s family and she supports us in her mission.
Laity have a unique calling as instruments of mercy in the world in a familial relationship with the other Marist branches.
Those called can make a simple Association of Mary commitment that is open to all, or simply join a group. All groups or individuals can receive monthly formation and we have international voluntary opportunities.
For more information please visit our website or phone (04) 473-8464.
Jane Langham is a lay Marist and works for Marist Laity, Hobson St, Thorndon, Wellington.
Francine McGovern SM
The Marist Sisters were founded in Cerdon, France, in 1817 by Fr Jean Claude Colin and Jeanne Marie Chavoin. We are an international congregation. In Aotearoa New Zealand we have communities in Auckland, Kaikohe, Rawene, Rotorua and Wellington.
Our founders wanted Marists to be an active and discreet presence of Mary wherever they were. They dreamed of a Marian Church where all would be welcome, especially those on the margins.
Since our order’s founding, most of us have been involved in education. Today we are called to serve the world and the Church in a variety of ways, according to our Constitutions, ‘Following Christ as Mary did in a Congregation that bears her name’. In school, parish, pastoral and prayer ministries, we practice the ideals set before us. We are called to be a sign of the presence of the risen Jesus in the Church and in society.
For Marists, the daily inspiration of our lives is to live the Gospel as Mary did.
Francine McGovern SM is a Marist Sister based in Tawa, and is involved with parish and community groups.
Marist Brothers
Br Doug Dawick FMS
St Marcellin Champagnat founded the Marist Brothers in southern France in 1817 to meet a post-French Revolution need – the education of children in rural France. He was commissioned to establish a congregation and while always a member of the Society of Mary he identified with his brothers, living and dying with them. He died aged 51 having established 48 schools with 278 Brothers in a small area of France. His vision was ‘We are for all dioceses. The universal Church is the field of our congregation’.
Marist Brothers accompanied Bishop Pompallier to the Pacific and New Zealand. Their first school was established in 1876 in Wellington. Schools were then opened throughout the country.
With the integration of Catholic schools into the state system, the growth of lay-teacher numbers, and diminishing numbers of vocations to religious life, Marist Brothers have largely moved out of education and into youth ministry.
Marist Brothers everywhere assist disadvantaged young people – in schools, learning centres for struggling students, prisons, refugee camps, orphanages in war-torn countries such as Syria, African countries and Asia.
A significant change today is the involvement of lay people to live and share the charism, the spirit and spirituality of St Marcellin, in partnership.
Our charism is practical and through the practice of the ‘Five Pillars’ – Presence, Simplicity, Love of Work, Family Spirit and in the Manner of Mary – the spirit of Marcellin lives on.
Br Doug Dawick FMS is a Marist Brother and one of the founders of The Grove community in Lower Hutt.
Sr Catherine Jones SMSM
The Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary (SMSM) originate with the departure of lay missionary Marie Francoise Perroton. She left France for the missions of the Marist Fathers in Oceania in 1845 and spent her life in Wallis and Futuna.
Other women from France and Oceania joined her. After years of searching for how to be missionary, Marist and religious living in community, in 1931 we became Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary.
Today, in the Wellington Archdiocese, you can meet SMSM sisters who have worked in the Pacific Islands, Papua New Guinea, Latin America, West Africa, Australia and the Chatham Islands. Many work in refugee and migrant support, interfaith relations, and in various pastoral ministries.
As members of the wider Marist family we look forward in 2016 to celebrating 200 years since the first Marists made their commitment to found the Society of Mary at Fourviere, Lyon in 1816.
The vision that inspired them continues to call us into the future.
Sr Catherine Jones SMSM is a Society of Mary Mission Sister.
Will there be anyone to follow?
Fr Barry Scannell SM
During April, I attended a gathering of 31 New Zealand Marist priests aged under 65. Of these, 14 were aged 60–65; 13 from 50–60; and four from 40–50.
All work in a wide variety of ministries, but we are getting older and cannot, as a province, sustain all the works we are engaged in.
While we have four fine young men in formation at the Marist Seminary in Auckland, that is not enough for the future. The Church and the Society of Mary need vocations. At our gathering, we reflected on the influence and of those Marists who inspired and encouraged us as young men to consider a religious vocation.
I encourage young people reading this to consider the possibility God may be calling you to serve the Church. Religious life is a worthwhile and fulfilling vocation.
Yes, it takes courage in our secular world to be different, to discern what God is asking of us. However, the Bishops and the Provincials of religious orders need generous and faith-filled young men and women to answer the need in the New Zealand Church for priests and religious.
Why not talk with someone about it?
Fr Scannell is parish priest, St Mary of the Angels, Wellington Central.