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Vowed Life and Lay Marianists
Living Out a Marianist
Vocation
The
Marianist Family, composed of different but united groups of lay and religious
communities, is meant to image the church described by St. Paul: "Just as the
body is one and has many members, all the members of the body, many though they
are, are one body..."
(1 Cor. 12:12).
Ministering under the ideal of what Marianists call "mixed
composition,"
or a "discipleship
of equals"
members of the Marianist Family profess that there is only one Marianist
vocation, lived out in a variety of complementary gifts and ministries. The
concept started with Father Chaminade, who saw the Society of Mary as "an
association composed of all talents and all states, priests and laymen...."
In a radical departure from the male religious orders of his day, he formed a
community in which ordained members have role, but no rank. In other words, the
roles of priest, religious brother or sister and lay Marianist are not to be
dividers or steps on a ladder of authority. Rather, all are seen as equals. Each
Marianist is an apostle of Christ serving the community as he or she is called.
With this in mind, some Marianists are ordained as priests. In addition to other
roles they may have within the Society of Mary or the community at large, they
receive the sacrament of Holy Orders. This empowers them to offer the Eucharist
and to administer the sacraments. The Marianist priest is brother among brothers
and is ordained for the service of the Marianist community and ministry.
All Marianist priests, brothers and sisters profess the same vows of poverty,
chastity, obedience, and stability. All are professed members of the Marianist
Family called to live in close community with other Marianists. As professed
members of the Marianist Family, they dedicate themselves to serving their
community, using their unique talents to help carry out the Marianist mission.
Other individuals may not feel called to religious life and yet may be very
attracted to the Marianist spirituality and mission. Rather than joining a
traditional religious community, then, they may choose to join the Marianist
Family as lay Marianists. These individuals, single or married, become educated
in the Marianist tradition and try to model their own lives after the values of
Marianist spirituality. They usually form faith from
communities,
often including professed Marianists, and meet for prayer, Scripture,
faith-sharing and Christian outreach. Like professed Marianists, they take on
the spirit of Mary and work to bring that spirit to those they encounter.
Whatever their ministry, whatever their role, the Marianists see themselves as a
family, with Jesus and Mary as head of their household. As God's children, the
Marianists work together to discern how best to follow the will of God and share
God's abounding love.
With this attitude, they will continue to live out Chaminade's mission and to
follow Mary's example of bringing Christ to the world, as our Founder said,
"in whatever way he tells you."
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