A Certain Idea of the Society of Mary: Jean-Claude Colin

Having been invited to speak to you about Jean-Claude Colin on this celebration of the Bi-centenary of his birth, I could have prepared a carefully worked-out conference on one or other aspect of his life or attempted a synthesis of his personality, his contribution to the Church and to our religious families. In fact, I […]

The Work of Mary

The early Marists were convinced that Mary had chosen them to form a new family in the Church – one which would bear her name and do her work of saving souls. Theologically this claim cannot be “proved”; but nor on the other hand can it be “disproved” if only for the reason that theology […]

Our Marist Priesthood: Reflections on a Neglected theme

In our branch of the Marist Family there is an essential link, I have come to recognise, between our Marist calling and our vocation to the priesthood – a link that has been little reflected upon. Many Marists, I am sure, have had an experience similar to mine.  It was a decision to become a […]

Historical Commentary on the Constitutions of the Society of Mary

The Spirit of the Society (Article X, DD 49-50) After a series of detailed studies concerning the principal themes through which the Founder’s thought on the hidden life was expressed –Ignoti et quasi occulti, Mary at the Birth of the Church, Nazareth,– we now intend to resume the actual commentary on the Constitutions by dealing […]

The Metamorphosis of Mariology

In latter years mariology seems to have lost its nerve. In the wake of Vatican II what had once seemed a thriving industry, flourishing with a life of its own, slowed down and ground virtually to a standstill. On the whole this has been a good thing. It has allowed a breathing space, a time […]

The Immaculate Conception

I was once asked by a non-Catholic friend to give a talk to a group of London University students on the Immaculate Conception. They were completing a three year course on the production of films and videos and knew their way around the technology of the media.  They were intelligent and sophisticated. They did not […]

The changing face of Mary

A quick trip down the centuries of Christian devotion to Mary is like walking through an art gallery hung with portraits of the same person painted by different artists. Each painter sees his subject differently, but each portrait is a true likeness, capturing different facets of the mystery of that person. And so it is […]

Mary: Woman of Faith

One of the surprising effects of the Second Vatican Council on the life of the Church in recent years has been the dramatic drop in practical devotion to Mary. And this is all the more surprising when we recall that the Council itself spoke most beautifully of Mary in the last chapter of its great […]

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