General Chapter of the Company of Mary
The General Chapter of the Company of Mary took place in Rome, from 1 to 21 May, 2005. The General Chapter is a gathering of the major superiors and elected delegates from every part of the Congregation. It is called every six years, to elect a new Superior General and General Council, and to make decisions concerning the policy and the directions the congregation will follow during the next six years, in order to continue to respond to its mission in the Church.
The Chapter elected Fr. Santino Brembilla, smm, as the new Superior General. Fr. Brembilla made his religious profession in 1963, was ordained priest in 1971, and since 1979 has been a missionary in Peru. His Council consists of Frs. Donald LaSalle (USA), Mathieu Jenniskens (Netherlands), Joseph Philor (Haiti) and Olivier Maire (France). Please pray for the whole of the Company of Mary, at this important moment in their history.
As reported on this page, the Company of Mary is this year, 2005, celebrating 300 years of its existence. The year of celebration was officially inaugurated at the opening of the General Chapter of the Company of Mary in Rome on 1 May 2005. Various celebrations are taking place around the world. Here we give details of a few of them.
In the Province of Gt. Britain & Ireland:
In Liverpool, on 15 February, in St. Thomas's church, Waterloo, a large group of Montfortians and their friends and associates gathered to celebrate, with a Consecration of themselves to Jesus through Mary, and a commissioning for the Mission.
In Barrhead, on the Feast of the Annunciation, 4 April, a group of friends and associates of the Montfort Missionaries joined the local community to celebrate and to renew their Consecration to Jesus through Mary.
In Belgium, on 24 August, the Montfort Missionaries will celebrate at the Marian shrine of Banneux, placing a metal plaque in the chapel of St. Louis Marie de Montfort, written in Dutch, French, German and English. The English text will read:
St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort ° 31/01/1673 Montfort-sur-Meu
+ 28/04/1716 St. Laurent-sur-Sèvre
Pilgrim, who do you see here?
A priest according to Christ's heart:
poor with the poor
apostolic preacher
devoted to Mary
seeking Wisdom
man of the Cross
spiritual guide
on the way to the Source.
He became all things to all men.
On 8 December 2003, Pope John Paul II wrote to the Religious of the Montfortian Congregations, a letter to commemorate the 160th anniversary of the publication in 1843 of the "Traité de la Vraie Dévotion à la Sainte Vierge" (True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin). In the letter he reflects on certain aspects of the teaching of St. Louis Marie de Montfort concerning consecration of oneself to Jesus through Mary. See the text of this letter.
St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, all his life, practised and preached in his missions and retreats a form of devotion to Our Blessed Lady which he called "the most perfect devotion" to her, and which is often referred to as "the Holy Slavery". About Autumn 1712, he set down his teaching on this devotion in a book which has become, as Pope John Paul says in this letter, a classic of Marian spirituality: "True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin". After St Louis Marie's death in 1716, his followers in the Company of Mary continued to make this devotion a major part of their teaching and preaching, but, for some reason, they never thought to publish his book, although they possessed the manuscript. They did, however, value the manuscript sufficiently that, when the French Revolution brought chaos to the Vendée region where the Mother-house of the Company of Mary was, they hid it, along with other precious papers, in a field nearby. After the revolutionary fury had abated, they retrieved these papers and put them back in the library of the Mother-house, but then, it seems, forgot about them. It was only in 1842 that one of the members of the Company of Mary, doing some research in the library, came across the old manuscript and recognised the handwriting of St. Louis Marie. The manuscript was quickly authenticated, and in 1843 was published for the first time as "Traité de la Vraie Dévotion à la Sainte Vierge" (Treatise on True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin).
Some 20 years later, in 1862, Fr. Frederick William Faber, of the London Oratory, made the first English translation of the book and had it published in London. There have been a number of English editions published since that time, in the United States as well as in Gt. Britain. In 1883, Bishop Herbert Vaughan, at that time the Bishop of Salford in England, and the founder of the Mill Hill Missionaries, wrote a letter recommending St. Louis Marie's book to all the clergy of the diocese. When he was transferred to Westminster Archdiocese in 1892, he did the same for his clergy of that diocese.
St. Louis Marie's book has been an inspiration to many thousands of people throughout the 160 years since its first publication. Our present Holy Father has several times acknowledged its influence on him, as he does again in this letter. It is well known that Frank Duff, the founder of the Legion of Mary in the 1920s, made the "Holy Slavery" the basis of the Legion's spirituality. Others in the English-speaking world who have been deeply influenced by it include Matt Talbot, Mother Mary Potter (foundress of the Little Company of Mary), Eddie Doherty and Catherine de Hueck Doherty (these two the founders of the Madonna House apostolate based in Combermere, Ontario).
Recently, the Province of Germany, because of decreasing numbers, has changed status from a Province to a Vice-Province. This means only that it will not require as many Councillors for its governing body, and that it will not be obliged to send as many delegates to the General Chapter.
Also recently, the Formation structures in Brazil, which until now has been a Provincial Delegation of the Dutch Province, have been joined with the Italian Province's Provincial Delegation of Peru, thus forming a new delegation, dependent on the Italian Province, to be called "Peru-Brazil". The other residence in Brazil will continue to depend on the Dutch Province, but as a simple community, no longer as a Provincial Delegation.
On April 28, 2001, the celebration took place in Nzama, Malawi, of 100 years since the arrival, in 1901, of the first Montfort Missionaries in that country. For the occasion, many former missionaries and Daughters of Wisdom who worked there, joined the Bishops, clergy and people of Malawi in giving thanks to God. The first three Montfort Missionaries in Malawi were Fathers Pierre Bourget, Auguste Prézeau (both French) and Anton Winnen (a Dutchman). They travelled by boat from Naples, through the Suez Canal, to a port in Mozambique. From there they travelled up the Zambesi River, then the Shire River, into Malawi, then known as Nyasaland. They finished their journey on foot to arrive in Nzama on 25 July 1901. There they established their first mission station. The first Daughters of Wisdom (Srs. Lucie Marie, Ste. Théresine, Marie Reine and Eulalie de St. Pierre) arrived in Malawi in 1904, and it was in 1905 that the first Malawian converts to the Catholic faith were baptised, after a 4-year catechumenate. Since that time, many Montfort Missionaries and Daughters of Wisdom have worked in Malawi, and a number of Malawian men and women have joined the Montfortian Family as priests, brothers and sisters.
Extraordinary General Council of the Company of Mary The Montfort Missionaries have just held their Extraordinary General Council at their General House in Rome. An Extraordinary General Council is a meeting of the Superiors of the 10 Provinces and 5 General Delegations of the Company of Mary, along with the ordinary General Council (Superior General and his 4 Assistants). It is held every 18 months to two years, to discuss and reflect on the mission of the Company of Mary, and how it is being carried out in the world. The main purpose of the EGC held in October this year was to guage the progress, in the various parts of the Congregation, of efforts to renew our consecrated Montfortian religious life. Each Superior reported on what has been done in his entity since the General Chapter of 1999, when this renewal was taken as a priority for the following six years. From these reports, and the reflection which followed, certain decisions were arrived at which the Congregation hopes will aid the progress of the renewal. Please pray that all the members of the Company of Mary, and of the whole of the Montfortian Religious Family, will continue to grow in their commitment to their mission in the Church.
Montfort Missionaries and Daughters of Wisdom caught up in fighting in Congo
The Montfort Missionaries and the Daughters of Wisdom in Kisangani, Congo, were very badly affected by the recent fighting between Ugandan and Rwandan troops there. The Montfort Missionaries had a residence called "La Providence" where there were housed a number of postulants, studying philosophy before entering the novitiate. They were accompanied by Fr. André Babusia, smm. Some months ago, we received news that this house was right in the middle of a battle between the opposing armies. Then, in a new outbreak of fighting, the house was completely destroyed. Fr. Babusia and the postulants managed to take refuge in the "Procure", but were severely traumatised. Eventually they went to stay with various families in Kisangani. The Daughters of Wisdom, after the fighting died down for a while, managed to evacuate themselves and their novices and pre-novices from Kisangani to Isangi.
Fr. Babusia and the students have managed to rebuild a part of their former house, but the situation remains tense and dangerous. Please pray that the bitter fighting and pointless loss of so many innocent lives in Kisangani and the rest of the Congo may cease. Pray for the Montfort Missionaries and Daughters of Wisdom caught up in the fighting there.
Renewed Efforts to Have Montfort Proclaimed a Doctor of the Church
A request to have St. Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort proclaimed a Doctor of the Universal Church was made to the competent authorities in the Holy See some time ago. This was in the 1980s. At that time, along with other requests, it was left suspended, since the Holy See wanted to review the criteria and the circumstances of such a proclamation. But with the title of Doctor having been given to St. Thérèse of Lisieux, efforts in favour of St. Louis Marie have also been renewed. A new petition was officially presented to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on 9 February 2000, signed by the Bishop of Luçon (France), in whose diocese the tomb of the saint is to be found, and by the Superiors General of the Montfortian Congregations. A new Postulator was appointed in the person of Fr. Battista Cortinovis, a Montfort Missionary (Via Prenestina, 1391 - 00010 Roma - Colle Prenestino - Italy). At the same time, in many different countries, various initiatives are being undertaken, not only to support the request for the proclamation, but most of all to make known the reasons for it, its value and its fittingness at this moment in the life of the Church. Press releases, study conventions, and articles in theological and pastoral reviews, are the most common methods used to arouse interest and debate in Church circles: dioceses and parishes, theological and university associations, religious institutes and movements... finally interesting the various Episcopal Conferences.
New Apostolic Vicariate entrusted to Montfortians
On 29 January 2000, His Holiness John Paul II appointed Fr. José Alberto Rozo Vicar Apostolic of the new Vicariate of Puerto Gaitán in Colombia.
This Vicariate was established on 22 December 1999. A large part of its territory belonged formerly to the Prefecture Apostolic of the Vichada, which was created and entrusted to the Company of Mary in 1956, though its missionaries had been working in this mission since 1904. The Prefecture has now been divided into two new Vicariates: Puerto Carreño, entrusted to the Redemptorist Fathers, and Puerto Gaitán, entrusted to the Company of Mary. Our Vicariate has a surface area of almost 50,000 Km², half the area of the former Prefecture of the Vichada, a population of 42,000, 2 parishes, 1 Diocesan priest, 8 religious priests, 10 female religious, and 6 mission centres. The greater part of this territory is inhabited by communities of indigenous Colombians. Since there are no roads, communication is difficult and costly.
Fr. Alberto Rozo is a former Provincial of the Province of Colombia, and, since September 1995 has been in charge, in the capacity of Pro-Prefect Apostolic, of the Prefecture of the Vichada, taking the place of Mgr. José Aurelio Rozo, who had been relieved, for health reasons, of his pastoral duties as Prefect Apostolic. Mgr. Alberto Rozo received his episcopal Ordination on 19 March 2000.
Episcopal appointments for Montfortians in 1999 On 12 January, 1999, the Holy Father named our confrere Bishop Gérard Deschamps, smm, who until now has been bishop of Daru-Kiunga (Papua-New Guinea), to the post of bishop of the Diocese of Bereina, in the same country. He is succeeded as bishop of Daru-Kiunga by Bishop Gilles Côté, smm, who has been his auxiliary since 1995.
The Diocese of Daru-Kiunga was confided to the Montfortians in 1958 by the Propaganda Fide. It was created a Prefecture Apostolic on 16 July 1959, and became the Diocese of DARU on 15 November 1966. It then became the Diocese of DARU-KIUNGA on 4 September 1987. Its surface area is 99,600 km2 (1/3 the size of Italy). It has a population of 120,000, of whom Catholics number 30,000. To travel from the cathedral at Kiunga to the pro-cathedral at Daru, requires one week by boat on the Fly River, or 75 minutes by plane.
The Diocese of Bereina is where the Church first began in Papua a little more than a century ago. It was a division of Port Moresby (Prefecture Apostolic : 1889), then was made into the Vicariat of Yule Island on 16 July 1959. It became a diocese on 15 November 1966. It has a surface area of 19,146 km2. Its popluation is 87,000, of whom Catholics number 57,000.
On 8 March the Vatican announced the nomination of Bishop Paul
Marchand, smm as bishop of Timmins, Ontario, Canada. Our confrere will thus leave his post as Auxiliary Bishop of Ottawa. The date for his installation at
Timmins has not yet been fixed. The Diocese of Timmins was formed in 1915, and counts a population
of more than 50,000 catholics, both French and English speaking. There are
31 parishes. The clergy consists of 28 diocesan priests, 6 religious
priests and 8 deacons. There are also 5 brothers and 41 sisters, among
which are 3 Daughters of Wisdom. This city is located 1,125 km from
Montreal.
Visit of Pope to tomb of St Louis Marie September 19, 1996: Pope John Paul visited the tomb of St Louis Marie de Montfort in Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre. This was a private pilgrimage the Pope wished to make during his visit to France to celebrate the 1,500th anniversary of the Baptism of Clovis. Read the text of the Pope's homily during Vespers in St-Laurent.
[Click on picture for a Real Video clip of his visit - if you do not have the Real Player, click on the logo below to download a copy FREE]
St Louis Marie's feast in Universal Calendar The Holy See, by a decree dated 20 July 1996 (the anniversary of his canonisation in 1947), decided that the feast of St. Louis Marie de Montfort is to be placed in the universal calendar of the Church. The optional memorial in his honour may be celebrated on 28 April, the anniversary of his death.
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As reported on this page, the Company of Mary is this year, 2005, celebrating 300 years of its existence. The year of celebration was officially inaugurated at the opening of the General Chapter of the Company of Mary in Rome on 1 May 2005. Various celebrations are taking place around the world. Here we give details of a few of them.
In the Province of Gt. Britain & Ireland:
