Confraternity of the Life of Mary - Mariae Vitae Sodalitas
"Adveniat Regnum tuum Domine, adveniat per Mariam!"
The Confraternity of the Life of Mary is a traditional Liberal Catholic and Old Catholic confraternity of clergy, religious and laity dedicated to Eucharistic Adoration and imitation of the life of Mary, inspired by traditional Marian devotion and Mariavitism. We particularly venerate Mary under her title of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour.
Statue of our Lady of Perpetual Succour, St Gall's Retreat, Switzerland
"Ask Mary to give you her heart, her Immaculate Heart, that it may supply for your own sinful heart. Love that heart, consecrate yourself to it, make your home in it, and make it your constant endeavour to be actuated by all the holy desires, wishes and prayers that emanate from it. Let your sufferings, your actions, your whole being, renew again on this earth, the life of Mary."
(Ven. Mother Mary Potter LCM)
(Ven. Mother Mary Potter LCM)
In Imitation of the Life of Mary
Although in this Confraternity we do not approve of many of the "liturgical reforms" and iconclasm which occurred as a result of the 2nd Vatican Council, we find, nevertheless, that there is a great deal of value in some of the writings which came from that Council and its aftermath. Here are some quotes which reflect the charism of our own Confraternity:
"Mary .... is held up as an example to the faithful ... for the way in which, in her own particular life, she fully and responsibly accepted the will of God, because she heard the word of God and acted on it, and because charity and a spirit of service were the driving force of her actions. She is worthy of imitation because she was the first and the most perfect of Christ's disciples. All of this has a permanent and universal exemplary value." (Pope Paul VI, Marialis Cultus, #35).
Mary is the perfect incarnation of Christian spirituality, or as Pope Paul VI said:
"Mary is a teacher of the spiritual life for individual Christians". (Marialis Cultus, #21).
It is in this sense that Mary is referred to as a type of the Church and of Christians: "the Mother of God is a type of the Church in the order of faith, charity and perfect union with Christ". (Lumen Gentium, #63).
"Mary, a daughter of Adam, consenting to the divine Word, became the mother of Jesus, the one and only Mediator. Embracing God's salvific will with a full heart and impeded by no sin, she devoted herself totally as a handmaid of the Lord to the person and work of her Son, under Him and with Him, by the grace of almighty God, serving the mystery of redemption". (Lumen Gentium, #56).
"From the time of the Annunciation until the day that she stood at the foot of the cross,
Mary is the perfect follower of Jesus: This union of the Mother with the Son in the work of salvation is made manifest from the time of Christ's virginal conception up to His death". (Lumen Gentium, #57).
"Mary .... is held up as an example to the faithful ... for the way in which, in her own particular life, she fully and responsibly accepted the will of God, because she heard the word of God and acted on it, and because charity and a spirit of service were the driving force of her actions. She is worthy of imitation because she was the first and the most perfect of Christ's disciples. All of this has a permanent and universal exemplary value." (Pope Paul VI, Marialis Cultus, #35).
Mary is the perfect incarnation of Christian spirituality, or as Pope Paul VI said:
"Mary is a teacher of the spiritual life for individual Christians". (Marialis Cultus, #21).
It is in this sense that Mary is referred to as a type of the Church and of Christians: "the Mother of God is a type of the Church in the order of faith, charity and perfect union with Christ". (Lumen Gentium, #63).
"Mary, a daughter of Adam, consenting to the divine Word, became the mother of Jesus, the one and only Mediator. Embracing God's salvific will with a full heart and impeded by no sin, she devoted herself totally as a handmaid of the Lord to the person and work of her Son, under Him and with Him, by the grace of almighty God, serving the mystery of redemption". (Lumen Gentium, #56).
"From the time of the Annunciation until the day that she stood at the foot of the cross,
Mary is the perfect follower of Jesus: This union of the Mother with the Son in the work of salvation is made manifest from the time of Christ's virginal conception up to His death". (Lumen Gentium, #57).
MVS Rule
To wear the Scapular or Miraculous Medal devoutly, and a Monstrance lapel pin, if so desired. To engage in daily Eucharistic Adoration either via webcam or, preferably, in person. To pray regularly the "Visits to the Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary" by St Alphonsus Liguori. To pray the Rosary regularly; to renew our consecration to our Mother of Perpetual Help on the first Wednesday of each month, and to celebrate the Perpetual Novena to Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, as time may permit. To attend Mass on Sundays and major feasts and to receive communion frequently, whenever possible. Ordained members make a personal commitment to further the work of the Confraternity, particularly through Eucharistic Adoration and Marian Devotion. |
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Membership and Enrollment
To become a member of this Confraternity you need to subscribe to our Statement of Faith. You should also be enrolled in the Miraculous Medal or a Marian scapular (the Brown, Blue or Black Scapulars or the Fivefold Scapular are all acceptable) by any validly ordained priest. If you have not yet been invested with a Marian scapular or medal this can be arranged prior to admittance, but if you are already invested/enrolled you may be admitted immediately. Enquiries, to the Guardian of the Confraternity, Dom Alistair Bate OSBA, are welcome using the form below. Please see the "Scapulars" page for forms of Enrollment.
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Mediatrix of All Graces
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Act of Consecration to our Mother of Perpetual Help
MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP, PRAY FOR US!
LOVING MOTHER, help us that we may be filled with the HOLY SPIRIT and become courageous witnesses of CHRIST's love for men; That we may be aware of our dependence on GOD in the midst of human achievements; and That we may see the evil of seeking our own interest at the expense of others. Amen.
'C O N S E C R A T I O N' (First Wednesday of each month)
IMMACULATE VIRGIN MARY, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, you are also our MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP! With hearts full of love for you, we consecrate ourselves to your most Immaculate Heart so that we may be your devoted children. Obtain for us true sorrow for our sins and fidelity to the promises of our Baptism.
We consecrate our minds and hearts to you that we may always do the Will of our Heavenly Father. We consecrate our lives to you that we may love God better and live not for ourselves but for Christ, your son and that we may see Him and serve Him in others.
By this humble act of consecration, dear Mother of Perpetual Help, we pledge to model our lives on you, the perfect Christian so that consecrated to you in life and death, we may belong to your Divine Son for all eternity. Amen.
LOVING MOTHER, help us that we may be filled with the HOLY SPIRIT and become courageous witnesses of CHRIST's love for men; That we may be aware of our dependence on GOD in the midst of human achievements; and That we may see the evil of seeking our own interest at the expense of others. Amen.
'C O N S E C R A T I O N' (First Wednesday of each month)
IMMACULATE VIRGIN MARY, Mother of God and Mother of the Church, you are also our MOTHER OF PERPETUAL HELP! With hearts full of love for you, we consecrate ourselves to your most Immaculate Heart so that we may be your devoted children. Obtain for us true sorrow for our sins and fidelity to the promises of our Baptism.
We consecrate our minds and hearts to you that we may always do the Will of our Heavenly Father. We consecrate our lives to you that we may love God better and live not for ourselves but for Christ, your son and that we may see Him and serve Him in others.
By this humble act of consecration, dear Mother of Perpetual Help, we pledge to model our lives on you, the perfect Christian so that consecrated to you in life and death, we may belong to your Divine Son for all eternity. Amen.
St Louis Marie's Act of Consecration Ad Jesum per Mariam
Hail Mary, beloved Daughter of the Eternal Father! Hail Mary, admirable Mother of the Son! Hail Mary, faithful spouse of the Holy Ghost! Hail Mary, my dear Mother, my loving Mistress, my powerful sovereign! Hail my joy, my glory, my heart and my soul! Thou art all mine by mercy, and I am all thine by justice. But I am not yet sufficiently thine. I now give myself wholly to thee without keeping anything back for myself or others. If thou still seest in me anything which does not belong to thee, I beseech thee to take it and to make thyself the absolute Mistress of all that is mine. Destroy in me all that may be displeasing to God, root it up and bring it to nought; place and cultivate in me everything that is pleasing to thee.
May the light of thy faith dispel the darkness of my mind; may thy profound humility take the place of my pride; may thy sublime contemplation check the distractions of my wandering imagination; may thy continuous sight of God fill my memory with His presence; may the burning love of thy heart inflame the lukewarmness of mine; may thy virtues take the place of my sins; may thy merits be my only adornment in the sight of God and make up for all that is wanting in me. Finally, dearly beloved Mother, grant, if it be possible, that I may have no other spirit but thine to know Jesus and His divine will; that I may have no other soul but thine to praise and glorify the Lord; that I may have no other heart but thine to love God with a love as pure and ardent as think I do not ask thee for visions, revelations, sensible devotion or spiritual pleasures. It is thy privilege to see God clearly; it is thy privilege to enjoy heavenly bliss; it is thy privilege to triumph gloriously in Heaven at the right hand of thy Son and to hold absolute sway over angels, men and demons; it is thy privilege to dispose of all the gifts of God, just as thou willest.
Such is, O heavenly Mary, the "best part," which the Lord has given thee and which shall never be taken away from thee--and this thought fills my heart with joy. As for my part here below, I wish for no other than that which was thine: to believe sincerely without spiritual pleasures; to suffer joyfully without human consolation; to die continually to myself without respite; and to work zealously and unselfishly for thee until death as the humblest of thy servants. The only grace I beg thee to obtain for me is that every day and every moment of my life I may say: Amen, So be it--to all that thou didst do while on earth; Amen, so be it--to all that thou art now doing in Heaven; Amen, so be it--to all that thou art doing in my soul, so that thou alone mayest fully glorify Jesus in me for time and eternity. Amen.
May the light of thy faith dispel the darkness of my mind; may thy profound humility take the place of my pride; may thy sublime contemplation check the distractions of my wandering imagination; may thy continuous sight of God fill my memory with His presence; may the burning love of thy heart inflame the lukewarmness of mine; may thy virtues take the place of my sins; may thy merits be my only adornment in the sight of God and make up for all that is wanting in me. Finally, dearly beloved Mother, grant, if it be possible, that I may have no other spirit but thine to know Jesus and His divine will; that I may have no other soul but thine to praise and glorify the Lord; that I may have no other heart but thine to love God with a love as pure and ardent as think I do not ask thee for visions, revelations, sensible devotion or spiritual pleasures. It is thy privilege to see God clearly; it is thy privilege to enjoy heavenly bliss; it is thy privilege to triumph gloriously in Heaven at the right hand of thy Son and to hold absolute sway over angels, men and demons; it is thy privilege to dispose of all the gifts of God, just as thou willest.
Such is, O heavenly Mary, the "best part," which the Lord has given thee and which shall never be taken away from thee--and this thought fills my heart with joy. As for my part here below, I wish for no other than that which was thine: to believe sincerely without spiritual pleasures; to suffer joyfully without human consolation; to die continually to myself without respite; and to work zealously and unselfishly for thee until death as the humblest of thy servants. The only grace I beg thee to obtain for me is that every day and every moment of my life I may say: Amen, So be it--to all that thou didst do while on earth; Amen, so be it--to all that thou art now doing in Heaven; Amen, so be it--to all that thou art doing in my soul, so that thou alone mayest fully glorify Jesus in me for time and eternity. Amen.
The Most Holy Redeemer
Eternal Father, to conquer death and bring us back to life you made your only Son Redeemer of humanity.
May we ever remember your kindness, cling to you with unfailing love, and so enjoy the benefits of your Redemption.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. AMEN.
May we ever remember your kindness, cling to you with unfailing love, and so enjoy the benefits of your Redemption.
Grant this through Christ our Lord. AMEN.
