Spirituality
Marian: Our Lady of the VII Sorrows
Our founder, Canon Dufort, placed his congregation under the protection of Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows, who was, as she is now, venerated in the parish church of St. Amand.
Our Lady of the VII Sorrows refers to seven painful moments in the life of Mary, as we find them in the Gospels.
- “Mary met Simeon, saying, ‘A sword of sorrow will pierce your heart’.”
- “Mary and Joseph fled with the child to Egypt”.
- “Mary and Joseph found Jesus back in the temple after three days.”
- “Mary met Jesus, burdened with the cross “.
- “Jesus died on the cross”.
- “Jesus was taken down from the cross”.
- “Jesus was laid in the tomb”.
In her, the search between God and humanity is most fully realized because from her, Jesus was born.
Through the name we bear, we recognize Mary , the Mother of God, as our example and guide in religious life.
On our cross, it is engraved “Per Mariam ad Jesum” – “through Mary to Jesus,” for she leads us in everything to her Son.
The most profound aspect of our vocation as ‘Sister of Mary’ is, like Mary, to believe with great faithfulness to God. It is through her deep, faithful love and faith that Mary became the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, and our Mother.
Her attitude in humility, simplicity, availability, and service remains, even today, both a gift and a challenge for us.
With Mary, through Mary, and in Mary: living in communion with Mary, entrusting everything to the Holy Trinity, just as she did.
Trinitarian: The Holy Trinity
“The sisters will dedicate themselves to the Most Holy Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.“ Can. Dufort
God is community within Himself: Father-Son-Spirit – this is a mystery.
Humanity has only fully discovered this in the event of the resurrection.
The Father is the origin of everything, the source of all love. The Son, who became man and rose from the dead, is the total orientation towards the Father. The Spirit is the love between the Father and the Son.
God as community precedes creation. However, God is not satisfied with an isolated existence within Himself. He was seeking someone with whom He could relate to, and so He created man in His image and likeness.
By nature, we are capable to relate to God, who is community.
The symbol of our bond with the Trinity is the cross we wear.
On it are depicted the 3 rings: Father-Son-Spirit, without beginning or end, fully united with each other.
Christological: Eucharist as Word and Bread
Our founder, Canon Dufort, encouraged the sisters to have great love for the Eucharist.
In the Word of the Bible, God Himself meets us to free us from our selfishness. God speaks words of life.
In the bread and wine, Jesus is present, and we have communion with Him.
Eucharist means saying thanks – saying thanks for what transcends us. In the Eucharist, we come together to remember God’s great deeds. This happens again and again in both symbolic and real way.
To nurture the personal encounter with Jesus, founder Canon Dufort encouraged the sisters to engage in Eucharistic adoration.
Charism: Founder Canon Pierre Jacques Dufort according to St. Vincent de Paul
“Jesus said: ‘Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of my brothers and sisters, you did for Me.'” – Matthew 25:40
‘“Be gentle in your dealings with the poor. You know that they are our masters, and we must love them with tenderness and respect .’ St. Vincent de Paul
Driven by the love of the Triune God, Canon Dufort wanted to assist his parishioners, especially the poor in their moral and physical needs. This foundation, “Sisters of Mary,” came to the aid of all, especially the poor and the needy. This is why simplicity has always been the characteristic of the sisters. Following the example of Mary, they wanted to be servants of the Lord, because in these poor people God was present. (Rule of Life 1977 p. 5)
