Europe
The Company of Mary Today
Today the Company of Mary is established on all the continents, and in about 30 different countries.
Europe
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Great Britain & Ireland
Great Britain and Ireland form one General Delegation of the Company of Mary, with residences in England, and occasonal missionary ventures in Ireland and Scotland. Members of the Congregation first came to England in 1891 as a result of the anti-religious laws framed by the Third French Republic. In 1910, as a result of the same laws, a Junior Seminary or Apostolic School was opened at Romsey in Hampshire. With the outbreak of the Second World War, a structure independent of the French Province had to be created, and the Province of Great Britain & Ireland came into being. A first residence was opened in Scotland in the 1960s, and shortly afterwards the first house in Ireland was bought (both these residences have recently been closed). Today, with the decline in numbers, the Province has become a General Delegation, where some of the members are involved from time to time in preaching Missions and retreats; but there are also two Montfortian Pastoral and Retreat Centres, where Montfortian Spirituality is offered to all who are interested. Some of the members of the Delegation are working in parishes, often in deprived areas, while a few others continue to serve the young churches in Africa.
The General Delegation of Great Britain & Ireland has its own website, which offers further information. Germany
The General Delegation of Germany is a small entity, whose members work in parishes and in teaching posts, as well as in the support of various missionary ventures through the Mission Procure. The Delegation produces a Marian review, "Mutter der Kirche" (Mother of the Church), which has many thousands of subscribers.The Netherlands
The Dutch Province of the Company of Mary was established when members of the congregation first went there in about 1886 to found a novitiate and seminary, when conditions in France made it impossible to continue with these in France itself. The Province became the most active in the foreign mission field, with missionaries sent to Mozambique, Brazil, Malawi, Colombia, Haiti, and Indonesia. Today, like all the other entities in Europe, it is an ageing Province, and many of the missionaries have returned home to semi-retirement in parishes and other residences. But there are still a number who work in the foreign missions, principally in Indonesia and Malawi.
The Province has its own website (in Dutch).Belgium
The Belgian Province of the Company of Mary was formed in the 1960s from the Dutch Province. Because of declining numbers, it is now a General Delegation of the congregation. Its principal ministries today are the Marian Apostolate and the Apostolate of Pilgrimages, both operating from the Marian Centre in Leuven. The Delegation produces a Marian review in both French and Flemish (Dutch), and organises many pilgrimages, both to the Holy Land and to Marian shrines around Europe. Members of the Delegation also work in a number of parishes, and it still has one missionary working in the Congo (Democratic Republic).France
Until the latter part of the 19th century, the members of the Company of Mary did not leave France, but worked continually in the apostolate of giving Parish Missions, mainly in the West of France. Today, many of the French priests and brothers are elderly, and the itinerant preaching of missions is much reduced. Many of the priests, however, serve in parishes, particularly where there are serious shortages of priests. One of the major forms of apostolate today is the annual Montfortian Pilgrimage to Lourdes, which involves a year-round preparation, not only of the practical logistics of such a large pilgrimage, but of the spiritual and devotional aspects of the event. There is a vast network of lay-members of the "Hospitalité Montfortain", who are provided with spiritual guidance by a team of Montfort Missionaries. France still has a number of members also working in the foreign mission field, principally in Madagascar, Haiti and Argentina. There is also a small community in Spain. The Province produces a monthly Montfortian review, Le Règne de Jésus par Marie.
The Province has its own website at http://www.misioneros-monfortanos.org, which serves both France and Spain.Spain
A few members of the Company of Mary work in Spain, principally from the French Province. A few Spanish members of the Congregation have been professed and ordained, most of whom now work in the missions in Ecuador. TheWeb site at http://www.misioneros-monfortanos.org serves both Spain and France.Portugal
Portugal is a General Delegation of the Montfort Missionaries, depending on the General Administration. Begun by the Dutch Province, it now numbers 15 or 16 Portuguese members. It has residences in Lisbon, Fatima (close to the Marian shrine), Castro Verde and Junqueira. Members work in parishes and various other apostolates.Italy
The General House of the Company of Mary is located, like those of many other Congregations, in Rome. But there also exists in Italy the largest province of the Company of Mary, with residences in many parts of the country. A wide variety of apostolates is carried out in the Province, including the publishing of a number of Marian and Missionary reviews and other works, the preaching of missions in the parishes, and the care of a number of parishes. Many members of the Province work in the Foreign Mission field, principally in Malawi (the Diocese of Mangochi), Peru and Madagascar.
The Province has its own web site.Croatia
In the last 20 years, a few Croatians have joined the Company of Mary, and there is one residence in Croatia, in the capital, Zagreb. All the members belong, for the time being, to the Italian Province. The group of Montfortians in Croatia maintains its own web site.
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