In the Footsteps of St. Louis Marie de Montfort
"Footsteps Online"
Summer 1997 (Volume 2, Issue 3)
Around the World for the 50th Anniversary
As the Holy Father recalled in his letter, the Montfortian Family has just started a year set apart for the celebration of the fiftieth anniversary of the canonisation of St. Louis Marie de Montfort. In a joint message, the three Superiors General of the Company of Mary, the Daughters of Wisdom and the Brothers of St. Gabriel, say that they "hope that the fiftieth anniversary of the canonisation of St. Louis Marie de Montfort will unite and renew the whole Montfortian family, both religious men and women and lay people, and be the means of spiritual and apostolic renewal" (December 8th 1995). In an effort to make this special Montfortian year effective along these lines, many celebrations have been organised around the world. Here we would like to tell you of a few of them.
The official opening of the Montfortian year was celebrated at Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre, the village where St. Louis Marie died and where he is buried, with a three-day gathering of Montfortians from many places, but particularly from France. The celebrations included a concert, a seminar on the subject, "What needs do we see in the world today? What moves us to respond?", and the opening ceremony itself, followed by a presentation prepared by the local students and teachers. It was attended by the three Superiors General of the Montfortian Family.
Here in the Province of Gt. Britain & Ireland, we anticipated the year a little, with our pilgrimage to Walsingham on June 7th. Those of you who were among the 200 or so who took part, will know that this was a very moving celebration, and a powerful reminder of the Marian and Incarnational elements of St. Louis Marie's spirituality. Then, on 30th July, the Daughters of Wisdom hosted a celebration at Romsey, with a Mass and a celebratory meal. A most enjoyable occasion for all who participated. The next event which is planned for this Montfortian year in our Province, will be the pilgrimage to Saint-Laurent-sur-Sèvre and Lourdes, which is to take place next year from 24th April until 1st May, including the celebration of St. Louis Marie's feast-day in Lourdes itself, where we will join with the big French Montfortian pilgrimage.
But the Montfortian family is now spread over almost the whole world, and there are to be celebrations in many different places during the year: pilgrimages to Rome as well as to Lourdes; the translation of the "Dictionary of Montfortian Spirituality" (known in Gt. Britain and the USA as "Jesus Living in Mary: the Handbook of the Spirituality of St. Louis Marie de Montfort" into Spanish in Latin America; a special literacy campaign among the poor in Haiti; seminars and other gatherings in Canada and the USA; Wisdom Retreats and conferences in Madagascar, Senegal and Zaire; a gathering of the three Montfortian congregations in India; pilgrimages and the translation of some of the works of St. Louis Marie into Thai in Thailand; and so on. No doubt other celebrations and events will be planned and announced during the year.
The year will end with a solemn celebration at Pontchâteau, where St. Louis Marie built his famous Calvary, on July 19th 1998, at which the youth of Europe will participate.
Let us pray that, for all of us who follow the teaching of St. Louis Marie, this year will be a time of renewal of our Montfortian spirit, and particularly an aid to our preparation for the celebration of the great Jubilee of the Millennium.
