Chaminade Vignette 15

CHAMINADE, A PRECURSOR OF MARY'S APOSTOLIC MISSION

Blessed Father Chaminade's writings make it abundantly clear that he was a precursor in expounding the doctrine of  Mary' s Apostolic Mission to complete the Whole Christ, which is axiomatic to her Spiritual Maternity. In this area he was even more a pioneer than in the field of the Spiritual Maternity, which had been affirmed before his time, though not with the same breadth of view and cogency. But prior to the Marian Congress in Rome in 1950, a Holy Year, no other theologian had treated Mary's Apostolic Mission.

Chaminade refers to Mary as truly "Co-redemptrix of the human race" and the "Cooperatrix in the great mystery of the Redemption."

. . . At the foot of the cross . . . Mary knew that she was beholding this consummation in unity, that her Son and all His disciples consummated in unity were but one Son of God.

He points to Christ's prayer for unity at the Last Supper (Jn 17-20-23) . Mary' s Motherhood of all Christians was to be a continuing mission.

Chaminade Cameo 15

CHAMINADE ON MARY'S CONTINUING-MISSION

 In the brief treatise on Our Knowledge of Mary, which Father Chaminade commissioned Father Fontaine to compose and which was intended primarily for lay apostles, our Founder emphatically taught this important and essential element of Marianist doctrine:

And yet Mary's exalted mission does not end on Calvary. . . . For is she not the New Eve, and, as such, necessary to her children? .

Nor does the sublime mission of Mary end with her entrance into glory. Even in heaven she continues to cooperate in the work of regeneration, for all things are done through Mary, and every good gift comes to us through her.

Return to The Marianist Corner

Return to The Mary Page

This page, maintained by The Marian Library/International Marian Research Institute, Dayton, Ohio 45469-1390, and created by Aravind Nadellaraja was last modified Friday, 05/02/2008 11:22:01 EDT by Victor Pennekamp. Please send any comments to Johann.Roten@udayton.edu.

URL for this page is http://www.udayton.edu/mary/meditations/chaminade/chaminade15.htm