Lovely "confluence of Feast-days" today: St. Louis de Montfort & St. Gianna Molla

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today is the Feast-day of St. Louis de Montfort, great Marian saint and author of True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is also the Feast-day of St. Gianna Molla. See HERE
It is a lovely confluence of Feast-days since both saints help us to better appreciate the gift of Motherhood.

St. Louis de Montfort in writing his treatise on True Devotion, speaks eloquently of the Mother above all Mothers who gave birth to Christ, and the Mother who was given to us by Jesus from His Cross. Mary is the model for all Mothers, in particular, but she is also mother and Model for the Church. St. Gianna Molla gave her life so that her child could live. In a sense, every mother “gives herself” that life may come forth physically, by God’s design, from her womb. The Church as Mother also must “give herself” completely to God that His Life may fill the souls of all.

In a special way, St. Louis helps us to see how God’s gift of supernatural life in Christ, comes by His design through Mary. As she gave birth to Jesus in the great mystery of the Incarnation, she also gave birth to us as members of His Mystical Body. She is not only Mother of the Head but of the Whole Body of Christ. The Church, as Body of Christ, needs to look continually to the Model of Mary’s “Yes” which can bring forth Jesus in our lives and bring His Life to others.

St. Gianna Molla, pray for all of us, and for women in particular, who are mothers physically, spiritually or both. Pray that we be true helpers to our husbands in raising holy families. Pray that women imbued with the Gospel will help the world.

St. Louis de Montfort, pray for us and for the Church you shepherded so well in your lifetime.

Mary our Mother and Model, pray for us.

 

[fencersmother]

A year ago two of us at my parish started the St Gianna Molla Association and since then, we have grown to 14 people, who do pro-life work for the unborn (not prisoners on death row). We also have a Legion of Mary praesidium and there are four of us who are in both groups.

Today, our spiritual director is saying a special mass for us to honor both saints, and then we are going out for supper! A feast!

Both great saints working hand-in-hand in heaven for us!

 

[MariaChristi]

A year ago two of us at my parish started the St Gianna Molla Association and since then, we have grown to 14 people, who do pro-life work for the unborn (not prisoners on death row). We also have a Legion of Mary praesidium and there are four of us who are in both groups.

Today, our spiritual director is saying a special mass for us to honor both saints, and then we are going out for supper! A feast!

Both great saints working hand-in-hand in heaven for us!

Dear fencersmother,

What a wonderful ministry you and your companion at the parish have undertaken! The Gianna Molla Association is so appropriate for Pro-Life work, and the Legion of Mary is absolutely the most beautiful (to me) of all lay apostolates. Pope St. John Paul II said that reading St. Louis de Montfort’s True Devotion was a “turning point” in his young life and Servant of God Frank Duff, founder of the Legion of Mary said pretty much the same thing.

Pope St John XXIII wrote that the Legion of Mary presents the true face of the Catholic Church. I believe it does, for it is open to men, women and children (ages 8 - 18 in Junior Legion of Mary groups). There is a definite closeness of clergy since the Legion does not go into any Diocese without the Bishop’s permission, nor into a parish without the pastor’s permission. Pastors ideally are the Spiritual Directors, but with the current shortages of priests we also have many Deacons serving as Spiritual Directors and in some instances Religious Sisters and/or laity.

In these two Feast days we celebrated yesterday we also see how God builds up His Church through the ministry of priests like St. Louis de Montfort, and laity like Gianna Molla. Mothers are so very important in our culture today – both physical mothers and spiritual mothers and those who are both. May the Lord continue to bless you and all those who are serving the Lord and His children, through the intercession of our Mother Mary and all our brother and sister saints.