The Marianists

The Marianist family is made of Catholic brothers, priests, sisters and committed lay people around the world. All Marianists look to Mary, the mother of Jesus, as the model of discipleship. They share in her mission of bringing the message of Jesus to the world.

For more information about The Marianists Province of the United States, please click on the following link: http://www.marianist.com

List of 3 items.

Daughters of Mary Immaculate (sisters)

The Congregation of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate (the Marianist Sisters), founded in 1816 by Blessed William Joseph Chaminade and Venerable Adèle de Batz de Trenquelléon, is a religious family especially dedicated to Mary. The Marianist Sisters are present in Dayton, Ohio; San Antonio, Texas; and in Rome, Italy.
Lay Marianists

Lay Marianists are present throughout the United States. They are lay people who have a special devotion to the Marianist Family spirit and are consciously connected with Marianist Family groupings in their local area or beyond.
Society of Mary (Brothers and Priests)

The Society of Mary was founded in France in 1817 by Blessed William Joseph Chaminade. Almost 500 Marianist brothers and priests comprise the Province of the United States. They serve in communities and ministries from Honolulu to Puerto Rico and in Eastern Africa, India, Ireland, Mexico, Nepal and the Philippines. In the United States, Marianists sponsor the University of Dayton in Ohio, St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Chaminade University of Honolulu, 19 high schools, 6 parishes and 4 retreat centers.

Our vowed Marianists live next to our West Hills campus and serve on our campuses as priest chaplains, campus ministers and in other capacities.

Our Founders

Blessed William Joseph Chaminade (1761 – 1850)

Blessed William Joseph Chaminade was born in Bordeaux, France, in 1761. In 1771 he entered the minor seminary of Mussidan and was ordained a priest in 1785. With the outbreak of the French Revolution in 1790, refused to take the oath of the so-called “Civil Constitution of the Clergy” and secretly exercised his priestly ministry, putting his life in constant danger. In 1797 Fr. Chaminade was forced into exile to Saragossa, Spain, where he lived for three years. Near the Shrine of Our Lady of the Pillar, he was inspired to found a family of laity and religious with a particular gift (charism): To be formed by Mary for the mission of Christ. In November 1800, Fr. Chaminade returned to Bordeaux to begin implementing his vision of emulating Mary and nurturing Christ in others. He formed small faith communities called sodalities. In a country where there had been no religious instruction for a decade, he believed this would be the most effective way to reignite Christianity in France. In 1817, Fr. Chaminade founded the Society of Mary (The Marianists Brothers and Priests) in France.

On September 3, 2000, in St. Peter’s Square, Pope John Paul II declared Fr. Chaminade “Blessed.”

"Mary’s apostolic mission is to form all persons into the most perfect conformity with the God-Man Christ, her Son."
Venerable Marie Thérèse Charlotte de Lamourous (1754-1836)

Venerable Marie was born on Nov. 1, 1754 in Barsac, France. She was relatively poor and moved to Bordeaux when she was 12. Vernable Marie was strong in her Catholic faith. During the French Revolution, she gathered parishioners for prayer, religious instruction and family counseling. She orchestrated secret Masses celebrated by disguised priests. Around 1795, Venerable Marie met Fr. Chaminade and became close friends, corresponding during his exile in Spain. When the Revolution ended, Fr. Chaminade returned to France and called on her to help him develop the sodalities. Venerable Marie also worked with a badly needed ministry in Bordeaux, providing shelter for prostitutes and an opportunity to change their lives. Taking in 400 at a time, she helped them turn their lives around and taught them different trades.

The process of Marie Therese’s canonization was begun in 1911. She was named “Venerable” in 1989 by Pope John Paul II.

“Let us limit ourselves to what God would wish us to do…let us have the same purpose, the same spirit, and a union of hearts.”
Blessed Adèle de Batz de Trenquelléon (1789-1828)

Adèle was born on June 10, 1789 to an aristocratic family in Trenquelléon, France. She shared her birth year with the start of the French Revolution and spent part of her young life in exile in Span and Portugal, having fled with her family in fear for their lives. The family was able to return to Trenquelléon in 1801. Adèle felt called to religious life at an early age and devoted herself to preparing for a vocation as a Carmelite. At 15, she was the leader of a small group of girls who had formed an association for prayer and spiritual growth. She came into contact with Fr. Chaminade when she was 19. They both worked together dedicated to the mission of Mary in bringing others to Christ. With the support of Fr. Chaminade, and in the company of a small group of women, Adèle founded the Daughters of Mary Immaculate on May 25, 1816, in Agen.

Mother Adèle was beatified on the anniversary of her birth, June 10, 2018. Pope Francis declared her “Blessed.”

“We must be imbued with the apostolic spirit and make Jesus loved and known. We would be glad to go to the farthest reaches of the world…to do his work.”