History of the Marist Family - by Father Pat Primeaux sm Father Pat currently teaches business ethics at St John's University in New York city, only 4th person to receive award for excellence in teaching, has published numerous articles and 3 books on the ethical implications of business and on editorial board of business ethics journal. Talk given at Marist Laity Conference, Boston, April 2004.
Father Pat presented a brilliant PowerPoint production, complete with music, to illustrate his own understanding of the Marist Vision in today's world. With powerful images of St Peter's in Rome, and people in various situations he presented the image of the Patriarchal Church where love equaled obedience. He then went on to present the Marian Church where love equaled mercy which he illustrated with another image of St Peter's taken from a different angle. In between these two images is that of the Simeon Church - the contemplative Church.
Father Pat told us how he consulted with the experts Gus Lessard sm, Charles Giraud sm and Ed Keel sm about the Marist History and found they disagreed so much that he decided to present his own angle. Inspired by Gus Lessard ''yes but that is not what we are really about as Marists?' He asked himself these questions:
What are we really about as Marists? Perhaps the best way of moving into the answer to that question is by asking: What are we not? We are talking about who we are and how we organise our own lives, our own spirituality, our own church and our whole way of looking at the world around us.What does that mean for us as Marists? What is the basic driving force that drives us?
'What the world needs now is love sweet love' sung by Jacky de Shannon (1967) Why is this important to us? Listen to the words. How often have we heard this?There is a sense of urgency here. This is something we want for ourselves, our world, the people we know and love and we want it now. There is a sense of vitality. This is the kind of love that will bring us life and really engage us in life, and it's inclusive - it is for everyone. On reading our Founders the one thing that comes through, from all of these people to all of us who try to live this Marist Spirit, is a sense of urgency, vitality and inclusiveness. From the very beginning the Founders thought of the Four Branches that were to bring this urgency, this vitality, this inclusiveness to the world. Charlie Giraud's book very important scholarship: Lay Marists, Anthology of Historical Sources.
How do we relate to ourselves? How do we relate to others? How do we relate to nature - the world around us? How do we relate to God?
Is there some way we can look at ourselves and the world around us and put it together in some kind of way? Basically we have been given three opportunities to organise our lives - three perspectives: hierarchical. contemplative and participative - images of Marist life. Our Founders in their writings are saying that one of these is really the Marist way and all three of them are represented architecturally in St Peter's Basilica in Rome.
The role of Mary in the Church re-emphasised by Vatican 2 (1965)'What the World Needs Now...' Father Pat's mentor for his doctorate: Herbert Richardson, Presbyterian Theologian distinguished the Church of Peter and the Church of Mary.
The Church of Peter is essentially external, impersonal, legal 'You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church' A visible commission, juridical and monarchical in character. Look at the picture of the people in the square dwarfed by St Peter's - kingship - master. St Peter inside is sitting like a King on his throne and often robed - hierarchical - division, distinction and ranking- those at the top are better than those at the bottom. Often get people in the Parish who come and tell you what they do - they are the holy people of the Parish. What has gone wrong here? This is not a Marist Spirit.
This is the hierarchical image of St Peters - some better than others: priests, religious with laity at the bottom - ambition and competition to reach to the top.
Attitude/perspective- individualistic, self-interest, disconnection. Values - selfishness, ambition Motive - competition for success This is not what we are about as MaristsFather Colin said that this is not the Church of Maryand not the new Church we want to bring into existence. The glue that holds the whole thing together is obedience.
Love = obedience. Mary obeyed. Mary is the model of obedience. The more we obey the better we are, the holier we are. Mary is brought into the picture to anchor it. The most loving person obeyed the most. We were brought up with this idea of Church.
The Church of Simeon - Simeon grasped the Child and said Now Lord you may dismiss your servant...everything I have been about, my whole life has been directed to the coming of the Messiah. This is a different way of life and looking at Church , looking at God- contemplative life - focused on transcendence and infinity.
Looking at St Peters everything moves up, focused on the Dome. Simeon is looking up beyond the world. He is not connected to the world in which he lives. Life attunes itself to a universal dimension - otherness - the infinite and transcendent becomes the focus of our intentions - interconnectedness. We detach ourselves from everything that holds us back from the immediate experience of God. There is a sense of commitment there and commitment means moving out. The movement of Simeon is looking out to God
Attitude/perspective:contemplative life Universal, other-centred, interconnectedness Values - wonder, detachment, moving out to God Motive - committed love, union with God
This is important but not what we are as Marists. We are not individuals moving out towards God. That's not the basis from which we view life, the basis from which we organise ourselves, the basis from which we relate to other people, the basis from which we relate to God and Church. If it is not love in terms of commitment what is it?
Father Pat asked ifwe had read'Lying Awake' by Mark Salzman about a contemplative Nun who had ecstatic experiences of oneness with God to the point where nothing else mattered. It is discovered that she has a brain tumour causing these experiences. The dilemma is: Should the tumour be removed or not as it will end the experiences? This is very hard for her as this is what she has lived her whole life for.
The Church in the image of Mary, eminently personal and subjective, maternal, pedagogical - we don't have all the answers yet we are going to try and teach and learn as we teach. It is centred on persons and is cooperative. It cooperates with 'maternal love' in the birth and education of the faithful (Herb Richardson's words).
There is a sense that this is the new Church of love and care that our Founders wanted. A Church of Marian Servanthood - maternal love.The Song: 'Put a little love in your life' Jacky de Shannon illustrated the points he wished to make.
In this picture of Bernini's Columns we do not get the imposing Church but the arms reaching out to all the world bringing everybody in - no separation, no exclusion - bringing everybody into this Church in the image of Mary- maternal love!
Father Pat quoted Andrew Greeley who asked: 'Why are we as Americans still Catholics?' Because of the image of Mary with a loving child in her arms.
That is who we are as Marists. We are not contemplatives. We are not in a monastery. We are not into hierarchical stuff of wanting to move up the ladder or being better than and creating all those kinds of distinctions. We are Mary's church and Mary's people Marists give the love of Mary in action - Marists show love in action, they live it.
What is this Lay Marist Movement? What do you do?
Its nothing to get excited about. It is how we live our lives wherever we are. We live it! We are Mary's church and Mary's people. We are all in a circular Church. We are all in it together. It is at the heart of our lives today. It is what we do - day in and day out. We live this, we bring people in, by our lives, our work wherever we are. We show it in action We live it as Marist Laity and as Marist Religious
We want a world that is URGENT, VITAL, INCLUSIVE with Mary's love at the very centre. It is our world, our Church in the image of Mary. We are interested in others even before we are interested in ourselves and we cooperate because we want to be happy and we want others to be happy.
Attitude/perspective: Interested, compassionate, altruistic Values: - compassionate love for others. cooperation Motive: - need of the other, mercy
We tie into Mary's Visitation to her cousin Elizabeth, going out of her way, acting out of, moving out of a compassionate love to others in love. Love = Mercy,
Mary's Church is ordinary, everyday, concrete, compassionate love in terms of mercy.This is what we live and share as Marists.
Father Pat asked if we had read 'The Secret Life of Bees' by Sue Monk Kidd or'0ur Lady of the Lost and Found'? The centre of these books is Mary - a Mary who is comfortable and very much merciful and calls others to be merciful in their lives.
What are we about as Marists? What the world needs now is love sweet love- love as mercy.
What is our Marist Legacy? Above all it is an ideal to be reflected on in faith. It is a point of departure from which paths lead in all directions towards sinners and toward the faithful. It is love as mercy that excludes no one, at no time, never, ever. Amen
History of the Marist Family - by Father Pat Primeaux sm Father Pat currently teaches business ethics at St John's University in New York city, only 4th person to receive award for excellence in teaching, has published numerous articles and 3 books on the ethical implications of business and on editorial board of business ethics journal. Talk given at Marist Laity Conference, Boston, April 2004.
The Church of Peter is essentially external, impersonal, legal 'You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church' A visible commission, juridical and monarchical in character. Look at the picture of the people in the square dwarfed by St Peter's - kingship - master. St Peter inside is sitting like a King on his throne and often robed - hierarchical - division, distinction and ranking- those at the top are better than those at the bottom. Often get people in the Parish who come and tell you what they do - they are the holy people of the Parish. What has gone wrong here? This is not a Marist Spirit.
This is the hierarchical image of St Peters - some better than others: priests, religious with laity at the bottom - ambition and competition to reach to the top. 
The Church of Simeon - Simeon grasped the Child and said Now Lord you may dismiss your servant...everything I have been about, my whole life has been directed to the coming of the Messiah. This is a different way of life and looking at Church , looking at God- contemplative life - focused on transcendence and infinity.
Looking at St Peters everything moves up, focused on the Dome. Simeon is looking up beyond the world. He is not connected to the world in which he lives. Life attunes itself to a universal dimension - otherness - the infinite and transcendent becomes the focus of our intentions - interconnectedness. We detach ourselves from everything that holds us back from the immediate experience of God. There is a sense of commitment there and commitment means moving out. The movement of Simeon is looking out to God
Its nothing to get excited about. It is how we live our lives wherever we are. We live it! We are Mary's church and Mary's people. We are all in a circular Church.
(Audio Available)
