Christian Living 11:

Introduction to
FMM Charism
 Everything
He calls…
starts
NOT because
With GOD who
we love Him,
loves
but because
And who is
He loves us.
LOVE.
Article 1 (FMM Constitutions)

GOD is love. The Father calls us all to

be transformed in Christ, through His
Spirit
 God calls each one personally to a closer
following of Christ – the Way the Truth and
the Life – for a particular service within
 God CONSECRATES us
the Church. in a RELIGIOUS
INSTITUTE
 He sets us apart
 makes us DIFFERENT
 gives us another
IDENTITY, i.e
RELIGIOUS

As a sign of his Covenant with his people, God

consecrates us in a RELIGIOUS INSTITUTE to
play a prophetic role in accordance with its
foundation charism..
THE FMM
CHARISM

The Spirit that animates

the life
of the Franciscan
Missionaries of Mary:

It translates for us a way of

life and behavior – A WAY OF
BEING.
Our charism which God confided to
Mary of the Passion…….

The Genesis of the FMM

Charism from the life of MMP
She received and understood it
step by step.
FMM Charism History
 CHARISM

Mary of the
Passion

Victimho Francisca
Missionar
Marian od Eucharist y
n
(Self- (adorer)
offering)

FMM

MP’s, LP’s, Students, LA’s etc

(gift of God)
 FMM 11- CHARISM
FIRST SEMESTER: EUCHARIST AT ITS CORE

TOPICS:
INTRODUCTION: What is charism?
The 5 Charisms of the Franciscan Missionaries of
Mary
A Woman Named Helene: A short biography of
Blessed Mary of the Passion, foundress of the
Franciscan Missionaries of Mary and her journey
towards God.
‘The Gift of God’ the charism of the Franciscan
Missionaries of Mary
The Eucharist as a memorial and sacrificial
offering
Proper Catholic Etiquette at Mass
The Liturgical Celebration of the Eucharist
The Fruits of Holy Communion (CCC # 1391-96)/
Miracles of the Eucharist.
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
Mary of the Passion, St. Marie Hermine and
Companion Martyrs and the Eucharist
 A woman named Helene:
A short biography of
Blessed Mary of the Passion
(Foundress of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary)
 Helene Marie Philippine de Chappotin

Who was later known

as
MARY OF THE
PASSION

WHO IS SHE?
The early years of
Mary of the Passion
(Helen de
Chappotin)
(FATHER OF
HELENE)

Born Jan-14-1799
Married 1827 at St.
Clement
Died April-28-1872

Engineer of
highways and
bridges
Wife of
Charles/mother of
Helene
Born Dec-2-1803
Died Jan-18-1859

Did not study due

to the Revolution
Where the cousins used to play
Helen’s
bedroom
Born May-21-
1839
Died Nov-15-1904
Where the 4 parents and 11 children gathered
All the children
of Charles and
Sophie were
baptized at the
St. Clement
Church
• Helen’s childhood was colorful
at the same time indicative of
her extraordinary gifts that in the
future would blossom into the
virtues needed to cope with the
demands of her call as
foundress.
On one occasion, A visiting sister asked who would like
to be a nun, Helene shouted “I don’t want to, I don’t
want to leave Mama”
She decided to be a religious. Her
mother did not approve. Few days
before her departure to Paris, her
mother had a stroke and died within a
week.
Her plans were completely changed.
Her father became ill and depressed.
She took charge of the household affairs
and responsibilities. Her religious
vocation has to wait.
In October
1860, 2
years later,
she
entered
the Poor
Clares
Monastery
in Nantes,
France at
the age of
21
 She had an intense spiritual experience that she fell sick
and her family who were not really supportive of her
decision to enter the monastery, had the chance to take
her back home.

She heard a voice and a name came upon her like a

consecration…“Mary victim of Jesus and of Jesus
Crucified”
She spent most of her time in reading,
prayer, and solitude, pondering upon
the meaning of her experience at the
Poor Clares and asking what could be
God’s will for her?
Helene’s desire never fade. She
entered the Society of Marie
Reparatrice at the age of 25 in
1864 in Paris, France

Separation
from her
father was
particularly
painful.
She received her religious name
’MARY OF THE PASSION’
As a novice, she was sent to India for
the mission in Madurai region. The
Jesuit priests were needing sisters of
solid formation to help them in their
work.
They had to adapt with the
new culture, the stifling heat,
and many other inconvinences
and poor facilities.
She learned their language ‘tamil’
They served people of all religion
without discrimination
Her activities were so appreciated that she
was appointed as superior of this mission
after her first vows,
Despite the success of their works,
there were misunderstanding,
miscommunication and
misinterpretations that resulted the
separation of 20 sisters including
Mary of the Passion
They suffered a lot but Mary of the
Passion do not want the sisters to
talk negatively about the people
who caused them to suffer.
The painful circumstances has led to
the birth of a new congregation, one
entirely oriented towards mission…
‘Truth is Charity, charity is truth’
On January 6, 1877, a new
congregation of women was
approved by the Pope Pius IX
with the name, Missionaries of
Mary
Many young ladies were
attracted and entered to be
missionaries among them.
In 1880, generous benefactors
purchased a property in St.
Brieuc, France called ‘Le
Chatelets’ and gave it as gift to
the Missionaries of Mary.
It was
completely
abandoned
but the sisters
rapidly set to
work.
She met Fr. Raphael Delarbe, ofm and
Fr. Bernardino dal Vago, ofm, franciscan
priests who helped her in all her
sufferings and trials.

In 1885, the
sisters were
officially called
the Franciscan
Missioanries of
Mary
Since her experience at the Poor Clares, her
heart has always been drawn to the spirituality
of St. Francis

In 1885, the sisters

were accepted into
the Franciscan order
and the Missionaries
of Mary is now
officially called the
Franciscan
Missionaries of
Mary
Requests for sisters from different
parts of the world came and Mary
of the Passion sent her daughters
with the love of a mother.
The sisters are ready to go wherever
they are sent for the mission.
Her actual photos during her Religious Life
She has always been physically
weak but one will not notice how
sickly she was because of her
graciousness, humor and active
life.
Her gesture
whenever she sends
out her daughters to
the missions.
Mary of
the
Passion at
prayer
She was like a mother to all.
Every person who made
even a short encounter with
her cannot help but be
moved by her serenity,
wisdom and holiness…

Everyone likes to call her

‘Maman Passion’
She wrote letters to her daughters in different parts of
the world to keep the spirit of unity in the Institute.
 Mary of the Passion died in San Remo,
Italy on Nov. 15, 1904 at the age of 65

She told her daughters, “When I die there will be

great void in the Institute but you should not be
afraid. If this is my work it will perish with me, but
this is God’s work so it will live.
She was beatified on Oct. 20, 2000 by
Pope John Paul II.
 ARTICLE 2
Our Charism is
Our charism to follow the
which God ECCE and FIAT
confided to Mary of CHRIST …
of the Passion, ECCE= HERE I
commits us to AM
follow Christ, as FIAT = LET IT
BE
He gave Himself
An ECCE and
up to the Father FIAT that gained
for the salvation for us our
of the world… SALVATION
 ARTICLE 2
This ECCE-FIAT of
Christ did not only
happen in the
…in the PASCH of
mystery of His Calvary…It also
happened in the
Incarnation and INCARNATION
his Pasch WORD became
FLESH
…when He allowed
Himself to be born
in a human family
and embraced the
reality of DEATH
 ARTICLE 2 … what is the context
of this?
 Paul rejoices in his
…we make up in our sufferings (he was in
bodies all that has jail then!) because he
was enduring them for
still to be undergone the Colossians – for
by Christ for the their sake and for their
sake of His body,the good,
CHURCH  because, by them he
fills up and completes
in the place of Christ
(1Col:24) these sufferings which
he left to be endured
for his mystical body,
which is his Church.
But it is not the SUFFERING
that saves…rather, it is the
LOVE that moves one to
endure suffering that saves…
 CHARISM (GIFT OF GOD)

Mary of the
Passion

Victimhood
(Redemptive Eucharist Missionary Franciscan
Marian Self- (adorer)
offering)

FMM

MP’s, LP’s, Students, LA’s etc

The Elements
of the FMM
Charism
 Victimhood
(Redemptive Self-
offering)

….the offering IN
LOVE of our LIFE
for the Church
and the world..
 “from our Eucharistic celebration and
Adoration springs the Contemplative and
Missionary Dynamism of our whole life…”
Mary of the Passion comments on the
value of Adoration in our spiritual
life:
To Adore:

- Is to fill one’s day

with the prayer of
self- offering

- It is to surrender one’s whole being to

God, with all that this entails of uncertain
faith, often of unnecessary suffering, but
always of wealth and love…
Thus adoration
is “the seal” of
the vocation of
the Franciscan
Missionaries of
Mary……
….in the Eucharist, where prayer and
sacrifice, contemplation and apostolic
action converge,….

they find “the

TRUE LIGHT, the
TRUE LIFE of
THEIR LIFE”….
Eucharist is the
source of life for
themselves and
for everything
that they are
sent to do and
for everyone to
whom they are
sent….
 …MISSION
for the
coming for
the coming of
the
KINGDOM…
…As Missionaries, ready
to go anywhere and to
anyone to announce
the good news of
salvation, we are sent
in priority…..
-to those to whom Christ has
not yet been revealed….
3
to those among priorities
whom the Church is of the
least present….. FMM
Mission
Giving preference to
the poorest…..
…since mission is
offering before it is
activity. Every
Franciscan Missionaries
of Mary, no matter
what may be her
work, her capacities
her age or her health,
always remains
MISSIONARY…
“Behold the handmaid of the Lord!..
Ecce Ancilla Domini
...our charism is lived in the
fundamental attitude that
was in Mary’s ECCE and
FIAT:

Ecce= Behold….
Fiat= Be it done unto
me according to your
word
..this is the path of a
Missionary of Mary,
this is the special
vocation to which
God has called her..
She must walk in Mary’s footsteps,
saying always---as Mary did---in a
very simple act of love: “Yes, my
God, I am your handmaid”
We realize our
Franciscan
vocation within
the Franciscan
way, living the
Gospel in the
midst of the world
and following in
the steps of the
poor and humble
Christ, in
simplicity, peace
and joy….
 Franciscan
…the Franciscan
way thus
becomes an act
of faith and
surrender which
brings us back to
the foundation of
our spirituality:
Continual,
unconditional
surrender to the
 Prayer to Mary of the
Passion
O God, Who in Your admirable
Providence have led Blsd. Mary
of the Passion to found an
Institute dedicated to universal
mission, deign we beseech You,
to grant us the graces we ask of
You through her intercession
(pause for a while)
Grant, above all, that we
may learn from her how
to be always ready to
do Your will, and to
grow steadfastly in
love of You. AMEN.