Marist Laity

Marists are men and women, called to do the work of Mary in her name and with her spirit. Marists are members of the Society of Mary, a family of many branches, lay, priests, Brothers and Sisters.

The original idea of the Marist project was Priests, Brothers, Sisters and Laity all under the same Superior General, however it was never to see the light of day. The plan of this magnitude was too complicated for the authorities in Rome to grasp, and too full of potential difficulties. It was something hither to unheard of, and neither the Canon Law of the day nor the Church’s theology had any way of seeing clearly how and where this idea fitted in to the life of the Church.

Nevertheless, the idea of the Marist project as a tree of several branches was never completely abandoned by the founders of the project. From the beginning and until it was definitively quashed, the idea had always been favoured by the early Marists.

In New Zealand, the “Marist Laity” is expressed as an association of various lay groups and people who call themselves Marist. There are two main groupings, the Marist Third Order, and the Marian Mothers.

The Marist Third Order is a tradition way of living life as a Lay Marist, where groups or individuals learn about Marist Spirituality and are received as members.

The Marian Mothers is somewhat less formal and is a network of groups of women who meet for prayer and discussion.

What however unites these two significant expressions of what it means to be a lay Marist and the various ways the individual groups within these groupings express what it means to be Marist, is the spirit of Mary.