September 5: Mary, Queen of Apostles
On September 5, at the conclusion of the Retreat of 1818, seven individuals became the first to profess vows with the Society of Mary. Soon after the first centenary of the Society of Mary, Pope Benedict XV granted the Society of Mary permission to celebrate the Feast of Mary, Queen of Apostles as a commemoration of the anniversary of the first profession of vows.
September 8: The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Fr. Robert Backherms states, “Naturally we wish to celebrate Mary’s Birthday for She is our heavenly Mother. The Church has another special reason for observing this feast: on that day was born the only person (except Jesus Christ, Mary’s Divine Son) ever to be conceived absolutely free from all sin since our first parents. From Her was to come the Savior of the World.... Mary was born for Jesus and Jesus was born to save us. Therefore, Mary was born to help in our salvation, which she did. She is the Co-redemptrix. Can we thank Her enough?”1
September 12: The Most Holy Name of Mary
The Feast of the Most Holy Name of Mary holds special significance for the Marianist Family as it is the patronal feast of both the Society of Mary (SM) and the Daughters of Mary Immaculate (FMI). As Blessed William Joseph Chaminade wrote in his Letter to the Retreat Masters of 1839: "[W]e have taken the name and standard of Mary and are ready to go quickly wherever she calls us, in order to spread devotedness to her, and, thereby, extend the Kingdom of God in souls."2
September 14: Marie Thérèse de Lamourous
In conjunction with the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Marianists remember and commemorate Venerable Marie Thérèse Charlotte de Lamourous, who died on this day in 1836. While being a founding member of the Sodality of Bordeaux, de Lamourous also served as the matron of the Miséricorde, a house serving former prostitutes seeking to rebuild their lives. For more resources about Marie Thérèse, please visit the “Explore Our Resources” section of the NACMS website.
September 18: Memorial of Blesseds Carlos Eraña, Fidel Fuidio, and Jesús Hita, Martyrs
Today, we commemorate the courage and ultimate sacrifice of three Spanish Marianist martyrs: Brothers Carlos Eraña, Fidel Fuidio, and Jesús Hita, who were killed by radical militias amidst the religious persecution of the Spanish Civil War of the 1930s. They were beatified in 1995 by Pope John Paul II. May their examples of faith, perseverance, and sacrifice in the face of persecution inspire us as we celebrate their journey to sainthood. For more about the martyrs of Ciudad Real, consider reading Blesseds Carlos, Jesús, Fidel, Marianists by Emilio Ortega, SM.
To utilize Marianist prayers for these feasts, see The Marianist Family Prayer Book, (2nd Edition), available for purchase in our online bookstore.
Published in the September 2024 edition of the NACMS Newsletter.
1. "September 5: Mary, Queen of Apostles" in Robert Backherms, SM's Sparks from a Marian Flame: Meditations on Mary's Principal Feasts (Dayton: Marianist Publications, 1953), 39.
2. Chaminade's Letter to the Retreat Masters of 1839, translated by Lawrence Cada, SM (Dayton: Cincinnati Province of the Society of Mary, 1989), 5