Marist fathers and brothers are members of the Society of Mary, a "religious congregation" in the Catholic Church.

Marists model their lives on the person of Mary, the mother of Jesus and seek to, as it were 'be' Mary and do her work.

In New Zealand, Marists focus their ministry on youth and education, have a preference for missionary parishes, and ministry outreach into wider society; beyond traditional Church structures. In all their ministries members of the Society of Mary remember the original call to mission among the Tangata Whenua. Marists live in community which provides a supportive environment for their lives and ministries.


Marist

Bearing Mary's name
Marist priests and brothers are members of the Society of Mary; they bear Mary’s name. Want to read more? ...


Doing Mary's work
The work of Mary is in evidence when mercy and compassion are present. Want to read more? ...


Living life as Mary
Understanding Mary and the Early Church, Mary at Nazareth, "hidden and unknown", compassion help Marists' to live a Marist life. Want to read more?...


Marist Mission

Youth and Education
Education is a challenging ministry. Yet, Marists' are called to educate and give hope to young people. Want to read more?...


Missionary Parishes
Marist's prefer ministry in parishes that are more missionary in nature. Want to read more?...


"Foreign Lands"
The Global Village, our environment, new immigrants, the City are some of the opportunities for mission in New Zealand today. Want to read more?...


Marist writings - sharing our spirituality

  • New World, New Church
    Father Colin, founder of the Society of Mary, asks Marists to find in the early Church a model for the Society of Mary. He doesn’t mean that we turn the clock back and imitate the physical lives of the early Christians; but he does invite us to try to understand what took place at the [...] No related posts.
  • The Work of Mary
    “To enable church to happen” may be a useful way of describing the Marist enterprise. Or perhaps it may be clearer to say, “to be present wherever ‘church’ is happening”, because forming a communion of mind and heart is the work of the Spirit, and not something brought about by human means. The specific task of [...] No related posts.
  • The Only Way to do Good
    The Work of Mary – support for the Church and compassion for the world, loyalty to the mission of the Church and involvement in this world – when done in the spirit of Mary, will have a particular fruit and a characteristic feature. The fruit will be that the Gospel of Jesus will be able [...] No related posts.
More Marist Spirituality articles.