The Worldwide Mission of the Franciscans of the Immaculate
by Fr. George M. Roth, FI
Loving God, notes Benedict XVI, inevitably opens a soul toward his neighbor. This is the special dynamic of Christian love, what makes it unique. In missionary life it reveals itself in very concrete actions, while at the same time its universal character is set in relief. "Jesus united into a single precept [the] commandment of love for God and the commandment of love for neighbor found in the Book of Leviticus: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself' (19:18; cf. Mk 12:29-3 1). Since God has first loved us (cf. 1 in 4:10), love is now no longer a mere 'command'; it is the response to the gift of love with which God draws near to us" (Deus caritas est). In this sense the Church's orientation toward missionary activity is part of the divine plan framed within the Incarnation of the Word. This connection between the Incarnation and the missions makes of the labors of a missionary a spiritual art, a longing of the heart, requiring him to immerse himself in the world only so as to transform it from within by means of his own union with God.
This is just what the Franciscans of the Immaculate (Friars and Sisters) propose to do. The missionary dimension is one of the fundamental characteristics of the charism of this religious family. This is a consequence of their Marian Vow, which has been called the "diamond of the Institute" and "the pearl of great price" (Mt 13:45), which enriches of the three classic religious vows of obedience, poverty, and chastity. The Franciscans of the Immaculate want "to achieve a love, utmost and passionate for Jesus and a love in Jesus for our brothers through [their] community life of prayer, of poverty, of penance and through [...] missionary zeal" (A Marian Plan of Franciscan Life, 2). In this way they imitate "God's passionate love for his people-for humanity-- [which] is at the same time a forgiving love" (DC 10).
But love for souls, a love which should burn in the heart of every Franciscan missionary of the Immaculate, wells up only as a result of the contemplation of the pierced side of Christ crucified. It is, in fact, right there on Calvary, at the foot of the Cross, that one finds the Mother of God, the
Coredemptrix, who constitutes as it were the soul of the Church's missionary activity, according to the thought of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe, through whom the Franciscans of the Immaculate draw their authentically Franciscan spirituality. These standard-bearers of the Immaculate have the precious and unmerited mission of converting and sanctifying souls, applying to them her maternal Mediation. Conversion and sanctification is the work of divine grace. And who distributes the treasures of redeeming grace more than the Immaculate?
The presence of the Franciscans of the Immaculate throughout the world is sustained by this awareness of being "useful instruments" though fragile ones - in the hands of Our Lady, Who is omnipotent in her capacity as intercessor be fore her Son.
The Institute's first missionary expedition took place nine years after its humble beginnings in August of 1970. On August 24, 1979, four friars were sent from Italy to the distant Philippine Is lands. The Immaculate blessed their work, and vocations and the apostolate flourished there as in Italy. The most notable fruit of the Filipino mission was the foundation of the second branch of the Institute, the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate. Today the Sisters are numerous, with 11 convents in the Philippines, 14 in Italy, 2 in each of Brazil, the Holy Land, Nigeria, Australia, and England, and 1 in each of France, Benin, the United States, and Kazakhstan. The number of friars has also grown rapidly. At present there are 6 friaries in the Philippines, 16 in Italy, 4 in the United States, 2 each in England and Australia, and 1 in each of prance, Austria, Brazil, Nigeria and Kazakhstan.
Thus the Franciscans of the Immaculate, Friars and Sisters, go forward in the grace of God, confident of His blessing be cause incorporated into the living fabric of the Church as part of the vanguard in the evangelization of the nations. Besides the care of souls in the churches entrusted to them, they have developed an extensive Marian apostolate in various parts of the world, including periodicals that convey genuine Christian culture and which help to bring about a deeper knowledge of the mysteries of Mary, publishing houses, and radio and television stations to help people grow in their life of faith. Future articles will describe the development of these apostolates in the various missions.
We should note that the missionary zeal of the Franciscans of the Immaculate, particularly in regard to the mass media, is a legacy of St. Maximilian, who longed to "wrap the globe in Marian publications." It might be surprising to discover that in a small Italian mountain-top town (Frigento, Avellino) there's a Marian press that produces and distributes hundreds of thousands of books and booklets, pamphlets and magazines, not only throughout Italy but also abroad. In 1992 another publishing house, "the Academy of the Immaculate," opened in the United States. Books published by these two publishing houses have been translated in various parts of the world into English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Filipino, Romanian, Korean, and still other languages, all with efficiency and professionalism, to the praise and glory of God and for the salvation of souls. May the Immaculate continue to sustain this apostolate, so that it may contribute to building up the faith of many, whose souls she Herself, the true dawn of salvation and Coredemptrix of the human race, illumines.
On the highways and by ways of the world, the Family of the Franciscans of the Immaculate will go forth step-by-step until the end of time, God willing, fulfilling the mission be stowed upon them by the Holy Spirit, laboring for the salvation of all souls "through the Immaculate." To lead all souls to Heaven through the Immaculate: is not this just what St. Francis, St. Maximilian, and above all the Immaculate Herself, so earnestly desire?
Fr. George M. Roth, FI is a priest of the Franciscan Friars of the Immaculate. He was a professor of English literature in Brooklyn school. He is a popular preacher and retreat master. He is currently residing in our friary in London, England.
This article is taken from Missio Immaculatae vol. 3, March, 2006. The Missio Immaculatae is a monthly Marian magazine maintained by the Franciscans of the Immaculate. It is available both in English and Italian.
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