The Marianist Lay Communities are Christian communities at the service of the mission of the church in the world. Our communities are organized as an international association of the faithful in the Catholic Church, and are one of the four branches of the Marianist Family.
Membership in the Marianist Lay Communities is a commitment of the whole person in response to a call from God to live and share in our distinctive way of life. Marianists use the term "charism" to describe this way of life, which means a distinctive way of serving the church and the world that was received by our founders as a gift of the Holy Spirit and continues though our life and work today. Characteristics of Lay Marianists include:
We want to be women and men who are strong in faith, a faith of the heart inspired by love, by which we persevere in hope
We welcome Mary as mother, model, and educator. She freely accepted the Spirit's presence in her life and, in faith's darkness, carried and gave birth to God-with-us, and then gave Christ to the world. She invites us to "do whatever he tells you" (John 2:5) in order to respond to human needs.
We live out our faith in communities, following the example of the early church.
Faithful to our lay state and attentive to the signs of the times, we are united with the men and women of our world. We are missionaries, committed to announcing the Good News. We work for the spread of the Reign of God in the world and the construction of world of peace and justice, with a preferential option for the poorest of our sisters and brothers.
