Marianist Encounters Newsletter, November 2025-January 2026
- Admin
- Feb 11
- 2 min read
In the Marianist Encounters Newsletter, November 2025 - January 2026 issue, we honor Our Lady of Lourdes on her feast day, February 11, also the World Day of the Sick. This issue also provides updates from Marianist Institutions around the US and highlights the teachings of Pope Leo XIV, including the Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi Te and the Apostolic Letter, Drawing New Maps of Hope. The final section features extensive quotes from Blessed Adèle de Batz de Trenquelléon on preparing the heart to receive the word of God.
Click to read the MFEP Newsletter, November 2025 to January 2026
In February, we honor Our Lady of Lourdes. On February 11, 1858, the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France, identifying herself as the Immaculate Conception. During these apparitions, Bernadette, at the Virgin Mary's request, dug into the earth at the Grotto of Massabielle, revealing a spring that became a source of countless miraculous healings. In 1992, Pope John Paul II established the World Day of the Sick in honor of Our Lady of Lourdes. In this season, we pray for the healing of all members of our communities, especially those who are ailing.
Our Lady, as the Immaculate Conception, is central to Marianist traditions. On December 8, 1800, Blessed Chaminade dedicated a small oratory in Bordeaux to the Immaculate Conception, marking the start of the first Sodality for the Society of Mary. By February 1801, the initial twelve young sodalists formally pledged to honor Mary as the Mother of Youth and dedicated their lives to her under this title. Similarly, since its formation in February 2022, the Marianist Family Encounters Project has integrated Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’ and the Global Compact on Education, along with the Characteristics of Marianist Education, into our communities. We are grateful to our Ministry Leads and youth leaders at our schools, universities, and retreat centers, who actively promote environmental care and education through local initiatives.