Because the Calvaire in Marseille was a shrine with its central focus on the Crucified Savior, the lay people who associated themselves with it placed themselves under the protection of Our Lady of Sorrows\u00a0– with the scapular as a distinctive sign of belonging. They wanted to imitate Mary, who stayed at the foot of the Cross of her Son.<\/p>\n
I reproduce these details because they form part of the history and traditions of our Mazenodian family\u00a0– as Rey describes:<\/p>\n
That same day, May 3 at the end of the general procession, the Vicar General solemnly blessed the representations of the Stations of the Cross that had been erected and led the people in praying before them.The canonical creation of the two associations had been promulgated before the Mass sung by the Vicar General. The priests had given their consent to the Regulations that the Archbishop of Aix had approved only on condition that there be complete agreement between his Vicar General, all the pastors and the Missionaries.The vicar general blessed and distributed the scapular of our Lady of Sorrows, the distinguishing sign adopted for the members of both confraternities.<\/em><\/p>\n Rey I chapter VII<\/p>\n <\/p>\n “The cross is laid on every Christian. It begins with the call to abandon the attachments of this world. It is that dying of the old man which is the result of his encounter with Christ. As we embark upon discipleship we surrender ourselves to Christ in union with His death — we give over our lives to death. Since this happens at the beginning of the Christian life, the cross can never be merely a tragic ending to an otherwise happy religious life. When Christ calls a man, He bids him come and die. It may be a death like that of the first disciples who had to leave home and work to follow Him…”\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/em>Dietrich Bonhoeffer<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Because the Calvaire in Marseille was a shrine with its central focus on the Crucified Savior, the lay people who associated themselves with it placed themselves under the protection of Our Lady of Sorrows\u00a0– with the scapular as a distinctive … Continue reading