Keel004

Mary, the Support of the Church

Introduction

Jean-Claude Colin often spoke of Mary as the support of the Church at the beginning and at the end. This seems to be his way of referring to the inspiration Courveille experienced at Le Puy. Presented here is the dossier of texts gathered by J. Coste, S.M., in Acta Societatis Mariae, vol. 5, pp. 264-271. In several cases a wider context is offered than was needed for Coste’s purposes. These are marked with a (+) in the apparatus. At the end of the dossier is added a text of Fr. Peter Julian Eymard that also speaks of Mary as the support of the Church.

The support of the newborn Church and at the end of time

Text 4

September 25, 1844. Mayet and Colin. Conversation, noted in margin next to the 1837 text. [Coste text C = Mayet 1, 11m = OM 582 = FS 4, 2]:

Text

On September 25, 1844, I said to him: “It seems that the great number of wonders worked by the blessed Virgin forebode the end of the world, for devotion to Mary is usually the last resort of Divine Providence when It wants to lead back a sinner.” “Yes,” he replied, “I was the support of the newborn Church; I shall be so as well at the end of time... These words have presided over the first beginnings of the Society.”