Keel013

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 13

May-October 1853. Maîtrepierre. Notes on the beginnings of the Society. [Coste text L (+) = Maîtrepierre notebook p. 36 = Mayet ND 1, 98 = OM 752, 43]:

Text

[Colin’s] modesty was born of supernatural sentiments that penetrated to the depths of his soul; it was strengthened in the many trials that he did not cease to meet in these enterprises.  He was and is always so persuaded that his work is the work of God and of the blessed Virgin that the idea and the name of founder really makes him indignant.  Ah! yes, founders, ah! wonderful founders!  God leads us, sometimes we obey, often we resist, we put up obstacles, and that’s all.  Thus, persuaded that it is the work of God, his modest simplicity has never stopped him from believing that the Society of Mary was called to do great things in the Church of God.  “Mary,” he said, “was the protectress of the Church in the cradle; she is to be so in a very special way at the end of time.”