Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary
Our God is not one to worry about appearance. His only Son came to earth as a helpless little baby, in a smelly stable. God knows all and could have waited a few thousand years till hospitals existed so Mary could have given birth to Jesus in total comfort, but no - He had a perfect plan and wasn’t afraid to get in amongst it, then and there. Jesus was brutally tortured, died and was buried - by all appearances, gone for good! Yet He rose again and is still present now to us through the Sacraments, even humbling Himself under the appearance of bread and wine. Our God isn’t worried about appearance.
And when you think about it, neither was Mary. An unmarried pregnant teenager would definitely have been the centre of gossip and on the receiving end of many rude stares. Yet she trusted God and weathered it all with grace, not letting others attitude toward her change her desire to relate positively with them. Mary could have flaunted her status as the Mother of God - especially once Jesus began performing miracles! But when she related with others it was simply as their equal, stepping humbly into the background. And even as a grief stricken mother at the foot of the cross, she trusted and she remained a strong example for the Early Church.
Why do I start this way? Because I think in order to understand the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary (SMSM), it is important to know of the Marist spirit they emulate. As a branch of the Society of Mary, the SMSM’s draw inspiration from “…Mary seen always in relationship: to Jesus, to the church, and to the contemporary world.” (Craig Larken SM- A Certain Way: An Exploration of Marist Spirituality). In the spirit of Mary, the Society aims to lead people to Jesus. And in a world so focused on outward appearance, what better way to do this than by loving and living without limits, simply seeking to come alongside others on their journey and love them as they are. Of course, nobody is perfect! But I begin this way to give you a tiny glimpse of the Marist Spirituality that was envisaged by their founders & pioneers.
The 11 ‘Pioneers’ of the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary
What would the world look like, if we all lived in the spirit of Mary? From my time with the Missionary Sisters, I can tell you that it would be a beautiful environment of courage, acceptance and selflessness, where everyone’s needs are met because all desire to help one another live life to the full. I’ve heard stories of Sisters saving the lives of mothers and children, tending gruesome wounds, educating the impoverished and loving the outcasts. Like Jesus in the Gospels, the SMSM’s look past appearance and see each individual for who they are - a beloved child of God, worthy of respect, acceptance and love.
SMSM Sisters Colleen Williams, Pele Peni, Kathleen Ruck and Julienne Hayes-Smith
Sometimes Religious can be placed on a pedestal and treated differently to others - but the SMSM’s, like Mary, embrace their circumstances and live simply, not unlike the local people they minister to. A Missionary Sister of the Society of Mary can expect to be placed outside of her home country in any SMSM mission centre around the world, and will live and work with people from a variety of different backgrounds. They must be willing to adapt quickly as needs and circumstances change, and also remain detached, ready to hand over whatever good work they might be doing to the local people to continue for themselves. Sr Julienne spoke with me about some of her experiences on mission in Bangladesh - the challenges and the many joys.
Now before you go thinking…"Oh that’s so lovely and idealistic, but it’s just not possible in our world today. No one would choose to be so selfless!” let me remind you that the Missionary Sisters are of course still human, and no one is perfect! If we tried to love everyone everywhere all the time as God intended, we’d be in Heaven - and after living with the Sisters for a few days I can confirm, they’re still on earth! But there’s nothing stopping us from trying our best to live with love now. Mary was only human, and yet her selfless love and openness to God made a way for us to know God in a more personal, ‘fleshly’ way. The Missionary Sisters are only human, but in the Spirit of Mary, they remain open to God and do their best to bring Christ to all those they encounter by their selfless, ‘unconcerned by appearance’ love.
Some souvenirs from various countries where the Sisters have been on mission
There’s a line from a song that has been stuck in my head while I’ve been visiting the SMSM’s, which I think sums them up very well: “…and they’ll know we are Christians by our love.”
FURTHER RESOURCES:
Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary website http://www.smsmsisters.org/
A Certain Way - an Exploration of Marist Spirituality📚 by Craig Larken SM. A beautiful, easy to read book summarising creating, history and spirituality of the Society of Mary (Marists).
At the Service of Mission in Aotearoa New Zealand📚 by Patricia Leamy SMSM - A History of the Missionary Sisters in NZ