"A true Christian cannot live any life but the life of Our Savior Jesus. When we try to imitate Him the divine plan is carried out in our lives. The Blessed Virgin is our Model. She is a very exact copy of her Son Jesus. When we are devoted to Mary we will imitate Jesus."
I really liked a bunch of the quotes from Blessed William Joseph Chaminade so in addition to a brief biography, I would like to share the quotes.
Blessed William was the second youngest of 15 children born on Aprul 8, 1761 in Perigeux, France. His family was deeply religious and three of his brothers were also priests. He took the name Joseph as his confirmation name and preferred that to William. When he was 10 years old he went to the College of Mussidan (one of his brothers was a professor) and he remained there for 20 years as a student, teacher, and chaplain. He was a priest during the prerscutions and violence against the Church during the French Revolution.
He was exiled to Zaragoza, Spain from 1797 to 1800 and lived near the Shrine of Our Lady of the Pillar and he received a message telling him to be Mary's missionary, to found a society of religious to work with Mary to restore the faith in France. He returned to Bordeaux in November 1800 and founded the Sodalities of Our Lady. The Sodality gathered all Christians -- men, women, young, old, lay, clergy -- to follow Christ unafraid and committed to living and sharing the faith working under the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They had a special consecration to Mary and as an outward sign of this fourth vow, they wear a gold ring on their right hand. In the next years, he did much with France and the order. The order grew and they began teaching in schools. They spread to Switzerland and the United States. They established themselves in Dayton, Ohio in 1849 and Somerset, Texas in 1949. Blessed William Joseph died on January 22, 1850 and was beatified by Pope John Paul II on September 3, 2000 in Rome.
"It was Mary who conceived the plan of the Society. It was she who laid its foundations, and she will continue to preserve it."
"Our work is great; it is magnificent. It is universal because we are the missionaries of Mary, She says to us, ‘Do whatever He tells you.’ Yes, we are all missionaries."
"The deposit of the Faith is entirely in Mary. At the foot of the Cross she held the place of the Church."
"The mysteries which were announced to Mary were accomplished because she believed."
"What is a faithful man to do in the chaos of events which seem to swallow him up? He must sustain himself calmly by Faith. Faith will make him adore the eternal plan of God. Faith will assure him that to those who love God all things work together for good."
Thank you
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