
JOURNEYING WITH
MARY OF THE PASSION
A 7 days retreat introduced by a 3 days session, as given by Sr.
Angela Hurley to FMM Sisters in Grottaferrata.
The theme : our God-given FMM charism, in the light of the
Institute’s sources : the Word of God, our Constitutions,
Francis and Mary of the Passion’s texts.
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2

SESSION
ORIENTATION :
John 1 : 35-40
« What do you want ? »
What do you want from this retreat ?
What do you bring to this retreat ?
Arrange to group in pairs.
Activity :
Spend ten minutes together in communion with each other in
prayer as you recall the moment when you discovered your
own vocation.
Share that with your companion.
Time : Twenty minutes.
Group :
Each pair returns to the group and shares what touched them
in their companion’s story.
Session ends with an appropriate hymn.
3

REFLECTION ON THE CHARISM AS IT HAS BEEN
LIVED :
Audio-visual on the CHARISM.
Partners go together to share on the charism :
 its different facets
 what appeals to them most
 what do they find difficult
 times in their lives when they may have lived one
dimension of it more than another
Group :
Share with the entire the strengths and weaknesses
experienced in the living of the charism.
Session ends with PRAYER BEFORE THE EUCHARIST.
OPEN FORUM :
Questions and clarifications regarding the charism raised for
discussion.
Session ends with EVENING PRAYER.
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
ACTIVITY :
 Write a short prayer of thanksgiving for the gift of the
charism.
 How would you introduce Mary of the Passion to a young
woman seeking to know more about the Institute ?
 Read various definitions of charism - react and discuss
them.
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
RETREAT
AIM AND SPIRIT OF THE RETREAT :
 to experience the charism as we have lived it for so many
years as FMM ;.
 to move from an intellectual approach to one which allows
the heart to speak ;
 to be aware of the feelings which surface as we ponder
contemplatively the ‘GIFT’ contained in the CHARISM.
The CHARISM is not in our head
it is in our heart
it is only with the heart that one sees.
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

We need to steep our spirits in the wine of the Spirituality of
Mary of the Passion. We need to drink that wine and share it
with the coming century.

Mary of the Passion often began a reflection with : « I
see... ».

The retreatants will be invited to choose anyone of the
references from
the Constitutions
St. Francis
Scripture
Mary of the Passion,
to prayerfully reflect on them and to share what may happen
in their prayer with the person accompanying them.

Texts given will be used at Morning Prayer and during
Prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, each day during the
retreat.
They will also serve as on-going prayerful reference during
the year following the retreat.

Each retreatant will have an opportunity of sharing with the
person accompanying her every day during the retreat.
N.B. - The numbers indicated for Mary of the Passion’s texts,
are those of the Card-Index .
These texts are to be found in the Booklet n° III.
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
THOUGHTS ON CHARISM :
« Ah ! if only you knew the gift of God !
May you know this gift, may you correspond with it, and
may you live it in al its fullness. »
Mary of the Passion FMM
« CHARISM is the unifier - the essential bridge - the root of the
relationship - the link to defining IDENTITY.
We cannot achieve our CALL all at once, for it is ongoing,
never achieved, yet forever achieving. »
Van Kaam
« We cannot build community by teaching a charism only
conceptually while leaving it to each member to embody it
in her own way. If our community has no face, it will end up
by being only a comfortable hotel. »
Albert di Lauri (Marist)
« We must release the charism everywhere in society, at every
level, through every individual member wherever the
members are, and whatever separate things they do ; the
white heat of the charism is one great corporal mind and one
easily seen communal heart. »
Joan Chittister OSB
« Charism gives Religious Congregations their basic identity. It
involves the way congregation life is structured so that
others would be able to share that same experience of God. »
Judith A. Merkle
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
DAILY MEDITATIONS
I - PRAYER AND CONTEMPLATION
« Where are you leading me ?... »
HELPFUL REFERENCES :
Constitutions : 1 : 8 : 19 : 35 : 36
Francis :
Rule 1 23 (Omnibus p. 50)
Praise of God (Om : p. 123-125.126)
Praise before Office (Om : p. 138)
Scripture : Mt 17 : 1-9 Mk 9 : 2-9 Lk 9 : 28-36
1 Jn 4 : 8
Ps. 11 12 15 40 86 117 148 150
Commentary on the Trinity Icon
Mary of the Passion :1 Spiritual Notes : NS 14 (28)
40 (18) 44 (41) 65 (155) 167 (80) 180
(4)
« I am consecrated to God - my end is love... »
1
Unless otherwise indicated the numbers between ( ) are those of « He
speaks to me... ».
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
II - I OFFER MY LIFE
« Ah ! if you but knew the gift of God... »
HELPFUL REFERENCES :
Constitutions : 2 11 67 68
Francis : Prayer before the Crucifix
Letter to all the Faithful
(Om : p. 93 99)
Scripture : Jn 3 : 13-17
15 : 13
Mary of the Passion :
NS 3 (104) 151 (98) 167 (80)
(154)
Meditations MD 2 777 800
Journal of a Mother to her Daughters
JO 425 435
238
« I make up in my body what is lacking in the Passion
of Christ... »
Apart from the Spiritual Notes, Mary of the Passion’s writings are
indicated only under the n° of the Card-Index.
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
III - CONTEMPLATION OF THE EUCHARIST IN
ADORATION
« Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament
is the seal of our vocation... »
HELPFUL REFERENCES
Constitutions : 3
9
Francis : Testament 5 (Om : p. 67-70)
Admonitions 1 16 23 (Om : p. 77)
Scripture : Jn 6 : 26-50 ; 51-59 13 : 1-15
Lk 22 : 15-20
Gal 2 : 19-20 Rom 12 : 1
Ps 116 147
Eucharistic Prayer IV
Mary of the Passion :
NS 146 (12)
282 (« Where are you
leading me ? » n° 11)
Customs Book 1
CT/1 28 29
MD 270 546 757 825
« Spend your free moments before the Blessed
Sacrament... »
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IV - UNIVERSAL MISSION AT THE SERVICE
OF GOD’S DESIGN OF LOVE
« Thy Kingdom come... »
HELPFUL REFERENCES
Constitutions : 1 2 7 9 12 19 50 51
Francis :
1 Celano chap. 9 10 12
(Om. p. 179 - 183).
Scripture : Mt 28 : 18-20 Mk 6 : 6-13 Jn 15 :
12-17 17 : 18-22
Acts 2 : 1-4
1 Cor 10 : 17 12 : 12-27 Ep 2 : 18-22
4 : 4-16
Ps 87 115 149 : 1-5
Mary of the Passion : NS 170 (149) 171
(150) 172 (157) 173 (67) 141 (« Where
are you... » 55)
Correspondence 1 CR/1 2
MD 624 800
« Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the great
missionary... »
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V - MARY : GOD’S INITIATIVE DISPONIBILITY
« Behold the handmaid of the lord... »
HELPFUL REFERENCES :
Constitutions : 2 10 19 36 68 80
Francis :
Salutation to the Blessed Virgin (Om : p.
135)
Scripture : Lk 1 : 26-38 ; 39-45 ; 46-56
Jn 2 : 1-12 19 : 25-27
Acts 1 : 12-14
Ps 45 : 11-18 66 : 16
Is 61 : 10 Zc 2 : 14-15
Mary of the Passion :
NS 15 (182) 188 (275)
Constitutions CS 4 15
CT/1 90
MD 228 420
JO 545
« Let it be done to me according to
your word... »
2 : 19
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VI - FRANCISCAN SPIRIT IN WHICH OUR
CHARISM FINDS ITS FULFILMENT AND ITS
UNITY
HELPFUL REFERENCES :
Constitutions : 5 11 40 52 63 56
Francis : 1 Rule 23 (Om : p. 50-53)
Praise of God (Om : p. 123-125)
Our Father (Om : p. 159)
Canticle of the Sun (Om : p. 130-131)
Scripture : Lk 6 : 20 10 : 21-22
2 Cor 8 : 9
Ps
100 103 138 145
Mary of the Passion :
NS 46 (294) 54 (19) 77 (291)
(284) 361 (« Where are you... » 67)
MD 624
«My God and my all... »
235
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VII - COMMUNITY LIFE :
LIFE LIVED AND ANNOUNCED
« ... We live with the Sisters God gives us ... »
HELPFUL REFERENCES :
Constitutions : 6 7 19 22 39 54 63 79 81
Francis : Third Order Rule chap. VII (Om : p. 172174)
Scripture : Acts 4 : 32
Jn 13 : 35 17 : 6
Ph 2 : 1-11 4 : 2-9
Heb 3 : 12-15
Mary of the Passion :
NS 68 (29) 180 (4)
CR/1 18
CR/2 106 145
MD 96 659
JO 43
« We support one another on our journey
towards the Lord »
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
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION
 What was the GIFT received from the Father ?
 Which aspect of the life, the mystery of Christ, seized her ?
 How did she regard Mary and Francis ?
 What was her concrete response in prayer, - community
life, - apostolate ?
 In the light of the CHARISM of Mary of the Passion, how
am I living it to-day ?
 What experience have I had of the GIFT of God ?
 What aspect of the mystery of Christ seizes me and makes
me live ?
 Which aspects of the CHARISM struck me from my
earlier contact with the Institute ?
 How am I deepening and integrating the different elements
of the CHARISM ?
 What touches me during this retreat and how do I hope to
allow it to influence my life as I journey onwards ?