JOÃO MONLEVADE - MINAS GERAIS, Brasil – Fr. Guilherme BRANDAO FERREIRA, SMM, the Parish Priest of San Luis de Montfort Catholic parish in João Monlevade - Minas Gerais in Brazil shares with us about the feast of Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort. The path of preparation for the great solemnity was a unique one ...

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar - The feast of Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, which took place last Thursday, April 28, 2022, was marked by the gathering of the entire Montfortian family working and based in Antananarivo, at the Foyer Andraisoro, namely the confreres of the Company of Mary, the sisters of the Daughters of Wisdom, the Montfort brothers of Saint Gabriel and the lay associates...

On 12 March 2022, Father Luiz Augusto STEFANI, SMM, Superior General, with the consent of his Council, named
Father Louis John Emelius NKUKUMILA, SMM as Superior and Formator of the Scholasticate of Nairobi, Kenya (Anglophone Africa)...

PUTUSSIBAU, Indonesia - The opening of the SMM Mission celebration in Asia-Oceania in West Kalimantan was held on January 31, 2022. After the opening, each SMM parish had its own celebration of the SMM Mission in Asia-Oceania. The first to celebrate was the Parish of St. Antonius Padua, Mendalam. Then, on April 28-29, 2022, the Parish of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary (HSPMTB), Putussibau, also celebrated...

MONTREAL, Canada - The good Pope Francis declared a World Day of the Poor six years ago. Following this request and the example of Father de Montfort and the will of Blessed Marie-Louise Trichet who told us to take good care of the poor, the Mary Queen of Hearts Sanctuary of Montreal set up the “Co-pain de l’espoir” committee which is animated by this Word of the Gospel: Let us not only love in word, but by deeds (Jn 3,18)...

PAIPA-BOYACÁ, Colombia - On April 20, in the middle of the Octave of Easter, around 5:00 in the afternoon, the stage of the Latin American Novitiate 2022-2023 was inaugurated in the city of Paipa-Boyacá. The opening was given by the Provincial of Colombia, Fr. Jorge Enrique GONZÁLEZ, SMM, who was accompanied by other SMM priests: Fr. Manuel MORA, bursar; Fr. Álvaro PULIDO, Vocational Animator and Fr. Armando NOVOA, who studies Accounting in Bogotá...

MYSORE, India - The long-awaited house for the senior confreres of the Indian Vice-Province was blessed by Father Peter MASCARENHAS, SMM, the Provincial of Indian Vice-Province on 20 April 2022. It was providence for the Indian Province to have such a house to care for the elderly and sick priests with love...

NETHERLANDS - On March 24, Fr. Marco PASINATO, SMM, assistant of Superior General Fr. Luiz Augusto STEFANI, SMM, announced to the Superior of the Dutch Province, Fr. Peter DENNEMAN, SMM, that on behalf of the General Council, he intended to travel to the Netherlands for a visitation. It was agreed that this would start on April 7, immediately after the BDNL missionaries meeting in Marienheide, Germany. Fr. Marco is responsible for the visitation of all entities in Europe during this mandate of the General Council. He indicated that he would like to have conversations with all confreres personally, including the confreres who live independently, and then have a joint community meeting. He also would like to talk to the bursar, the archivist and the secretary...

MARIENHEIDE, Germany - From April 4 to 6, 2022, after being postponed several times due to Covid-19 measures, a follow-up meeting of the young missionaries from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands (BDNL) finally took place. This time in the monastery in Marienheide, Germany. Present were: Aimé, Nepo and Ghislain from Belgium, Jesu Manickam, Francis, Anand, Rayappa and Ravi from Germany and Stefan and Charles from the Netherlands. Fr. Peter DENNEMAN, SMM (sup. NL) and Fr. Gerd-Willi BERGERS, SMM (sup. D) were present as facilitators, as well as Fr. Marco PASINATO, SMM of the General Council from Rome...

MINAS GERAIS, Brazil - On April 2, 2022, the Montfortian Spirituality Center in Brazil promoted the retreat for consecrated persons and other people. We started the retreat at 9 am with a moment of praise and then the Office of Our Lady...

BANGALORE, India - Lent is a season of grace. In order to receive the grace, one needs to empty all the unwanted things from the heart. So that the faithful can prepare well to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus on the Easter Sunday. The Catholic Church in India takes much interest in organizing retreats, confessions and Way of the Cross meaningfully with fasting, prayers, abstinences of eating meat, egg and consumption of alcohol. The Montfortians in India especially in the southern part take up Lenten retreats both individually and as a group to preach retreats to the faithful in the parishes. The Montfortians preach Lenten retreats and spread the devotion to Mary to the faithful in the parishes. These retreats are giving the Montfortians a new identity among the faithful. Many who did not know about Saint Louis-Marie de Montfort are coming to know our spirituality through these retreats...

ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar - On Saturday before Palm Sunday, it was the right time that the AMRC of Antsobolo and that of Andraisoro, both based in Antananarivo, had chosen to carry out the pilgrimage as we usually do to mark the Lenten season. Thus, we specifically chose the Sisters of Our Lady of the Cenacle’s convent in Soavimbahoaka. It is a beautiful place, wonderful and above all quiet, thanks to its surroundings immersed in nature full of beauty. We were 25 members at the moment, accompanied by Brother Victor, SMM, head of the AMRC of Antsobolo. This pilgrimage began with a conference given by Deacon Olivier, head of AMRC Andraisoro, obviously preceded by daily prayer (lauds). Then, it was followed by the Eucharistic celebration presided over by Father Clément, SMM and ended with the Stations of the Cross...

ROME, Italy- On 24th - 25th March 2022, the General Administrations of the Montfort Missionaries, the Daughters of Wisdom and the Brothers of St. Gabriel had a two-day meeting at the General house of the Brothers of St. Gabriel in Rome...

MALANG, Indonesia - Thursday, April 7, 2022, was a rare moment and a historic day for all of us—the big Montfortian family. On this day, 14 of our brothers and sisters bravely, consciously, and humbly dedicated themselves to Jesus through Mary. Originally, there were only 7 people at PMRSH (AMQAH) Malang, namely Ignatius Royke Kamu, Marietty Veronika Dua Lembang, Fransisca Wijayanti, Wiwik Murniwati, Elisabeth Lucy S. Pasereng, Theresia Supriyatin and R.A Susiana Dirgarini Yuliastuti. The other seven came from AMQAH of Jakarta, Batch II, who had been mentored by Father Jeje via zoom. They are Maria Leonora Linawati, Anastasia Erlin Natalia, Maria Prapti, Juliaty Raharjo, Maria Theresia Dwi Ena Anjar Cahyanti, Alodia Theodora Dina Santoso, Maria Margaretha Ratih Puspa. They spread out in several cities: Sidoarjo, Surabaya, Bali, Solo, Semarang, and Tangerang...

CONNECTICUT, USA - Sunday, April 3rd, Bishop Paul Chomnycky, OSBM, head of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Stamford, led a gathering of Ukrainian and Latin Rite Catholics at our Montfort Shrine: Grotto of Lourdes in Litchfield for a “Moleben” to the Mother of God / Prayers for Ukraine. Despite a cold and rainy day, the Chapel was filled, many having been born in Ukraine or with relatives now in grave danger. The prayers, litanies and hymns were all sung in Ukrainian, in a spontaneous choral harmony. The Prayers to the Mother of God ended with the Lourdes Hymn, sung at the Grotto.