The inspiration for Maria Mater Sacerdotis (MMS) is that of the Holy Spirit placed in the heart and mind of a simple believer who was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York.Josefa (her adopted name due to a strong devotion to St. Joseph) has been drawn into an ever-deepening understanding of, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, which began many decades ago. Speaking of herself, Josefa says that she is not special, and that everyone is called to have a deep personal relationship with our Lady.
A starting point may have been in 1951, when Josefa prayed for her husband’s safe return from the Korean War.Josefa was lead to pray the rosary daily for that intention. With her husband back home, she turned her attention to bringing him into the Catholic Church.Once again she asked the Virgin Mary’s intercession through the Rosary and, yes, he has become a good Catholic.
In 1976 Josefa learned of St. Louis de Montfort and of his classic writing, True Devotion To Mary.This had a profound effect in her life.In the midst of raising a novena of children (9), she was forming Marian prayer cenacles at her local parish, as well as teaching religious education.
Once Our Lady puts her mantle over you, she draws you ever closer to her Immaculate Heart.It was no different with Josefa.True Devotion to Mary formed her spiritual life, as it helps to transform the lives of many people through the years, including Blessed Pope John Paul II.
In the late 1990’s, Josefa met a priest who wanted nothing to do with Marian devotions.She took it upon herself to try to reverse the priest’s negative attitude towards the Blessed Virgin by beginning a daily holy hour devoted exclusively for his change of heart.A year later, the priest returned to the parish from a retreat where True Devotion To Mary was the topic. Prayers answered!From that day onward he was on fire for Our Lady and wanted his whole parish to embrace her too!
A few years later Josefa was inspired with the idea of forming ladies into prayer groups who’s purpose would be to live in imitation of the Virgin Mary. The Virgin was the prayerful support for Jesus in his ministry, even to his crucifixion.The members of these cenacles would spiritually adopt one priest apiece and prayerfully support that one priest for life.
At the same time Josefa was pondering this idea in her heart, the Vatican confirmed her inspiration when in 2007, Cardinal Hummes penned a forty-page document promoting Spiritual Motherhood of Priests.That document entitled, Eucharistic Adoration for the Sanctification of Priests and Spiritual Maternity, helped her to concretize her thoughts into forming ladies into cenacles to spiritually adopt priests.The Vatican document also confirmed the spiritual soundness of her desires for the formation of the cenacles.(Cardinal Hummes document may be found on this website under the tab “Maternity and M.M.S.”)
The foundational spirituality for Maria Mater Sacerdotis begins with a consecration to the Virgin Mary through St. Louis de Montford’s Total Consecration to Mary.This consecration is lived out day by day through the spirituality elucidated in De Montforts’ other classic, True Devotion To Mary.This is primary! “True Devotion” is so powerful that it influenced Blessed Pope John Paul II to embrace it as his pontificate motto, “Totus Tuis,” “I am all yours, Mary.”
The first MMS cenacle was formed in March 2008, in Colonial Beach, VA.Since then 5 complete cenacles have been formed, who have spiritually adopted a priest-son for life.
By living a life in imitation of Our Lady, the spiritual mothers accompany their priest-sons in their son’s work as “Other Christs” to their own crucifixion.(All priests are conformed to Christ, not just through administration of the Sacraments, but also as sacrificial victims.In short, all priests are crucified with Christ on the cross.)The mothers are also consecrated to the Sacred Heart and the Precious Blood of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist.
As stated above, MMS Prayer Groups reflect Our Lady in her devotion and support of her Son.As the Virgin accompanied Jesus to the cross, giving him prayerful support, so the moms of MMS give their priest sons support on their road to Calvary.Each cenacle is composed of seven members, one for each of the Seven Dolours (Sorrows) of Mary.The groups also have a rule to help them live the MMS spirituality in the world.It facilitates their staying the course.This rule includes the following:
Daily Mass (when possible),
Morning and Evening Prayers of the Liturgy of the Hours,
Daily Rosary,
Daily Chaplet of Divine Mercy,
Weekly Holy Hour for her Priest, preferably on Thursday, and
Monthly Cenacle meeting on the last Thursday of Month.
Each mother chooses one of the Seven Sorrows, Dolours, of Mary to be hers for life for the purpose of drawing her closer to the Virgin, the Mother of the Eternal High Priest.
Members are required to wear a dress or skirt whenever they represent the prayer group.This includes any function in Church and when they have a meeting with or are working for a priest.What is the reason?They represent the Blessed Virgin Mary, the image of femininity itself.Pants are a sign of the masculine while a dress/skirt is a sign and symbol of the feminine.
On June 19, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI began the “Year of the Priest” which confirms again that Maria Mater Sacerdotis is formed for the support of the priests of the Catholic Church by the working of the Holy Spirit.By helping priests in their struggle to become holy, MMS in turn helps the entire Church.
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The moment I heard Josefa’s ideas regarding MMS, I was on-board at once!I had been looking for a vehicle to support priests in their ministry for several years. Having been a priest for twenty-five years, I have witnessed first hand how evil works overtime to influence priests negatively.The creep will do anything to make a priest’s work less effective.
Evil does its best to destroy priests.Many tactics are used:Sex, competition with brother priests, disappointments of one type or another, careerism, negative letters or comments from parishioners, lack of fraternal companionship, faults of self or of others, you name it.If a priest falls into a public sin, it affects the whole community.If evil sees that something can be used to lessen the efficacy of one of Jesus’ priest’s, you can bet that it will be used, and skillfully too.
In the 1950’s and early sixties, there were almost two hundred thousand nuns praying for the priests in the United States.The number of women religious has dropped to about one-fifth that number from the high water mark of the high 1960’s.Most of these ladies are elderly and many are incapacitated, thus the prayerful support which the priesthood desperately needs has evaporated.
That was weighing on my heart when Josefa described her ideas for MMS.I was delighted, no, much more than that!I was ecstatic!Even before she left my home that day, I had already contacted a couple of ladies who I thought would make wonderful spiritual Mothers.
My enthusiasm continues.I have a two-fold frustration though.I lack the vehicle to help find more spiritual ladies who are willing to pray and suffer in imitation of Our Lady for the support of her priest-sons.Secondly, I have not found a successful way of obtaining the support of many pastors.(They are indeed overworked and many may see this as “just another work load” to be dealt with.)
