We Would Love
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Editor: This is the seventh in this series of articles based on the eight Dossiers (from February 1978 to November 1981) totaling 718 pages in this study of the La Salette Rule. In 1982, Fr. Eugene Barrette, M.S., the prime mover in this historic study, was elected the thirteenth La Salette Superior General (1982-1988). Other articles on Religious Life are available in our La Salette Online Library .
How was our formal title, Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette, lost for 55 years?
La Salette statue in our chapel in Balzers, LiechtensteinAlthough our title may seem to be a simple matter, it is worthwhile remembering that for 55 years Rome deprived us of its use. The title was given by Bishop Philibert de Bruillard (1765-1860) in his Mandate of 1852: "These priests shall be called the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette; their institution and existence shall be, like the shrine itself, an eternal monument and perpetual remembrance of Mary's merciful apparition." By title, the Bishop explicitly linked our roots to the Apparition.
In 1879, however, the Congregation presented our Rule to Rome. Then Rome granted us its "laudatory decree" and also its “observations” concerning our Rule: "In many places the constitutions mention the apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the mountain of La Salette and things that are related to this. All is to be deleted. It is above all prohibited for the missionaries or members to be called Apostles of Our Lady of La Salette." Reasons?
No reasons were given by Rome, but it was understood that Rome wanted to avoid at all costs the impression that it was approving the apparition. Such approbations are given by the local Ordinary. It must also be remembered that the apparition of La Salette was experiencing a rather stormy reputation at the time. This directive resulted in the Congregation's title being changed to “Missionaries of La Salette”, since the name of the place of origin was permissible.
In 1934 the General Council petitioned the Holy Father for permission to use the full title once again. The request was granted by the Holy Father on December 5, 1934 and our name returned in full. (3)
How long has the phrase, ”reconciler of sinners,”
been connected with the La Salette Missionaries?
Mary's apparition and message was directed primarily to those who had become separated – distant – from God. Her complaints concentrate on those acts which manifest this indifference and separation. The message is an appeal for conversion, for submission of sinners.
- as seen in the various versions of our Rule:
Since our founding Mandate of 1852, the reconciliation of sinners has always held a prominent place in the description of the Missionaries. In the Mandate one of the tasks given to them is the "exercise of the ministry of reconciliation.” Such terminology was used back then to describe the Sacrament of Penance.
In the Rule of 1858 the work of reconciling sinners is part of the fabric of being people of zeal, prayer and expiation (penance). Their prayer-life has a reemphasis on intercession "pro conversione peccatorum" (for the conversion of sinners) ...
This concentration on reconciliation of sinners was at the root of the La Salette Fr. Sylvain-Marie Giraud's emphasis on the spirit of sacrifice and victimhood. The Rule of 1876 describes the Missionaries as "working with all their hearts for the conversion of sinners..." and this is repeated in the Rules that follow. - as seen in our Spirit:
This emphasis says something about our spirit, and not simply about our ministry. We are called to be people:- with a particular sensitivity to the manifestations of sin today;
- a consciousness of the brokenness and the radical nature of sin;
- who are attuned to divine alienation, to human, spiritual fragmentation and able to recognize these in the concrete everydayness around us.
But with this sensitivity, this awareness, we are also called to bring the hope and the reality of reconciliation offered by God in Christ. Our spirit should give us a vision that recognizes sin in its multiple personal and social forms and create in us the desire to offer God's transforming love through a variety of ministries which address the various forms of alienation. (6)
What does the La Salette Crucifix mean to us as La Salettes?
As a sign of our origin:
First of all, the La Salette crucifix is a sign of our connection to the Apparition of Our Lady of La Salette, since she wore this special crucifix during her heavenly visit. It is also a sign of our "common life and spirit."
As a symbol of our mission:
Secondly, it serves well as the "symbol" of our apostolic mission because of the interpretation given to the instruments of the passion: the hammer symbolizing sin and the pincers symbolizing the various means to alleviate the sufferings of Christ. Our mission is to be conscious of and to bring others to a consciousness of sin, the alienation of humanity from God which causes so much suffering, and to offer God's reconciling love in Jesus, which brings an alleviation of the continued suffering of Christ in his body, the Church.
As a reminder to others of our La Salette identity:
Thirdly, with the disappearance in many parts of our community of wearing the religious habit with its cassock, cincture and crucifix, there has emerged the desire to find other appropriate means to serve as a reminder of our La Salette identity.
In a number of countries the members wear a La Salette crucifix as a lapel pin or even wear such a pin on a shirt collar. Many of the younger members have begun to wear a simple ring with the La Salette crucifix on it. Also, our residences continue to have a La Salette crucifix in a prominent place, showing our distinctive crucifix in our living and working quarters. (7)
Reflection Question: Do you have a La Salette crucifix in your own home or where have you seen one elsewhere?
Endnotes:
(1) La Salette Dossier #2, pgs. 38-39; (2) Ibidem, pgs. 88-89; (3) Ibidem, pg. 92.