100 Years Young! Happy 100th birthday, Association of Marian Helpers! And we have Bl. George Matulaitis, the heroic Renovator of the Marian Congregation, to thank for our longevity. How so? “On Oct. 27, 1910, Bl. George outlined the idea of comprehensive involvement of the laity in the work of evangelization in his Journal,” explains Br. Andrew Mączyńsk, MIC, a former “Fr. Joseph, MIC,” and the general promoter of the Association worldwide. “Soon after the establishment of the religious house in Chicago, Illinois, which was to become the seat of the future St. Casimir’s Province, the Marians there established the first Association of Marian Helpers. Blessed George strongly encouraged the formation of said Association.” The idea has roots in the writings of St. Stanislaus Papczyński, who founded the Marian Congregation in 1670. “Our Founder wrote a treatise entitled Templum Dei Mysticum,” notes Br. Andrew. “In it he bases the formation of the laity on the acquisition of religious knowledge and the practice of life leading to Christian perfection.” Working with the laity So when Bl. George set to work to bring back the Marian Fathers from one member to a real international organization again, he knew the importance of working with the laity. The Chicago Marians began the work of the Association in 1925 and developed the first statutes, which were approved by the Renovator prior to his death in 1927. Meanwhile, in the St. Stanislaus Kostka Province, Fr. Walter Pelczynski, MIC, purchased the Eden Hill property in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, in 1943, and established the Association’s presence there in 1944. Since the 2006 union of the two American provinces in the one Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy Province, the Marian Helpers Center has been the national headquarters for the Association, pioneering the best practices and tools for evangelization and catechesis used by the whole Marian Family around the world. Happy birthday, Marian Helpers! Sign up at MICPrayers.org mountain climbing, and he meant it in terms of the spiritual life. God summons us to what’s hard, to what’s challenging, to go to where we will encounter Him. We are called to get closer to God throughout our lives, even if that means sacrifice, even if that means spiritual exercises and blood, sweat, and tears. But we are also called to do this joyfully. Pier Giorgio radiated joy. He seemed a carefree young man, a normal devout Italian guy of his generation — but when he died, his funeral was packed with the thousands of people he had helped or befriended. Like Carlo Acutis, he was ordinary and holy, which made him extraordinary. That’s the heart of the Christian vocation, to be salt, light, and yeast in the world, to be temples of the Holy Spirit transforming the world from within. You are meant to give flavor to ordinary life, to bring light into dark places and keep it there, to be yeast in the dough of the created world, bringing in air, bringing in grace. Pier Giorgio shows what that’s like. We are meant to live with his same sense of “magnanimity,” of generosity of spirit. We are the heirs of God Almighty, enriched with enormous graces. We can be open-handed, generous, not anxious about our charity to others because God can and does provide, especially when His children give alms prudently but freely. We are called to embrace hard challenges, knowing that if God calls us to do them, He will give us the grace to get through, but also to have the detachment and the humility to embrace being faithful, even if we are not successful. Marian Helpers, be joyful like Pier Giorgio. Be Catholic. Be brave. We will soon be blessed by these three holy men’s canonizations. May they continue to teach us, intercede for us, and show us the Marian way of proceeding. Father Mark Baron, MIC, is the director of the Association of Marian Helpers (Father Joseph, MIC). Joining the Association, a spiritual benefit society approved by the Holy See, is free and easy: visit MICPrayers.org. Marian Helper • Fall 2025 • Marian.org 15
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