Marian Helper • Summer 2023 • Marian.org 13 You are our most prolific podcaster, known for “St. Faustina’s Diary in a Year” and recently reading from the writings of the Founder, St. Stanislaus Papczyński (1631-1701), and the Renovator, Bl. George Matulaitis-Matulewicz (1871-1927) — all available on DivineMercyPlus.org. Both were Superior Generals. How does it feel to be following in their footsteps? It’s awesome, and truly humbling. What an inspiration to follow these holy men and try to keep things going. But I know we’re not doing it alone. We have God’s grace, and we have their intercession. The nice thing about doing these podcasts and reading their words again is discovering how much we can still learn from them today. They both suffered a lot, and both lived the Paschal Mystery like Christ, and so they can help people like us. Their lives are a great example. They give us hope that our own sufferings won’t last forever, if we persevere. Blessed George’s command was to go out in the world and serve where the need is greatest. What does that mean to Marians today? We certainly don’t have to travel very far today to see that the needs are so great. Right here in our own country people don’t know their faith, don’t know God, and are trying to live their lives without God. We had interesting conversations during our recent General Chapter about the expanding geography of our Congregation. The central place used to be Europe, and then we spread to the United States and South America. Now we’re in Africa, India, Vietnam, and the Philippines. We had delegates from all of these places, and they could see the bigger picture. It was eye-opening for many. There are lessons to be shared and learned. My hope is that our Marian priests and brothers, wherever they are, whether they’re in parishes or shrines or other ministries, are doing everything they can to get people to know God and know and live their faith. God has a plan for each of us. As Marians, we should not limit ourselves, but see where the Lord is calling us to use our talents and do everything we can to spread the faith. How do you promote unity among a far-flung Marian Congregation? In 2026, we’re going to have a Conventus, an international meeting, to talk about vocations. Father Mark Garrow, when he was Superior General (1999-2005), had a similar gathering in Fatima on vocations, and the need is still there. While we do well in one place, other places are suffering. In Europe, for example, vocations are not as strong as they used to be, but in places like India, they are booming. Poland remains our unifier; it’s our patrimony and, as a province, still has the largest number of Marians. Our Polish priests and brothers serve all over the world. And pilgrimages to the tomb of the Founder, and the holy places and shrines associated with our heritage, will always be a source of inspiration for us. Our 350th Jubilee celebration, which concludes this year, has been a blessing, even though some of our international meetings were cancelled due to COVID. We distributed retreat books every year containing conferences for each month. It gave us an opportunity to reflect on our charisms. Maybe our three-year jubilee was meant to be on a smaller scale. Our Founder lived during times of war and plagues, and Bl. George lived during times of war. We face similar challenges. What can our Province here in the United States teach the rest of the Marian world? Two things in particular come to mind. First, vocations are doing very well here, and our Congregation could learn from our methods and outreach. Second, our very effective promotion of the Divine Mercy message, especially harnessing the internet as a tool of evangelization, including livestreamed talks and social media. The flip side of this is, the United States can learn from other parts of the Marian world, where there is a greater focus on our charism of the mystery of the Immaculate Conception, especially as Our Lady, under that title, is Patroness of the United States. Many think it’s just about devotion to Mary. It’s a much deeper mystery, the idea of God wanting to save Mary in that extraordinary way in light of her vocation, and that God wants to save all of us in an ordinary way through the Sacraments. It’s about that gift of salvation that is available to everyone. Mary is the sign for us of that openness to the gift of God’s salvation. What is your biggest challenge as Superior General? I think the biggest challenge that we have is just to continue to grow in holiness. Do what we’re supposed to do, do what God’s asking us to do, and live the life that we’re supposed to live. Please pray for me, and for all our Marian priests and brothers around the world, as we pray for all of you. Listen to Fr. Joseph Roesch’s podcasts on DivineMercyPlus.org and TheDivineMercy.org. “The biggest challenge is to continue to grow in holiness, do what we’re supposed to do, do what God’s asking us to do, and live the life that we’re supposed to live.”
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