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Thesis Defense of Anamarie

Anamarie Festin Fondevilla, Montfortian Associate since 1986 and a member of the Friend of Wisdom, successfully defended her thesis entitled MONTFORTIAN CONSECRATION:THE RELATIONAL AND TRANSFORMATIONAL PROCESS OF GROWTH OF THE FRIENDS OF WISDOM IN THE PHILIPPINES.
Here’s the abstract of her thesis: The process of relational and transformational growth in Christ-Wisdom, as experienced in the Montfortian Consecration, has been actualized in the lives of the Friends of Wisdom through their affirmation of Montfort’s twofold vocation: 1) to bring forward the presence of the Divine Feminine at the heart of the spiritual journey of humankind, and 2) a special way to situate Feminine Wisdom at the center of his inspiration to bring the gospel’s message to the poor and the marginalized. These were evidenced by narratives of the Friends of Wisdom, who are mostly women Legionaries of Mary - in their various parish ministries: catechism, combined with livelihood projects for slum dwellers, home and prison visitations, counseling, etc. More importantly, there was clear experience of reinvigorated closeness in their own families and friends, e.g. apostolate of accompaniment to sick and needy members. These experiences are progressively deepening moments of growth starting from experiences of seeing, to discerning, to acting.
They saw through Montfort’s The Love of Eternal Wisdom and True Devotion to Mary the link between devotion to the Virgin Mary and devotion to Divine Wisdom - is the Incarnation of Wisdom, which is none other but an experience of dependence and communion: of Jesus on Mary, of Mary on Jesus. It is a deepening experience of union and communion. “To know Jesus Christ Incarnate Wisdom, is to know all we need.” (LEW 11). “It is through Mary that Jesus Christ came into the world, it is also through Mary, that He will reign in the world” (TD 1). They discerned that entrustment to Mary is the sure way leading to consecration to Jesus: “Mary is a mold capable of forming people into the image of God-man” (TD 219). They act through the Totus Tuus Journey (TTJ) – a consecration spirituality that presents a personal and a communal paths of holiness starting with thirty three (33) Decisions for Life building up to making visible in current times the reign of Jesus through various apostolate of education and health to the poor and the needy, and leadership to the talented.
The results of this research suggest the need for developing a program for “deepening” for those who have gone through TTJ, particularly for the Friends of Wisdom but not solely for them. It is also an invitation for the rest of the baptized Christians should they desire to deepen their encounter with Christ through Mary as lived out in the Montfortian Consecration. The Friends of Wisdom saw Montfort’s Consecration to Jesus through Mary as a transformative experience that favors growth in their personal and communal life as they live, love and proclaim Wisdom in our world of today.
Anamarie earned the degree of Master of Arts in Religious Studies, Magna Cum Laude.

-Fe Habijan