STP-2 - Montfort Missionaries Philippines

Feast of St. Louis Marie de Montfort

Last April 28, 2013, on the feast of St. Louis Marie de Montfort, the Montfort Missionaries, the Daughters of Wisdom, the Montfortian Lay Associates, visitors and the parishioners of Santa Teresita Parish, Makati City, gathered together in a concelebrated solemn Mass which was presided by Fr. Paul Lucero, smm, (delegation Superior).
Fr. Nelson Cabañero, smm, gave the homily. He mentioned that Louis de Montfort's life is inseparable from his efforts to promote genuine devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus and mother of the church. Totus tuus was Louis' personal motto; Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II) chose it as his episcopal motto. In addition, Montfort managed to transcend the mind frames and habits of his time, in order to live the Gospel message in a radical way, especially after he began to consider the poor as his equal, and when he developed a thorough and fecund apostolic strategy. His apostolic methods drew from those of his predecessors: he used hymns, lectures, gave dialogue-based conferences, allowed his audience to ask questions; he would organize processions, led in a deep devout silence just after his homily; he would exhort the people to go to confession and make honorable amends, receive Holy Communion, renew their baptismal vows. His own originality rested in his requests to have the faithful prayer in front of representations of the mysteries of the rosary and in proposing to them a Contract of Alliance: “I give myself totally to Jesus Christ by the hands of Mary to carry my cross behind him all the days of my life.” This brief prayer is the popular translation of the consecration or perfect devotion, which wasn't reserved to the elite but preached to all. Montfort was one of the first to give the renewal of the baptismal vows an essential place at the heart of the mission ceremonies, encouraged in this by Pope Clement XI who sent him to "renew everywhere the spirit of Christianity by the renewal of the baptismal vows." Today the baptismal vows pronounced by a child through the godparents are renewed at the Profession of Faith and during the Easter vigil. Furthermore, Montfort was an innovator by introducing the giving of oneself to Christ through the hands of Mary in the ceremony of the renewal of baptismal vows and by identifying spiritual paths.
After the Mass a procession was held. The image of St. Louis Marie de Montfort was brought around the village on a flower bedecked carroza.
Then, a simple dinner was hosted by the parish.

-Fe Habijan