MISSIONARIES OF MARY
OUR APOSTOLATE
Missionaries of Mary is a Public Association of the Faithful, whose leadership was inspired by Fr. Tom
Forrest from “Evangelization 2000” to begin evangelizing in the Diocese of Phoenix in 1995. On September
8, 2011, our statutes were canonically created by Archbishop Hector Miguel Cabrejos Vidarte, OFM of the
Archdiocese of Trujillo, Peru, and received Mutual Canonical Recognition from Bishop Thomas Olmsted
in the Diocese of Phoenix in 2021. Our application for Pontifical International Status is currently under
review.
The Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia en America, of Pope John Paul II, and Aparecida, (the Final Document
of the V General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops in Aparecida, Brazil, no. 209)
guide our apostolate. We desire to be recognized as “People of the Church in the heart of the world, and
people of the world in the heart of the Church”.1
We have established our MaryTown headquarters, a permanent center of evangelization in the “City Of
The Americas”, in Phoenix Arizona in the United States. It is based on the concept of “MaryTown” (The
People of Mary), as inspired by St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe. It is composed of lay people, seminarians,
priests, and religious as members who live the same experience in different countries.
The goal is to form International Catholic Servant Leaders to be Missionary Disciples and Saints. We count
on the ecclesial permission, support, and guidance of other Diocesan Bishops around the world.
The Spirituality of our group is centered on daily Mass and Rosary.
Mission statement & Purpose
Through the inspiration of Our Blessed Mother, we inspire other families in the Americas to evangelize the rest of the world.
Our evangelization activities act as a bridge between the Latin American and North American Church.
We emulate the Blessed Virgin Mary in “proclaiming the greatness of the Lord” Luke 1:46. Like Her we want to “change the world” by providing all, who want and need, an opportunity to return to the love of God.
The missionary zeal and example of St. Francis Xavier and the exhortation of Sacred Scripture to evangelize all people in “all nations” (Mt. 28:19) inspires us to evangelize internationally.
OUR SPIRITUALITY
The Spirituality of the Association is centered on daily Mass and Rosary.
By following the example of the Blessed Virgin Mother, we dedicate ourselves to becoming saints.
This desire is expressed through a total consecration of the heart to the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We encourage families to consecrate in this manner.
Following our desire to serve God and His Church we choose to consecrate ourselves annually with private promises of Simplicity of Life, Purity of Life, and Obedience; and to live specific means of sanctification that provide guidance to our spiritual lives.
Personal prayer life:
- Daily Mass
- Daily prayer of the Rosary.
- Regular celebration of the Sacrament of Penance.
- Regular Participation in liturgy of the hours.
Community prayer life:
- Daily reception of the Eucharist, or when not available, through spiritual communions,
- Praying the Rosary in community on Tuesdays and Saturdays.
- Regular adoration on Thursday.
- Formation through community study and reflection of the Holy Bible, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the documents of the Church and Her social doctrine.
- Participation in annual spiritual retreats regarding the charism of the Association.
CORE VALUES
SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT
To love, forgive and respect the dignity of every person is the most cherished aspect of our work. Our community provides an environment that is nurturing and encourages profound life-changes to occur.
Leadership Development:
We form leaders by continuously developing them in three areas: spirit, intellect, community development skills.
Care for our Members:
We excel in being informative, kind, courteous, and efficient with especially those who have an interest in our success.
Self Sufficiency & Financial Stability:
Each entity is responsible for learning to generate its own resources. We maintain excellent and transparent financial systems.
Communication & Technology:
Using state-of-the-art technology, we constantly communicate with our stakeholders to increase their passion for our mission, and to expand our services.
Multiplication:
We partner with others to help them develop their communities and become self-sustaining. Then each of these new communities is encouraged to partner with and mentor another community in replicating this methodology.
Global Perspective:
We are globally competent, and we are in constant search for new and innovative techniques and models.