The Mariavite Sodality

Sodalitas Sacerdotalis Mariae Vitae

(SSMV)

 

Who is Mary?

As Jesus is the Word made flesh, so Mary is the enfleshment of Wisdom. In this respect, She, like Jesus Himself, is emblematic of our restoration to the Fullness; while Jesus is the Logos, Mary is Sophia, bringing the Word into the flesh.

What is the Sodality and its Purpose?

The Sodality exists within the gnostic catholic and apostolic tradition. Its primary aim is the promotion of Marian Gnostic spirituality and thealogy within the context of study, prayer, theurgy, liturgy and action.

To that end, the Sodality advocates, practices and explores Marian paths of gnosis. It manifests the progressive revelation of a path of gnosis which was aptly nurtured around the turn of the last century by the "Little Mother," the Blessed Sister Maria Franciszka of Poland. The Little Mother founded the first Mariavite order and church as a result of personal revelations, and specifically, at Our Lady's request.

Any seeker is invited to seek initiation within the Marian Gnosis through the Sodality. Initiation is personal, but consists mainly in an act of consecration to Mary, the Holy Sophia. Initiates are dedicated to Our Lady, especially under Her patronage as the Sovereign Queen of Heaven and Earth, honoring Her as an incarnation of the Holy Sophia, both Mater Redemptoris and Mater Redemptrix.

 The Sodality is a dependent religious society of the Liberal Catholic Apostolic Church and is part of the Independent Liberal Catholic Fellowship. It is not affiliated with any other Mariavite jurisdiction.

 

 

What do we profess?

While we do not believe in any particular dogma or creed that one must profess, we do share the following central points of view, however:

 

1.  Humanity is endowed with an essential spark of the Divine Light; and yet, as we live in this world, we find ourselves mired in darkness, ignorance and suffering.

 

2.  Our divine nature serves as a compass to guide us to our true home in the Pleroma (a Greek word meaning “The Fullness”) which is the ultimate reality of the Divine Light behind all things.

 

3. Evil exists. While our souls emanate from the Divine Light itself, evil exists in the world in the form of agents or forces acting as limiters that work to keep us in ignorance of our divine heritage; that heritage which embraces the complete beauty, light and peace of the Fullness.

 

4. There is a way out that involves the remembrance and return of the soul to its divine origin. A true desire for liberation and freedom on the part of the individual soul may eventually open the way for him or her. There are intermediary beings and powers that can assist us on our path to the Light. These Messengers of Light serve to guide us and open the way for us, and include the many great prophets, teachers and saints of old.

 

5.  As Mariavites within the Gnostic stream, we feel a special connection to the Divine Mother as incarnate in the person of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Through myth, mystery and metaphor, we consider Her to have been revealed throughout history as a perfect pathway to the Holy Light of Gnosis; most particularly, as the Holy Sophia, the Divine Wisdom and our principal Messenger of the Light. We think of Jesus the Christ as the Word and our redeemer, brought into this world through the fiat of Mary to take on the countenance of Divine Wisdom, and hence, to incarnate the Divine and Holy Sophia Who is that Wisdom.

 

6.  While we find the articulation of mandatory dogma to be antithetical to gnosis or enlightenment, we do consider that dogmatic metaphor can be useful in the context of relating to the Divine through liturgy and worship. In this respect, we do advocate certain images and concepts as being useful aides to our path toward reintegration and restoration to the Fullness. The metaphors we employ most regularly involve a conception of the divine through varying degrees of enlightened traditional concepts such as the Trinity and the use and belief in the power of the sacraments of the church. Further, we tend to advocate the metaphorical, mythical and poetic imagery of the Divine as emanating from the Absolute reality into the myriad of Aeons reaching into manifestation in our world. 

How can you participate?

If you would like to learn more about the Sodality and would like to consider working with us, please contact the Magister Guardian at frcpr@mariavite.com. You may also wish to join our Yahoo group at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mariavite/ . If you live in the Dallas-Fort Worth area of Texas, you may wish to consider attending Mass with us. The Sodality’s oratory, Oratorium Stella Majorem, celebrates the Holy Eucharist and provides the sacraments within the Liberal Catholic and Marian Gnostic traditions. The Yahoo group for the oratory is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/osmgnosis/ .