Living the Gracious Choice

Living the Gracious Choice: Discovering Mary in the Life of Jeanne-Marie Chavoin

This presentation was prepared by Madeline from the Unit of West Africa who will be professed in September – we pray that she may continue to respond to the invitation to live each day with simplicity, strength and humility.

Beginning my formation with the Marist Sisters led me to encounter Mary, the Mother of Christ, in a deeper way. As I began my novitiate journey, I chose a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary as a symbol of my journey. This choice made me realise that there were still gaps in my understanding of Mary and her role in the Marist tradition.

I therefore felt the need to know Mary more deeply and to discover how she influenced the life and spirituality of our foundress, Jeanne-Marie Chavoin, who lived her Marian identity with simplicity and fidelity. When I was given the opportunity to write about an aspect of Marist spirituality, I chose to explore Mary in the life of Jeanne Marie. I wanted to understand her relationship with Mary so that I could integrate Mary’s values more fully into my own life and grow in my vocation as a religious.

Through my research, I discovered that Jeanne-Marie’s life can be understood as a response to Mary’s request. Throughout her life, she sought to do what she believed Mary was asking of her: to gather people into God’s family, to help them know and experience God’s love and mercy, and to live everything for the greater glory of God and the honour of Mary. This response was expressed not only in her prayer but also in her apostolic life and in the way she related to others. Jeanne-Marie allowed Mary’s example to shape the way she lived, served, and responded to God’s call.

As a Marist, I am also called to make my life a response to Mary’s request. This means learning to do good quietly and faithfully, without seeking recognition, and allowing Mary’s humble and hidden presence to influence the way I live each day. By building my life on the foundation laid by Jeanne-Marie, I am gradually learning to integrate Marian values into my daily actions, community life, prayer, and relationships with others. Her example challenges me to live with greater simplicity, humility, generosity, and trust in God.

Writing this project has been much more than an intellectual exercise; it has been a deeply transformative spiritual experience. Exploring the life of Jeanne-Marie allowed me to discover Mary through the eyes of a woman who had already walked the path that I am now beginning to follow. Jeanne-Marie’s life has helped me to understand that being Marist is not simply about knowing Mary but about allowing her spirit and values to shape the way I live my vocation.

I feel a profound sense of gratitude for this journey of research and reflection. It has filled important gaps in my understanding of Mary and has awakened in me a stronger desire to build my life on the virtues and example of our foundress. I feel more connected to my vocation, clearer in my identity as a Marist, and more conscious of the invitation to respond generously to God’s call.

For me, the “gracious choice” is therefore an invitation to live each day with the same simplicity, strength, humility, and love that characterised Jeanne-Marie Chavoin. As I continue my formation, I desire to let Mary guide me, just as she guided Jeanne-Marie, so that my life may become a quiet and faithful response to God’s love and a humble continuation of the Marist mission.