Vol.4 - No.3 - Stepping Up Devotion To Mary

Sep 21, 2026

A 1957 sodality periodical issue focused on deepening Marian devotion within the Sodality community. It emphasizes that “sodalities should celebrate” Marian patronal feasts through planned prayer, rosary, Little Office, shrine visits, and growing understanding. The article explains why projects must actively cultivate “deep devotedness, reverence, and filial love” and ties Mary’s prominence to Christmas faith, motivation, and practical acknowledgment of her role alongside Christ. It also includes a broader section on forming a sodality for men in health professions and its evolving organizational approach.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryReligion & Spirituality

FormatPDF

Pages36

Reading Time1 h 31 min

AccessFree to download

Stepping Up Devotion To Mary

A Sodality For Men In The Health Professions

Vol.4—No.3DECEMBER1957Directin Direction For Directors,Moderators,andAdult SodalistsVol.4,No.3December 1957 James J.McQuade,S.J.Editor CONTENTS As We See ItJames J.McQuade,S.J.1George P.Prendergast,S.J.A Sodality for Men in the Health ProfessionsManaging EditorWilliam G.Smith2Associate Editors:Liturgy Meditations for December MeetingsEdward Dowling,S.J.Joseph A.Sommer,S.J.6 William B.Faherty,Sodality Is Catholic Action Under ContractS.J.James J.McQuade,S.J.8Thomas P.Fay,S.J.Sodalists of America9 Joseph A.Sommer,S.J.Spiritual and Apostolic Balance in Sodality LifeElizabeth Anne Hissong10F.L.Zimmerman,S.J.Pontiff Composes Prayer Asking Mary'sDorothy WillmannBlessing for Women13Help Vietnamese Sodality ExpansionCirculation Manager:James Do-Minh-Ly 14Evelyn SextonHow to Step Up Leadership FormationDIRECTION,publishedMary Agnes Gill Sullivan 16monthly October throughJune by the NationalSodality Training Before ReceptionSodality Service Center atThe Queen's Work,3115Joseph A.Sommer,S..J.19South Grand Boulevard,St.Louis 18,Missouri.Some Points Essential to a Sodality Benjamin R.Fulkerson,S..J.21SUBSCRIPTION RATE,$2.00 a year U.S.;$2.25Foreign.Copyright 1957 byThe Sodality—Was For Men OnlyThe Queen's Work,Inc.Jack B.Hissong 22Entered as second-classmatter,September 1954,at the Post Office at St.For Your“Church of Silence”Meeting25Louis,Missouri,under theAct of March 3,1879.Ac-Social Order Discussion:The“Why”ceptance,for mailing atthe special rate of post-of Economic LifeWilliam B.Faherty,S.J.26age provided for in theAct of February 28,1925,Marian Discussion for December28under paragraph 4,Sec-tion 538,P.L.&R.;author-ized November 15,1939.Try A Liturgical ProjectTerry Hunt 29 How to Teach the Sodality Way of LifeNational SodalityService CenterMarilyn Markert 31The Queen's Work“Church of Silence”Project Fact Sheet333115 South GrandBoulevardSt.Louis 18,Missouri # Stepping Up Devotion To Mary James J.McQuade,S.J. CODALITIES OF OUR LADY in the all Sodality project plans andJ United States do not have reports?sufficient devotion to our BlessedLady.The reason is that no one“Sodalities should celebratecan ever have“enough”devotiontheir titular feast days every yearto our Blessed Lady.with some religious solemnity,”says the tenth Rule.“A triduumThere is an old Latin mottoor novena made in preparationwhich says:De Maria numquamfor the celebration of the prin-satis—Of Mary never enough.cipal patroness would help toLike many old mottoes it presentspraise and glorify the Blesseda very significant truth.Virgin.”Few Sodalities there areA National Promoter,then,iswhich could not plan and carry on very safe ground in urgingout this celebration better. Sodalities everywhere to step uptheir devotion to Mary,and tokeep stepping it up.None of themdoes this enough for the simplereason that none of them can.Whatever they do won't be quiteenough. Daily recitation of her Rosary(with daily more perfect prayer),the frequent recitation of herLittle Office (but with everincreasing understanding),fre-quent visits to her Shrine(withever increasing awareness of ourconsecration to her)—these areall means by which we cultivatein ourselves the"deep devoted-ness"to Mary which is an essen-tial of all true Sodality spiritu-ality. The very first Rule of Sodalitiesof Our Lady bids them to culti-vate in their members“a deepdevotedness,reverence,and filiallove for the Blessed VirginMary."Why do we hear of sofew projects designed to do this? Mary must be as prominent in"Each Sodality must acknowl-every Sodality as she is prom-edge the Blessed Virgin as prin-inent in the Christmas Story.Incipal patroness,"says the thirdour thinking,motivation,judg-rule.Deeds speak louder thanments and action she must bewords in such an acknowledg-kept as close to Jesus in our faith,ment.I have yet to see on anyhope and love as she is at Beth-Sodality stationery the Principallehem,for,as Chesterton oncePatroness listed among the per-said,"those two holy heads are

FAQs

Why does the issue stress that no Sodality can have “enough” devotion to Mary?

It explains that devotion must be continually stepped up, since whatever projects are done will still not be quite enough. Marian prayer and practices are presented as ongoing means of growth.

What practices are highlighted for cultivating deep devotedness to Mary?

The text points to daily recitation of the Rosary, frequent recitation of the Little Office with increasing understanding, and frequent visits to her Shrine with growing awareness of consecration to her.

What is the purpose of “A Sodality For Men In The Health Professions”?

It describes forming a Papal Sodality for men in health professions and explains that its objective is to give sufferers and the health professions a true philosophy of man, especially in relation to suffering.

Sep 21, 2026

Upload by Clementine