Introduction: The adult Children of Mary Sodality, founded in the 1830s, was seen by St. Madeleine Sophie Barat as an important outgrowth of the mission of the Society of the Sacred Heart. Its growth followed closely the establishment of Academies and Colleges of the Sacred Heart, enabling alumnae and friends to continue their religious formation as adults. Today there are Sodality groups in several cities in the United States which meet monthly, as well as for an annual retreat or days of recollection. These foster the spiritual and apostolic lives of the members and those who join them. "That which is life-giving attracts."

In the early 1830s, young women who belonged to the Children of Mary Sodality in the academy in Lyon, France, wanted to continue their association with the sodality after they graduated. One of them wrote to Madeleine Sophie with three questions: can we establish a sodality separate from that of the boarding school? Can others who did not go to a Sacred Heart school but who have the same spirit join us? And can these receive the same official approbation as the school sodality has? The Foundress blessed these beginnings, requested canonical approbation, and on March 25, 1832, the delegate of the Archbishop of Lyons officially established the adult Children of Mary Sodality. Mother Barat continued to follow the development of the Sodality, seeing it as an important aspect of the mission of the Society.

The growth of the Sodality followed closely the establishment of academies and colleges of the Sacred Heart throughout the world up to the time of the Second Vatican Council. Across the years, there were changes at the official level of the Sodality’s affiliation. Then in 1967 the Fourth Assembly of the World Federation of Marian Congregations changed the name and emphasis of the group to the World Federation of Christian Life Congregations.¹ Whether as a result of this, or inevitably following the general upheaval among students in the United States in the 1960s, sodalities no longer had a place in the schools and some adult sodalities did not thrive since there was no group of alumnae adding to their number as the years passed.

However, that which is life-giving continues to attract, and a survey of existing Children of Mary groups in the United States conducted by Mary Mardel, RSCJ, this year shows that presently there are eleven groups of adult Children of Mary. These are in Albany, Atherton (CA), Bloomfield Hills, Grosse Pointe, New Orleans, Omaha, St. Louis, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle/Bellevue, and Washington (DC); all have an RSCJ as Moderator. Without any formal coordination and virtually no informal contact, they all follow remarkably similar patterns: monthly meetings with a liturgy, sometimes with a regular chaplain and usually on the First Friday or First Saturday; annual days of recollection or retreats; and minimal dues ($15-$30) to cover expenses.

Some of these groups have collective activities such as tabernacle sewing for mission churches, a Braille society, Scripture study groups, a library emphasizing prayer, Scripture, and Church history. All have members who work for and contribute to the charitable and mission activities of the Church. The mailing lists range from 60 to 383 names with older members retaining their interest even when not able to attend meetings; attendance varies from 15 to 70, and new members make their Act of Consecration and receive the traditional Child of Mary medal after a period of aspirantship.

1. Rausch, Thomas P., S.J. “Christian Life Communities for Jesuit University Students?” Studies in the Spirituality of Jesuits 36/1 (Spring 2004) 19-21.