Society of Mary

Marist Fathers & Brothers

The name Marist is a family name, "a tree with several branches," belonging to four religious communities: Marist Brothers of the Schools, Marist Sisters, Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary, and the Society of Mary (Marist Fathers and Brothers), as well as to many lay groups. To be a Marist is to have a sense of being chosen and called by Mary — "a gracious choice" — to live compassionately and mercifully as she did as mother and disciple of God.

The Marist Mission
Marists are engaged in the “work of Mary,” as understood by their founder Jean-Claude Colin (1790-1875). In everything that they do, they seek to participate in Mary's desire to see the Gospel of Jesus take root in our contemporary world. They work to transform the church to reflect “the face of Mary,” a spirit that is gentle, loving, humble, relational, compassionate, open, inclusive, and merciful.

The Society of Mary
The Society of Mary is divided into 14 provinces and four missionary districts around the world. A province is a Marist region which has its own government, personnel, and financial resources. In this way it has a certain independence from other provinces and districts. All provinces and districts are united, however, under one Superior General who resides in Rome.

In the United States there are two provinces with centers in Boston and Atlanta. The Boston Province is in the Northeast corner, the Atlanta Province covers the rest of the United States, including the states of Hawaii and Alaska. The two U.S. provinces cooperate in many ventures, especially in the area of training new candidates for entry into the Society of Mary.