With Mary and the Founder

18. The model of our consecration is Mary, chosen by God to be completely His. She welcomed in faith the Word of God at the Annunciation; she surrendered herself, in love and joy, to the workings of the Holy Spirit, giving herself totally to Him.

As woman and mother, she knew in her heart the joys and sorrows of life. In Jesus' company, she lived in utter trust in the Father, even to the foot of the Cross. In the glory of the risen Christ, she becomes, in a special way, the mother of all those consecrated to God¹.

As men dedicated to her, we offer heart-felt thanks to her for the grace of our vocation, confident that her intercession will help us to persevere faithfully.

Our Founder, who learnt so much from Mary, is always our model of complete self-gift to God and of devotedness to people. His life is a living witness to us of the ideal

that he presented to his first followers: "To become a Brother is to take as your goal to become holy."²