The Order of the Magnificat of the Mother of God

The Order of the Magnificat of the Mother of God, requested by the Most Blessed Virgin Herself, at La Salette, France in 1846, was founded in Canada in 1962. The Order includes bishops, priests and religious Brothers and Sisters, some of them coming from other Religious Congregations; they preserve their respective identity and goals, but all follow a common Rule: the one dictated by the Mother of God at La Salette and approved by Leo XIII in 1879.

The Order of the Magnificat of the Mother of God is also known by the name: The Apostles of Infinite Love. They were legally recognized as of 1963. Since 1973, they possess a federal charter for all of Canada, and one for the Province of Quebec by virtue of the Religious Corporations Act. The Apostles of Infinite Love are also recognized in Canada as a registered charity. Here in Canada, we labor mainly in Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia.

Our Religious Order also possesses charters in the United States, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic and Ecuador. It is recognized in Guadeloupe and in France, and established in Italy, in Argentina and in South Africa. The Mother House and headquarters are situated at 290 7e Rang, Mont-Tremblant, Quebec J8E 1Y4.

The Order also includes disciples, that is, lay members, either single or married, who live in the community of goods with the religious and share their labors. It also includes tertiaries, lay members living in the world, generally in cenacle homes, that is, with the privilege of having the Blessed Sacrament in the home, on condition that they lead an exemplary Christian life.

The particular goal of the Order of the Magnificat of the Mother of God is the preservation of the Deposit of the Faith by religious teaching in all its forms to adults and children. For more than fifty years, the Order has indeed been fighting against all the abuses that have brought about the decadence of the clergy, the religious state and Christian society. God has established it as “a rampart against the almost general apostasy” that has invaded Christianity and in particular the Roman Church.

This Order therefore exists and operates under its own Hierarchy. Its faith, doctrine, tradition and practices are Catholic Christian. With the Spirit of Jesus Christ inspiring it, the Order is endeavoring to return to the evangelical simplicity and purity of the early days of Christianity, ever keeping intact the doctrinal and dogmatic teachings imparted with continuity by the Saints and Doctors of the Catholic Church.

Its role in today’s world is a “supplementary role,” to preserve and continue the true Church of Christ which cannot fail; for according to the promise of Christ, The gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (St. Matthew 16:18) At La Salette, the Blessed Virgin clearly predicted that Rome will lose the faith… We are living in those sad days. It is becoming increasingly obvious that the official Authorities have capitulated in the face of evil. But through this Order, God has intervened to assure the indefectibility of His Church.

In a more or less near future, “the Holy Church will be strong, humble, pious, poor, zealous and imitative of the virtues of Jesus Christ… The Gospel will be preached everywhere, because there will be unity among the workers of Jesus Christ, and because men will live in the fear of God.” (Prophecy taken from the Secret of the Blessed Virgin at La Salette, in 1846)

At La Salette, the Virgin Mary dictated the Rule of the Order of the Mother of God to Melanie, and as she was listening to Her, she contemplated in a prophetic vision the future life and works of the sons and daughters of the Order, religious and lay people, spread into every part of the world. She also saw many Religious Orders come to merge with this Order, and the others recover their primitive fervor through their contact with it.

The chapel is open to the public and visitors often join us in prayer, especially on Sundays, during the periods of liturgical feasts such as Christmas, Holy Week and Easter, and during the Marian feast days of the Assumption and the Nativity of Mary. Each year, either singly or in small groups, retreatants come to stay on the Monastery grounds over a longer or shorter period of time, in individual little houses destined for visitors.

Besides adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament, prayer, study and work of all kinds, the Community lends itself to all the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Its main objectives are the preservation and teaching of the Christian Faith and charitable works of all kinds: assistance to the poor, teaching to children and adults, care of the sick and the elderly, aid to families, etc.

Here in the province of Quebec, among other houses, we have the House of Bread located in Quebec City, where since 1976, our Sisters provide hundreds of destitute people and families every day with food and care. At the Mother House in Mont-Tremblant and other nearby houses, very substantial food baskets are distributed each week to many families; we are often able to give clothing and shoes, and toys for children. These works are made possible thanks to the donations of benefactors who know and support our charitable activities.

Religious teaching is given in our places of worship and through various programs of instruction: sermons, conferences, courses, retreats and spiritual direction. It is also given largely and especially through the distribution of our books and magazines, prepared and printed at the Mother House of the Community.