God gave us Mary to be our best companion

At the Jesuit novitiate, I loved the litanies of the Blessed Virgin and all her titles in Latin that express our veneration. On summer evenings, before a dying campfire, the gathered community would sing with manly voices the "Salve Regina," entrusting their unknown future to the Mother of Jesus.

Salve Regina, Mater misericordiae!

Vita, dulcedo et spes nostra, salve!

As I would climb the steep hill of Chemin Neuf (or “new way” in English), I always marveled at the magnificent view of the city of Lyons (France) below. At the dawn of our new community’s journey—called Le Chemin Neuf (1) after the road where the community lived—I had the certainty of being accompanied and protected by the one we call the New Eve, who crushes the head of the serpent: the Woman who is also mentioned at the end of the Bible, in the book of Revelation, who holds a small boy in her arms and stops the enormous red dragon from advancing.

All over the world, in about 50 countries, we see the same thing happening over and over: during the CANA (2) retreat sessions for married couples, Mary still discreetly intervenes today so that Jesus can renew His miracle and change the water of conjugal love into the wine of a new marriage.

On November 12, 2020, in Rome with Saint Ignatius, as I was celebrating Mass in the tiny chapel of the Storta (birthplace of the foundation of the Society of Jesus), I strongly felt that Mary, Mother of the Church, is still with us, leading us to her Son, and that Pope Francis—also a Jesuit and present on that unforgettable day—blesses our community and understands our mission to work for Christian unity better than anybody else.

And now, in the evening of my life, I have an unshakeable joy and a certainty about the all-powerful tenderness of God, Our Father, who has given us His Son Jesus as Savior and Mary to be our best Companion.

(1) Le Chemin Neuf Community

(2) The purpose of the CANA sessions is to take time to talk and pray together, to experience a stage of forgiveness and healing as a couple, to taste the fruits of the sacrament of marriage.

Father Laurent Fabre, French priest, founder of the Chemin Neuf Community and its leader until 2016.