On the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Militia of the Immaculate (M.I.), the Polish Episcopate issued a pastoral letter entitled “One Hundred Years with the Immaculate and Her Militia”.

The document was signed by the cardinals, archbishops and bishops present at the plenary assembly, which was held June 6-7, 2017, in Zakopane, Poland. However, the document was just issued on November 27, 2017 and is intended for pastoral use on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary – December 8, 2017.
The Polish bishops affirm that St. Maximilian Mary KOLBE founded the Militia to embody the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary in the practice of daily life. The M.I. was started mainly from the desire to save souls, but it also arose from the challenges of its day. The purpose of the Militia is the fulfillment of the Church’s mission, which calls for the conversion of all sinners and their sanctification “under the protection and through the intercession of the Immaculate Virgin.” The movement is open to all: lay people and clerics, children, young people and adults.
Today the Militia of the Immaculate faces new challenges: “Programmatic and ideological atheism has given way to neo-liberal and anti-ecclesial attitudes. The Militia walks with a changing world and goes beyond the traditional activity begun by St. Maximilian, to develop new forms of apostolate that correspond with the contemporary challenges of the Church and the world. This has produced a number of vibrant organizations, including the Youth Movement of the Militia of the Immaculate, the School of Evangelization of the Immaculate, and the Militia of the Immaculate at the Foot of the Cross. This last group constitutes a powerful army of prayer and suffering. They are – as St. Maximilian put it – “the vanguard” of the Militia”.
The Polish bishops went on to emphasize that right now, the Militia appears to be the specific antidote to various types of conflicts and enslavements of the human soul, because it forms man after the example of Mary. “Let us pray to the Immaculate, that St. Maximilian has made his Ideal, his Leader and our Mediatrix of all graces from God, to lead us to the sweet Heart of Jesus in the ranks of His Militia.”

Editor