John Paul II – Pastores Dabo Vobis and the consecrated life: Mary, mother of priests and icon of the consecrated life
Saint John Paul II devoted two great Post-Synodal Exhortations to the consecrated life and to the priesthood: Pastores Dabo Vobis (March 25, 1992) on priestly formation, and Vita Consecrata (March 25, 1996) on the consecrated life. Both end with extensive Marian sections that present Mary as the archetypal model of consecration to God and of the priesthood.
| Pope | Saint John Paul II |
| Documents | Pastores Dabo Vobis (1992, n. 82) | Vita Consecrata (1996, nn. 28, 112) |
| Topic | Mary among priests, Mary icon of the consecrated life |
Pastores dabo vobis n. 82, Maria Mater sacerdotum
“Mater Iesu Christi et Mater sacerdotum, hoc accipe nomen quod Tibi tribuimus, ut maternum munus tuum celebremus et Sacerdotium Filii tui tuorumque horum filiorum contemplemur apud Te, Sancta Dei Genitrix.”
O Mary, Mother of Jesus Christ and Mother of priests, accept this title which we bestow on you to celebrate your motherhood and to contemplate with you the priesthood of your Son and of your sons, O holy Mother of God.
Three aspects of Mary’s motherhood in relation to priests:
- Mater sacerdotum: Mother in a spiritual sense of every priest, who is “alter Christus”
- Vocational educator: Mary as the one who guided Jesus, model of priestly formation
- Refuge in difficulties: Mary as protectress of priests in crisis
Vita consecrata nn. 28 and 112, Mary icon of the consecrated life
N. 28 of Vita Consecrata is the most systematic reference in the recent Magisterium to Mary as icon of the consecrated life:
“Maria namque perfectae consecrationis excelsum exemplar est, tota in sua ad Deum pertinendi condicione atque deditione.”
Mary in fact is the sublime example of perfect consecration, since she belongs completely to God and is totally devoted to him.
Mary as type of the three evangelical counsels
John Paul II reads the three evangelical counsels (chastity, poverty, obedience) in the key of the figure of Mary:
- Chastity: Mary virgin, not only physically but in total dedication to God
- Poverty: Mary who accepts her humble condition (“ecce ancilla Domini”)
- Obedience: Mary who pronounces the “fiat”, an obedience that is more than submission: it is adherence
Two closing prayers to Mary
Both Pastores Dabo Vobis and Vita Consecrata end with a prayer to Mary. In Pastores Dabo Vobis (n. 82) the Pope invokes her as Mother of priests. In Vita Consecrata (n. 112) he entrusts consecrated persons to her.
Further reading
Mariology | Redemptoris Mater | Marialis Cultus | Rosarium Virginis Mariae
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