Fr. Justin, the most special function of Mary is to form souls according to the heart of God, as God wants them, as God desires them to be! The vocation of Mary is to form Jesus in every soul, and to make every soul not only holy as to be Jesus, to make it another Jesus, but also to make it another formator of Jesus, to form soul-spouses of God and this is also our vocation according to Fr. Justin.
On February 14, 1938, Fr. Justin wrote in his “Book of the Soul” saying, “It is as if the Blessed Trinity dictated to me in a particular way that the Blessed Virgin Mother is my immediate spiritual directress. Opere, Vol.11, p. 115.
Fr. Justin convinces us to examine our obligation to reserve a part of our day for an intimacy with Jesus and deepen our devotion to Mary, mediatrix of all graces, queen of all saints and mother of divine love, patroness of our congregation, this three-fold title we use to address Mary at the beginning and at the end of our prayers. She is the channel through which all graces flow. All graces come to us from the heart of Mary and through the hands of Mary. Fr. Justin was strongly convinced that it is very important to find and to keep ourselves, as much as possible, close to her hands and in her immaculate heart.
Fr. Justin knew how to appreciate, promulgate and practice all the liturgical, ordinary and extra-ordinary Marian devotions such as recitation of the holy Rosary, the use of scapular, miraculous medal, novenas, pilgrimages and others. He was a member of the confraternity of the most holy Rosary and had worn the scapular of our lady of Mount Carmel until he died.
In addition, Fr. Justin had a great devotion to the Miraculous Medal. On November 27, 1937, he wrote in his “Book of the Soul”: Feast of the apparition of the Miraculous Medal, and he said; “the Miraculous Medal has freed me from the repulsiveness and fear of my physical cardiac ailment while I was praying the rosary.
Every November 27, Fr. Justin publicly imposed the miraculous medal to the students of the Vocationaries, orphanages and to parish communities, and marked this day as a feast of the miraculous medal. On April 21, 1953, Fr. Justin wrote in his “Book of the Soul”: “Let us use the bigger form of the miraculous medal, holding it always in our hands as in a perpetual embrace. It will be a sign in your hand as a remembrance and imploration of all the laws of love. We give it especially when miracles are needed for the good of another in body and spirit. The Virgin of the miraculous medal will really be for us our lady of miracles.”
Fr. Justin recommends each one of us to have a miraculous medal “before beginning any spiritual activity for the coming of the reign of Jesus Christ, at the beginning of every scholastic year, of any preaching ministry and of every spiritual assistance to any soul, we should bless it solemnly and publicly impose the miraculous medal of Mary Immaculate carrying it ahead of us in every enterprise as a banner. Through this medal, we will have a personal devotion as there is a real liturgical devotion. ”
Fr. Justin wrote and stated: “It was given to me the certainty that the Blessed Trinity has given the Blessed Lady the Office of Immediate Superior of the Society of Divine Vocations, present and working in our midst in all the offices and in all our houses, studies, works, and everything. On February 11, 1932, the blessed mother visited and spoke with him, and on May 11, 1932 was established as the Feast of the Superiorship of Mary Most Holy in our congregation.
According to Fr. Justin, “God could never be alone. Wherever God is, the whole heavenly court is with him. Since God is everywhere and Mary is always with him, our faith in the special presence of Mary everywhere is justified. Our lady is truly present especially in the room dedicated to her. Then, he said; “remember that the Blessed Lady is your mother and takes care of you. Every evening she passes by your bed, and aside from tucking you in to make sure that you are well covered, she smiles at you and blesses you. Let us not make our heavenly Mother sad with our shortcomings. The blessed mother visits every soul especially those who wait to be sanctified, those who are blessed with a religious and priestly vocation and still more to those who nurture vocations. He said that we can learn the perfect devotion to Mary from someone who knows her, the angels and the saints.
Fr. Justin noted that the Blessed Trinity has honored and loved Mary, has chosen her from all eternity, choosing her as daughter of the Father, spouse of the Holy Spirit and mother of the Incarnate Word, Jesus Christ. There is no other person on earth and in the heavens destined to be like her. Therefore, he strongly recommends each one of us to deepen and nurture our devotion to Mary, and to unite ourselves to the respect and love that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have for her. Our spiritual life, every act, every work, every devotion must lead to and be transformed into prayer. We should honor her, Queen of all Saints, Mother of divine love, Mediatrix of all graces and our Lady of Divine Vocations, inspirations and missions. The blessed mother helps us and offers us her example, the fiat of her heart to the heart of Jesus, to the will, glory and love of the Blessed Trinity.
Fr. Justin continued in his “Book of the Soul”; “Mary is the rich earth, all in her, everything in her, men, women, cities, empires, life, and EVERYTHING! To her we have to entrust all divine seeds of grace, of works and of any good so that they may bear fruit. The blessed mother with God the Father is all maternal mercy and goodness, love and sweetness towards every soul. That’s why all of the saints including Fr. Justin, our founder had special love and devotions toward her, and so let’s constantly remind ourselves of the important role of Mary in our religious life as Vocationists, and remember Fr. Justin’s recommendation to deepen and nourish our devotion to the Blessed Mother.
Fr. Justin M. Russolillo, founder of the Vocationist Fathers, Sisters, and Apostles of Universal Sanctification was beatified on May 7, 2011 @ 3PM in Pianura (Naples), ITALY.
Blessed Justin, pray for us!
O most holy Mary, mother of God, our Lady of Divine Vocations! We contemplate and venerate you, in the glory of the privileges, of the dignity, of the missions with which the most Holy Trinity has adorned you and only you, O most holy Mary, through every habitual and actual grace, you became a marvelous star of glory for the most holy Trinity!
And we desire in the divine grace, to grow in our heart, by every gift that the Lord has given to you, as a rose of love, to offer it to you so that you may offer it to the most holy Trinity, and may help us so that all may bear in our life fruits of the Holy Spirit in your filial imitation.
Hail Mary…
O blessed Virgin Mother of God, Our Lady of Divine Vocations! Accept the homage of our daily rosary and enable us to present it to you always better and lively, always more meritorious of eternal life so that it can be offered, laid before the throne of God in the heavenly worship, among those of the angels and the saints at the court of the Lamb.
Obtain for us that every decade of our rosary, may be a battle and a victory against the enemy seen in a particular defect, may be a battle and a conquest of the kingdom of heavens seen in a particular virtue, so that the commemoration of every joyful, sorrowful luminous and glorious mystery may be fruitful to us in truth.
Hail Mary…
O Most Holy Mary, virgin mother of God, Our Lady of Divine Vocations, here, we gather ourselves around you, and we live your life, our vocation and mission with you. Although much unworthy, may you be for us the mediatrix of all graces, the helper of all souls, the queen of all saints, the mother of gentle love! Make us saints, O Mary, in truth and in charity.
We gather ourselves around you to pray with you, to participate in your spirit of prayer! Make our religious family a cenacle, O queen of the apostles, our mother and patroness; may the Holy Spirit descend on us all and transform us into great apostles of Jesus Christ, into perfect religious of God according to Jesus Christ!
Hail Mary…
Behold, O most holy Mary, O virgin Mother of God, whom we implore especially every day for the grace of perseverance in our vocation and mission! You, accepted your calling without hesitation and immediately brought the benefit of your vocation to the house of Zacharia and Elizabeth, protect our vocation and our Congregation and make of it a spring of holiness so that we all may be saints and sanctifiers according to our vocation and mission.
We believe, O Mary, that as all graces come to us through you, so also through you come to us our vocation and mission. Grant that our Congregation, placed by the blessed Trinity under your superiorship may remain faithful to its charisma of animating, cultivating, forming all vocations to life, to faith and holiness and especially all the vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.
Hail Mary…
Pray for us O mother of divine vocations
That we may be worthy of the promises of Christ.
Prayer:
O Most Holy Trinity, being a God of love you continuously call your chosen ones to be imitators and continuators of the vocation and mission of Jesus: Grant that with Mary and through her protection we may continue to call and form those whom you call throughout the ages. Make our vocational journey an ascensional one and make us truly co-operators of the Holy Spirit in forming your saints. Through Christ our Lord. Amen