THE CREST
OF THE CONGREGATION OF MARIAN FATHERS
OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE MOST BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

HISTORY AND DEVELOPMENT

From the beginning of the foundation of the Marian Order the necessity of having a seal was recognized by its Founder and first Superior General. It was required to guarantee the legality of documents presented to religious and civil authorities for the approbation of the Institute and its Rules and for new foundations.

The details of the first seal of the Order and of the subsequent change are described in the biography of Blessed Stanislaus Papczyński, written by the Venerable Servant of God, Fr. Casimir Wyszynski are shown below:

"Even though the foundation document bore the image of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, Fr. Founder chose for the seal of his Order, an image of a dove carrying an olive branch as a symbol of hope that time would come when the Order would finally extricate itself from all persecutions. This hope came true in 1722. However, when Fr. Andrzej Deszpot was elected General Superior the very same year, he changed the seal to display the image of the Immaculate Conception of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, thus signifying that tough times were over and the Marians finally reached calm waters. From that day on, the Order has been constantly using this seal."

We know from old documents that two seals of the Order existed in 1731: one larger and one smaller. Along with their signatures, all Superior Generals' letters also bore the Order's seal. In addition, every monastery was obliged to obtain a seal bearing the name of the monastery and the church's titular saint.

The Great Seal of the Marian Order from the 18th century. The seal is embossed on the document issued by Fr. General Cajetan Wetycki on July 28, 1752, authorizing the establishment of the Marian Foundation in Portugal.

The Seal that was carried by Fr. Wyszynski on his journey to establish the new foundation in Portugal, 1754.

The seal of the Order displayed the Immaculate Mother of God with a lily in her right hand, crushing a snake's head. The Blessed Mother's head was crowned with 12 or 10 stars (pertaining perhaps to the Rule of the Ten Evangelical Virtues of the B.V.M., upon which the Marians pronounced their religious vows at the time). A radiant aureole embraces Mary's entire figure.

Aside from insignificant details, the above description accurately depicts old Marian seal imprints of 18th century documents preserved to our times. This leads us to conclude that the Order has been using this very seal until the beginning of the 20th century, in other words: until its renewal and reformation by Blessed Archbishop George Matulaitis-Matulewicz.

PRO CHRISTO ET ECCLESIA

Seal of the Marian House at Bielany-Warsaw, Poland, affixed on a document dated November 1923.

The renovated Marians quickly reached again for their ancient symbol. After a short period of "trying out" various forms of presenting the Immaculate Mary on the Congregation's seal, her image began to closely resemble the one from the bygone centuries. Mary is surrounded with a radiant halo and holds in her hand a lily; 12 stars encircle her head. The renewed Congregation's law defines the symbolism of the Marian Crest:

"The seal of the congregation, which Superiors use, bears the image of the Most Blessed Immaculate Virgin Mary with the inscription that is proper of the respective Superior. Also, the General Procurator and General Econome use such seals, each with the proper inscription. Other officials, if the Superiors permit it, may use a seal with the monogram of the Most Blessed Immaculate Virgin Mary (...)."

From the Directory of the Congregation, §194

Seal of the Congregation of Marian Fathers affixed on the document signed by Bl. George Matulitis-Matulewicz, on 14 April 1922 in Vilnius.

It shall be noted here that the Marian law shows a characteristic "reverence" for the symbol of the Congregation used on the seal. The Marian Directory precisely defines persons eligible to use the seal with the Immaculate Mary's image. To the group of "privileged" belong only superiors of all levels and two other Congregation officials – the General Procurator and General Econome. Other officials, upon permission from the Superiors, use a seal with the monogram of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary.

The Symbol of the Marians - an image of the Immaculate Conception that appears in the Constitution of the renovated Congregation, printed in 1930.

Here we present examples of different seals used since the renovation of the Congregation, scanned from original documents in the Marian Archives:

Seal of the Superior General, Fr. Francis Buczys, MIC, from 1931.		Seal of the Superior of the American Province from 1943.
Sigillum Maius - Great Seal of the Congregation of the Marian Fathers impressed on the document issued by the Secretary of the American Province of the Marians on 12 of July, 1944.		Great Seal of the Congregation affixed on the official document issued by Superior General - Francis Buczys, MIC on 18 of May 1948.

Today's reality, which demands the Congregation's presence in various mass media, led to a necessity of creating a uniform emblem – a crest that would "symbolize" the Congregation in a clear and concise iconographic way, both outside and inside the community.  Thus motivated, the General Chapter of 1999 issued the following declaration:

The General Chapter, led by a concern for attaining greater unity in the Congregation and following the example of other religious communities, sees a need to establish a uniform graphic symbol for the whole community, which would serve to more easily identify the Congregation. Such a symbol already exists and has been used effectively for several years in almost all Provinces of the Congregation. It unites within itself the spirit of Vatican II, the old symbol of the Marian Community (the image of the Most Blessed Immaculate Virgin Mary) and the motto of the Congregation given by Father Renovator. This coat of arms expresses in a concise iconographic/verbal form the character of our Congregation: its charism, mission, and key elements.

The Marian element of this coat-of-arms is symbolized by the image of the Immaculate Lady located on the shield. The inscription on a banner (below the shield) Pro Christo et Ecclesia unites on the one hand the activity of Blessed George and on the other Chapter VIII of the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church entitled: "Mary, the Virgin Mother of God in the Mystery of Christ and the Church."

The General Chapter, therefore, desiring to authorize the existing practice, decrees its immediate introduction as a uniform symbol – coat of arms for the usage of the whole Congregation. At the same time, the Chapter permits the members to use it (on the stationary of the Congregation, publications, etc.) in order to represent and identify the Congregation to non-members.

© Contemporary rendition of the seal used by the Congregation

The creation of a unified Marian Crest (Ms. Rosita Bartoszewska from Warsaw designed the contemporary image of the Blessed Mother for the celebration of the 300th anniversary of the Marians, while the concept of the entire crest — shield and ribbon — was created by Fr. Leszek Czelusniak, MIC, and Mr. William Sosa) provided a perfect opportunity to "introduce to the world" the Congregation's motto – Pro Christo et Ecclesia (For Christ and the Church) given to it by Father Renovator. It signifies the program of apostolic endeavors undertaken by the Marians during past hundred years of their activity.

A wooden carving of the Marian Coat-of-Arms, on display at the National Shrine of the Divine Mercy in Stockbridge, MA, USA