We are a Secular Institute made up of missionaries consecrated to God and associated laity, the Volunteers. Together, we form a true family. We are not united by blood or friendship only, but my a strong spiritual chain: the consecration to Mary. With her, following her example, we desire to place ourselves at the service of the world to witness to the love of God everywhere and at every moment.
We are a spiritual family: the encounter with Christ has changed history and the life of each person. We allow ourselves to be conquered by and drawn into the Word of God. We have set out to follow him, together, every day, in a mutual sharing of gifts and assistance.
Our Institute was founded in Bologna, Italy in 1954 by a conventual Franciscan named Father Luigi Faccenda. It was founded with the objective to live the marian and missionary spirituality inherited by St. Maximilian Kolbe, martyr of Auschwitz, in a stable form in the Church. St. Maximilian’s spiritual experience, based on the total consecration to the Immaculate Virgin, is the richness with desire to welcome, live, and communicate.Â