Cases of the Rite of Marian Communion in Chile

Our journalists for months collected information and evidence about the practice of the Marian Communion rite in Chile, here we publish photos and videos of the most emblematic cases that our journalists found.

This the Context:

The Marian Rite or "The Communion in Mary" or "Mariological Communion", is a religious, Catholic, apostolic and Roman practice, whose origins date back to the 19th century, as a manifestation and consequence of various social phenomena of faith and religious characteristic of the time.

Mariology

At the end of the 18th century, the so-called Mariology or part of Catholic Theology that is dedicated to the Virgin Mary, regained much strength, especially in some religious communities that promoted new studies on the life of the Virgin, her role in modern Christian life, the values  it represents, while with the arrival of the Vatican Council I, Convened by Pope Pius IX, new interpretations arose about different dogmas and Marian doctrines, which reinforced the role of the Virgin Mary in the Catholic faith, possibly as an indirect consequence of the theology promoted by PIO VIII, LEÓN XII, PIO VIII AND GREGORIO XVI, to contain the impact on the Catholic faith of Napoleonic actions and the growth of rationalism.

Although it is not possible to determine its origin with accuracy, historical evidence allows us to glimpse that within several Italian religious communities in Europe in the 19th century, "The Marian Rite of First Communion" or "Mariological Communion" was born, as part of the ecclesiastical currents promoted by the church, that is, the celebration of the rite of first communion invoking the protection and accompaniment of the Virgin Mary, to receive the body and blood of Christ for the first time, in such a way that the sacrament is not limit only to communion with the holy trinity, but also a communion with the Virgin Mary.

The Marian First Communion is a ritual based on FAITH, in which reflection and experimentation come together, in a spiritual celebration in which both form and substance are necessary.

Experimentation of Marian ecumenical values

One of the pillars of the Marian Rite is that of the "Experimentation of Marian ecumenical values", that is, the experience that the Christian decides to voluntarily assume, receiving in his life, not only the body and spirit of Christ, but also the spirit of Mary, represented in the values  of:

Purity

Sacrifice

Faith

Obedience and Submission

Love

Whoever decides to celebrate their first communion from The Marian Rite, in addition to accepting the body and Blood of Christ and assuming Christianity as the only philosophy of life, places in the hands of the Virgin Mary the spiritual guide to reach God through the values  of: Purity, Sacrifice, Faith, Obedience and Love.

Preparation and requirements of the First Marian Communion

Not everyone can receive the sacrament of Communion and be part of the Marian Rite, as requirements to qualify for the sacrament and the rite have been practically the same during the three centuries of existence of this ritual:

Have received the sacrament of Baptism

Acceptance without objection to dogmas: Christian, Catholic, Apostolic and Roman

Approve the catechesis of the First Communion

Commitment to honor and fulfill the Marian Vows of: Purity, Sacrifice, Faith, Obedience and Love.

Celebrate the first communion with the «Mariological Ecclesiastical Attire»

Characteristics of the Mariological Rite

Celebrating the first communion from the Mariological perspective means incorporating various aspects that differ a little from the traditional rite of the first communion, but all of them ultimately simply represent the adoption of the Marian doctrine.

The main differentiating and characteristic elements of the Mariological Rite are:

The applicant not only accepts to receive Christ unconditionally in his life, but also the Virgin Mary as a Guide on his Christian spiritual path.

The postulant voluntarily adopts the Marian values  of: Purity, Sacrifice, Faith, Obedience and Love.

The celebration of the Eucharist of the First Communion is Individual, not collective.

The applicant must wear the Mariological Ecclesiastical Attire.

Mariological ecclesiastical clothing

The Catholic tradition is permeated and accompanied by all kinds of symbols that are represented in many of the ecclesiastical garments and of course this ritual is no exception.

From the origins of the rites of the primitive Church, to the present time, the symbology has been transversal to the Christian doctrine, which has been influenced in its attire by many of the symbolic manifestations of the Greco-Roman world, in its great majority, consonance with the dignity of the mysteries of religion, without ignoring the high value that the pre-Constantinian period gave to ecclesiastical clothing.

All the elements that make up religious clothing have a meaning and represent specific elements of Christian spirituality, which is why no element of ecclesiastical clothing is random or by accident.

Each of the elements of clothing required for the Rite of the First Marian Communion have a meaning, in this case associated with the acceptance of Marian Values.

Long Dress (Preferably White) that represents Purity.

Floral Arrangement or Veil on the Head that represents Obedience and Submission.

An offering (Preferably Floral) that represents love.

A wooden or metal cross hanging on the chest that represents Faith.

The Use of all the required clothing that represents the Sacrifice.

Men and women without distinction

In ancient times, the Medieval European tradition in children's clothing lacked gender distinction. Both boys and girls in ancient times celebrated the sacrament of Communion in long white dresses without exception, the only noticeable differences were in the decorations.

By the 16th century, long dresses and gowns used equally by boys and girls began to be adorned and made more complex, especially with the arrival of doublets, petticoats, leggings and shoes with heels, and the use of the corset was the first element differentiator between boys and girls, since the latter, especially in the high aristocracy, began to use it exclusively to maintain an upright posture and obtain a tight waist. It could be affirmed that the Corset was the bifurcation point in children's clothing.

The tradition of the «Mariological Communion» had its beginnings in the Victorian era, at the beginning of the 19th century, at a time in history when dresses, stockings and petticoats, which today are considered exclusively feminine, were used in all social events equally in boys and girls and of course the religious celebrations of Victorian Europe were no exception, regardless of whether the rite was Protestant, Catholic or Jewish.

The use of long dresses, stockings and petticoats in male children, at present, may seem an aberrant practice, however it was the rule at that time, even if a boy attended the celebration of his first communion in pants, it was considered an offense.

In the same way, boys always wore long hair, and it was even common for their parents to adorn their hair in the same way as they did with girls, with ribbons or ornaments of all kinds.

The Inalterability of the Marian Rite

Many movements, called conservative within the Catholic Church, have sought to preserve much of the tradition of symbols and signs of religious tradition, even in the present there are communities that celebrate the Holy Eucharist in Latin, maintaining the historical tradition.

Various Communities, especially in Europe, have defended the Inalterability of the Marian rite, promoting that it remain intact in almost all its aspects of form and substance.

It is due to the "Inalterability of the Marian Rite" that regardless of the sex of the postulant, the tradition of wearing female clothing is maintained at all stages of the rite, which cannot be interpreted as an acceptance of modern aberrations such as «the so-called gender ideology», since it is not about the denial of the marked and indisputable sexual biological difference between men and women, but about a historical tradition where clothing plays a preponderant role in the symbology of the rite, of the In the same way that today priests continue to use garments such as the Alba, which at first glance might seem very feminine, but which actually contain a very relevant symbolic charge in the Catholic faith and which date back to the Grego-Roman ecclesiastical tradition. .

No less important, it is to mention that the use of such specific and unconventional clothing in the clothing and clothing of a society so permeated by fashion and consumerism, constitutes a consistent test of the acceptance of the values  of Sacrifice, Obedience , Submission, Purity and love, towards Christ and the Virgin Mary.