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The Catholic Worker Movement was co-founded by Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin with the first edition of the Catholic Worker newspaper on May 1, 1933.  Their aim was to offer workers and the poor a Catholic alternative to the revolutionary uprisings of the times.  Peter Maurin had a plan to "blow the dynamite of the Church" by making its social teachings better known and by living the Gospel through works of mercy.  He called for a "Green Revolution" (as opposed to Red) to mimic  the strengths of Irish monasticism.

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In the January 1973 issue of the Catholic Worker  Dorothy Day wrote:

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"How good it would be to see the Church closer and closer to poverty and the poor; little schools set up on every block, in idle rooms, in empty buildings, with the students themselves helping repair them and getting meanwhile some sense of the joy of manual labor (and the pains of it, too).  And idle Church-owned lands given over to the disorderly poor, the unworthy poor, to build up little villages of huts, tepees, log cabins, yes, even outhouses, which might come to resemble (if a Church of sorts were built in the center) an ancient Irish monastery.  Ireland used to be called the land of saints and scholars."

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Ancient Irish monasteries  were villages within stone walls, whose inhabitants included religious, clergy, students, farmers, artisans, families, the poor and the sick, and travelers.  As a result of painstaking hand-copying of secular and sacred manuscripts, Irish monasteries were keepers of literature and culture.  They were also early examples of unity in diversity.

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Sri Aurobindo and the Mother quietly started a revolution in spirituality in Pondicherry, India, by developing an Integral Yoga for  evolution of consciousness to realize oneness with the Divine without renunciation of the world, but also aimed at drawing down the higher consciousness to divinize the world.  In 1968 the Mother inaugurated Auroville, the City of Dawn, as a place to realize their ideals of human unity.

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Sri  Aurobindo also cracked the code of the Veda in India,  revealing its timeless message of spiritual evolution, one which undergirds  Christianity as well.  Understanding the Rishis' lived experience of God in light of Sri Aurobindo's work opens Christian scripture and tradition in profound and renewing ways.

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Independent Catholicism dates from the early 20th  century, with unbroken apostolic succession from the founding of the Church in the first century A.D.  The Liberal Catholic Church International is a fully inclusive subset of this movement.  It retains all seven sacraments, while extending freedom of conscience to its members.  Coupled with congregational worship is service of the marginalized.

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Mary's Ward is a community of seekers sharing the triple aspiration to promote light, love, and life , through self-development, mutual encouragement, honoring Marian Maternal Mercy, and striving to grow ever closer to God. We embody truth, advocate justice, and witness to peace through unity in diversity. Our work is based in Catholic Christianity and the integral yoga of Sri Aurobindo and The Mother.  All are welcome!

ABOUT US

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Future AuroHOMES campuses

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Springfield, ME 90+ acres

Lowell, ME 20+ acres

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Auro -  honoring Sri Aurobindo

H - Hospitality

O - Our Lady​

M - Mysticism

E- Education

S - Spirituality

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Mary's House

Mercy House

Mission of Mystics Sanctuary

Many enclaves throughout ME & NE

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Need help or want to help?  Reach out!

CONTACT

(207) 894-4153

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Gorham, ME, USA

Lowell, ME, USA

Springfield, ME, USA

 

selby@marysward.com

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