About La Salette
Named in honor of Mary’s mother, St. Ann is served by the Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette, an order dedicated to the ministry of reconciliation. Guided by this mission, our community seeks to bring people together, support those in need, and share the love of Christ with all.
In 1846, in La Salette, France, the Blessed Mother appeared to two children, urging them to “make known to all my people” her message of reconciliation. Inspired by this call, the Missionaries of La Salette were founded in 1852 as faithful stewards of the mysteries of God. Their charisms—spiritual gifts given for the good of others—center on reconciliation and the Eucharist. The hammer and pincers on the La Salette cross symbolize humanity’s sins that nailed Jesus to the Cross, and our good works that help remove those nails.
Today, La Salette missionaries serve around the world, ministering in parishes, shrines, schools, and missions. They are chaplains, teachers, youth ministers, counselors, and spiritual guides, bringing Mary’s message of grace wherever they are sent.
The Province of Mary, Mother of the Americas, includes about 120 members serving in the United States, Canada, Argentina, and Bolivia, in collaboration with bishops, clergy, parishioners, pilgrims, and mission communities. Worldwide, more than 1,000 La Salette missionaries serve in 27 countries.
Learn more about their mission at lasalette.org.
Events & prayers
Sept. 10: World Day of La Salette Laity
Sept. 19: Feast of Our Lady of La Salette
- Feast Day Readings
- La Salette Laity Prayer
- La Salette Stations of the Cross
- La Salette Rosary
- La Salette Prayer for Vocations
La Salette Laity program
A faith formation opportunity for participants to delve into what it means to live a La Salette lifestyle. This small group meets periodically for prayer and service as it deepens its knowledge of the La Salette message.
Learn more about the LaSalette Program
Learn more about La Salette
- Watch this video for a more detailed account of Mary’s appearance at La Salette and to learn more about the missionaries in action today.
- Click here to visit the international La Salette website and read the weekly Sunday gospel reflection from Father René Butler, the La Salette Provincial.
- Pray for La Salette vocations with this short prayer.
La Salette novena
Encounter put together a virtual version of the La Salette novena. See the introductory video below and click here to view all nine videos.
Read Father René Butler’s explanation about the charism of La Salette
When the Second Vatican Council issued its call for the renewal of religious life (Perfectae Caritatis), it set into motion a process in which religious institutes were asked to return to their founders and rediscover what it was that gave birth to their institute. The founder(s) of a religious institute embodied a particular insight into the Gospel, the person of Jesus, and/or the church, and so was drawn to a particular course of action (caring for the poor, educating children, attending to the dying, retiring to the desert to pray, and so on) on behalf of others.
This particular slant (insight and action) was called charism, following a term Saint Paul used in his letters [see, e.g., 1Cor 12:4]. Saint Paul refers to gifts (charisms) or graces given to individuals for the upbuilding of the church. Returning to their founders put religious in touch with the particular charism at their foundation.
We La Salettes, although acknowledging the role of the Bishop of Grenoble (Msgr. De Bruillard) in calling the Missionaries into existence, actually return to the event of the apparition of Our Lady on the mountain in order to understand what we are called to be and to do. Our Lady’s message at La Salette certainly echoes that of Saint Paul in saying, “Be reconciled to God… Now is the acceptable time [2Cor 20b and 6:2].”
While the Blessed Mother never used the word “reconciliation” in her message to the children, it is inherent in the call to conversion she so eloquently spoke. It was shortly after the apparition that she began to be referred to in prayer as “reconciler of sinners.” We La Salettes therefore claim reconciliation as our charism. It does not replace the Gospel or the Church for us, but it provides the lens through which we read the Scriptures, as well as the impetus for the ministry in which we engage.
We know Jesus as the one who gave his life so that we might be reconciled to the Father. We engage in many kinds of ministerial activity, but we pay special attention to the need of reconciliation in people’s lives. We are not the only religious community to claim this charism, and it is not meant to set us apart. Rather, coupled with the story of the apparition, our charism provides both motivation and focus for our lives and ministry.