Inspired by LOVE: Mother Maria of Paris

What does it mean to be a “Saint of the Open Door”? For Mother Maria of Paris it meant living the radical and revolutionary calling to LOVE one another and to be a mother of all.

She wrote, “No amount of thought will ever result in any greater formulation than the three words, ‘Love one another,’ so long as it is love to the end and without exceptions.”

Mother Maria of Paris was an Orthodox Christian nun who cared for the poor and who was martyred in the Ravensbruck Nazi concentration camp in 1945.

She has long been an inspiration for our work at Reconciliation Services, as she knew that the call to love one another must go beyond bold words. It must permeate every action, every mercy.

Mother Maria gave herself over to a life of love, devoting herself to God and to caring for others. Her House of Hospitality in Paris, became a place of healing, nourishment, and dignity for those who were struggling, cast aside, and overlooked. Community for her was not an abstract idea, but the gritty and unfiltered closeness to another. For her, community necessitated proximity, an “open door.”

Mother Maria will also have a special place with us in our newly renovated building at 31st and Troost. On the fifth floor, we will have the Chapel of Saint Maria of Paris. The new chapel will be for the comfort and uplifting of all who visit, work, are served, and those who are seeking refuge and healing on Troost.

As we approach Mother’s Day this year, we want to reflect the next couple of weeks on the Mothers who are part of our story here at Reconciliation Services.

Mother Maria was not only a spiritual mother to many, but she had three biological children as well. After the death of her young daughter, Mother Maria wrote about how she became "aware of a new and special, broad and all-embracing motherhood." This new maternal and God-given calling eventually led her to her life as a nun and compelled her to “be a mother for all … who need maternal care, assistance, or protection.”

So many of us have beautiful examples of women who have been “mothers” to us, whether physically or spiritually … or both. This Mother’s Day, we invite you to honor a Mother in your life by giving to the works of healing and mercy we are doing at Reconciliation Services. If you are INSPIRED BY LOVE, we hope you will be INSPIRED TO GIVE.

You can read more about Mother Maria HERE

And, check out this amazing children’s book, Silent as a Stone, about Mother Maria’s effort to rescue Jewish children from the Nazis.