Development
Father Aladel fulfills the mission confided to him by the Blessed Virgin.
The first Children of Mary Association was organized into groups in different regions of France. The first fifteen groups were formed between 1835 to 1847.
The first Child of Mary was Benigne Hairon and, like so many others, she carne from the boarding school run by the Daughters of Charity. The first meetings of the Children of Mary were called "Marian Cenacles".
The Superior General, Father Etiene, obtained Pontifical Approbation from Pope Pius IX on June 20, 1847.
In 1850, this approbation was extended to the male branch. The Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission could now establish "the pious Society under the title of the Immaculate Virgin Mary, in all the houses of the congregation throughout the world."
The support given by the Superiors General and the encouragement, admiration and benediction bestowed by the sovereign Pontiffs contributed to the general expansion of the Association.
From 1848 to 1870, expansion, outside of France, took place in several countries of Europe and others continents: in Asia, the Philippines, Lebanon; in Africa, Egypt; and several South American countries. There were 338 fully functioning Centers.
On September 19, 1876, Pope Pius IX signed a Papal Brief permitting young people who were not students of the schools of the Daughters of Charity to belong to the Association.
Pius IX. Pontifical approbation of the Association on June 20, 1847.
