The apostolate with “Mary at work” is part of the broader world of popular piety that seeks to bring the tenderness of the living God and offer spaces for encounter and prayer in the daily lives of the world’s workers.

On Wednesday, May 21, at the end of the general audience in St. Peter’s Square, Fr. Juan Pablo Álamos, L.C., greeted the Holy Father and presented to him the apostolate “With Mary at work” promoted by the Foundation of the same name.

This encounter arose from a visit to the Papal Nuncio in Chile, Archbishop Curian Matthew Vallaluncal, to whom the apostolate was presented and who encouraged its presentation to the Pope. With this encouragement, some members of the “With Mary at Work” Foundation team traveled from Santiago, Chile to Rome, seeking confirmation and a blessing for the apostolate, which they received with their presentation to Pope Leo XIV and his paternal welcome.

Pregrination of the Virgin to the WMD Lisbon 2023 / “With Mary at Work” Foundation.

The Pope, who received the image of “With Mary at work” and a related book, told Father John Paul “that what we were doing was very good and gave us his blessing while thanking us for the gift of the image of the Virgin.”

The “With Mary at Work” Foundation is dedicated to promoting devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary by offering an image of the Virgin to the wider world of work, businesses, industries, factories, prisons, mines, shopping centers, and public centers.

The “With Mary at Work” Foundation is dedicated to promoting devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary by offering an image of the Virgin to the wider world of work, including businesses, industries, factories, prisons, mines, shopping centers, and public institutions. This apostolate has been active for 20 years and is currently present in eight Latin American countries and in Spain.

The apostolate of “Mary at Work” is part of the broader world of popular piety, which seeks to bring the tenderness of the living God and offer spaces for encounter and prayer in the daily lives of workers around the world. In the words of Fr. Juan Pablo, one of its promoters, “It belongs to that river of love that Pope Francis invited us to offer to the Church and to the Church on the move. The Virgin Mary is the first to go out to where people are in their daily lives in the world of work, in their workplaces. And this popular piety is being built up, drawing us closer to Jesus Christ.”

More information about the foundation can be found here.