The Marianist Family is a group of four Catholic organizations which trace their origins to the Blessed William Joseph Chaminade and Blessed Adèle de Batz de Trenquelléon.
The Family's four branches are the Society of Mary (Marianists) (S.M.), a religious institute of priests and religious brothers; the Daughters of Mary Immaculate (F.M.I., or also known as Marianist Sisters), an institute of religious sisters; the Alliance Mariale (A.M.), an historically all-female secular institute, composed of laypeople, who "dedicate their lives to God by taking vows while living in the world";[1] and the Marianist Lay Communities (M.L.C.), a private association of the faithful for both men and women.