Thank God It’s Saturday! A New Blog from Marist Brothers!

Over 75 Art Enthusiasts Participated in the 4th Annual Champagnat Hall Art Show

Some came from Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Long Island; others from the New York area… all to celebrate and participate in the 4thAnnual Art Show, an event inspired by the spirit and enthusiasm of Br. Gerard Cormier.  “Four years ago, when I turned 90, I thought it would be a good idea to mark the occasion by having an exhibit of some of my Bellport inspired watercolors. I never thought the event would, over the years, turn out to bring together so many talented people who have discovered the wonder of art.“

This year’s event, which happened the day after Br. Gerard’s 93rdbirthday included an exhibit of 60 of his watercolors.  Also on exhibit were 21 photographs taken by three brothers—Brothers Ken Hogan, Steven Kappes, and James Norton—focusing on nature, still-life objects, and architectural design.  Constance DelVecchio Maltese, an accomplished Portrait Artist, was unable to attend for health reasons but did send a representative sample of her portrait work celebrating the great explorers of the 1500s.

This year’s event added a new feature: a Paint Nite event.  Twenty brave souls took up the challenge of discovering the artist within!  Provided with easels, canvas, brushes, and paints, each promising artist, under the guidance of a Paint Nite artist, took their initial steps at creating a painting of their own.  With a portrait of sunflowers as a model to follow, each participant added their own creative interpretation of the sunflower portrait. Lalow McDonald, one of Champagnat Hall’s longest serving heath aides, said the experience made her feel, in her words, “Liberated!”  “I sat down in front of my easel and felt nervous. ‘I can’t paint. What am I doing here,’” she said to herself.  “Once I started painting, I felt relaxed and free.  It was a great experience.  I created my own sunflower painting.”

Afterwards, Br. Gerard reflected on the day.  He said, “It was a truly remarkable day.  There was something different about this year’s event. It was more of a festival than an exhibition.  People got involved in the experience.  Even when I was teaching, I never accepted the excuse, ‘I can’t draw a straight line with a ruler.’ We all have a talent to create something beautiful.  Once you paint a cloud you will never look at a cloud the same way.  You see it through the eyes of an artist.”

While Br. Gerard and his paintings may have been the inspiration for the art exhibit, it was the personal involvement of everyone who participated in the day that made it so amazing.  “I have been given a gift” said Br. Gerard.  “Painting, living and being involved in the Bellport community, my family, friends, and other artists—it’s all a GIFT.  I am so grateful for it all.”

A book by Br Barry Lamb tells the story of the Institute’s mother house

Pilgrims staying overnight at the refurbished Hermitage can now reach down from the bookshelf in their room an English language Illustrated History of the Hermitage, 1824-2016.

In it they will find 312 pages telling the fascinating story of the building and the extraordinary variety of characters and personalities who have lived, worked and prayed there for the last 190 years.

The richly illustrated unofficial history is the work of history enthusiast, Brother Barry Lamb, from Melbourne, Australia, who undertook the research and writing as a hobby.

Drawing heavily on the collected materials of Marist historian, Brother Owen Kavanagh, the archives of the General House in Rome, the collected photos of Brother Giorgio Diamanti of the Hermitage community and the detailed Annales of the Hermitage itself, this book’s 34 chapters trace the narrative with a myriad quotations and illustrations from a great variety of sources.

The Table of Contents will direct the reader to topics of interest: the building of the Hermitage; the Spiritual Testament, death and funeral of Father Champagnat; the “raid” of 1830; the Revolution of 1848; the Franco-Prussian War; the expulsion of the Brothers in 1903; the two World Wars; the Beatification of 1955 and the building of the chapel annex for the reliquary; the histories of the infirmaries, Postulancy, Novitiate, Scholasticate and Juniorate; the mammoth festival of 1989; the canonisation of 1999; the refurbishment of 2008-2010 and the recent history of the community of welcome and present-day pilgrimages, retreats, gatherings, festivals etc.

Opening the book at random or casually skimming will be rewarded with insights into all manner of incidents or customs from times past.

The overall impression gained by reading the book is one of inspiration: the inspiration of the courage and faith of Father Champagnat and the early Brothers, and the fidelity and zeal of successive generations through good times and severe adversity.

Translation of the English text into other languages is invited and encouraged by the author/compiler.

A very limited run of copies was financed by the small Melbourne community of Heidelberg West as a gift to the Hermitage as part of the refurbishment.

The compiler hopes that readers staying at the Hermitage will have their pilgrimage experience enhanced by reading, while being within the very walls, the story of the many who passed amongst the spaces they are occupying, stretching back almost 200 years.

United States Province Heritage Project

September 2018
“To be forgotten is to Die”
Author Unknown

What’s in the water fountains at Christopher Columbus High School?

The Westchester school is alma mater to three current Fortune 500 CEOs

Brown University has two graduates who are current Fortune 500 CEOs, which places the school fifth on Bestcolleges.com’s 2018 “Most Fortune 500 CEO Graduates” list. If secondary schools were included in the tally, Christopher Columbus High School would bump Brown to sixth place.

That’s right. Christopher Columbus High School has three alumni who are current Fortune 500 CEOs: Carlos Rodriguez, President and CEO of ADP, Inc. (ranked 243 by Fortune); Robert Sanchez, Chairman and CEO of Ryder System, Inc. (387); and Jose Mas, President and CEO of MasTec, Inc. (428). All three are Miami-born Cuban-Americans who graduated from Christopher Columbus in the 1980s.

“It’s highly unlikely for a high school to have one Fortune 500 company CEO in its ranks, let alone three,” says Menachem Wecker, former education reporter for U.S. News and World Report. It’s so unusual that high schools aren’t even included in the metrics.

On the eve of the school’s 60^th anniversary, we met with Principal David Pugh over coffee early one morning at the private, all-boy Roman Catholic college-preparatory high school to learn what could be responsible for this remarkable achievement, and whether any formula found can be bottled.

“The Marist Brothers laid the foundation for Christopher Columbus High School very early, harmonizing faith, culture and life and fostering a family spirit within a community of learners,” says Pugh.

“We have high expectations academically but in addition to providing an excellent college preparatory education, there’s a spiritual connection between everyone here…a feeling of brotherhood among classmates that the boys recognize and talk about,” he says. “That, I think, is the difference…the spiritual connection that comes about through the Marist system of education.”

Robert Sanchez, Chairman and CEO of Ryder System, Inc. and graduate of Columbus Class of 1983, agrees.

“My three sons are now graduates of Columbus and the advice I gave each of them was “enjoy your time at Columbus and don’t forget to take a good look around you. Some of those sitting next to you in class may still be your closest friends 35 years from now. That was the greatest gift…my closest friends today are the ones I made at Columbus.”

Among his most treasured memories of his years at Columbus was supporting the school’s varsity football team, which is perennially considered one of the state’s top programs. “Our football team made it to the state finals in 1983. It was an amazing run,” he remembers.

Sanchez attributes the consistent production of outstanding Columbus graduates to the school’s focus on teaching core values and providing an extraordinary teaching staff. In fact, Sanchez hesitates to name his favorite teachers because there were so many, he says.

“Above all, Columbus reinforced Christian values of high integrity and treating everyone with respect. I believe these values are the foundation for a successful business leader and that by instilling these values, Columbus teaches its students to be trustworthy. I believe that this is the single most important attribute in being a successful business leader.”

“Though the majority of the nearly 1,700 students at Christopher Columbus High School are Catholic, nearly every religion is represented among the student body,” says Principal Pugh. “We celebrate diversity but when it comes to teaching, all of our faculty embrace what we call The Marist Way.”

Founded in France in 1817, the Marist educational philosophy is described as practical and spiritual, revolving around the notion that all students shall be treated equally, with strong emphasis placed on the timeless values of humility, respect, simplicity and honesty. Together, they form the “glue” that bonds the students with faculty, and with each other.

“There is a strong sense of togetherness at Marist schools,” explains school President Brother Kevin Handibode, who at age 79 has served in nearly every capacity at the school since moving to Miami from New York in 1966.

“When they graduate, they always have a second home, and at reunions you can sense the brotherhood they feel and how much they enjoy being together again. Not only do they come back to visit, they return to serve as teachers and coaches.”

After a pause, he continues. “I remember Carlos Rodriguez, Robert Sanchez and Jose Mas,” he says. “They were all outstanding young men as students here. We are blessed to have them as members of our alumni.”

Jose Mas graduated from Columbus in 1989 and attributes an important part of his development as a person and leader to his years as an Explorer where he was guided by exceptional faculty and administrators.

“Through the lives of the Marist Brothers, I learned about humility, selflessness, serving others and living for a purpose greater than just you,” he says. “I believe in treating people with respect and helping to bring out the best in those around me…traits I was exposed to constantly at Columbus and for which I will be eternally grateful.”

Whenever the opportunity arises, Mas shares his experience at Columbus with young men attending the school today, imparting wisdom and advice. “You can accomplish anything you set your mind to, and Columbus can prepare you to accomplish any goal. Get involved. Your classmates will be a family that you can count on for life. There is something special about being a Columbus Explorer.”

In 2005, the Mas family and Christopher Columbus High School founded the Mas Family Program, which challenges students who meet the highest standards with rigorous coursework, guest lectures, internships and independent research projects. The family was also instrumental in establishing the technologically cutting-edge Mas Technology Complex, which faces Patriot Plaza, founded by Columbus alumnus and former Army Green Beret Michael Carricarte (’59) to honor his brother Louis (’58) who was killed in Vietnam in 1963.

“Patriot Plaza honors the more than 400 Columbus students who have served our country in our military. We want our students to know that when they graduate, they follow in the footsteps of distinguished Columbus alumni who have become business leaders, doctors, engineers, attorneys, admirals, professional athletes, religious leaders, you name it,” says Principal Pugh.

Indeed, Christopher Columbus High School’s student accomplishments are myriad. There have been 14 Miami Herald Silver Knight Award winners in the past five years, including two in 2018 (Antonio Castellanos and Christopher Ahrendt were among just 15 winners selected from all of Miami-Dade County). And Christopher Columbus News Network (CCNN), the school’s broadcast journalism program, has won two national Emmy Awards and was named “Best High School Broadcast Program in the Nation” in 2015 and 2016.

Not all Columbus legends are students, however. Brother Edmund Sheehan, who, like Brother Kevin, is a former New Yorker who came to Christopher Columbus High School decades ago to teach. He credits the families of the school’s students for adding the “secret ingredient” that produces such exceptional young men. 

“Schools are the second line of education, after the parents. Though our students come from diverse backgrounds, their families are committed to the progress of the youngster,” he says. “They’re involved. They care deeply about their sons being good citizens, being actively engaged in the community and society.”

Carlos Rodriguez, President and CEO of ADP, Inc., graduated from Columbus in 1982 and believes the example set by the Marist Brothers was central to his development while at Christopher Columbus, followed by Harvard University and afterward in the business world.

“A combination of factors at Christopher Columbus has created lots of great people. Not just in business but in life. I learned by example from the Marist Brothers, who embodied the concept of service leadership and the school’s core principles of hard work, kindness and compassion,” says Rodriguez. “The brothers understand that to achieve you have to be disciplined. That resonated with me so I emulated them.”

Sometimes it’s the subtle gestures that are the most impactful. When Rodriguez was a junior at Columbus, his father passed away. What stands out in his memory is how members of the school showed their compassion and support for his family.

“Brother Angelo Palmieri and Brother Edmund Sheehan both came to my father’s funeral. Seeing them there…that act of kindness…made me feel like I had their support. In the days following the funeral, I didn’t want to return to school. One day, Brother Angelo came to my house to ask me to come back to Columbus. Who knows where I’d be today if he hadn’t shown he cared. That was a pivotal moment in my life.”

Abuse is the very antithesis of our Marist values

In a letter to all the People of God, the pontiff acknowledges with “shame and repentance” that “we showed no care for the little ones; we abandoned them” and invites Catholics to perform a “penitential exercise of prayer and fasting” to atone for “the errors, the crimes and the wounds” that have come to light.

In the letter, published on Aug. 20, Pope Francis reaffirms once again the need to be aware of the suffering experienced by many children and the commitment of institutions to ensure their protection:

“Looking back to the past, no effort to beg pardon and to seek to repair the harm done will ever be sufficient. Looking ahead to the future, no effort must be spared to create a culture able to prevent such situations from happening, but also to prevent the possibility of their being covered up and perpetuated.”

Child protection and child rights in the Marist Institute

In recent years, the Institute has become very aware of the serious abuse suffered by children and has laid the groundwork for guaranteeing that Marist works be safe places for them. At present, all administrative units have a safeguarding delegate.

Since 2011, the General Government has carried out several actions to promote institutional policies that include fundamental principles and norms for the protection of children. In addition to the role of FMSI at the United Nations, two seminars were held at the General House for leaders of the entire Institute: ‘Safeguarding Children and Young People’ (2012) and ‘Keeping Children Safe: Raising Awareness, Creating a Safe Environment’ (2016).

The statement to the survivors and victims of abuse from the General Chapter at the last General Chapter in 2017 was an important step in this process. This statement, underscores that “abuse is the very antithesis of our Marist values, and undermines the very purpose of our Institute. Any abuse of children is a betrayal of the noble ideals of our founder, St Marcellin Champagnat.”

Even considering the achievements that have already been made, the Institute believes it is necessary to continue to progress to the point where this awareness reaches every corner of the Marist world, where adults have the means needed to prevent and protect children from any kind of abuse and where effective action and procedures are in place regarding the dignity of children.

To further the formation of brothers and lay people involved in the Marist mission, the Institute, through FMSI, is promoting the E-Learning formation offered by the Centre for Child Protection of the Gregorian University. Educators from Europe are already attending the programme, offered through the University of Alcalá de Henares. Starting next October, the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná will offer the same course to Brazilian educators. Soon, other Marist institutions in Peru, Mexico, Chile and Argentina will conclude the agreement with the Pontifical Gregorian University and will also be able to train other people involved with the education of children and young people, becoming promoters of the defence of their rights.

The Laudato Si’ Committee aims at responding Calls of the General Chapter

The Laudato Si’ Committee of the Australia province has published a policy to help care for the environment, as a response to the Message of the XXII General Chapter.

To respond boldly to emerging needs, the fifth Call of the Message, invites Marists to “awaken in ourselves and those around us an ecological awareness that engages us in caring for our common home.”

The province’s Environmental sustainability – Laudato Si’ policy was drafted with the help of the Good Samaritan Sisters and the Franciscans – two congregations that have already taken steps regarding this issue.

The Chapter also affirmed that the Institute is aiming for a governance that “is responsive to emerging calls from children and young people on the peripheries and fosters the care of our common home.”

It suggests that the Institute’s mission includes “creating an integral ecological awareness in all our communities and different ministries and developing policies at all levels of the institute that strengthen our commitment to the care of our common home.”

In a letter to the brothers of the province dated July 31, superior provincial Brother Peter Carroll asked them “to read the policy and consider how you as individuals and communities can respond to its challenges.”

“Like all policies it is a ‘work-in-progress’ and will be adapted to changing needs and new understandings,” he added.
In his letter, Br Peter also recalled one of the two prayers written by Pope Francis in the Laudato Si’ encyclical titled ‘A prayer for our earth’ in which the pontiff asks “that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.”

To read the Environmental sustainability – Laudato Si’ policy, click here.

To strengthen our “Marian identity”, our “Marist identity”

The Church celebrates the feast of the Assumption of Mary on 15 August. This day is also the patronal feast of the Institute. The Constitutions of the Marist Brothers remind us as follows:

Like Father Champagnat, we go to Mary as a child to its mother. By prayer, and by studying what the Church is saying about Mary, we seek to deepen our relationship with her. Her great feast days, especially the Assumption, which is the patronal feast of the Institute, are special times for intensifying our devotion to this Good Mother (Const. 74).

Our Superior General, Brother Ernesto Sánchez, has recorded a series of videos for the Province of Brazil Centro-Sur, which broadcasts them monthly on its YouTube channel. The video for August deals with the patronal feast of the Institute. And these are his Ernesto’s words:

In this month of August, let us focus on the fifteenth, the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. This is a very special day for Marists, a feast in which we see Mary’s plenitude. This plenitude fullness results from her spirit of acceptance .

When we celebrate Mary’s feast, we celebrate our feast as Marists, as Marists of Champagnat. You are very aware that the group of Marists was created 200 years ago. For many years this vocation was lived by us, the Brothers. As time went by, more and more people became enchanted with the charism of Champagnat. As a result the group became a larger family – a family where all relationships were renewed – among brothers and laypersons, old and young people, among everyone who is part of this family.

I wish all of us Marists to discover and deepen, both from our personal experiences and from our state of life, how to live out this “Marist identity”. And I hope this discovery enriches one another, not by comparing, but rather by complementing one another.

I wish all of you a happy feast-day and I hope the celebration can strengthen both our “Marian identity” and our “Marist identity”.

Celebrating the Feast Day of St. Anne

Marial Retreat: In the Image of Mary

A group of 12 Marists, brothers and lay people, gathered at St Lawrence Retreat Center in Beacon, NY for a retreat led by Earline Tweedie, Campus Minister at Central Catholic, in Lawrence.

With the theme In the Image of Mary, the group used the mysteries of the Rosary to explore Mary’s life and how her example is a part of our lives.  Each session began with praying the Rosary using the book Scriptural Rosary.  This little booklet is a modern version of the way the Rosary was once prayer during medieval times, assigning a quote from scripture to each Hail Mary.

Earline also provided a sheet of quotes and questions for reflection which participants took after each prayer for personal quiet time. Tuesday afternoon’s extended break left time for making a “knot rosary”, painting, coloring, journaling, walking the grounds, and enjoying the pool.

On Tuesday evening, the group viewed the film Full of Grace based on the last days of Mary’s life.

There were chances for sharing in small and large groups which provided opportunities for bonding among group members.  Many expressed gratitude for the time spent with Mary and with one another.

Written By:
Mrs. Maureen Hagan
Director of Adult Formation

Molloy’s “World Trade Center Walk” Honors Late Marist Brother

14 years ago, Mr. Chris Dougherty ‘91 and the senior class started a new tradition as an offshoot of the annual Walkathon. The World Trade Center Walk is an 11 mile trek from the steps of Molloy to Manhattan’s Financial District. The route takes seniors and faculty chaperones along Metropolitan Avenue through Forest Hills, Middle Village, Ridgewood, and Williamsburg. Mr. Dougherty then leads everyone over the Williamsburg Bridge, through Chinatown, and finally to the World Trade Center. This year approximately 43 seniors and four chaperones took part in the WTC Walk. We began at 9:30 AM and arrived at the World Trade Center at 4:30 PM (including time allotted for stretching, breakfast, and lunch breaks along the way). (Pictured above: Group shot after crossing the Williamsburg Bridge. Pictured below: Left – Nearing the 6 mile mark, with the WTC in the distance. Middle & Right – Crossing the Williamsburg Bridge)

The walk is inspired by the life and memory of Br. Leo Richard, a beloved guidance counselor and founder of the SMILE program. Br. Leo once completed a WTC Walk of his own…and even walked BACK to Molloy (for those not counting, that’s 22 miles)! He was well known as a communicator who was impeccable at reaching students who were struggling in school, personally, or socially. “Br. Leo knew that out of the many ways to reach a kid, going on a walk allowed for a more free flow of thoughts and feelings. Plus, he was a very active guy,” explained Mr. Dougherty, who was once a Peer Group Leader for Br. Leo. Mr. Dougherty is also currently the Guidance Department Chair and heads the iconic SMILE program. College Guidance Counselor Mr. Ted McGuinness ’81 and Guidance Counselor Br. James Norton ’63 (a close friend of Br. Leo) have also been integral to the history of the walk, participating many years with great enthusiasm.

Though much of the walk is full of laughs, smiles, and friendly banter, Mr. Dougherty does well to draw everyone in for reflections along the way. The first takes place outside Fox Funeral Home in Forest Hills (pictured above left). The funeral home was the location of services for Br. Leo after his passing in 1995. Countless Stanners paid their respects to Br. Leo then, and Mr. Dougherty has continued to do so with the students of today. During the reflection, Mr. Dougherty asks everyone to pause and think about why they are walking, and to think about how someone like Br. Leo has inspired them in their lives. The second reflection takes place at the World Trade Center itself (pictured above right). Mr. Dougherty again asks everyone to lower their heads, close their eyes, and pray for the victims of the attacks on September 11, 2001. We’ve reached a time when many of Molloy’s students have little to no memory of that day, making it increasingly more important to create awareness for the magnitude of what happened so close to home.

In summation, I can honestly say the World Trade Center Walk is among the most enjoyable experiences I’ve ever had at Molloy. The walk felt epic, the students provided plenty of enthusiasm, and Mr. Dougherty does an amazing job picking just the right spots for students to grab a meal. In my opinion, Br. Leo is smiling down on Mr. Dougherty and our students. There’s no one more worthy of carrying on this amazing, beautiful tradition. I end with words from Mr. Dougherty: “Once in a while we should stop and smell the roses. We can be so busy, especially in a city like New York, so it’s a wonderful thing to be able to walk through three boroughs with friends, all in memory of a legendary Marist Brother whose Peer Group & SMILE counseling programs have inspired so many Molloy students.”

Written By: Joe Sommo ‘03

USA Lay Marist Assembly 2018

From July 18 – 20, over 75 lay Marists gathered at the San Alfonso Retreat Center in Long Branch, New Jersey, for the first assembly of lay Marists of the United States province.

The different sessions held during the assembly were themed The sorting hat, Discover, Dream, Design and Create and Co-Creating provocative propositions.

On July 18, ‘The sorting hat’ activity consisted of participants dividing themselves up into one of three “houses” – Mission, Spirituality, and Shared Life.

Participants were called to choose which part of the Marist charism they identify with the most and, in each “house” they discussed why they chose to participate in the assembly and what they hoped to accomplish in the assembly.

On July 19, there was a prayer walk on the beach during the ‘Discover’ session followed by a presentation given by both Pep Buetas (https://bit.ly/2JUeo7U ), the codirector of the Secretariat of the Laity, and Patti Rios from Tijuana, Mexico.

During the session ‘Dream’, participants were divided into seven groups and each reflected on what they hope the new Lay Association will look like over the next five years.

The workshop ‘Design and create’ focused on drawing up concrete plans, such as a new website for lay Marists of the USA province and new social media accounts to publish their news.

On July 20, they discussed topics related to the province’s lay Marists such as communications, leadership, local communities, national communities, formation programmes, and communion.

Several recommendations were made, such as monthly prayer gatherings in regional areas, a lay Marist newsletter, creation of lay Marist social media platforms, the creation of a Lay Marist steering committee, and a possible Director of Lay Marists in the province.

50 educators from around the province gather for a series of workshops

Over 50 Marist educators from around the United States gathered in Long Branch, New Jersey, for a series of workshops of the 2018 Marist Leadership Institute, from July 15 – 18.

Under the theme Ever Marist, making Jesus known and loved, the first speech was offered by Brother David Hall who underscored that Marist schools should be transformative beacons in society.

Workshops were given on changes in student behavior, cultural barriers to education, social and emotional learning, faculty development, the potential of flipped and blended learning and faculty faith formation.

During the event, provincial superior Brother Patrick McNamara offered reflections on the Calls of the General Chapter.

On July 17, the opening presentation was done by Sister Mary Ann Daly (Sisters of Charity), who offered a collaborative exploration into each school’s unique expressions of the Marist mission.

The day’s seminars were on organisational change, faculty development, and social and emotional learning. Brother Al Rivera, co-director of vocations for the USA province, introduced the theme for this coming school year: ‘The year of the youth.’

Larry Tucker offered reflections on being a senior Marist administrator in the USA province and with over 20 years of experience at Marist High School in Chicago, Illinois.

Br David ended the gathering with a closing speech and the administrative team of Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, Florida, led the closing prayer.

Mount St. Michael Students Re-Design Garden Area of Champagnat Hall

The Garth area at the back of Champagnat Hall is gearing up for a long overdue renovation.  Last month the Brothers at Champagnat Hall met with several Mount Saint Michael Academy students who are members of the Architecture Club to discuss ways of improving the Garth so it could be more accessible and elder-friendly.

Now in it’s second year, the Architecture Club attracts students with an interest in architecture and offers them hands-on experiences in designing living spaces and structures that meet real needs.  Last year the club, under the direction of the club’s moderater Jim Hage, and Raymond Beerler, an architect with Gallin Beerler Design Studio of Pleasantville, NY, designed a state-of-the-art athletic center that could one day become a reality for Mount St. Michael.

This year’s project brings our senior Brothers and students from the Mount together to work on a common project: the makeover of the Garth. While the project aims to improve the quality of life for our Brothers it also keeps them active in our Marist educational mission among youth.  The project gives the Brothers an opportunity to mix with young people and to share with them their stories, their spirituality, and the importance placed on community in their lives.

For the students this project provides a unique opportunity to see how architecture and design can enhance the quality of life for this special population.  Under the guidance of Mr. Beerler, the students will learn how to work with a client when developing designs to meet their specific needs.  They will also learn about accepted professional standards in the field of architecture and design and confront several engineering challenges relating to this project:  building codes and permits, the use of building materials that will need to stand up to the hot and humid conditions in the summer and the snows and cold of winter, drainage and irrigation issues, and, of course, suitable landscaping design.

The discussion, led by the students and Mr. Beerler was lively and focused on the question: “What do we need to include in the Garth renovations that would make your garden a more inviting, comfortable, and attractive place for your enjoyment?”

With little hesitation the Brothers offered the following ideas:

• Walking paths that are wide and level
• An enlarged koi pond that might include a walk-over bridge
• Repositioning the Stations of the Cross so they follow an expanded walking path throughout the Garth
• Include a variety of seasonal blooming flowers and shrubs and a Christmas Tree that could be decorated and lite at night
• Outdoor lighting that would highlight the garth’s new look so it can be enjoyed at night or looked into at night from the bedrooms rooms above
• An in-ground irrigation system to eliminate hoses that are hazardous when walking
• Rebuild the trellis by the Grotto area and add additional shaded places to sit and relax, read a book, or pray
• A covered pavilion with a barbeque pit that would provide shade for outdoor eating
• Attractive fencing that would hide storage sheds and the generator as well as provide privacy
• An outdoor bathroom facility

The students and the Brothers will meet several times throughout the semester to review designs as they come to a consensus for a final design that will make the Garth a place the Brothers can use for their enjoyment and relaxation.

This project offers a long range benefits for both our senior Brothers who are looking for more usable outdoor living space and the students who are interested in pursuing a career in architecture, engineering, and design.

Br. Gerard Cormier, FMS 75th Anniversary of Being a Marist Brother

Br. Gerard Cormier entered the Marist Novitiate in 1943. He professed his first vows on July 26, 1944. After completing a BA in English at Marist College, he began his teaching career at St. Joseph High School in Lowell, MA in 1948.  He also served as a teacher and track coach at Cardinal Hayes, NY (1951-58), and at Archbishop Molloy High School, Briarwood, NY (1958-1991). During his retirement years, he has become a prominent Artist and continues to paint and teach Art.

He professed his Final Vows on July 26, 1949 and the Vow of Stability in 1961.

Archbishop Molloy High School Celebrates Their 125th Anniversary

On Wednesday, November 22nd, Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens, New York celebrated their 125th Anniversary with a special mass held at the school. Bishop James Massa was the main celebrant for the liturgy. The mass was well attended by many students, faculty, parents, alumni and guests. Catholic Net TV was present and put together a nice recap of the day.

Marist Brothers and the Tea Garden Children

Aid to the Church in Need highlights the ministry of Marist Brothers in one rural part of Bangladesh, where the goal is to provide the impoverished tea estate children an education.

This short film was produced by CatholicRadioTVNet.

Youth gather from Mexico, USA and Canada

Over 200 students from Marist schools of Mexico, the United States and Canada participated in a weekend gathering at the Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York.

The theme of the gathering, held from May 25 – 28, was ‘The time has come,’ taken from a song of Pentecostal music band ‘Hillsong United’.

During the morning prayer on May 26, youths dressed up as different people present in Saint Marcellin Champagnat’s life and gave a brief history of his upbringing and life.

Keynote speakers included the vice provincial of the United States, Brother Dan O’Riordan, whose talk was titled ‘How Marists have answered the call when their time came.’

During the weekend, the participants gathered in small groups to discuss the role of Marists in their lives and the people that have inspired them to become better Marists.

The students were also able to choose three of the following workshops: Art prayer, Be here now, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament;  Live on purpose: Find your power to change the world; Goaldiggers;  Making ideas happen, Improvisation: the language of God;  Leadership through listening, Our Marist life, Creating the divine getaway, The time has come – avengers, assemble!;  The time has come, are you ready?; Voices that challenge: Marist youth as agents of justice and peace; When is a group a community?; Human rights defenders.

They gathered in the College’s auditorium for the annual music ministry concert and held a night prayer under the title ‘All that we share.’

One of the purposes of the meeting was for students to realise that other people from within their own country or from abroad often experience similar life situations.

Br. Philip Degagne, FMS 70th Anniversary of Being a Marist Brother

Br. Philip Degagne entered the Marist Novitiate in 1948. He professed his first vows on July 26, 1949. After completing a BA in Spanish at Marist College, he began his teaching career at St Helena High School in Bronx, NY in 1953.  He also served as a teacher at St. Joseph High School in Laredo, TX (1959-1973) and at St. Augustine High School, Laredo, TX (1973-1985). Since 1985, he has served as part of the staff of San Martin De Porres Parish in Laredo, TX.

He earned an MAin Spanish from InterAmerican University in 1962 and professed his Final Vows on August 22, 1954 as well as the Vow of Stability in August 1966.

Over 300 people in Laredo, TX on July 22nd, 2018 to celebrate the 70th Anniversary Jubilee for Br. Phillip Degagne. The mayor of Laredo gave Br. Philip a key to the city for his many years of dedicated service to the people of Laredo.

Champagnat Movement of the Marist Family

Download PDF (9 MB): English | Español | Français | Português

Life Project in Fraternity is the new document for the Fraternities of the Champagnat Movement of the Marist Family and also, for all the Laity – men and women – and Brothers who may be interested.

It is important to emphasize that it is a document which comes from life, after a consultation to all the fraternities of the Marist Institute.  It is a process of almost five years in which we have considered reality at depth under many aspects, what is generating greater vitality has been studied, and we have worked in harmony with other related documents such as To be a lay Marist and Around the same table.

In this reflection, besides the Fraternities, the General Council, the Secretariat of the Laity, the Regional Commissions of lay animation and some Provinces where this Movement does not exist, have participated.  Therefore, we can say that the document contains much life and reflection from our Marist Family.

We ask that it be diffused and we encourage that it be worked on first in the Fraternities of the Movement, but also among groups of Laity and of Brothers.  We believe that it can be very inspiring to respond to the calls of the XXII General Chapter, and concretely to the call to be a global charismatic family.

Some suggestions for this: it can be worked in an Assembly of Laity and Brothers, a reflection on it in groups or fraternities, during some months, can be suggested, it can also be the theme for study in a Council of Brothers and, certainly, a reference document for the Provincial Teams which work in lay animation

Thank you very much for your support in the process and for accepting these suggestions.

________________
Secretariat of the Laity

The Secretariat of Mission presents an initiative to help raise ecological awareness among youth

An initiative to promote ecological awareness among youth was presented on May 18 by the Secretariat of Mission to members of the general council.

Brother Carlos Alberto Rojas – along with Brother Juan Antonio Ojeda FSC, pedagogical advisor for the Catholic International Education Office (OIEC), and Mónica Cantón, director of Design for Change (www.dfcspain.com) in Spain – presented the project to vicar general Brother Luis Carlos Gutiérrez and two general councillors, Brothers Josep Maria Soteras and Sylvain Ramandimbiarisoa.

“We, the Secretariat of Mission, wanted to make a first presentation to some members of the Council to later seek authorization at the next session of the General Council to incorporate it as a work project for the Institute, the regions and the provinces”, Br Carlos Alberto stated on May 25.

The initiative is promoted by the OIEC – of which the Institute is a member of – in cooperation with seven other organisations, including the Union of Superiors General of which the Institute also belongs to.

It is titled ‘I CAN! Children and young people from all over the world meet the challenge of Laudato Si: on care for our common house.’

The project involves encouraging youths to help meet the challenges presented by the encyclical of Pope Francis, Laudato Si, and the Sustainable Development Goals – a collection of 17 global goals set by the United Nations.

The Institute’s Message of the XXII General Chapter also touches on the importance of the ecology.

• In the third call, it appeals for Marists to “move away from a culture shaped by “ego-s” and adopt that of the “eco-s” (ecology, ecosystems, an economy of solidarity, …)  to reduce the scandal of indifference and inequality.”
• The fifth call asks to “awaken in ourselves and those around us an ecological awareness that engages us in caring for “our common home”.”
• The Message also affirms that “for a new beginning, as Marists of Champagnat, committed to the mission of evangelisation and education, we believe (…) in urgently changing the way we live based on an integral ecology (Laudato si’, ch. iV).”

The I CAN! initiative will use the “Design for change” methodology that aims to have the youth “feel, imagine, do and share.” This requires them to put into action four basic skills: critical thinking, creativity, cooperation and communication.

The project began in December and the Catholic International Education Office hopes it will be implemented by May 2019.

In November of that year, a meeting will be held in Rome gathering around 9,000 children – welcomed in the city’s Catholic schools – that will reveal their ideas of how to care for “our common home” and how they are responding to the challenges of Laudato Si and the SDG.

Br Carlos Alberto noted that “the aim is to gather 30,000 youth at Saint Peter’s Square, from Catholic schools of Italy and abroad, to show the world that children can change the world, just like the theme says.”

The OIEC is a non-governmental organization that represents Catholic education throughout the world. Permanent representatives to international institutions are accredited in Paris (UNESCO), Geneva (UNICEF), Rome (Vatican), Strasbourg (Council of Europe), New York (UN).

The Marist Brothers form part of the Council since 2015 alongside three other religious congregations. A new Council will be elected during the next World Congress on Catholic Education that will be held in New York City from June 5 – 8, 2019.

The Institute is also part of the OIEC’s general assembly, which is the supreme organ of the Office and is composed of all the constituent and associate members. It meets every four years during the Congress.

All the information here

Marcellin and the Young: attentive eyes, compassionate heart

Download PDF: English | Español | Français | Português | Italiano | Deutsch

This past April 18^th, the day in which we commemorated the 19th anniversary of the canonization of Saint Marcellin, Brother Luis Carlos and I were visiting Notre Dame de l’Hermitage. It was our first visitation to that special place as Vicar General and Superior General.  It was a great joy for us to spend a few days there, to meet with the community, to share with some groups that were visiting at that time, and in particular, to have the occasion to be near, once again, the heart of Champagnat.

I spent some time in the room of Marcellin and, in the murmur of the Gier which I could pleasantly perceive through the half-opened window, I was able to listen and meditate.  I imagined the hours that Marcellin dedicated to silence and to prayer in that place, besides resting every night.  I contemplated his desk, where he spent so many hours reading, writing reflections or letters to the Brothers or to the civil and canonical authorities of his day… all under the tender gaze of our Good Mother who always accompanied him.  There, in the stillness of silence, I asked Marcellin for his protection, his inspiration, and his help so that we, as Marists of Champagnat, could re-create his dream at this moment in which we are living.

The calls of our recent General Chapter resounded strongly in me. Inspired by the Spirit, these calls challenge us to live the charism and the mission today; to be a global family, to be beacons or lighthouses of hope, to be bridge-builders , to be the face and the hands of mercy… to walk with those children and young people on the margins,  and to respond audaciously to the emerging needs in our world.     

I thought of Marcellin next to the youth of his day, with his attentive eyes and compassionate heart.  I recalled what the participants said at our recent Chapter: “We believe in the evangelizing Mission which urges us to respond to the cry of the children and the young in a new and creative way for today”.  Yes, as Champagnat did. His attention to the world of the young, in the context of his time, led him to remove himself from his status, from his priestly privileges, first to move out from his rectory, and then from the town of La Valla itself. These movements allowed him to respond with creativity, opening himself to new possibilities, giving rise to audacious solutions, and to the building of a religious family of brothers.

As past generations of young people did in their time, today’s youth bring novelty and creativity into the world. And as with previous generations, today’s have many positive characteristics, together with elements of fragility…  They are able to connect easily with each other and create relationships, although at times it would seem that they are afraid to deepen these relationships and make them lasting ones. They build networks of solidarity with ease and are capable of altruistic actions, having to fight against everything that leads them to focus too much on themselves, on a society that favors self-centeredness and indifference; there are signs of thirst and openness to inner and spiritual experiences, even if they have difficulties with institutions. The digital era is their world (and ours), and it opens them to innumerable possibilities, yet at the same time they may be threatened by the risk of depersonalization…  I ask myself, “What can we do and how can we listen more attentively to them, to walk together with them, following Champagnat who looked for them on the streets, in the villages and the street? How can we become more like disciples and learn at his side, reinventing the loving presence among them as Marcellin proposed to us? How can we succeed in connecting more with them, using adequate and accessible languages, in the style of our Founder, his adaptation, his search for new ways of reaching them, his openness to unexplored missions?

Soon the Synod will be held under the theme: “Young people, faith and vocational discernment”. In the light of this Synod,this past March, Pope Francis listened to an international group of young people, who expressed their feelings and their concerns. We were fortunate enough to be present at this gathering (For news and access to this gathering, visit our website).

I also remember that day when, during the General Chapter, we had the opportunity to listen to a group of young people from the three countries of the Province of Norandina. Two days before being with us, they–along with young Marists from around the world–had been reflecting together on what they wanted to say to us. We listened to them as they shared their concerns about the world around them. Their youthful enthusiasm and dynamism challenged us as we looked to the future.

This experience of meeting with the young people, together with the visit we made to the poor and marginalized neighborhoods of Medellin, including some centers for  young people in difficult situations, strongly impacted the reflections of the Chapter Assembly. We have expressed that we believe “in our committed, preferential and consistent presence among the children and young people of the geographic and existential peripheries” and that “we believe in the promotion, protection and defense of the rights of children and young people and in their empowerment as agents of transformation”.   In the Marist world today, we have a large number of educational centers in the form of schools, universities or social works, and we enthusiastically encourage and animate youth movements in many places…  With which concrete means do we prioritize those in greater need who are in our centers?  And, even more, in how many of these centers do we manage to reach young people from the geographic and existential peripheries?  What new steps would we have to take to reach them?   Which structures could we strengthen for the promotion and defense of their rights?

Marcellin knew how to identify these marginalized young people; he welcomed them, accompanied them and gave a response to their plight.  My desire as we celebrate his life and legacy on June 6th, is that we rediscover his attentive eyes and his compassionate heart.  And, in the light of this, let us review what our attitude of welcome and acceptance towards the young generation looks like, as well as our concrete commitment to those who are on the peripheries.

May the passion of Champagnat and of the first Brothers encourage us in our close, welcoming, accepting and committed dedication among the young people of today.  Many Brothers have lived this dedication in an exemplary way.  And let us remember on this date Brother Henri Vergès who gave his life for the young Algerians and whose beatification we will celebrate this year.   His witness reminds us of those who live their mission in countries with worrying situations such as Syria, South Sudan and other areas of the world in great conflict… a reason to pray in communion with them in celebrating our Founder.

May each one of us, Marists of Champagnat, be capable as Marcellin was to look with attentive eyes and show a compassionate heart.  May our Good Mother inspire and accompany us in this mission, as she did with Marcellin and our first Brothers.

Happy celebration of our Founder!

Check out the La Valla 200 Website Here

Journeying Together as a Global Family

Embracing Our Call Retreat

A group of faculty and staff from Marist schools around the USA Province gathered at the Marist Brothers Center in Esopus from April 8th – 10th for an Embracing Our Call retreat. The retreat was based on the theme “Making Jesus Christ Known and Loved,” and encouraged participants to reflect deeper not only on their Marist identities and spirituality but also their personal relationships with God.

Br. Owen Ormsby opened the experience with the usual “Welcome Home” greeting but added how important it is for those who are usually on the giving end of retreat experiences to take this time to be on retreat themselves.

And participants rose to the challenge. After an opening Mass with Fr. LaMorte, the group went into a contemplation on the idea of “holy Longing” – on why they had come, and what they were longing for.

Br. Don Bisson presented on spiritual practices, followed by Matt Fallon who introduced the Grand Silence for Sunday night. The evening ritual included the placing of the cell phones on the altar.

On Monday, we began delving into the three calls of the Nairobi New Marist in Mission gathering – to be mystics and prophets, in communion. Brothers Don Bisson and Luis Ramos spoke on those topics respectively, while also inviting some contemplation and deep listening. On Tuesday morning, Br. Owen spoke about the idea of communion, using Gathered Around the Same Table as a resource document.

In between and during breaks, participants had a chance to create a rice mandala, to walk the labyrinth, to make soul collages, to journal, and to enjoy the beautiful Esopus property.  Several members of the group also took an afternoon trip to Chiz’s Heart Street mission in Kingston.

Morning and evening prayer, as well as Henry’s wonderful meals, rounded out the schedule.

Some of the comments made by participants about the experience:

“The photo of our shoes on the center of the labyrinth made me think of all of us walking the walk – while talking the talk.”

“Gave me a spiritual boost and gave me a better sense of my Marist identity.”

 “This did allow me to go deeper as it provided the quiet away time I needed.”

“Thank you all for such a spiritual encounter. I was blessed to be surrounded by such Christ-like souls!”

All of the participants seemed to feel that the way the talks were presented, combined with the quiet time, truly helped them to bring the concepts of mystic and prophet in communion into their everyday lives. One comment, “Brought ancient concept into today’s world. Loved talking in small group to identify with signs of the times.  Tied in very well with the visit to Heart Street.”

Overall, it was an amazing experience of meeting God, of growing in our spirituality and Marist identity.

Written by:
Maureen Hagan

A Mission Trip to Kentucky

On the Wednesday before Easter, a group of students from Marist High School in Bayonne, Mount St. Michael Academy, and Roselle Catholic High School joined Br. Dan O’Riordan, Maureen Hagan, Pat Hagan, Tim Hagan, Nina Lokar, Miriam Eisenmenger, and RC Alums’ John Allen, Mark O’Grady, and Kim Aldridge on a week-long Mission trip to Jackson, Kentucky.

Ellen Salmi, a graduate of Roselle Catholic High School in 2008 and a 2-year volunteer with the Marist Missionary Sisters in Senegal (2012-14) is living in Jackson with her husband, Josh van Cleef, where they are the Parish Life Co-Directors of Holy Cross Catholic Parish. It is located in rural eastern Kentucky in Breathitt County, one of the poorest counties in Appalachia which has a total Catholic population of only 25 persons. During the trip, the group gathered daily for morning and evening prayers as well as celebrated each of the Triduum services with the locals of Holy Cross Parish.

The group rotated within three distinct work projects during the week. Each day a group worked at the home of Vikki and her family. The front porch of their home was in shambles and needed to be removed and a new one was built to replace it.

A second group worked at Magnificant Farm. It is a beautiful 50-acre property with a log cabin and a large barn on the property with numerous hiking trails and ponds. The property is owned by Ellen and Josh and they are converting it into a Catholic Worker Farm. New doors and new windows were added to the barn which they hope will be able to soon host both a weekly hot meal as well as house a family in need on the second floor. Breathitt County currently has no services that provide temporary shelter for families or a place that serves a hot meal for the many needy of the county.

A third group joined Ellen on home visits to meet some of the grandmothers of the county and learn the wisdom of these lifelong Appalachian residents.

It was an amazing week of living as an extended Marist community, and while a significant amount of work was accomplished, the real joy and blessing of the week was the gift that each person received by being so richly welcomed and cared for during their visit to the Bluegrass state.

Written By:
Brother Dan O’Riordan
Vice Provincial, USA Province

Blue Marist Publish Book on Syria

The Blue Marists have published a book based on the letters written by Marist Brother Georges Sabé and Nabil Antaki, a Syrian gastroenterologist who chose to stay in the country when war broke out in March 2011.

Br Georges, Nabil and his wife Leyle, founded the “L’Oreille de Dieu” (The ear of God) association in 1986 that aimed to help the people most in need in the city. One year after the war began, in 2012, they changed the name to “Blue Marists,” now made up of two Marist Brothers (Brothers Georges Sabé and Georges Hakim) and 80 lay volunteers, including Nabil.

The book, titled “Les lettres d’Alep” (The letters of Aleppo) is a series of letters written every couple of months to inform the Institute and others abroad of the situation in Syria.

In one of the letters, letter number 25, written on March 13, 2016, a volunteer named Rami asked Nabil why he insisted that they are a solidarity association and not a humanitarian organization.

“The answer is obvious,” wrote Nabil. “For us, Blue Marists, the “beneficiaries” are not numbers on lists, they aren’t virtual beings to be fed, housed and cared for. They have a name.”

“Behind every name, there is a face, there is a human person with his past, often unhappy or bereaved, his dramas, his sufferings, his broken dreams, his mortgaged future; a person who also has desires and projects.”

The book costs 33 euros and can be requested at the following address:

L’HARMATTAN, 7 rue de l’École Polytechnique 75005 Paris, France.

Order this book through your bookseller on: http://editions-harmattan.fr.

Related Articles

• Priority of Blue Marists now is to offer a solid formation
• FMSI continues to support the Blue Marists in Aleppo and the Fratelli Project
• The Blue Marists receive the International Award Navarra to Solidarity 2016
• Experiencing resilience with the Blue Marists of Syria
• The Blue Marist: Our Hope Will Not Falter

Marist Catholic Presents an Anti-Bullying PSA

Students involved in the RISE Program at Marist Catholic High School in Eugene, Oregon recently produced an anti-bullying PSA video.

An Address from Br. Patrick for the 2018 USA Provincial Chapter

2018 Provincial Chapter — Brothers Singing the Salve Regina

Follow the 2018 USA Provincial Chapter

View Br. Ernesto’s Full Address

View Br. Patrick’s Full Address

View the Full MYA Video

View a Video of the Brothers Singing the Salve

View the “Looking Ahead” Video

#Enough National School Walkout

Let us remember to pray for each other!

As we begin the journey through Lent each of our schools celebrated Ash Wednesday with liturgies and prayer services. Here are a few snapshots from around the Province of the USA to remind us of our shared mission and Marist family.

Marist Young Adults gathered at the University of Texas

Last night Marist Young Adults gathered at the University of Texas at Austin. 19 St Joseph Academy alums and students from the University Catholic Center joined Matt Fallon and Bro Rob Clark for dinner and to discuss the possibility of starting a Marist Young Adult group at UT!

Embracing “Costly Grace”

The gospel for Tuesday of the second week of Lent (found here) includes ablunt message. In no uncertain terms, Jesus tells his disciples: actions trump words. Specifically, he counsels his followers to do and observe the things that the scribes and Pharisees tell them to do but not to follow their example. Why? Because these teachers of the law preached but they did not practice.

Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer said much the same in our own time. Bonhoeffer, a German citizen, waspart of the Confessing Church, a group opposed to the genocidal policies of his country’s Nazi government. As the Second World War was getting underway, he was teachingat New York’s Union Theological Seminary. Though friends advised him not to return to Germany, Bonhoeffer was so concerned about the evil unfolding there that he traveled home on the last steamer to cross the Atlantic. On his arrival, he was harassed by the Nazi authorities, forbidden to teach or publish and had to regularly report his activities to the police. He was eventually arrested, imprisoned and executed.

Bonhoeffer believed that our faith should cost us our comfort. He wrote about what he called “cheap grace” and “costly grace.” Cheap grace, he said, is a cover for ethical laxity; the term is also a good way to describe the words and actions of the scribes and Pharisees. They laid heavy burdens on those whom they taught but avoided taking on the same obligationsthemselves. They put on a good show when they thought others were watching but made sure that they didn’t inconvenience themselves.

As disciples of Jesus we are called to embrace what Bonhoeffer referred to as costly grace. If we take the gospel message seriously we cannot avoid making sacrifices, being inconvenienced, paying a hefty price for our faith. This Lent we need to ask ourselves to what kind of grace do we witness in our lives. Are we similar to the scribes and Pharisees, pretending to act virtuous so as to win the praise of others? Or, do we take the gospel message seriously, as Bonhoeffer did, and by our actions rather than our words witness to the fact that we are disciples of Jesus Christ.

Brother Seán Sammon, FMS, is Novice Director for the Marist Brothers in the USA (at Marist College).

Upcoming Marist Faith Formation Programs

Mount St. Michael Students Re-Design Garden Area of Champagnat Hall

The Garth area at the back of Champagnat Hall is gearing up for a long overdue renovation. Last month the Brothers at Champagnat Hall met with several Mount Saint Michael Academy students who are members of the Architecture Club to discuss ways of improving the Garth so it could be more accessible and elder-friendly.

Now in it’s second year, the Architecture Club attracts students with an interest in architecture and offers them hands-on experiences in designing living spaces and structures that meet real needs. Last year the club, under the direction of the club’s moderater Jim Hage, and Raymond Beerler, an architect with Gallin Beerler Design Studio of Pleasantville, NY, designed a state-of-the-art athletic center that could one day become a reality for Mount St. Michael.

This year’s project brings our senior Brothers and students from the Mount together to work on a common project: the makeover of the Garth. While the project aims to improve the quality of life for our Brothers it also keeps them active in our Marist educational mission among youth. The project gives the Brothers an opportunity to mix with young people and to share with them their stories, their spirituality, and the importance placed on community in their lives.

For the students this project provides a unique opportunity to see how architecture and design can enhance the quality of life for this special population. Under the guidance of Mr. Beerler, the students will learn how to work with a client when developing designs to meet their specific needs. They will also learn about accepted professional standards in the field of architecture and design and confront several engineering challenges relating to this project: building codes and permits, the use of building materials that will need to stand up to the hot and humid conditions in the summer and the snows and cold of winter, drainage and irrigation issues, and, of course, suitable landscaping design.

The discussion, led by the students and Mr. Beerler was lively and focused on the question: “What do we need to include in the Garth renovations that would make your garden a more inviting, comfortable, and attractive place for your enjoyment?”

With little hesitation the Brothers offered the following ideas:

• Walking paths that are wide and level
• An enlarged koi pond that might include a walk-over bridge
• Repositioning the Stations of the Cross so they follow an expanded walking path throughout the Garth
• Include a variety of seasonal blooming flowers and shrubs and a Christmas Tree that could be decorated and lite at night
• Outdoor lighting that would highlight the garth’s new look so it can be enjoyed at night or looked into at night from the bedrooms rooms above
• An in-ground irrigation system to eliminate hoses that are hazardous when walking
• Rebuild the trellis by the Grotto area and add additional shaded places to sit and relax, read a book, or pray
• A covered pavilion with a barbeque pit that would provide shade for outdoor eating
• Attractive fencing that would hide storage sheds and the generator as well as provide privacy
• An outdoor bathroom facility

The students and the Brothers will meet several times throughout the semester to review designs as they come to a consensus for a final design that will make the Garth a place the Brothers can use for their enjoyment and relaxation.

This project offers a long range benefits for both our senior Brothers who are looking for more usable outdoor living space and the students who are interested in pursuing a career in architecture, engineering, and design.

Learning to conjugate these four verbs: welcome, protect, promote and integrate

The Lavalla200> East Harlem Community is currently composed of Martha Eugenia Martínez of Mexico and Brothers Luis Fernando Veja of Paraguay and James McKnight of the United States.

Its beginning is linked to the Juan Diego community, which from 2016 became a community within the Project of International Communities for a New Beginning, project born from the General Conference of 2013.

East Harlem is a neighborhood in the Manhattan District of New York. Also known as Spanish Harlem, it is an area steeped in history, characterized by a wide cultural diversity.

Below you can read a testimony of Martha Eugenia Martínez, member of the community since October 2017.

“If you wish to offer some years of your life to the service of the Marist mission beyond the borders of your province or your country, I encourage you to step forward and make known your availability” these are words of Brother Emili Turú in his letter The Dance of the Mission.

The Spirit guides all wishes of all Marist thought the initiative Lavalla200. We think it is a call to welcome a new way of sharing life in community, growing internationally and interculturally and that our relationships as brothers and lay people are the heart of our mission and are in the centre of the new beginning of the Marist.

In East Harlem, NYC, we share life with undocumented Hispanic American immigrants. The house has become a place of family. At present we accompany specially women with Latin origin in risk of being deported or waiting to get their residence permit. We offer them spiritual and emotional support, sharing life through fraternal and simple dialogue and prayer. We promote some training and educational activities such as English lessons and handicrafts. We share with these families some meaningful moments like the Day of the Dead and Christmas Day. We collaborate with different institutions and parishes to learn and get to know the reality through their experience. We try to integrate families of different Latin countries in order to find the richness of diversity.

I think that our way of doing mission has very precise challenges: show the face of an “all-loving” God, the face of fraternity, to be creative and simple in the mission, in other words, to show the martial face of the Church.

The feast of the Epiphany has enlightened these three months of experience in NYC. God has appeared as an unforeseen reality that I was not expecting. This has been a time for insertion and learning in the neighbourhood of East Harlem. I am learning to live in a new community with the brothers Jim and Luis; I am trying to learn English like a child and walk on the streets at -7ºC, specially this last month.

I have lived a path of faith. It was not easy for me to accept this new mission. I had different thoughts from God. I saw myself in Africa or Amazonas, but when God calls, himself helps us to open our heart. As the Magi, I am also discovering lights that help me to move forward and guide me to new places, to the peripheries, as Pope Francis says.

These people are here “on the other side”, as they say, with their families and children, most of them illegally , with dreams and fears.  When we talk to them it is easy to discover the face of a fragile God. Now I remembered something said at the Chapter: We search you Jesus, like Mary, in the caravans of life and the turmoil of our cities (Lk 2, 41-49), in the multitude of displaced people who are searching a better future for their children.

The search of reasons to carry on is undeniable among the migrants. Every day they wake up looking for a small light that guides them and, as well as the Magi were not stopped by the uncertainty of the search nor the precariousness of the road, nor the perplexity, they also were able to get on the road to the unknown.

I would like you to meet some of these people who have helped me to welcome the mission that God has given to me. They have responded to three questions: How did you get here? What is your great dream? What is your biggest fear? If you could ask someone for something… what would you ask him or her? What have the Marists contributed to you?

A very cheerful and helpful person, who has taught me to share life and find the $0.99 shops. She is ISABEL.

“I immigrate on the 20^th March 1999.I was 20 years old. I crossed the border through the desert and I had to transfer b y bus. I arrived in Arizona, later Las Vegas and finally New York. It was a really harsh journey; go through the drainage system and the desert. I thought that I probably I would not reach my destiny because I was running out of water, but another woman shared it with me”.

I give thanks to God that I arrived safely despite all the bad things I experienced with the first  “coyote” and some abusive men. I remember that the police of Mexico arrived if not I would have been raped. They took all my money and didn’t have anything to eat. God placed good people in my journey and that is how I reached NY. The country has given me many good things and others not so good. I appreciate being here and being able to tell my story. Now, I live with my husband Igancio and we have four children.

My biggest wish is to obtain my residence permit so I can go to Mexico and visit my parents and buy them a small house. I am afraid I will not see my parents again or be deported someday. I would like someone to help me get my residence or my working permit, or that someone bring my parents so I can see them again.

From the Marists I have learned to be more spiritual and share more with the others. I like to share and pray.

A very discreet, generous woman, who has taught me to be available and to get to know the Museum of the “Barrio”. She is RUFINA and this is her story.

” I arrived in NY on the 28^th  February 1998; I was 18 years old. I came here because my father sent me to know the country. I crossed the border illegally on the side of Agua Prieta, Sonora, through the desert of Arizona. I tried it a few times and they sent me back, till I finally got it and came to NY. Here I met people very different from me, different skin colour, different faces, their hair, their language (such as Chinese or Italian)… I had to learn to live in the cold weather and snow. Although I had some relatives here I felt lonely because I had left my mother and my brothers. After a long time, I met my husband, I got married and now I have four children, aged between 11 and 19.

My biggest wish is that my sons go to university and have a job, a house and be happy. That would be my biggest happiness. My biggest fear is to be separated from my sons. I have no documents to be in this country; so far I have a working permit ( and I am waiting to get the renovation). I would like somebody to help me with my residence permit so I could go to Puebla and see my father and my sisters. I would like to go to University and learn English. I would like to help more people that need my help. From the Marists I learnt to live as a family.

If simplicity had a name that would be ANGÉLICA. She is a really hard-working person, able to reach fatigue for her children. She has taught me that simplicity opens hearts and knitting to relieve stress.

” I am from Loja, Ecuador. I arrived in USA on 25^th July 2013. We went through the border of Peru and Bolivia and from there we took an airplane to Mexico City. Then we travelled by bus until we got to the border of Arizona, where we crossed the desert, we walked for four days among the mountains and we reached Phoenix. When we got there it was very difficult because we were hungry and cold. I remember we were all get, then we were piled into a van and we travelled like that for two days till we got to Los Angeles. Now I live in NY with my two girls and two boys.

I arrived here with a goal, to work and gather money to get my family ahead. In my country there are few opportunities. This is my biggest wish. My fear is to be separated from my children; I don’t have a working permit and now it is very difficult.

If I had to ask somebody for something, I would ask them to let us work in peace because all the money we earn here, remains here.

Since I met the Marists I felt like family because they have given me a lot of spiritual support. I give thanks to God for sending here the Marists”.

I hear these types of testimonies constantly. I thank God for this people that surround me and for guiding me surprisingly through so many ups and downs. I also give thanks for the star people that have enlightened my way, and the signals that have been guiding me. Pope Francis said at the Christmas homily: God invites us to take care of the hope, and go hand in hand with Mary.

I invite you to send a message of hope to these women who frequent our community: in Facebook Comunidad Marista East Harlem. Let’s ask for each other so that our gifts go to our brothers and sisters who need it most.

Once I said that ” one day faith, happiness and myself will sit together and have a coffee in a street of Manhattan”. The appointment is still standing!

Video: A Heart that Knew No Bounds: Part III

This video created by the Marist Province of the USA is based on the book, A HEART THAT KNEW NO BOUNDS by Brother Sean Sammon. The hope was to create a classroom-friendly presentation, which captures the essence of Champagnat for our students and inquirers. While the 18-minute video is classroom-oriented in that it covers much information, it can also serve as inspiration for those of us who know the Champagnat story well. Marcellin Champagnat was both for his time in history; he is no less for ours today.”

Video: A Heart that Knew No Bounds: Part II

This video created by the Marist Province of the USA is based on the book, A HEART THAT KNEW NO BOUNDS by Brother Sean Sammon. The hope was to create a classroom-friendly presentation, which captures the essence of Champagnat for our students and inquirers. While the 18-minute video is classroom-oriented in that it covers much information, it can also serve as inspiration for those of us who know the Champagnat story well. Marcellin Champagnat was both for his time in history; he is no less for ours today.”

Thirty lay people publicly confirm their commitment as Marists

Thirty lay people from Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela celebrated their lay connection to the Marist charism in Los Teques, Venezuela, during the last provincial chapter of Norandina.

The ceremony took place in the Champagnat school in Caracas, accompanied by relatives and the brothers of the community of Los Chorros and the school. Brother Ernesto Sánchez, superior general, and Brother João Carlos do Prado, general councillor, also took part.

It was a Mass in which the laity shared their life experiences and said their commitment with the following words:

“We are Christians who have heard the call of God to give our lives to be signs of joy, hope, fraternity and mercy, in the following of Jesus and his Gospel at the service of the neediest. We, lay Marists of Champagnat, are a family of men and women of faith inspired by Saint Marcellin Champagnat and by the hand of Mary, Our Good Mother, we live in the Marist Norandina province. We are aware that we have been given the gift of the lay Marist vocation. For this, we commit ourselves to:

• Be disciples of Jesus at the service of his gospel.
• Make of our homes, family and community, a Nazareth.
• Cultivate our interiority and personal relationship with God.
• Live the experience of the evangelical fraternity among ourselves and for others, being in solidarity with the poorest children and young people and responding with boldness and creativity to emerging needs.
• Promote new forms of expression of our family spirit as Marists of Champagnat, based on communion as a fundamental element of our charismatic expression.
• Revitalize and make known the Marist charism, as a way of expressing the Marian face of the Church.
• Promote and nurture Marist vocations, working together, where the centre is the person in following Jesus.
  

Being aware of this experience, we thank God:

• For the lay vocation that fills us with fullness of faith and personal fulfillment at the service of the Church.
• For allowing us to make the Marist charism our life choice.
• For the Marist communities, especially the Marist Brothers of the Norandina Province for their openness, testimony and welcome.
• For the life of our companions, who have witnessed our vocational processes.
• For our families, the seedbed of Marist vocation, for their unconditional support in this long walk, giving us time and for being a push of life.
• We thank Jesus for being our guide, to Mary for being our ordinary resource, to Champagnat for the spiritual inheritance that moves us to give life and to give it in abundance.
• Finally, we are grateful to feel called to be part of the global family of the Marists of Champagnat.”

Below is a video with pictures of the celebration.

Mount St. Michael Students Re-Design Garden Area of Champagnat Hall

The Garth area at the back of Champagnat Hall is gearing up for a long overdue renovation.  Last month the Brothers at Champagnat Hall met with several Mount Saint Michael Academy students who are members of the Architecture Club to discuss ways of improving the Garth so it could be more accessible and elder-friendly.

Now in it’s second year, the Architecture Club attracts students with an interest in architecture and offers them hands-on experiences in designing living spaces and structures that meet real needs.  Last year the club, under the direction of the club’s moderater Jim Hage, and Raymond Beerler, an architect with Gallin Beerler Design Studio of Pleasantville, NY, designed a state-of-the-art athletic center that could one day become a reality for Mount St. Michael.

This year’s project brings our senior Brothers and students from the Mount together to work on a common project: the makeover of the Garth. While the project aims to improve the quality of life for our Brothers it also keeps them active in our Marist educational mission among youth.  The project gives the Brothers an opportunity to mix with young people and to share with them their stories, their spirituality, and the importance placed on community in their lives.

For the students this project provides a unique opportunity to see how architecture and design can enhance the quality of life for this special population.  Under the guidance of Mr. Beerler, the students will learn how to work with a client when developing designs to meet their specific needs.  They will also learn about accepted professional standards in the field of architecture and design and confront several engineering challenges relating to this project:  building codes and permits, the use of building materials that will need to stand up to the hot and humid conditions in the summer and the snows and cold of winter, drainage and irrigation issues, and, of course, suitable landscaping design.

The discussion, led by the students and Mr. Beerler was lively and focused on the question: “What do we need to include in the Garth renovations that would make your garden a more inviting, comfortable, and attractive place for your enjoyment?”

With little hesitation the Brothers offered the following ideas:

• Walking paths that are wide and level
• An enlarged koi pond that might include a walk-over bridge
• Repositioning the Stations of the Cross so they follow an expanded walking path throughout the Garth
• Include a variety of seasonal blooming flowers and shrubs and a Christmas Tree that could be decorated and lite at night
• Outdoor lighting that would highlight the garth’s new look so it can be enjoyed at night or looked into at night from the bedrooms rooms above
• An in-ground irrigation system to eliminate hoses that are hazardous when walking
• Rebuild the trellis by the Grotto area and add additional shaded places to sit and relax, read a book, or pray
• A covered pavilion with a barbeque pit that would provide shade for outdoor eating
• Attractive fencing that would hide storage sheds and the generator as well as provide privacy
• An outdoor bathroom facility

The students and the Brothers will meet several times throughout the semester to review designs as they come to a consensus for a final design that will make the Garth a place the Brothers can use for their enjoyment and relaxation.

This project offers a long range benefits for both our senior Brothers who are looking for more usable outdoor living space and the students who are interested in pursuing a career in architecture, engineering, and design.

Br Patrick McNamara re-elected as provincial

With the approval of Brother Ernesto Sanchez, Superior General and the General Council, the Brothers of the United States province have re-elected Brother Patrick McNamara to serve for a second term as provincial for the coming three years.

Br Patrick will take up office during the sixth provincial chapter held from March 22 – 25 in the Mount Alvernia Retreat House, located in the village of Wappingers Falls, New York.

About Br Patrick

Br Patrick says he “grew up very Catholic,” always attending Catholic schools. After graduation from Laurel Hill Academy, an IHM school, he enrolled at Marist College, Poughkeepsie, New York.  There he met what he describes as the “lively and attractive” community of the Marist Brothers. After completing his studies at the College, including a year of studies in Paris, France, he did his initial formation programme and novitiate in Chicago, Illinois, and was invited to make his final vows in the community.

He says that during the next 40 years, he enjoyed being a lifelong learner, a pilgrim, a teacher, a coach, a spiritual director, a disciple, a social worker, a pastor, a catechist, a vocation director, a musician, a campus minister, a provincial, a principal, a president, and a provincial again and so much more.  Many nouns to describe what he calls “a very active and happy life, filled with many graces and blessings and many new beginnings; great communities, ministries, projects, and churches, cities and towns, brothers, strangers, friends, and partners.”

Start the Year with Sending Someone a Prayer Card

Remembrance in Prayer Cards

For over 20 years Marist Brothers across the country have been remembering in their daily community prayer those enrolled in our Remembrance in Prayer program. Family, friends and alumni of the Brothers request this remembrance by means of Marist enrollment cards. Full instructions come with each packet.

Discerning God’s Call to Be a Brother

How To Become A Brother

Once a young man has discerned to become a Marist Brother, he enters our Initial Formation Program, which is a three stage process.

Stage 1: Postulancy

This one year program offers the Postulant an experience of: prayer, community living, study, a weekly ministry opportunity, with an on-going discussion about his discernment to become a Marist Brother. The Director of the Postulacy is Br. Don Bisson.

Stage 2: The Novitiate

The Novitiate is the second stage of the Initial Formation Program. The novice continues to discern his vocation to the Marist Brothers through this 2 year program. Continuing the experience of Postulancy, the novice seeks to deepen his commitment to the Brothers by his study of the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience; as well as the study of the life of the founder, St. Marcellin Champagnat. The Novitiate also includes: participation in the Intercommunity Novitiate Program (with other novices from men and women’s communities), and an international experience with Marist Novices from other parts of the world. At the end of the Novitiate, the novice may apply to take temporary vows of poverty, chastity and obedience for a period of one year. Marist Novices are presently receiving formation in 16 different Marist Novitiates around the world.

Stage 3: Temporary Profession

The time of Temporary Profession is 4-6 years. As a Professed Member of the Marist Brothers, the Brother in Temporary (annual one year) Vows lives in one of the communities of Marist Brothers in the USA while serving in full-time ministry. He is supported in his brotherhood through regular mentoring and by programs for those in Initial Formation throughout the year. As the discernment continues, ultimately the Brother in Temporary Vows will make his decision – along with the Brothers – to apply for Final Vows as a Marist Brother.

What does it mean to canonize someone?

The need to correct or avoid abuse in the practice of worshiping the deceased that have a reputation of sanctity led the ecclesiastical authorities to regulate this practice through laws.

Canonisation is a legal act that consists of solemn legal recognition by which a public servant is authorized to pay tribute to a servant of God.

The official worship is formally expressed with the inscription in the catalogue of the saints, the dedication of a date in the universal calendar (feast day), the celebration of the Mass and the liturgy of the hours with readings and prayer (Mass and own office) or dedicating spaces for worship (chapels, churches).

One commonly speaks of “making someone a saint.” The Church does not “make saints.” Holiness is a gift from God.

God makes us holy with his grace and the correspondence of our freedom.

When someone dies having a reputation that he lived an exemplary life according to the Gospel of Jesus, practiced the virtues to a heroic degree or died a martyr by faith, a legal process can be initiated that validates the recognition of that life as a holy life.

The process concludes with the decree of beatification or canonization signed by the Pope.

The canonized people are saints from the day they die, not when their sanctity is canonically recognised.
___________

Br Antonio Martínez Estaún
postulator general

A Prayer for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

Priority of Blue Marists now is to offer a solid formation

In a video interview with Brother Georges Sabe on Nov. 23, he underscored that now that the situation is improving in the country the priority of the Blue Marists in Aleppo, Syria, is to offer a solid formation.

“We help (families) with the rent, we offer them milk and food, but we are increasingly focusing more on their personal development and formation,” he said during his visit to the general house in Rome.

The Blue Marists in Aleppo include two Brothers and around 80 lay volunteers. Since July 2012, they have helped over 1,000 Muslim and Christian families.

“The most important part of our mission today is to help people develop, to educate those who have lost everything and offer them work opportunities,” affirmed Brother Georges.

“We also provide a close presence to young adolescents; we provide listening and a relationship with each family member.” For the full interview in Spanish, visit: https://goo.gl/c4EoZs.

Marist Young Adult Online Retreat Week 3

Join the Marist Young Adult’s this Advent and check out their online video retreat!

A Marist Brothers Impact

Provincial

The Brothers I encountered in high school and during summer camps for children with special needs when I was a teenager modeled everything I hoped to get out of being a Marist Brother. I was so inspired by their teaching ability, the love they showed for their work and for their students and the happiness and fulfillment they showed in their own lives. The Brothers were so kind, treated me with respect, listened to me and gave me advice – they were truly brothers to me in every sense of the word.

During the years before my final profession as a Marist Brother and after, I had rich experiences in teaching all types of kids and also being involved in administration at a few of our schools. Our founder, Saint Marcellin Champagnat, teaches us that to really educate a kid, you have to love them first, but before you can love them, you need to know them—and to do so requires tons of patience. For Marcellin, love of students was not a cerebral assent to their goodness. It was, rather, something that expressed itself by physical immersion into their lives: real relationships with real people. We have to understand that kids are unsure of themselves and our presence with them can help assure them that it is okay to be who they are. Kids saw that I respected them that way, and I believe it made my work as an educator easier. I always tried to love them for who they are and recognize them as “unfinished pieces of art.” Even during my years as an administrator, I tried to reach out directly to kids – spend one-on-one time with – and make a positive impact on their lives. In looking back over my life as a Brother, I can also see that in many ways my students have made a profound impact on my life as well. They have helped me be a better Brother.

Oddly enough, it was some of my most difficult experiences over the years that stick out as some of my best experiences. During the summers, I worked at our camp for children with cancer. Once I pitched in when one camper who had a brain tumor was having a seizure. It was a scary experience, but it reminded me of the preciousness of life. I was so impressed by all the campers’ strength and how much they enjoyed being “regular” kids at camp. We tried to teach them that God is in their midst, even during tough illnesses. We worked with them on handling their anger and how they can support themselves through difficult situations. They also taught us a thing or two about supporting others who are struggling and walking beside them during difficult times.

Another very difficult situation came when I first started teaching. A senior was hit by a drunk driver and seriously injured. His parents asked for support from me when they made their decision to end life support. It was a terrible and difficult situation, but it was also so special that they felt I was such an important part of their son’s life that they wanted me to be there during this tragic moment. It reminds me of why I am a Marist Brother – to stand with others and support them through good times and bad

I think the whole purpose of life is to find God in life. Some people find God through themselves or through loved ones. I have found God through my work as a Marist Brother.

Marist Young Adult Online Retreat Week 2

Join the Marist Young Adult’s this Advent and check out their online video retreat!

Marist Young Adult Online Advent Retreat Week 1

Join the Marist Young Adult’s this Advent and check out their online video retreat!

Celebrating 50 Years of Encountering Christ

In 1967, a dream was born to bring an innovative new retreat program called the Encounter to our young Marists in the USA. In our Marist tradition of Making Jesus Known and Loved, this retreat would seek to bring young people into a real encounter with God’s love and help them to establish a relationship with God, themselves, and others. Since that time, the Encounter has spread throughout our province, impacting the lives of many hundreds of young people each year. Today the dream of the Marist Youth Encounter Christ Retreat continues to grow and innovate. In our ever-changing world with a constant thirst for God, we remain inspired by St. Marcellin Champagnat’s words: “I still firmly believe that God wants this work, in this age when unbelief is making such frightful progress.” And so we celebrate all that has been and remain committed to go into the Fourth Day to continue encountering Christ.

We celebrate this anniversary throughout the year at all three of our province Encounters in Esopus. In particular, next weekend all the schools in our province will be sending participants to Esopus for our first Encounter of the year.

Let us remember … to pray for each other!

A Year After Hurricane Matthew

The brothers who were in charge of organizing international aid for damages caused by last year’s hurricane have highlighted the need for the Marist sector to be more self-sufficient in the long run.

“We do not know how many more years the province of México Occidental will be able to support us,” they revealed in the final report of Haiti for FMSI in September.

“At times we live by surviving so many things that need to be done and we do not give ourselves time to make these processes complete,” continued Brother Enrique Escobar Zúñiga, the project coordinator.

Hurricane Matthew struck Haiti on Oct. 3, 2016, causing numerous casualties and extensive damage to the homes of the Brothers.

“We responded to an emergency, we sought help from abroad and the best way to distribute it or to make it available (but) we did not involve and commit the beneficiaries,” Br Enrique wrote in the report. “For example, (we did not) reflect with them on how to organize to rebuild their cement houses.”

On the other hand, the emergency aid for the food and the reconstruction of the schools of Dame Marie and Latibolière enabled the classes to begin a month after the hurricane and no professor emigrated to another city.

The aid was for 1,250 students, aged between seven and 25, and 75 teachers.

“We are convinced that schools are a means that can help educate to transform hearts and reality,” he added. “By returning to school, you give students something to do and that reassures families and gives them the message that things will return to normal and their children will receive at least one meal a day.”

Haiti belongs to the province of México Occidental and, in addition to the country’s nine brothers, it has six Mexican brothers who serve there.

The New Beginning has already begun

In the final session of the XXII General Chapter, Brother Ernesto Sánchez, Superior General, made some closing remarks that were addressed to the whole Chapter assembly, to the entire Institute of the Marist Brothers, and to all those associated with Marist life and mission. His message focused on three images that were a constant presence during this General Chapter: Our Lady of Fourvière, the table of La Valla and the Last Supper mural by Maximino Cerezo Barredo.

The three key points associated with these images are:’We look to Mary’; ‘The table of the “New La Valla’; ‘Love and service in the leadership of Jesus’.

Brother Ernesto concluded his message with words of thanks to all the Marists present, to the Province of Norandina and to all the Marists of Champagnat. He emphasized that “everyone, wherever they are, forms an important part of this global body of Marcellin Champagnat”.

You can download here the full text: English

Being the Light: School Retreat at Franklin Lakes, New Jersey

Marists from several different communities and the parish of Most Blessed Sacrament organised together a day’s retreat for students, faculty and parents from Marist schools in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey.

The parochial vicar, Father John Job, is a graduate of Marist High School in Bayonne, New Jersey, was among the organisers.

Under the theme ‘Being the Light,’ held on Oct. 13, students and parents explored the ways that God’s love is the light within, how to share that light, how to nourish that light, and ways of being that light for others.

To help them in their reflection, participants were involved in several activities as well as an art project, and discussed clips from Moana.

The teachers affirmed they could “find God in the ordinary” and were challenged to see their school as “holy ground.”

The retreat ended with Mass, celebrated by Bishop John W. Flesey, who reflected on the gospel reading taken from Saint Matthew’s passage on “you are the light of the world.”

The Blessed Sacrament school choir ended the Eucharistic celebration with the song ‘This little light of mine.’

The retreat ended by challenging the participants – parents, faculty and students – to be the light.

“You always engage in ministry and you never retire as a Brother.”

A group of English speaking Brothers from around the world are taking part in a two-month programme at the general house in Rome, Italy, to be guided in their transition to the third age.

The Brothers will go on pilgrimage to France on Thursday until Nov. 6, as part of the programme, to visit Marist places. Accompanied by Brother Michael Green, author of History of the Institute: Dawn’s uncertain light, Volume 3, their visits will include L’Hermitage, La Valla, Rosey and Marhles.

The course is being led by Brother John Klein and Brother John McDonnell, as assistant director, both from the United States.

“Even though I did the course myself last year, I have a different set of eyes now,” said Brother John Klein on Oct. 23. “You always engage in ministry and you never retire as a Brother.”

“It’s an opportunity for the Brothers to step back, reflect, pray and discern what God is asking them to do next,” he told the general house press office.

Br John underscored that “these Brothers have a lot of talent and life isn’t over. It’s about having new eyes to see life’s possibilities.”

There are 14 Marist Brothers and a Marianist priest taking part in the programme, which is running from Oct. 9 – Dec. 9. A second Marianist priest, Father José Ramírez from the United States, is serving as their chaplain.

The participants are: Brothers Pietro Codato (from Italy, residing in Vietnam); David Cooney, Christopher Shannon, Father Christian Janson (USA); Gilbert Asong Dakora (from Ghana, residing in Cambodia); William Lawley (New Zealand); John McMahon, Frank Hough, Francis Richardson (Australia); Albert Nwagbo-Egbo, Chima Onwujuru (Nigeria); Damien Schutt (from New Zealand,  residing in Kiribati); Winfried Schreieck (Germany); Nicholas Smith (Ireland); Anthony Tan (from Malaysia, residing in Sarawak).

Br John is running a blog during the programme. For more information, visit https://padlet.com/john_mcmahon/MaristThirdAge2017.

Br. Patrick McNamara: Solidarity with those in Need

Matt Fallon showed the students a video detailing the aftermath of the recent hurricanes and earthquakes which have happened in Puerto Rico and Mexico.

Followed by this was a video message from Br. Patrick McNamara, Provincial of the USA, where he challenged students to take what they’ve learned from the simulation experience and bring it back to their school communities in order to raise money during the month-long campaign the Province started last week.

 

New Leadership of the Institute

A Marist Collaboration

On Friday, Oct 13th, a group of Marists from several different communities facilitated a day long retreat for the parish community of Most Blessed Sacrament in Franklin Lakes, NJ. Father John Job, who is parochial vicar there, was the one who made the original connection. Fr John is a graduate of Marist Bayonne, was in the Contact program for a while, served as principal at St. Joseph Regional and then became a priest. When he and the principal discussed a school-wide retreat, he suggested the Marists to conduct it.

As a result, Matt Fallon and Maureen Hagan met with Fr John and Principal Tom Altonjy, and came up with a plan for the day. Ideas were flowing and the plan evolved to include the faculty and parents as well. Quite an undertaking! So the cavalry was called in.

The final team included Matt and Maureen, along with Br John Dunning from St Joe’s, Montvale and Jane Ann Carvalho, Roselle Catholic parent, working with the students; Br Steve Milan, of the Novitiate community, working with the parents, and Br Owen  Ormsby, from the Marist Brothers Center at Esopus, working with the faculty. Assistance also came from the Young Adult community in the persons of Tyler Pereira and Christine Edme, graduates of RC and currently students at Kean University. Fourteen students from RC and St Joe’s were the group leaders and assistants in the various activities. Joe Logiudice and Tim Hagan were the agents of recruiting those student helpers. They were, from St. Joe’s:  Anthony DelPonte, Scott Dickson, Jack Rajkowski, James Gilhooley, Matt Ranagan, Kieran Woods, and Michael Bloom.

And from RC: Gaby Coimbra, Amy Ferrigno, Amy Cifuentes, Mary Louise Pensalan, Colleen Badalis, Tina Lui, and Noni Johnson.

The theme of the retreat was “Being the Light”. Students and parents explored the ways that God’s love is the light within us, how we share that light, how we nourish that light, and how we can be that light for others. They did this through active games, through a reflective art project, and through watching clips from Moana, followed by small group discussions. The youngest students (K-2 grade), made fireflies after talking about the times when our lights shine quietly. (Thanks to St Joseph Academy in Brownsville for that idea!)

The faculty, in their retreat time with Br Owen, considered finding God in the ordinary. They were challenged to see their school as “holy ground” and to explore what they really wanted to teach their students this year.

The day ended with Mass, celebrated by the Bishop in residence, Most Reverend John W. Flesey. The community heard the Gospel from Matthew – “You are the light of the world.”

And finished with a rousing chorus of “This Little Light of Mine”, led by the Blessed Sacrament school choir.

The entire community – parents, faculty and students left the gym, with the challenge to “Be the Light!”

Marist Brothers Novitiate New Website! Follow our new Brothers in the Novitiate

“Be of one heart and one mind. Have the world say of the Little Brothers of Mary, what they said of the first Christians: ‘See how they love one another!” – Saint Marcellin Champagnat

General Chapter Reaching out to show support for migrants

With a simple gesture of open arms, participants at the Marist Brothers General Chapter joined in the Caritas Internationalis #ShareJourney campaign to warmly welcome migrants and displaced persons.

This campaign was launched by Pope Francis a few days ago. It seeks to contribute to the creation of a culture of welcome, encounter, to increasing the spaces and opportunities for migrants and local communities to get to know better one another.

The Marist Brothers General Chapter, presently taking place in Colombia, has reaffirmed the desire of all Champagnat Marists throughout the world to be an inclusive and outgoing church. In this context, Emili Turú, during his final address, challenged the whole Institute to respond to the situation faced by many migrants and displaced persons throughout the world with these words:

The question I believe that we have to address now, as a Chapter, goes much further than various one-off initiatives. Is there something that we could and should be doing as a global body to provide a response to this emerging situation in our world, either by ourselves or with other institutions?

Today, a number of Champagnat Marists are already working in places that welcome displaced persons or refugees. For example, we see the prophetic actions of those involved in ‘The Fratelli Project’ in Lebanon, an inter-congregational community of Marist Brothers and Brothers of La Salle; in the Solidarity with South Sudan; in the “Blue Marists” of Syria; in the international LaValla200> community of Siracusa, and other specific actions, such as the presence of three refugees in the General House. Even so, it is clear there is a need to create new institutional policies and wider pastoral action that increase the practice of welcoming displaced people across the Institute.

What is the ‘Share the Journey’ campaign?

Share the Journey has at its heart the vision of a united global human family. The focus is on sharing the journey with people who are on the move in places of departure, transit and host communities. The Caritas’ public awareness campaign promotes opportunities and spaces for refugees, displaced people and communities to come together and to share stories and experiences that aim to strengthen the bonds between all parties.

How to participate?

In a simple way, you can participate and show your support and understanding of the experiences and challenges faced by refugees through taking a photo of you, or a group of supporters, showing the gesture of open arms. Then post the photo to social networks using the hashtag #sharejourney. Follow the Caritas website and see other details.

New Superior General of the Marist Brothers

The XXII General Chapter of the Marist Brothers, taking place in Rionegro, Colombia, today elected Brother Ernesto Sánchez, of the Province of México Occidental, as the XIV Superior General of the Institute of the Marist Brothers of the Schools.

Brother Ernesto,  Councillor General since 2009, replaces Brother Emili Turú, elected in 2009. He will be the Superior General of the Institute for the next 8 years.

At 5:00 p.m., the Vicar General will be elected.

Br. Ernesto Sánchez

Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, on 21th February 1961, and the ninth child in the family of sixteen formed by his parents Carlos and Juanis. A Marist student from pre-primary to preparatory, entered the postulancy at the age of 17. Followed the Basic Teaching course in the scholasticate, then the Licentiate in Religious Sciences and Mathematics.

Studied in Rome for the Licentiate in Vocational Ministry and completed the Master’s degree in this field. Took part in the course for formators in Lyon, France.

Has taught 4 years in primary and 3 in secondary, being a formator at the juniorate at the time. For 5 years belonged to the provincial team for vocation and youth ministry and gave classes in preparatory.

For 4 years was director of the Postulancy and next was called to the General Administration where for 4 years was secretary to the commissions on Religious Life and Vocations Ministry, and for 2 years Director of the Secretariate of Vocations.

On 23 December 2008 started a term as Provincial of Mexico Occidental.

On 3 October 2009 he was elected Counsellor General.

What are the 4 things that God is calling us to for a New Beginning?

The 20th day in Rionegro was a day of listening to what God wants the Marists to do. The lines of action were discovered for the Institute to enter its third centenary.

From Medellín: LaValla Interprovincial Novitiate Experience – Br. Luis Page

Dear Brothers and Lay Marists,

My hope is that you are all doing well back home in the United States. It has been a bit over a month since I arrived at the LaValla Interprovincial Novitiate. It has been a very full experience, and also a great time to learn.

Volunteering with refugee children from 5 – 12 months

A Marist programme of the Southern Africa province, which offers education in South Africa to around 275 children from neighbouring countries who have been turned away from schools due to their illegal status, received volunteers over the summer that will stay from five to 12 months.

The volunteers for Three2Six project now include Rebecca Bromhead, (development coordinator), Dhruvi Shethia, Ben Bugeja, Michael Stavrakakis and Vincent Salinos (Australia); Lena Krottenthaler, Sophia Falter, Marius Hartman, Daniela Alofs (Germany) and Ellene Baettker (Brazil).

They will volunteer a total of five months to a year, except for Rebecca who is staying for two and a half years and arrived over a year ago and Ben who will be staying for nearly two years and also arrived over a year ago.

All except for Rebecca and Dhruvi are living with a South African young Marist in the new Marcellin House Young Adult Community in Johannesburg.

Ellene, Lena, Michael, Vincent, Sophia and Marius are volunteers from the ‘Collaboration for Mission, International’ secretariat of the Institute’s general administration.

The programme ‘Three2Six,’ which was set up by the Sacred Heart College in Johannesburg in 2008, teaches numeracy and literacy to children aged five to 13.

The teachers, refugees themselves, offer the children three-hour daily lessons in existing host school facilities, with the hope of eventually reintegrating the children in schools.

The Sacred Heart College recently completed a winter holiday programme where the children wrote and produced an animation film about the experience of being refugee children in South Africa.

Leave something behind and open up to the world around us

To seek more intensely the peripheries

Cardinal João Braz de Aviz is the prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. Here his message to the participants of the 22nd General Chapter:

I would like to offer my heartfelt thanks to Brother Emili Turú for providing me with the opportunity to speak to you,  on this, the opening of your  General Chapter. As delegates  you will be with us for over a month and how wonderful that you will also be here as Pope Francis visits Colombia. I thank Brother Emili and all of you for this opportunity. As I review my relationship, I am reminded of the many friendships and dialogues that I have had with the Marist Brothers, I have made many joyful moments and much appreciation. As for Brother Emili, we have had many beautiful moments where we have shared with each other the beauty and the difficulties of the Church’s path and how they served as opportunities to  strengthen us.

Now, after a long period of preparation , you are entering into a phase that many of us are entering into, of looking for a Church that goes beyond itself , , of abandoning self-referentiality, to seek more intensely the peripheries, the so-called “existential peripheries,” which Pope Francis has pointed out so vigorously.

With this in mind, the charism of Champagnat is surely lived out in two dimensions: the first entails  going out to encounter children and young people, the poor and marginalised, the outcast, these are the most important because they a most resemble the perfect image of the Lord and also this spirit of communion  which the Marist Brothers and the laity (and all other vocations) commit themselves to in light of the charism of Champagnat. This is wonderful and a ministry that will bear much fruit.

Naturally, there are many themes that you are  going to cover within the Chapter, and we know, as the saying goes, “it is much broader than what we a expect . May this be a moment full of grace, of listening to the Holy Spirit, may the Chapter be a joyful moment for you allowing you  to see the new signs of life that the Lord is calling  you to consider.

May God truly bless  this General Chapter and your time together, may God give every Marist Brother, every Marist lay man and women, a joyful  heart and may this be a “new La Valla.”

2017 Faculty Retreats Begin

Several of our Marist Schools started classes in late August, and Monsignor Edward Pace High School, Christopher Columbus High School, and Marist Eugene all opened the year with a faculty retreat.

The retreat was put together by a committee of Campus Ministers and Religion Department Chairs at the Sharing Our Mission retreat in April. The committee decided that this year’s theme would be the ‘Gier Year,’ and the retreat is based on the idea of Living Water. The first session delves into the way Jesus and Mary were living water for Marcellin, and how Marcellin then became living water for the early Brothers. The second session then explores examples in our own lives of living water that encourage and inspire us to become living water for others.

On August 11, Br. Al Rivera and Maureen Hagan led the retreat at Monsignor Pace with help from Andres Novela, the school’s Campus Minister. The faculty gathered in their newly renovated cafeteria for breakfast, followed by both sessions of the retreat. The weather allowed for participants to wander outdoors during reflection and break times.

The Christopher Columbus faculty gathered on campus on August 15 and also began the day with breakfast in the cafeteria. The retreat was held in the gym where Br. Al and Maureen were joined by Father Richard LaMorte, the recently retired chaplain at Marist College. The local logistics and set-up were handled by Gerry Gonzalez, Campus Minister at Columbus.

The retreat was well received at both schools, with many faculty members commenting that they appreciated the opportunity to begin the school year in such a prayerful and thoughtful way.

August 29 and 30 brought Br. Al and Maureen to a brand new location – Marist Eugene! Br. Jim Halliday from Central Catholic joined them in offering the staff and faculty in Eugene an opportunity to re-connect with Marist roots, as the school begins the celebration of their 50th anniversary.

Br. Jim began with a presentation on the history of Marcellin Champagnat, and introduced his talk by saying how happy he was to be back in Eugene. He spoke about how the community there helped to form him as a Brother and as a person. He felt he spoke for the many Brothers who spent time there over the years. The participants from Marist Eugene definitely felt the same way – they were thrilled to have Br. Jim on campus again as it reminded them of the beginning years of their school community.

The retreat was held at St. Benedict’s Retreat Center, a beautiful location on the McKenzie River. The retreat was originally scheduled to be an overnight event, it had to be cut short due to the diminishing quality of the air because of the forest fires burning nearby. Most people headed back to Eugene after dinner on Tuesday, and the retreat finished up at the school on Wednesday.

The retreat was supported by Marist staff, including Campus Ministers Dr. Rick Martin and Julie Ferrari, Administrative Assistant Terrie Clemens, President Suzanne Graf, and Principal Stacey Baker. We were also joined by Jerry Ragan, Guidance Counselor, and John Stacy, an alum of the school, who cooked and served meals.

Again, the retreat got very positive feedback, with many folks expressing their gratitude for the chance to remember and reconnect with the Marist charism. We left them with many tentative plans made for visits to the East coast – and the welcome mat will be out!

Marist Mexico unites to help earthquake victims

Marists in Mexico are appealing for help after the strongest earthquake the country has seen in a century left 90 people dead on Sept. 7.

“In these circumstances, all kind of help is good,” affirmed Brother Javier Francisco Salcedo Camarena.

“We are planning a meeting with Brother Daniel Herrera (who travelled to Asunción Ixtaltepec, among the worst towns affected), to begin designing a solidarity campaign at provincial and international level with the information he brings to us and what he talks about, since the situation demands it,” he continued in a letter to the country’s Marists on Sept. 10.

The 8.1 magnitude earthquake, which struck off the southern coast, has also destroyed several homes and buildings in the Marist province of México Central.

The Marists of the province have survived the tremor.

There is no news yet of possible damages to the San José and San Felipe schools in the region of Istmo de Tehuantepec, or of the schools at the coast of the Oaxaca state.

Hundreds of families have reportedly been camping in the streets, afraid of the dangers of aftershocks.

The country’s east coast was then hit by hurricane Katia on Sept. 8, leaving two people dead in mudslides after heavy rain fall.

In Ixtaltepec, Oaxaca, the house of the community was destroyed; the school and boarding school suffered structural damage.

In the picture, Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto visits the Istmo de Tehuantepec region.

At the edge of waiting – Statement by Br Emili Turú, current superior general

In the opening speech of the activities of the Chapter Assembly, Brother Emili Turú highlighted four elements proposed as attitudes that should motivate the Chapter: at the edge of waiting, making La Valla relevant today, a parable of fraternity and Magnificat.

At the edge of waitingrepresents the state of those who contemplate. Contemplation is one of the attitudes recommended to the capitulants as a method to achieve inner freedom and thus to separate the voice of the Lord from the other voices that disturb the Marist ideal.

Making La Valla relevant todayis the Chapter’s main task. It is not a romantic attitude, but “trying to answer the questions that really matter, with a compassionate heart like Champagnat’s: where does the Church need us most at the beginning of the twenty-first century? Where in the world are children and youth most vulnerable and in what ways do we want to serve them as a global body?”

“Inspired by the Trinity, we want to make visible the miracle of universal fraternity,” emphasised the superior general. The small fraternities that will be created among the capitulants should be a living expression of the “change we want to see in the world.” The table, as in La Valla, will be “the visual image of the value of fraternal dialogue,” as it has been in the daily life of the Institute since the Chapter held in 2009. Accepting dialogue, contemplative dialogue, is a matter of life or of death.

Magnificat was the word used by Brother Emili to thank the blessings received by the Institute during its 200 years of history and the presence of Mary, “who has done everything among us.” The superior general also wishes to thank all the committees that prepared the Chapter, the Norandina province which is receiving the capitulants and all those involved in the work of the coming weeks.

Download the Statement by Br Emili Turú: English

A Marist heart for children and youths

As we celebrate National Vocations Awareness Week we look at the call to Consecrated Life through the vocation of the Religious Brother.

Vatican Post Office commemorates bicentenary

The Vatican post office, the Ufficio Filatelico e Numismatico, has designed a postage stamp for the Marist bicentenary, which it will sell from Sept. 7 onwards.

The stamp will cost €1 Euro and its release will coincide with the start of the Institute’s 22^nd General Chapter the following day in Rionegro, Colombia.

The design, by Patrizio Daniele, depicts Marist elements such as the Good Mother, Saint Marcellin Champagnat, the Cross, the table of the first community of brothers in La Valla, France, surrounded by Brothers and laity caring for children.

The general house communications office carried out the initiative alongside the Vatican, although the idea originated from the alumni of the Marist School San Leone Magno in Rome.

A Prayer for Labor Day

Lord on this Labor Day,

we thank You for the blessing of work.

We ask for strength to complete each day.

We ask for rest when we are weary.

We ask Your guidance for everyone seeking employment,

and we ask that You be with those whose faces

we might never see but who work tirelessly each day

for the good of us all.

Amen.

By Our Sunday Visitor

We are called to help all in need. Check out how you can help in Texas!

Catholic Charities is committed to providing Disaster Response and Disaster Recovery services to individuals and families dealing with the aftermath of natural disasters.

We provide response coordination and short-term and long-term recovery services in collaboration with other area Disaster Relief agencies, and by working with the Mayor’s office on their disaster recovery plan. This means first meeting emergency needs such as shelter, food, and medication assistance for those who have lost everything.

Continue reading…

European Marist Brothers under 50 meet at l´Hermitage

The younger European Marist Brothers met at L’Hermitage from Aug. 7 – 11, during which 57 brothers commemorated the three years of the Bicentenary preparation.

During the first day, participants engaged with the Montagne experience with the “Marist lives through the lens” project introduced by Brother Tony Leon. Later in the evening, they walked from Les Palais to L’Hermitage.

On Aug. 8, the Brothers focused on the Fourvière year with a trip to the Society of Mary and a visit to the Neyliere. Finally, they lived again the year of La Valla, when they could celebrate their vocation as Brothers once more and committed to become the light of the world.

During the encounter, life experiences where shared, and the Brothers affirmed they felt the fraternity and thanked God for their vocation.

Join us in celebrating ESOPUS In a new mission video

Young Alum Becomes Marist Brother

Our very own Luis Ramos ’11 will be taking the habit of the Marist Brothers on August 19, 2017 at 2pm in the chapel at Mount St Michael Academy.

Come celebrate and support Luis in his journey of formation as a Marist Brother.

Original article here

Prayer for the General Chapter starting soon!

From 1 January 2017, the feast of Mary the Mother of God, all communities and confreres worldwide are invited to pray for the General Chapter, which will take place in Nemi (Rome) from 20th September to 11thOctober 2017.  A special prayer card has been produced in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch, Portuguese and Italian. On the front of the prayer card is pictured the sculpture “Mother of the Journey”, depicting Mary and the boy Jesus crossing the desert on their return to the Holy Land.

Download the Prayer Card:

English

Français

Español

Deutch

Português

Nederlands

Italiano

Original article here

Let’s Choose to Build Peace

Marists Aleppo – FaceBook

On this Saturday, July 9th 2017, it is very hot in Aleppo. In the street that runs alongside our place, cars are passing as regularly as before.

That is the word “AS BEFORE”. I remember very well, during a 4 month stay in Bouake (Ivory Coast), the people always referred to the time of “the crisis”. Today the Alepins often use the word “before”. But, before what? Before the start of the war in Aleppo in 2012 or before the end of the combats in Aleppo, in December 2016? There is always a before, a comparison, a return back to read the reality of our life, the reality of the events that we go through, the reality of the city’s demography, the reality of the industry, the reality of the essential services such as water and electricity, the reality of the security.

Compare, evaluate and predict…These are the three terms that make up the fabric of the long discussions that we are having.

At the same time, there are now terms that come up often: the reconstruction, the rehabilitation of the houses and shops, the return of the displaced people to their former neighborhoods and so many other signs that indicate that we want to live.

These days are also days of important decisions at the city’s municipality regarding the improvement of the structures of the city and the return to normality: To open the streets that were closed or blocked, to install traffic signs, to remove the shacks that had grown like weeds on the sidewalks and the roadways during the war; the municipality has set up a special place where they can be installed. Taking advantage of the solar energy to illuminate the city’s roundabouts.

It seems like if we want to catch up the time lost by a war that destroyed the city and made it a martyr city.

Many parents were waiting until the end of the school year (in mid-May, in Syria), or the end of the finals for the middle school (Brevet), or High school (Baccalaureat) (In mid-June) or the end of the college finals (in mid-July), to return to their homes in the eastern part of the city. They prefer to return to their neighborhood, to their home, to what they have been forced to leave despite their wills. And there are those who have spent these years of war in Syria but not in Aleppo. Those who moved to Tartous, Latakia or to other cities. They came, they saw and many of them made the decision to come back before September, the beginning of the school year.

Can we talk about the return of the displaced?

Can we imagine that those who left years ago, will take the path to return? It is a wish. For that wish to be a reality, there is still a long way to go.

Continue reading…

Brother Rick Carey, of the United States province receives new position

Brother Rick Carey of the United States province will join the FMSI staff based in Rome in September, replacing Brother Mario Meuti who finished his second three-year term in June.

Br Rick, who will arrive on Aug. 20, will serve as FMSI’s new child rights and advocacy officer.

He has been serving as chair for planning for the United States province since last year. He previously served as principal (1992 – 1999) and president (2013 – 2016) at Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Massachusetts.

Br Rick also taught on the secondary level, worked in the areas of religious education and campus ministry, served in two provincial administrations as a provincial councillor in the former Poughkeepsie province, and as a member of various province committees. He has also worked as a member of the Finance Committee and chairs the Province’s Investment Committee.

After working briefly in Rome as the president of FMSI in 2009, he had to return to the United States due to a sports accident.

Br Mario, who has worked for FMSI since 2011, joined the second group of Lavalla200> International Communities for a New Beginning and will be going to Romania.

Brother Evaristus Kasambwe finished his term in office in FMSI end of June and will be starting as a formator at the Marist International Center (MIC) in Nairobi, Kenya. Brother Manel Mendoza is finishing his term in September, but his new destination has not yet been decided.

FMSI’s new international fundraiser and projects coordinator, Federica Debenedittis, will begin on July 17.

Archbishop Molloy High School Remembers Beloved Late Alumna

In June, Archbishop Molloy High School held a special event in memory of a beloved late alumna. Karina Vetrano, a member of Molloy’s first coed class of 2004 and an avid runner, lost her life in August 2016 after she was senselessly attacked while jogging near her home in Howard Beach, Queens.

Karina’s tragic passing touched the hearts of countless people both in and out of the Molloy community, and many reached out to ask what they could do to help. After months of planning by an event committee, which included members of Molloy’s Alumni Center and Karina’s classmates, Molloy hosted an overnight walk/run in Karina’s memory. The event also raised money to support the establishment of a scholarship in Karina’s name. The scholarship will benefit future young women entering Molloy.

The walk/run began at 8:00pm on Friday, June 23rd. In a dramatic moment, Phil Vetrano, Karina’s father and a member of Molloy’s class of 1974, ran the first lap alone while carrying his daughter’s running shoes. As he finished the first lap, Phil handed the shoes off to his son, and all other participants stepped off to begin their walk or run. The event went through the night, and at times through torrential rain, until 9:30am on Saturday, June 24th. Notable moments included the class of 2004 stepping off at 11:00pm to honor their friend (Karina loved the number 11), and the class of 1974 stepping off with Phil at midnight in a show of solidarity. In addition, many students and recently graduated seniors volunteered during and or participated in the walk/run, which was a wonderful act of love and support for Karina and the Vetrano family.

Continue reading…

Marist Youth from Australia shares a reflection on the Assumption

The feast day of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary is a day of Holy Obligation for all Australian Catholics. Hence, one can assume that this day must be pretty important, right?

Sure! But why?

The Assumption is one of many complex components of Mariology, along with other aspects such as the Immaculate Conception, being the Mother of God & Perpetual Virginity. While my formal Mariology is basic, as a lay Marist this feast day is highly important and influential in my identity as a practicing Catholic. While not trying to dumb this down, it seems an impossible task to discuss the topic of the Assumption fully in one post. So rather than delving into the important aspects of the Immaculate Conception, incorruptibility and the end of Mary’s earthly life, today let’s start by focusing on Mary as our model of being the first disciple of Jesus Christ. It is because of her unique relationship with Jesus, that today we celebrate her assumption into heaven.

In youth ministry, Mary can be a tough topic to break open with young people. However, she should really be our first and most simple model for what it means to be a struggling teenager. Furthermore, she should be our model of what it means to calmly discern and respond to the call from God, in a chaotic and menacing society. Young, terrified, alone, vulnerable…but open. Mary’s heart was open to God’s call, and so her response was so clear. Go in haste to the Hill Country. Biblically, to go in haste does not mean to run off wildly into the face of doom, conversely it means to respond clearly to a call with excitement and zeal. For a virginal young woman in Israel at the time, it would seem that there would be little to celebrate upon finding out that you are bearing a child. However, here is Mary, overflowing with the love of God. What a model of faith we have! In the Hill Country, just when you think it can’t get any stranger, Mary finds that Elizabeth, her elderly barren cousin is also pregnant…

So what does it mean to us, to go in haste to the Hill Country? Where is God calling us to go out and beyond, to lands that are new or strange? What is the unimaginable that God is gestating in me? And ultimately, will I have the faith and clarity like Mary, to respond with a ‘yes’.

In the words of St Marcellin Champagnat “without Mary we are nothing and with Mary we have everything, because Mary always has her adorable Son within her arms or in her heart”. Mary our good Mother, pray for us.

The mission and charism of the religious brother: an uncomplicated witness

Cardinal Tobin, Bishop Rhoades, Members of the Brothers Think Tank, symposium organizers, my brothers in religious life, students, friends and family:

I am honored by the invitation to prepare and deliver this address. My hope today will be to highlight – or perhaps clarify or maybe even advance a little –  our understanding and appreciation of the charism of the religious brother, or said another way, the non‐ordained male religious.

Continue reading…

Marist Youth International Gathering 2017: Awaken Holy Fire

In celebrating the 200th year being together as a Marist community, members of our family – brothers, sisters, fathers, young adults, youth, and laypeople, from the United States, Canada, Mexico, and more – gathered together this past weekend to ignite the fires in our hearts.
To fuel each other’s flames and grow as a community.
To share what love inspires us to keep the fire burning.
To listen to our Marist calling, and take that fire with us into the world.

The fire was lit. ?

by Erin Nahaczewski, Marist Young Adults USA

Reaching the Youth: Encounter Leader Training

This past weekend, about 25 young adults from St. Joseph Regional High School, Roselle Catholic High School, Mount St. Michael Academy, St. Mary’s Manhasset, and Marist High School Bayonne gathered in the chapel at Marist Bayonne for the first Encounter Leader Training for the 2017-2018 school year.

After the training was over, the group was joined by a few other members of the Bayonne Community to end the evening with a Taize Prayer.

Marist Charism in the Social Media

The Marist Institute celebrated the Feast Day of Champagnat on June 6th by using the hashtag #MillionMarists for the second time on social media. After over 5,000 posts more than 1,000,000 people were reached!

Since the implementation of #MillionMarists there have been more than 14,000 posts seen over 11,000,000 times by 2,800,000 people!

We hope to keep adding to these numbers, and to reach 1,000,000 people again on the third and final day to use the hashtag, September 8th, when will begin the 22^nd General Chapter.

General administration celebrates Bicentenary on feast of St Marcellin (Part 1)

Around 170 Brothers, laity and guests gathered at the general house for the celebration of the Institute’s bicentenary and feast of Saint Marcellin Champagnat on June 6.

Reflecting with UN members on ways of improving children’s rights

FMSI attended the ‘Global Conference on Children on the Move’ in Berlin, Germany, on June 12 and 13, to discuss with UN members and other agencies from around the world ways of improving the rights of children. Other participants included civil society organisations, donors, the private sector, government representatives, academics, practitioners, as well as children and youths. Continue reading…

‘Burn like A Star’

Over 250 students and adults from Marist schools around the United States arrived at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY to participate on the 2017 Marist Youth Gathering (19-21 May). Continue reading…

#MillionMarists reached over 1,000,000 people on St. Marcellin’s Feast Day!

A reflection from Br. Hank Hammer for the Feast of St. Marcellin Champagnat

Although the school year is over here in Chicago, today we celebrate the reason for our existence – the desire, motivation and action of one man who wanted to make a difference in the lives of young people.  Given the fact that Marcellin put his plan into action two hundred years ago, there is a danger of dismissing him as someone who lived in a world much simpler than ours, but it helps to remember that for the time in which he lived, Marcellin’s world was as confusing and frightening as ours is today.  Despite the many challenges he faced throughout his life, Marcellin came to understand that on his own he could not accomplish what he set out to do without a relationship with Jesus and Mary at the heart of his life and mission.

Is this not the same challenge we face today?  Do we not wonder if what we are doing is worth it; if what we’re doing makes a difference?  Do we not, at times, grapple with our relationship with God?  If we choose to see ourselves as the inheritors of Marcellin’s vision and legacy, then our conviction that our lives must be rooted in a relationship with Jesus, and Mary has to be at the very heart of who we are and what we do.

Marcellin is our “door” to a deeper relationship with Jesus and Mary.  Marcellin is our reminder that rooted in God, we can do more than we could ever imagine.

May this feast day give us pause to reflect on our need for God and to give thanks for what God has done for us and through us.

 

A Marist heart for children and youths

Brothers Today Secretariat’s project to commemorate the Bicentenary

Two hundred years ago the Marist Brothers were founded. Marcellin Champagnat founded an order of brothers committed to helping the young people of the world. As part of the Brothers Today Secretariat’s project to commemorate the Bicentenary, visual storyteller Conor Ashleigh, a former Marist student from Australia, has been photographing and interviewing Marist Brothers around the world. This is the first in a series of short film he has made. The theme of this short film echoes the original dream of Marcellin 200 years ago: Serving God through the service with children and young people.

Refugee Simulation for Sophomore Students at Saint Joseph Academy (Part 2)

The day started with prayer and I was here to fulfill my duty to the event. I did not realize that 3 minutes into the first activity, I’d be fighting back tears, but God has a way of speaking to us and showing us what He desires as He transforms us more into His image. I suppose that I still need a great deal of work.

Earlier in the semester, the upperclassmen wrote of time away spent in worship and prayer. I thought the tenth grade retreat would be one of those Holy-Spirit-filled youth services where everyone walked away cried-out and washed clean.

The Sophomore Retreat, however, would be a “refugee simulation.”

“Why,” I wondered?

Then in the first few minutes, God visited an indifference in my heart and gave me a picture of chaos–chaos that wasn’t centered around my little world at all. And He all at once answered the “why” inside of me.

It was big.

Students wore bandanas to represent families. My group was red, a Middle Eastern group from a war-torn village that was under attack.

Blindfolded, they were separated from one another and walked to different areas of a big gymnasium. Suddenly, and without warning, sirens sounded, and students were instructed to find those that mean the most to them in the world: their family members.

Students stayed in character. The disabled and young could not walk; they were at the mercy of terrified villagers. Some never found their littles and their infirm, but the siren did not stop. People of all ages called out frantically for their loved ones. They were panicked, confused, blinded by smoke — and I wanted to find a place to hide.

I wanted to be alone to cry my heart out or deflect all of my emotion and do something else–paperwork. But God said, “No.” There was sad music to face.

I was suddenly dropped into that chaotic Syrian scene that we all witnessed in the news last week. I didn’t see my students, but hurting people that live with a sort of horror that I have never known. Shortly after came the realization that being thankful that their situation is not mine is not enough. I can’t just feel blessed without knowing the antithesis of the blessing I live.

It means more than that.

God has given me retreat today from my routine to see a bigger picture–His.

I am cried out and I suspect He will be washing me clean from some junk inside of me that needs to go.

Today was a change from the usual and I learned something new — a different perspective on my journey. The sophomore retreat, I must admit, was not sophomoric in the least.

Written by: Ruth Poole, Teacher at St. Joseph Academy

Refugee Simulation for Sophomore Students at Saint Joseph Academy (Part 1)

In March, we were lucky to bring four students from our school to the LaValla Weekend in Esopus. It was an eye-opening experience for all of the students involved, and all of the adults accompanying them.

As a school, our main focus throughout this year has been on the Marist Day of Service. Because the Day of Service took the place of a service retreat for our sophomore students, we decided to change things up and do something different for their retreat day. On April 11th, we decided that we could try to replicate the simulation experience we had in Esopus, but under a different climate environment (i.e. no snow in Texas).

Before the simulation, we were lucky to welcome Sr. Norma Pimentel who shared her experiences from working at the refugee center in McAllen with Tomas O’Riordan. The CTM class led the simulation for the sophomores for the remainder of the day.

It was a powerful experience, even for some of our teachers who were helping out on that day.

We are thankful to the Brothers and the whole simulation team for having exposed us to the refugee situation in such a powerful way so that we could pass it along to our students.

Written By: Celeste Solis ’91, Director of Admissions

FMSI continues to support the Blue Marists in Aleppo and the Fratelli Project

FMSI continues to support the Blue Marists in Aleppo and the Fratelli Project, an educational programme for refugee children and youth in Lebanon. Its support also continues, thanks to FOCSIV (Federazione degli Organismi Cristiani Servizio Internazionale Volontario) and to its campaign HUMANITY – Essere umani con gli esseri umani.  (HUMANITY – To be human with human beings)

FOCSIV, together with six associates including FMSI, united in a consortium, supports thousands of persons fleeing from the war in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey; it places itself at the side of the people who are trapped in some besieged Syrian city; it receives and accepts in the Refugee Camps of Kurdistan, in Iraq far away from the areas controlled by the Caliphate and by ISIS; it is concerned and takes care of education and of professional  formation, of agricultural development, of health and psychological well-being, of disability and of the needs of so many men and women of the Middle East overwhelmed by these tragic years.      .

All the work is directed to, in behalf of the more vulnerable, the women and the children, with particular attention towards projects which have as objective the reconstruction of a sustainable future, in the first place, for the persons, and for their own Country of origin or of adoption, afterwards.   

A joint and shared commitment with the conviction that only peace negotiations remain the absolute priority, that the parts are called to commit themselves to guarantee the access to humanitarian help and that the Governments have to put an end to the hypocrisy of the financing of arms.

Marists from all five continents in the Marist Places

Over sixty Marists from all five continents found themselves together at The Hermitage in France in the first week of May. They included the two groups of Brothers on the ‘Senderos’ courses (from El Escorial and Manziana) and a group of 33 Marists from Australia (mainly teachers from Marist schools) who were completing the annual pilgrimage organised by the Marist Association of St Marcellin in Australia.

This coincidence allowed everyone to get to know other Marists from across the world, and also to have some prayer and shared experience. As both groups had planned to go to Lalouvesc and Le Puy on the same day, they decided that they would travel together, and to celebrate Mass together at the old High Altar in the Basilica at Le Puy.

Marist Chicago Students Participated in MMEA Film Festival

Students enrolled in Marist High School’s newly established broadcasting course participated in the Midwest Media Educators Association (MMEA) Video Festival at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville, Ill., on Friday, April 28.

All 26 students in the course submitted either an individual or group film project to the festival in categories such as commercial, documentary, movie trailer, public service announcement, school promotion, and more. While only in its first year of existence, the Marist program did not win awards, but the school’s documentary submission on the Marist Brothers in Chicago was a finalist. The video was produced by Omar Shublaq, Jake Alberts, Will Elenteny, and Dave Tischina. More than 15 high schools participated in the event.

“This was a worthwhile assignment because it was the first time students had complete creative control,” explained course instructor Noelle Trainor. “They were given category options by the festival and they chose which category in which they wanted to produce a video.” The students worked on this project for six weeks. They submitted a first cut of their videos, received feedback from Trainor and their classmates, made improvements, and then submitted their final videos.

“Although we didn’t walk away with any awards, I think this was a great opportunity for my students to get motivated for next year and hopefully win something next time,” said Trainor.

The broadcasting program at Marist includes a studio installed in the summer of 2016 and an array of equipment and software. Students produce a weekly news broadcast along with other video projects highlighting events and programs at the school. The plan is to expand productions and also cover live events.

(Story was originally written by Ms. Patti Arvesen and published on Marist High School Chicago’s website)

Ever Thought of Becoming a Marist Brother?

We offer the young men who show an interest in our way of life the opportunity to deepen their experience of human and Christian life. We help them to know themselves, accept and transcend themselves, and be converted to the Gospel.

Who are the Marist Brothers? We Marist Brothers are men who consecrate ourselves to God through our vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. We follow Jesus in the way of Mary, the First Disciple, always open to the promptings of the Spirit. Our call is to relate to others as Jesus did, as a brother. We live in community and dedicate ourselves to the education of children and young people in very diverse situations, with a preference for those who are the most neglected.

St. Marcellin Champagnat, a priest from France, founded the Marist Brothers in La Valla France on Jan. 2, 1817. As we celebrate our bicentennial, there are more than 3,500 brothers working in 81 countries on five continents. We directly share our mission and spirituality with more than 72,000 laypeople, and educate around 654,000 children and young people.

We seek out young people wherever they may be, even at the risk of entering unexplored territory where their need for Christ is evident in their material and spiritual poverty. We live in places where the light of the Gospel is having a difficult time in breaking through. Many efforts are underway to get in touch with alienated young people and the vexing problems they are facing. New communities are springing up to respond to their urgent needs.

Marcellin Champagnat, aware of the needs of youth, and beleaguered by many requests from all over the map, used to plead, “We need brothers!” Given the needs of young people in our present world, Marcellin would surely repeat his wish today.

My life as a Marist Brother offers me a unique opportunity to meet young people where they are at, companion them on their journey, and make them aware of Jesus’ unconditional love for them. My vows and communal life free and empower me to respond to their needs by simply being their brother.

BROTHER JOHN KACHINSKY IS A SCHOOL COUNSELOR AND VOCATION PROMOTOR AT CENTRAL CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL IN LAWRENCE.

View original article

Pope invites to find new places and ways of educating, and to be close to children and youth

On 10th April Pope Francis received superior general Brother Emili Turú in a private audience. In this interview, Brother Emili speaks about his encounter with the pontiff, who gave him a message for the Marists of Champagnat.

Why did this audience take place?

We are celebrating the bicentenary of the Institute’s foundation and, on another hand, the 22^nd General Chapter will take place in September of this same year in Colombia.

Therefore, we thought it was important to ask the Pope for a message for all Marists of Champagnat on the occasion of these celebrations.

Click here to continue reading.

Catholic TV Interview with Br. Rene Roy

Monday, May 1st was the first-ever Religious Brothers Day in the United States. Many different groups of Religious Brothers celebrated in various ways throughout the country, including feasting together and sharing in a prayer service. Our own Marist Brother, Brother Rene Roy, was interviewed by Catholic TV on topics ranging from Religious Brothers Day and the Marist Bicentennial.

View original article

The world’s biggest challenges, according to the youth

In a series of seven videos, youth from around the world share their testimonies of what they believe is world’s biggest challenge and what they think the Marist Brothers could do about it.

These videos are aimed at helping prepare the youth who will have the chance to meet with the Brothers during the 22nd General Chapter in Colombia in September 2017.

Brothers and lay people from the 81 countries where the Institute is present will have a say in this Chapter and be able to listen to the voice of the children and youth.

The videos contain testimonies of Africa, America (South and North), Asia, Europe and Oceania and are available in both Spanish and English.

View original article

Br. Emili Turu Speaks About His Encounter with the Pope (Part 2)

Discernment is objectively and charitably acknowledging your present state and facing up to it in the spirit of your founding. For his time, Saint Marcellin Champagnat was an innovator in the fields of education and formation.

He experienced for himself the need for love to highlight the potential that each child has hidden within. Your holy Founder used to say, “Education is for the child what cultivation is for the field. However fertile the field may be, if it is not worked, it will produce only brambles and weeds”.

An educator’s work is one of constant devotedness demanding sacrifice; but, education is a work of the heart and that is what makes it both different and sublime. Being called to cultivate demands, before all else, self-cultivation.

The Religious educator must take care of his own interior field, his human and spiritual reserves, in order to be able to go out to sow and cultivate the ground entrusted to him. You need to be aware that the ground you are working and shaping is “holy”, seeing on it the love and footprint of God.

By your devotedness and effort, faithful to the mission you received, you will contribute to the work of God, who is calling you to be simple instruments in his hands.

Finally, I encourage you to be open to the future with hope, journeying with a renewed spirit. This is not a different road you are taking, but one brought alive in the Spirit. Society today needs people who are solid in their convictions, who can give witness to what they believe in, and, in this way, build a better world for all.

On this journey, you will be guided by the motto of your Religious Institute, “All to Jesus through Mary; all to Mary for Jesus”. Have confidence in Mary and allow yourselves to be guided by her in her humility and service, her readiness and silent commitment. These are the attitudes that a good Religious and educator must transmit through his example.

The young people will recognise something extraordinary in your way of being and acting and they will understand that it is worthwhile, not only to learn these values, but more importantly to make them their own. Mary will accompany them in this project and, at her side, they will be confirmed in their vocation, contributing to the creation of a constantly evolving humanity, in which the weak and the marginalised are valued and loved. This future that they desire so much and dream of, is not an illusion: it is being built today, saying “yes” to the will of God, with the certainty that, as a good Father, he will not deceive our hope.

I thank the Lord and Mary, our Good Mother, as Saint Marcellin liked to call her, for the presence in the Church of your vocation and service, and I ask for you the gift of the Holy Spirit so that, led by God’s Spirit, you will bring to children and young people, as well as to all those in need, the nearness and tenderness of God.

Vatican City, 10th April 2017
Francis

Br. Emili Turu Speaks About His Encounter with the Pope (Part 1)

To Brother Emili Turú Rofes,
Superior General of the Marist Brothers

Dear Brother,

It is a pleasure for me to greet you and, through you, the entire Marist family on the occasion of the Bicentenary of the foundation of your Congregation during which you will celebrate your 22nd General Chapter in Colombia.

You are keenly preparing for this event with the motto “A New Beginning”.

This sums up a whole programme of renewal and implies a look at the past with gratitude, a discernment of the present, and an openness to the future with hope. Gratitude is the primary emotion flowing from the heart.

This attitude of thanksgiving is necessary in order to appreciate the great things that God has done through you.

At the same time, giving thanks does us good; it helps us see ourselves as little ones in the eyes of the Lord and as indebted to a tradition freely given to us.

You belong to a large family rich in witnesses who knew how to give their lives out of love for God and neighbour with that spirit of fraternity so characteristic of the Congregation which sees in the other “a dear brother, especially dear to me” (Philemon 16). These two centuries of existence have been transformed in their turn into a great story of devotedness to the children and young people you have welcomed from over the five continents and have formed into good citizens and, in particular, into good Christians.

These works of charity are expressions of the goodness and mercy of God, who, in spite of our limitations and blunders, never forgets his children.

However, it is not enough simply to reflect on the past; it is also necessary to discern the present. It is right for you to examine yourselves and it is good to do this in the light of the Spirit.

To be continued…

 

Cardinal Dolan celebrated Mount St. Michaels 90th, founded by the Marist Brothers

Timothy Cardinal Dolan celebrated Mass on March 27th at Mount St. Michael Academy in honor of the school’s 90th anniversary. Some 1,400 people attended the Mass, including Marist Brothers, who founded the school. He also acknowledged the 200th anniversary celebration of the founding of the Marist Brothers, and gave his appreciation to all of the Brothers in attendance.

During the mass, Cardinal Dolan was declared an honorary member of the Mount Saint Michael Class of 2017. After the conclusion of mass, he called the entire senior class up to the front of the gymnasium to take a Class Picture.

View the ‘News 12: The Bronx’ story on the mass here.

View original article here.

A book of living Marist portraits to be published in September

 As part of this year’s bicentenary celebration, the Institute is launching a book at the General Chapter in September with photographs of Brothers and lay Marists around the world on mission.

After travelling to 20 countries, Australian visual storyteller Conor Ashleigh was able to craft over 10,000 photographs of Brothers and laity working in places such as a prison in Malawi and a new postulancy in East Timor.

“Throughout the diversity of the Marist world, there has been a core sense of hospitality that has been profound and it’s been universal despite the different languages,” affirmed Conor on Feb. 22.

“I have been genuinely welcomed into Marist communities across the world and that has been why these photos have been able to come about,” he added. “It’s allowed me to just walk into the Brothers’ lives for just one or two days, accompanying them from morning prayer, during meals, and to their mission work in schools and community projects.”

This book, organised by the Brothers Today Secretariat, will include around 500 photos from Brothers and lay people from more than 40 countries.

Brother Tony Leon, the director of the Brothers Today Secretariat, noted that the images reveal “many hugs, many expressions of joy, the easy relationship with brothers and lay people, the sense of tenderness in the way brothers look at a student, the sense of mischief in some of the older brothers.”

“There is a lovely sense that ‘I don’t know this person, but I recognise something about this person as being Marist’,” he stated.

“We didn’t want to create a visual textbook that you consume, we want it to be something more reflective,” continued Br Tony. “It is a book that you look, you contemplate, one image at a time.”

The book aims to describe what brotherhood is in pictures and was inspired by the Vatican’s document “Identity and mission of the religious brother in the Church.”

Before the book is launched, Conor will host a photo exhibition at the General House during the Bicentenary celebration held on the feast of St Marcellin Champagnat on June 6.

The communications office of the General House has released a video, found below, with further insight into the project.

View original article here

2017 National Brothers Symposium

This year’s National Brothers Symposium was held on March 25, 2017 at the University of Notre Dame. Over 225 individuals attended and interacted with speakers, facilitators, panel members, breakout session leaders, and scribes who represented over 750 years as vowed religious in over 15 different communities/institutes. It was a very special day for all who participated. The commitment of so many religious brothers was inspiring to all in attendance!

From our Marist Brothers Province, Br. Patrick McNamara, Br. Al Rivera, Br. John Kachinsky, Br. Brian Poulin, Br. Rene Roy, Br. Brice Bryczynski, Br. John Klein, Br. Gerry Brown, Br. Chris Shannon, and Br. Sam Amos attended.

Read the Keynote Address given by Br. John Mark Falkenhain, OSB. Or follow this link to view the videotape of his talk, the reflections of the two responders (Br. Ton Sison, C.PP.S., and Br. Peter O’Loughlin, CFC), and the opening/closing remarks by Fr. John Pavlik, OFM Cap., and Cardinal Joe Tobin, C.Ss.R.

View original article here

Many blessings to our 70- year Jubilarians!

This year we honor 3 remarkable Marist Brothers who are celebrating 70 years of making Champagnat’s Dream a reality in the countless lives they have influenced.

Esopus celebrating 75 years

Pontiff acknowledges 200 years of Marist mission and life Brother Emili Turú received by Pope Francis

Pope Francis received general superior Brother Emili Turú at the library of the Apostolic Palace on April 10, in the context of the Institute’s celebration of the Bicentenary.

During the encounter, which began at 10am, Br Emili gave the pontiff a book of photographies of the Fratelli Project in Rmeileh, Lebanon, taken by Marco Amato in 2016.

In turn, the holy father thanked him and made a dedication in a volume for the collaborators of the Project. He also sent a special blessing to the Blue Marists of Syria.

Pope Francis delivered a message to the Marists of Champagnat, which will be published in a few days.

Students hear testimonies of refugees, have a simulation experience

Students gathered for the annual ‘La Valla Weekend’ retreat at Esopus, New York, from March 24 – 26 during which they heard the testimonies of Syrian refugees and had a simulation experience of what it could be like to be a refugee.

The students – from 11 Marist schools – took part in a simulation programme designed to create awareness, experience emotions and encourage them to be comfortable taking action on behalf of refugees.

On March 24, they heard the testimonies of a Syrian family of four from Aleppo who was part of the Blue Marist community for several years before moving to New Jersey last October.

They also heard the experience of Tomas O’Riordan, a Marist volunteer who spent the month of January working with refugees in the city of McAllen, Texas, on the border of Mexico.

On March 25, former general superior Brother Sean Sammon, reflected on the exploitation of children and how the Institute is helping fight these abuses in the United Nations Office of Children’s Rights.

The retreat ended with preparing the students for the Marist National Day of Service, held on March 29, and presenting each school with a handmade Marist cross to pray with on that day.

First Ever Music Ministry Retreat at ESOPUS

Last weekend a group of Marist Young Adults Gathered together in Esopus for the first Music Ministry Retreat. The group spent their time learning music for the Marist Youth Gathering, meeting new people, and devoting time to prayer and relfection. View more pictures from the weekend here.

Young Adult Reflection: Zach Schumacher

My name is Zach Schumacher, I am a graduate of Roselle Catholic and a Marist Young Adult. This past weekend I had the opportunity to go up to Esopus and be apart of the very first Music Ministry Retreat! Not only was the retreat an amazing opportunity to meet new faces and make memories, but it was also a weekend of prayer, reflection, and discovery.

The primary purpose of the weekend was for the music ministry team and anyone interested in joining to get together and start learning some songs for this years Marist Youth Gathering. I was very excited to get back in a room with all my friends and family and just have fun, but so much more came from that. Most memorably on Friday night we had about a two hour jam session right off the bat, and when we called time for a break, we all somehow ended up jamming some more and recorded about a thirty minute session of us all experimenting and taking turns soloing. It was such an incredible moment. I got to understand and connect with my peers on a brand new level, musically.

At the end of each night we’d recap the days goals and highlights, but most importantly reflect on why we were all there and what our calling was as music ministers. We as musicians, all have our strengths and weaknesses of course, but as a team we were able to pick eachother up and help where others fell short. God gave us all these gifts of music and seeing what everyone had to offer was truly beautiful.

View original article here

March 15: the sad 6th anniversary of the beginning of the war

On December 23^rd 2016, the nightmare ended for the inhabitants of Aleppo. On that day, the last convoy of rebels and terrorists, who had occupied the eastern and southern neighborhoods of Aleppo since July 2012, left the city to go under neutral supervision to a neighboring province, Idlib, which is still under the control of Al Nosra’s terrorists.

The Alepins were delighted about the liberation of their city. There was no longer East or West; Aleppo was once again, as it has always been, one city under the control of the Syrian Government. Only 15,000 inhabitants of the eastern neighborhoods were evacuated, at their request, with the rebels towards Idlib. The rest, more than 100,000 who were enduring the occupation without a choice, only because their homes were there, remained in Aleppo. They suffered a lot, but are relieved, after 4 years of terrorist occupation and 3 months of siege of their neighborhood, by the Syrian army. For the 1.5 million inhabitants of the western neighborhoods, which were under the government control, the liberation provided a sense of security that they had lost for more than four years: the security of no longer receiving mortars, propane tanks used as bombs and snipers gun shots. But, cautious optimism: bombs continue to fall occasionally on the peripheral western neighborhoods of Aleppo launched by the rebels still settled a few kilometers away in the western suburbs.

Read more here

La Valla: The Lighthouse, Letter of Brother Emili Turú – 25 March 2017

The letter, titled ‘La Valla: the Lighthouse,’ is the thoughts of Brother Emili on the Institute’s third and final year of preparation for this year’s bicentenary.

The Institute is celebrating the bicentenary on three dates this year: Jan. 2, the anniversary of the founding of the Institute, June 6, coinciding with the feast of Saint Marcellin and Sept. 8, with the opening of the General Chapter.

This marks the eighth and last letter Br Emili has written since being elected as superior general in 2009.

In it, he underscores the need to make space for contemplative prayer, which helps one live life with greater awareness of God’s presence, rather than living it in a superficial way.

Br Emili also describes La Valla as our “lighthouse that shows us the way,” a metaphor he uses to explain God’s presence within and revealed in prayer.

View original article here

Brother Kevin Handibode Recognized by Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

On December 1st, 2016, Cogresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen took the House Floor and recognized Brother Kevin Handibode, FMS for his 45 years of service to Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, Florida and his upcoming 60th anniversary of being a Marist Brother.

In his time at Christopher Columbus, Brother Kevin has served as a teacher, Dean of Discipline, Athletic Director, varsity coach (for 18 years!), Developmental Director, and Principal. In her recognition speech, Ros-Lehtinen called Br. Kevin the “Heart and Soul of Christopher Columbus High School” and concluded by saying “Go Explorers, Go Brother Kevin!”

View original article here

Marist Day of Service: Youth Participants

International Day of Service Mission Videos

On March 29th, 2017 the Marist Brothers Unites States Province will be holding a National Day of Service. On this day, all students in Marist schools around the country will be participating in local service work and volunteering their time and efforts to help those in need. At the end of the #MaristDayOfService, students will be voting to decide how the $200,000 raised for this event will be allocated amongst three different Marist International Projects. These three projects include:

1. Refugee and Migrant Children

Marist Missions in Lebanon, Aleppo, and South Africa focus their efforts on providing stability to children by supplying basic necessities, education, and a family environment including recreational, sporting and artistic activities. They also aim to improve access to education for children in communities where most miss two or more years of education and face language issues.  By providing refugee teachers access to fair employment, they hope to increase children’s sense of stability in their education.

Read more about Marist Missions helping Refugee and Migrant Children in Lebanon, Aleppo and South Africa here.

2. Displaced and Vulnerable Children

The Marist Missions located in Guatemala and Congo are aimed at rebuilding community structures and schools while providing a positive impact on the area and contributing to overcoming the social challenges of the region. They are helping community members achieve the quality and standards currently demanded by the labor market, the formal school system, and the universities in the area.

Read more about Marist Missions helping Displaced and Vulnerable Children in Guatemala and Congo here.

3. Unreached and Underserved Poor Children

Marist Missions in Bangladesh, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic are helping a population of children who have never been to school or are currently not in school, and trying to increase the retention rate of those at risk of dropping out. They aim to ensure education through an integrated program that includes primary school courses, food support, and building a secondary school with student hostels. They also are working to open a center for academic and pedagogical support for primary schools by training local teachers.

Read more about Marist Missions helping Unreached and Underserved Poor Children in Bangladesh, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic here.

Marist Day of Service from St. Joseph Academy

Video series from young adults and their thoughts on Marist, Part 4

This is the fourth of a series of seven videos in which young people from around the world share their testimonies of what they think are the biggest challenges of the world and what they think the Marist Brothers could do about it. These videos are designed to help prepare young people who will have the opportunity to meet with the brothers during the 22th general chapter in September. Each video is available in English and Spanish.

View Part 1 | View Part 2 | View Part 3

Video series from young adults and their thoughts on Marist, Part 3

This is the third of a series of seven videos in which young people from around the world share their testimonies of what they think are the biggest challenges of the world and what they think the Marist Brothers could do about it. These videos are designed to help prepare young people who will have the opportunity to meet with the brothers during the 22th general chapter in September. Each video is available in English and Spanish.

View Part 1 | View Part 2

Meeting of the International Commission of Brothers Today

The coloured buds in the trees and the warmer days are just some of signs of the coming Roman Spring which welcomed the members of the International Commission of Brothers Today to the General House. The eleven brothers representing each of the regions of the institute share various responsibilities in the various expressions in the animation of the Brothers life. Read more…

“Global Citizenship Project” 10th Anniversary

Ten years ago, in January, 2007, two members of staff from Lawside Academy in Dundee, Scotland, travelled to India to establish contact with the Marist Brothers in Mangamanuthu and Trichy. The aim was to find ways of offering assistance to the Brothers in their work with the Dalits in the village of Mangamanuthu and the Rainbow Project, set up to care for mothers and children suffering from HIV. Read more…

Champagnat Hall welcomed Marist Young Adult members who shared their experiences from “Dare To Dream: International Meeting of Young Marists”

On Friday, February 24th the Brothers of Champagnat Hall welcomed Marist Young Adult members who shared their experiences from last year’s “Dare To Dream: International Meeting of Young Marists” in Lyon, France. They each shared brief reflections on the celebration of 200 years since the Marist Dream at Fourviere.

President of Italy thanks Marists for “preparing one for life”

During an Institute’s bicentenary celebration, promoted by former Italian Marist students that took place at the San Leone Magno Institute in Rome, Italian president Sergio Mattarella and ex-student of the same school thanked Marists for having helped him prepare for life.

 “Aside from educating, transmitting knowledge and culture, this school and all Marist schools transmit the meaning of life, the preparation for facing growth, the joys, sorrows and difficulties of life and it is something that remains unchanged,” he told the other participants on Jan. 29.

“With the time that passes by, with the seasons that change, there is something that remains intact, which goes beyond time and will continue to go beyond it (which is) the meaning of life, transmitted by the teaching of the Marists,” the president affirmed. 

He thanked them for “for what they do, for these two hundred years of long itinerary” and for “what they are doing in our country.”

Superior general Brother Emili Turú, general councillor Brother Antonio Ramalho were among the participants, as well as guests from Mondovi, Carmagnola, Genoa, Milan, Viterbo, Manziana, Naples and Sicily.

During the encounter, five former students of Marist schools from Rome, Taormina, Giugliano, Genoa and Cesano Maderno (MB) gave their testimony, explaining how Marist teachings had influenced their life choices.

Mass was then presided by Father Carlo Molari who has celebrated Sunday Mass at the school for many years. The Institute’s director, Brother Daniele Pardo, then invited the President to speak on the stage.

View original article here

The Superior General participates in an encounter at the Vatican

Superior general Brother Emili Turú took part in the plenary session of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life on Jan. 27 and 28.

The plenary is formed by 18 cardinals, 15 bishops and seven general superiors. The Congregation invited seven superiors of female religious congregations to also take part in this encounter. Pope Francis appointed Brother Emili as a member in February 2014.

On the first day, the group met with the Congregation of Bishops with the goal of increasing dialogue between the two Congregations, in the light of the document Mutuae relations that describes the relationship between bishops and religious within the Church.

During the rest of their meeting, members studied the theme “Faithfulness and perseverance,” whose reflections will be made public soon as “Orientations” of the Congregation.

On Saturday, Jan. 18, the Pope received the participants. He asked the religious to live the community life intensely, renouncing, prophetically, to the culture of the provisional. (Read here the Pope’s text, in Italian)

A story published in L’Osservatore Romano summarizes the Holy Father’s reflections

View original article here

Video series from young adults and their thoughts on Marist, Part 2

This is the second of a series of seven videos in which young people from around the world share their testimonies of what they think are the biggest challenges of the world and what they think the Marist Brothers could do about it. These videos are designed to help prepare young people who will have the opportunity to meet with the brothers during the 22th general chapter in September. Each video is available in English and Spanish.

View Part 1

Over 5,000 seek refuge in Solidarity with South Sudan compound to escape death

Over 5,000 people have sought refuge in a compound of the Solidarity with South Sudan project, where Marist Brother Christian Mbam and three religious sisters of different congregations live in Riimenze, to escape the violence of both rebels and the government’s army.

As of Jan. 26, there are 5,056 internally displaced people that have arrived to the camp with the hope of receiving shelter, food and health care as numbers continue to rise daily.

They began fleeing their homes after government soldiers burnt their houses and killed people along the road between Yambio and Riimenze on Jan. 1.

The soldiers had assumed they were sheltering or supporting the Sudan People’s Liberation Army guerrilla since the guerilla had tried to recruit new members in 2016.

Executive director of the Solidarity with South Sudan project, De La Salle Brother Bill Firman, told the Marist Brothers communications office that “there is far too much fear in South Sudan.”

“All these people want is to return to their simple homes and live in peace (and) we support that,” he wrote on Jan. 29. “I suspect that what has happened in Riimenze has happened in other parts of South Sudan but it is not being reported.”

He stressed that “all the Government has to do is allow the people to go back to their homes and to their subsistence agriculture and for the rebels to leave them alone.”

Br Bill, based in Juba, affirms neither the rebels nor the government soldiers have threatened members of the project at the compound nor their large farm, which includes animals. It is believed neither of them will go inside the compound.

Solidarity with South Sudan (www.solidarityssudan.org) – a partnership with over 23 religious congregations – is located in Riimenze, Wau, Yambio and Juba. It was initially set up to train teachers, nurses, midwives, local farmers and community leaders, but is now having to feed and look after internally displaced people.

“It is not the mission we planned but it is the one that now confronts us,” stated Br Bill, who knows many of the victims. “We pray that the local people may be allowed to go home before the wet season sets in.”

Project members have set up a temporary clinic with a nurse, a midwife and two helpers. The “tukuls,” which are traditional kitchens, are now used for the mothers and babies after delivering or for those who are very sick needing drips.

They have also built 16 bathrooms with cemented floor and iron sheets around, as well as four toilets. Drinking water has been provided every day in plastic containers as much as possible and Médecins Sans Frontières is visiting to hand out powder to purify the water and vaccinations, and other NGOs are getting involved.

A visitor told Br Bill that “there is still lot of fear as rebels and soldiers sometimes come or pass the camp and every evening smoke is blowing to every corner in and outside the camp like light clouds.”

View original article here

Dame-Marie, three months after the hurricane Matthew

We share the witness of Br. Frantzley Exama, from Haiti, who describes how the School Our Lady of Fatima, in Dame-Marie, has succeeded in being creative and in finding the strength to overcome the tragedy provoked by the hurricane Matthew and how it has headed towards a new beginning. 

---

The Marist world has shown itself very generous and in great solidarity towards us after the passage of the hurricane Matthew.  Thank you, whole heartedly, to all those who support the Marist communities and works in Haiti.  We feel this fraternal communion which makes of us brothers and friends.

Here, in Dame-Marie, three months after the hurricane Matthew, the basic services are resuming little by little.  Our two Schools Nativity and Fatima which are still under re-construction have re-opened their door causing the greatest joy to the pupils and their parents.    Those were days of hard work in order to make the sun of hope shine again.  During all this time there have been also some very beautiful local initiatives of cooperation which we have lived.   For example, with the support of the Marist community of Dame-Marie, the professors of Fatima decided to create a school garden.   We have cleaned, moved the earth with the spade, and prepared the earth to sow the seeds.   Then, we have created a context of learning for our pupils outside the walls of the classroom and through example and practice.   We share our experiences and our knowledge in a community “kombit” (corvee – a working party) in an atmosphere of simplicity and joy.  We take care of our pupils, of our garden, of our dear Haiti.  Our educators feel proud to share with you their own experience.

After the cyclone Matthew passed by which devastated four geographic departments of the country particularly ours, the department of the Grand’Anse, unthinkable that we would let our feet drag, but we decided to set up certain activities and the priority was given to the creation of a school garden.

Why a school garden? 

Taking into account the losses that have been registered on the agricultural level and considering the problems of economic order, the school could not function.  Then conscious of the situation, the teaching team of the Congregation National School Our Lady of Fatima met and took the initiative to begin the garden on October 20, 2016.  They prepared and made available a piece of land, 25 m. long and 5 m. wide; this garden bears the name of « garden of hope ».  There we plant products such as: tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, chili, peppers, and eggplant.   Our greatest concern and care was not to be lazy and let go, for it is necessary to begin to work, to plant, to reconstruct.  In doing this, we give our pupils the example of courage, of knowing how to do and of knowing how to be.  We teach them to adopt an attitude of knowing how to face a situation after a catastrophe.  It is necessary to continue to live to work in order to be able to take care of our needs.

The harvest that we will get will serve to improve the nourishment for the children in the school cafeteria.  The profit which we will get will be destined to cover certain cultural and social recreational expenses for the children.  Placing apart the question of nourishment, we then consider some educational notions such as: participation in decision making, the capacity to assume responsibilities, collaboration, and the improvement of the urban environment.   In this way, lessons are given: the observation of natural sciences (germination and reproduction), mathematics, the sciences of environment.  The Garden of Hope is an experience and a tool of practical learning in which the children can reproduce at home the school garden.  In this way they can produce some food for themselves and for others and prosper in their corner of the country.

It is always good to be useful to oneself and to others.   In order to achieve this, it is necessary to be a artisan determined to overcome the difficulties that present themselves.  We must finish with the attitude of always waiting or expecting that others give us everything; it is necessary to make a personal effort before asking for the help of others.  The pupils and the educators certainly drew great profit from this experience.

Your support and your advice will be most useful and we will give hope of a very fruitful harvest.  “Let us dig and plant joyfully”… let us produce together!

View original article here

Related articles

Haiti: How is the island a month after hurricane Matthew?
The population of Haiti bears the consequences of hurricane Matthew

New Book! Life after Youth: The story of one man’s journey through the transition at midlife Author: Seán Sammon, FMS

Print press: CreateSpace
United States – 01/2017 – 108 pp.

Autumn is a bittersweet time. Marked by signs of death as well as the fullness of life, it is the season that I most associate with midlife. For both autumn and the middle years include a time of harvest, of plenitude; the two are also marked by evident changes and a test of faith. Regardless of our chosen way of life, more often than not, midlife is a time for second thoughts, for facing limited in ourselves and others, for embracing the consequences of choices made earlier in life. Likewise, it is also a time for giving thanks, for living a life enriched by experience, for appreciating the gift of deeper self-understanding and the rewards that come with self-transcendence. These years provide you and me with an opportunity to attend to those parts of ourselves that were neglected or inhibited during the earlier years of life. An perhaps, for the first time, some of us have a chance to begin to make that change of heart about which we have spoken so often and for which so many of us continue to say that we long. Amazon

Video series from young adults and their thoughts on Marist

This is the first of a series of seven videos in which young people from around the world share their testimonies of what they think are the biggest challenges of the world and what they think the marist brothers could do about it. These videos are designed to help prepare young people who will have the opportunity to meet with the brothers during the 22th general chapter in September. Each video is available in English and Spanish.

They are just children, not slaves

February 8 will mark the third year that Catholics worldwide observe as ‘International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking.’

The initiative is promoted by the Pontifical Council of Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace and the The Unions of Superiors and Superiors General of Religious Institutes.

During the First International Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking, in 2015, Pope Francis noted that he encouraged “those who work helping the men, women and children who are enslaved, exploited, abused as instruments of work or pleasure, who are often tortured and mutilated.”

“It is my hope that government leaders may work decisively to remove the causes of this disgraceful scourge, it is a scourge unworthy of society,” the pontiff continued. “May each one of us feel committed to being a voice for our brothers and sisters, who have been humiliated in their dignity.”

February 8 coincides with the Feast of Saint Josephine Bakhita, a Sudanese slave, freed, who became a Canossian nun, and was declared a Saint in 2000.

Also known as ‘Mother Moretta’ (our Black Mother), she bore 144 physical scars throughout her life, which she received after being kidnapped at the age of nine and sold into slavery.

For more information on the International Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking, visit http://preghieracontrotratta.org

View original article here

Related article

Child Migrants, the Vulnerable and the Voiceless

Br. Dave Cooney, Marist Postulant Luis Ramos, Br. Peter Guadalupe and Marist Volunteer Tomas O’Riordan are working

Br. Dave Cooney, Marist Postulant Luis Ramos, Br. Peter Guadalupe, and Marist Volunteer Tomas O’Riordan are currently working a month-long mission experience in McAllen, Texas. They are working with Sr. Norma at Sacred Heart Church, which assists hundreds of immigrants (mostly mothers and children) from Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala every day.

Sr. Norma and members of Sacred Heart Parish were featured last year in a live discussion via satellite with Pope Francis which was aired on ABCTV. Watch this video below, or follow Luis’s journey through his Blog Posts.

View original article here

What did Marcellin Champagnat have in mind on that January day in 1817

On Monday, 2 January, a group of people from the Marist Communities in New York and New Jersey attended a prayer service at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City. Brother Seán Sammon gave a reflection to the group.

---

With the exception of the crucifixion, no scene in Christian tradition is more familiar to most of us than the image of the infant Jesus lying in a manger in Bethlehem. From the great artists of the Renaissance to the commercial Christmas card makers of today, this picture has been rendered again and again complete with a familiar casts of characters: visiting shepherds, wise men from afar, barnyard animals, and, of course, at the center of it all, a young and newly married Jewish couple and their infant son.

And, among the many characters who make up any traditional Christmas crèche, Mary the mother of Jesus has always been easy to spot. With the wonder and trauma of childbirth diligently scrubbed away, she appears as a picture of springtime freshness— hands folded, head bowed, eyes downcast demurely. How very unlike the Mediterranean peasant woman who brought forth a son in a stable whose destiny was to be the Savior of his people.

So, we must ask ourselves this question: What would possess us to transform the scandal of the Incarnation into symbols and scenes at once banal and prosaic? To mute its message and make it nothing more than a comforting tale of babes and barns, cribs and crèches, shepherds and angels that sing?

We can find the answer to our question in Mary, for we have similarly domesticated her, rendering her safe and risk free, unable to upset us and our understanding about the demands of faith.

Now, bear with me for a moment as I fast forward almost eighteen hundred years to a rather obscure village in central France by the name of LaValla. The revolution that swept that country near the end of the last century is now but 27 years and a few months old. It is January 2nd, 1817 and a young priest—the same age as the revolution—is about to set in motion a movement aimed at changing his world and ours. This twenty something young man was possessed by the same Holy Spirit that had captured the heart and seized the imagination of the mother of Jesus. At the moment, he probably didn’t realize that fact and wasn’t completely sure where he was headed but, then again, neither were the two young men who had joined him in this apparent foolhardy adventure.

A few weeks before he had bought an old house and did what he could to make it a home: building a table, beds, gathering other furnishings, simply cleaning up the place. But aren’t so many beginnings of greatness similar in form and style: youth, a willingness to be disturbed and to risk all, an apparent and absolute human need staring you in the face, as well as a faith that believes in the unconditional love of God.

And what did Marcellin Champagnat have in mind on that January day in 1817? What  went  through  his  head  that  first  evening  as  he  made  his  way  back  to     the presbytery from the small cottage in LaValla? What was his aim? Something quite simple: to help all young people—but particularly those at the margins, those who had very little in terms of material goods—to help them fall in love with God. It takes your breath away.

Similar to our Church’s approach to Mary, we Marists have spent almost two centuries scrubbing up Marcellin Champagnat, trying to domesticate him. But never forget that this founder of ours set in place the first stones of this Marist movement but seven months after being ordained a priest. He was more in touch with passion than burdened by prudence; he did not form a committee to study the idea nor worry whether he had funds sufficient to bring this dream of his to life. No, he simply did it.

So, where does all of this leave you and me today? We who have resources that he could not have dreamed of; we, who were we to open our eyes, might see the needs he would see today; we who keep talking about aging when a new generation of young people are longing for community, searching for mentors, hungry for the love of God. We must ask ourselves: are we, like him, willing to disrupt our lives, to be disturbed, to change, regardless of age, and to set out on an adventure today that he would make his own.

Let’s not romanticize the past. Make no mistake about it: there has never been a golden age in the history of our Institute. From day one, every period has had its crises. Marcellin and our early brothers contended with Cardinal Fesch, Vicar General Bochard, Father Corveille, as well as hateful gossip. In 1903, the laws of secularization  in France led to our suppression as an Institute in that country; well over 100 brothers  as well as lay Marists were murdered in Spain during that country’s Civil War; six of our French Marist brothers serving in Hungary during World War II were brutally tortured by the Gestapo because they gave refuge to one hundred Jewish children and fifty of their parents; following the revolution in China in 1950 many of our brothers in spent ten and twenty years in prison at hard labor because of their faith; ten years later more than 275 of our brothers in Cuba had their institutions and belongings confiscated and were told to leave their country within 72 hours; our brothers in South Africa integrated their schools in Joburg, Durban, Elizabeth Port and elsewhere in defiance of government apartheid policies, 204 of our brothers who have lost their lives to violence in Oceania, Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America are considered martyrs for the  faith. In our own day, we witness the courage of the blue Marists in Aleppo, Syria. These may not be our crises but they are crises nonetheless.

So, rather than wringing our hands in today’s US Province and fretting about increasing age and diminishing numbers, let’s instead give thanks for the great work that has been carried out by so many brothers and lay Marists over the history of our Institute in this country. Each of them realized that time is the only real currency that we have and they squandered it on young people. At the same time, however, let’s imagine for a moment that twenty-seven-year-old Marcellin Champagnat arrived tonight at New York’s JFK airport, or Chicago’s O’Hare, or Miami International, or Boston’s Logan. Where would he go; what contemporary absolute human needs would he find; would he be able to identify the congregation that he founded two centuries ago? Of this much we can be sure: Marcellin Champagnat was a man in love with God; his heart had been schooled by the gospel and he wanted to share this gift with every young man and woman he met. Yes, he wanted us to be the Church’s experts on  helping young people to fall in love with God.

And so we must ask ourselves: is every institution that bears our name or is administered by lay Marists or brothers here in the United States, first and foremost, a center of evangelization, a place where faith is witnessed to and promoted? We must  ask also: in our efforts are we giving priority to children and young people living today in this country at the margins of our society? Our early brothers in the US joined with their lay colleagues and established a series of elementary schools throughout New England to preserve the faith among an immigrant population. Once these places were up and running, they often moved on to meet new needs in new places. More often  than not, they faced human and financial challenges in their efforts and quite honestly there were times when concern grew that there would be enough money to meet payroll. But they persisted. So, let’s ask: who are today’s throwaway kids and pledge to make a commitment to mark this milestone of 200 years by making sure we have a  home among them: kids from broken families, those who are victims of racial injustice, young people who are members of the LGBT community, those whose lives are  ravaged by drugs as well as those who cannot find a place in our Church or most existing schools.

Anniversaries are not a time for looking back but rather a moment for planning ahead. They provide us with an opportunity also to rediscover the dream that was there at the outset. And we are called to carry out that task today as brothers together with lay Marists. And so, let this Lady Chapel in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral this January 2nd, 2017 be our Notre Dame de Fouviere. Let it be like that small and simple space that existed in Lyons long before today’s stunning basilica was constructed.

And let us make a pledge here similar to the one that those seminarians and newly ordained young priests—who full of dreams and of hope and who had been touched profoundly by this simple woman of faith named Miriam of Nazareth—were willing to pledge, dedicating their lives and becoming her presence in our world, giving witness to the Marist virtues of mercy and compassion. Let us be her heart and her hands among the young in this our 21st century and let us set out to build the Marian Church—that Church with the face of a mother—that they dreamed of for their time and place.

Early on Marcellin Champagnat discovered fire; he realized, too, that fire has always attracted the young. Let us pray that the Spirit of God lights in each of us the fire of renewal, giving us the courage to be as bold, as daring and as in love with God as  was this simple country priest and son of Mary. May we, like him, be fire upon this earth making Jesus known and loved among poor children and young people. And so may a third century of Marist life and mission take root and flourish in these United States. Amen.

View original article here

Message of the Superior general for the Marist Bicentenary, Part 3

At the beginning of the third Marist centenary, the superior general offers us three words to reflection: gratitude, forgiveness and commitment. Three basic attitudes for personal and institutional conversion that enable the new beginning.

If you wish to sabe the video in your computer, download it from this website: http://pt.savefrom.net, pasting the link (https://youtu.be/-BcpZVHZGWc) in the indicated field.

You can find more information on the bicentenary through that link.

View Part 1 | View Part 2

View original article here

Child Migrants, the Vulnerable and the Voiceless

World Day of Migrants and Refugees is celebrated on Jan. 15 and for this occasion, Pope Francis has written a message titled: Child Migrants, the Vulnerable and the Voiceless. The Marist community “Lavalla200>” of Syracuse proposes a comment relating to his text.

“I feel compelled to draw attention to the reality of child migrants, especially the ones who are alone,” writes Pope Francis. “In doing so I ask everyone to take care of the young, who in a threefold way are defenseless: they are children, they are foreigners, and they have no means to protect themselves. I ask everyone to help those who, for various reasons, are forced to live far from their homeland and are separated from their families.”

Muhammad is not a child. He said he was 17, like everyone else does when they arrive, but he is actually 22. He is huddled in a corner of the room and it does not take much to realise the sadness that dwells within him.

In his culture, a man cannot afford to cry, yet when you take him under your arms and press him tight, you can see that little tear through dark skin that makes it all the brighter, and he tells you how he has had to leave everything and everyone in the hope of a better future that he now fails to catch a glimpse of.

He has left behind: family, work, culture, language … and now he realises firsthand how difficult it really is to live in that Italy that everyone depicted as an earthly paradise. He feels alone more than ever.

“Not only does this concern those looking for dignified work or better living conditions, but also men and women, the elderly and children, who are forced to leave their homes in the hope of finding safety, peace and security (…),” the Pope continues. “It is not unusual for them to be arrested, and (…) they can be incarcerated for long periods, exposed to various kinds of abuse and violence.”

Elmadani (he has also claimed to be 17) is not afraid of telling how soldiers would once a week come to his village to raid everything and rape women. He has always managed to hide, but when the raids became more frequent those at home encouraged him to escape, to run away. But the path that would bring him to safety turned into a gruesome odyssey. He saw friends die at his side, was forced to steal and prostitute himself, did several months in prison alongside criminals, got on the boat of salvation and arrived in Italy.

Elmadani is a good boy. He has learned Italian well. During these days, he will receive a residence permit and hopes to find a job to help his family. We still cannot conclude as the beautiful fairy tales of the past once ended, but success stories like his are unfortunately not frequent.

“In many areas of the world, reading, writing and the most basic arithmetic is still the privilege of only a few,” reads the Pope’s message. “All children, furthermore, have the right to recreation; in a word, they have the right to be children.”

Samir has just turned 18 officially, but he will admit to you that he is 23. There are no schools in his country and as a child he followed his father’s work in the fields that were never able to provide the family with enough food.

Misery is the norm for everyone and leaving home and leaving home meant one mouth less to feed and, in the future, a possible help for the family. He has been in Italy for more than a year. He can neither read nor write but manages to make himself understood.

We tried to convince him to learn to read and write, and for a while we thought to have succeeded: writing the letters of the alphabet for the first time… 23 years old, no documents, no prospect of work, with the danger of being deported… When I meet him and I speak with him, he smiles at me and tells me: “dad you understand me!”. Yes, I understand, I’m at his side, but I realise that this is not enough and that the future for him will not include all of the colours of the rainbow.

“Their precarious situation deprives them of documentation, hiding them from the world’s eyes (…). In this way, migrant children easily end up at the lowest levels of human degradation, where illegality and violence destroy the future of too many innocents, while the network of child abuse is difficult to break up.”

And I think of 13-year-old Abdul who is hospitalised. He cannot communicate in any language we speak: he only knows the dialect of his tribe. I visited him a few times, but I assure you that it is hard to be with him and invent something that could interest him.

But Abdul is fortunate because he is male and he is alive! Until just a few days ago, he did not exist. It was only after disembarking that he got a name and an age. How many children like him have vanished because someone needed their organs… How many girls were forced into prostitution…

I look at him and he smiles at me and I ask myself how the human heart can become so insensitive to the point of taking someone’s life away for one’s own interests. And to say that we all thought that Cain was character of the Old Testament!

“Lastly, I wish to address a word to you, who walk alongside migrant children and young people: they need your precious help (…),” the Pope concludes. “Do not tire of courageously living the Gospel, which calls you to recognize and welcome the Lord Jesus among the smallest and most vulnerable.”

In Syracuse, we are just getting started and we have chosen to walk next to underage, vulnerable and voiceless boys. We are at the beginning and what we do is really just a water drop in a big ocean, but we like to add that which Mother Teresa was fond of repeating: without us, “the ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”

---

Gabriel, Mario, Michael and Onorino

From the “Lavalla200>” Marist community of Syracuse

---

Related Article

Marist Experience of attention to the migrant population

---

View original article here

A New Marist Dawn, A New Beginning: Prayer for the 2nd January

On January 2, 1817 Marcelin Champagnat opened the door of the first Marist community in a simple little house of La Valle, in France.  Two boys were the first ones who became passionate for the proposal to educate children and young people, following the style of Mary.   During the past 200 years many doors have been opened with the Marist key and today we find Marist Brothers and Laity, in the whole world.  This is why we invite you, who feel yourself a Marist, to celebrate this resounding and great anniversary.

 

How?

On Monday, January 2, 2017, at dawn as soon as the sun comes out, we propose to you to make a moment of prayer, say “Good morning”, in tune or union with the Marists of the five continents.  Like Jesus, “in Capernaum, when daylight came, he left the house and made his way to a lonely place to pray” (Lk. 4, 42).

From where?

From: wherever you are – in the house or in an emblematic place, whether alone or in company, with the family or the community.    The proposal is to profit or take advantage of the dawn of a new day to connect ourselves with persons who vibrate with “one same heart, and the same spirit”; a new day, a new Anniversary, a new Beginning, a new opportunity to grow and to love.

Possible dynamics 

We propose you a simple and peaceful moment.  Look for a place where you feel at ease, comfortable, (a room, a chapel, a mountain, a bench in the city square…).  Breathe, sing, look, listen, ,light a candle, place a Marist symbol at your side… and read this letter that arrives to you following a tradition of Father Marcelin himself.    He had the good habit of sending circular letters to the Little Brothers, and among these letters the greetings for the New Year were never missing.  Imagine that today you receive this circular letter for you.

Dear Brother, dear Sister;

I hope you have a very good Marist Day. Today we celebrate two-hundred years of a dream.  This was a dream that gradually took form, little by little, in a humble home and with very simple persons.  This is a dream which two-hundred years later continues to be alive in the heart of thousands and thousands persons of very diverse cultures.  Congratulations!  Greetings because you form part of this Marist Family which is journeying with the will of transforming the world by accompanying children and young people.  Congratulations because you have allowed yourself to be touched by the message: “May charity always reign among you. Love one another as Jesus has loved you; that you may have one same heart and one same spirit. Hopefully it can be said of you, Marists: Look, how much they love one another!”

In this new daybreak, we thank our Good Mother for the gift that God has given us with the Brothers and the Laity, the educators, the fathers and the mothers, the children and the young people who here, and in the whole world, live happily the Marist charism. In the same way as 200 years ago, today we open the doors of our lives so that the dreams may become a reality.  Let us hope to be able to share and make them a reality with more brothers and sisters on the way, and that our Good Mother accompany us with the force of her tenderness.     

With the dawn of this new day, we renew the hope that a new world is possible and that we want to begin it here and now, in union and in tune with the Marist Family of the five continents.   Today, that once again “God makes the sun rise for everyone” (Mt. 5, 45), fill your life and that of those around you with light, especially that of those who need it the most.  Persevere in the vocation of being honored citizens and good Christians”.  

The Marist Institute was not born once and for all on January 2, 1817, but it continues to be born today.  What a wonderful task it is to collaborate, two-hundred years later, in the birth of an Institute, which is always unfinished!   Let us always love one another! And this during many years! 

The prayer may be finished with a hymn or a Marian prayer.

And now go to the nets! 

Finally we invite you to hang a photo of this moment on the nets with the common hashtag #MillionMarists.

Proposed by Prov. of L’Hermitage

View original article here

Photo Gallery: A Celebration at the General House

Related Artickle: Marists of Champagnat remember the founding of the Institute at La Valla

View original article here

Marist Experience of attention to the migrant population

In October of 2014, the first refugee Syrian families arrived to the Marist house Saint Joseph in Montevideo from Lebanon. The initiative of the President of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay was made concrete with the arrival of five families, all with reference adults and mostly children and young people; 42 people in total.

The aim was to create a space of intimacy, safety and comfort, and several teams of professionals – including Marist educators and people of other organisations – implemented projects so that the newcomers could help learn the language and the Uruguayan culture and start walking towards greater autonomy in order to integrate themselves the best way possible in society.

The first group was housed for about three months in the San José house, until a first evaluation of the process. From the start, the Uruguayan government provided for the integration of all migrants into the local education system, at the corresponding levels, and provided for permanent accommodation for each family, as well as work solutions for adults.

The Marists were in charge of developing two projects in the social and educational area. During the first months, before going to their definite families, the following projects were implemented:

Cultural insertion for adapting to Uruguayan environment, for getting to know the areas, the customs, the way of living, the country’s characteristics and the aspects of daily life that they must know to make their own decisions.

Recreational accompaniment to allow the deployment of skills and the acquisition of tools in a climate of respect and reciprocity.

The specific objectives of this proposal included:

fostering a climate of encounter, respect, work and reciprocity between migrants and recreators; promoting the development of the expressive dimension of migrants, through the exercise of different tools and resources; encouraging exploration and encounter with Uruguay’s natural and cultural environment, promoting reciprocity, exchange, respect and care for the environment; fabouring the discovery of the body as an instrument of enjoyment and deployment of skills; promoting teamwork, cooperation and forms of collective action, as a privileged means for the resolution of situations; accompanying the acquisition of playful tools that favour the social insertion of the migrants in the Uruguayan culture.

View original article here

Message of the Superior general for the Marist Bicentenary, Part 1

Brother Emili Turú, superior general of the Institute of the Marist Brothers, is sending all of the Marists of Champagnat his message for 2 January 2017, the day in which the Institute celebrates 200 years since its foundation.

At the beginning of the third Marist centenary, the superior general offers us three words to reflection: gratitude, forgiveness and commitment. Three basic attitudes for personal and institutional conversion that enable the new beginning.

If you wish to sabe the video in your computer, download it from this website: http://pt.savefrom.net, pasting the link (https://youtu.be/-BcpZVHZGWc) in the indicated field.

You can find more information on the bicentenary through that link.

View Part 2 | View Part 3

View original article here

Prayer for the 2nd January: A new Marist Dawn, a new Beginning

On January 2, 1817 Marcelin Champagnat opened the door of the first Marist community in a simple little house of La Valla, in France. Two boys were the first ones who became passionate for the proposal to educate children and young people, following the style of Mary. During the past 200 years many doors have been opened with the Marist key and today we find Marist Brothers and Laity, in the whole world. This is why we invite you, who feel yourself a Marist, to celebrate this resounding and great anniversary.

How?

On Monday, January 2, 2017, at dawn as soon as the sun comes out, we suggest you to pray, saying “Good morning” in tune or union with the Marists of the five continents. Like Jesus, “in Capernaum, when daylight came, he left the house and made his way to a lonely place to pray” (Lk. 4, 42).

From where?

From: wherever you are – in the house or in an emblematic place, whether alone or in company, with the family or the community. The suggestion is to profit or take advantage of the dawn of a new day to connect ourselves with persons who vibrate with “one same heart, and the same spirit”; a new day, a new Anniversary, a new Beginning, a new opportunity to grow and to love.

Possible dynamics

We suggest you take a simple and peaceful moment. Look for a place where you feel at ease, comfortable, (a room, a chapel, a mountain, a bench in the city square…). Breathe, sing, look, listen, ,light a candle, place a Marist symbol at your side… and read this letter that arrives to you following a tradition of Father Marcelin himself.

He had the good habit of sending circular letters to the Little Brothers, and among these letters the greetings for the New Year were never missing. Imagine that today you receive this circular letter for you.

Dear Brother, dear Sister;

I hope you have a very good Marist Day. Today we celebrate two-hundred years of a dream. This was a dream that gradually took form, little by little, in a humble home and with very simple persons. This is a dream which two-hundred years later continues to be alive in the heart of thousands and thousands persons of very diverse cultures. Congratulations! Greetings because you form part of this Marist Family which is journeying with the will of transforming the world by accompanying children and young people. Congratulations because you have allowed yourself to be touched by the message: “May charity always reign among you. Love one another as Jesus has loved you; that you may have one same heart and one same spirit. Hopefully it can be said of you, Marists: Look, how much they love one another!”

In this new daybreak, we thank our Good Mother for the gift that God has given us with the Brothers and the Laity, the educators, the fathers and the mothers, the children and the young people who here, and in the whole world, live happily the Marist charism. In the same way as 200 years ago, today we open the doors of our lives so that the dreams may become a reality. Let us hope to be able to share and make them a reality with more brothers and sisters on the way, and that our Good Mother accompany us with the force of her tenderness.

With the dawn of this new day, we renew the hope that a new world is possible and that we want to begin it here and now, in union and in tune with the Marist Family of the five continents. Today, that once again “God makes the sun rise for everyone” (Mt. 5, 45), fill your life and that of those around you with light, especially that of those who need it the most. Persevere in the vocation of being honored citizens and good Christians”.

The Marist Institute was not born once and for all on January 2, 1817, but it continues to be born today. What a wonderful task it is to collaborate, two-hundred years later, in the birth of an Institute, which is always unfinished! Let us always love one another! And this during many years!

The prayer may be finished with a hymn or a Marian prayer.

And now go to the nets! Finally we invite you to hang a photo of this moment on the nets with the common hashtag #MillionMarists.

View original article here

Brother Kevin Handibode Recognized by Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

On December 1st, 2016, Cogresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen took the House Floor and recognized Brother Kevin Handibode, FMS for his 45 years of service to Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, Florida and his upcoming 60th anniversary of being a Marist Brother.

In his time at Christopher Columbus, Brother Kevin has served as a teacher, Dean of Discipline, Athletic Director, varsity coach (for 18 years!), Developmental Director, and Principal. In her recognition speech, Ros-Lehtinen called Br. Kevin the “Heart and Soul of Christopher Columbus High School” and concluded by saying “Go Explorers, Go Brother Kevin!”

View original article here

Letter from Aleppo No. 28 (December 12): Moving Forward

As I am writing this letter, the vast majority of Aleppo neighborhoods occupied by the rebels have been freed; the roads have been cleaned of all that prevented the communication between one part of the city and the other. While many armed rebels took advantage of the granted amnesty and surrendered, a nucleus of terrorists (especially from Al Nusra Front) refuses to surrender despite all the pleas (international and local) to evacuate Aleppo. They persist and intensify the bombing of the western neighborhoods of the city.
We are witnessing a new displacement: thousands of families are leaving the eastern neighborhoods of the city and are taking shelter in more secure areas.
Several voices are announcing that before Christmas, the whole city of Aleppo will be reunited.

We are hoping that this will culminate in the end of hostilities, the end of the nightmare, the end of the fear, and above all the installation of the peace so long awaited for since almost five years (in Aleppo).

There will be a lot left to do concerning the human aspect of the city inhabitants, how to help the people to return, to settle, to trust each other, and to accept a reconciliation? What to say to the parents of the martyrs, to the wounded, to those who have seen their houses destroyed? How to look at someone whom we suspected to be our enemy? Should we have trust in a future of peace? What guarantees to offer to the displaced and to the refugees who have left everything and have settled abroad and have built their lives there?
What answer to give to those who are suspicious, those who doubt, those who announce misfortunes?

Are we ready to start a new path? If the long-awaited peace settles among us, how to awake people to their responsibilities, to their civic and social duties?
All those and many more questions cross our mind. Maybe it is too early to answer them but we have to share them and start thinking about them.

These days, the inhabitants of west Aleppo are going to the street to go somewhere else, where it was dangerous and forbidden. Some of them are discovering the reality of what has been their store, their home or their place of worship. The war has passed by here leaving its print: everything is stolen, everything is destroyed, sometimes disfigured or even disappeared.
We take some photos, we are outraged, we cry… we try to see if there is anything to recover: a souvenir, a book, whatever was forgotten by the lords of war. The people imagined the amount of damage, but the reality often goes beyond imagination and reveals to them the atrocities of the committed crimes.

There is still a need to remove land mines. A dozen of children tried to play in a public garden. A land mine took their lives…One should avoid certain areas where there was a combat.

The western neighborhoods of the city continue to receive their daily share of rockets, mortars and missiles. Death continues to wreak havoc. Fear doesn’t cease to grow. Three weeks ago, an elementary school was hit by a missile. At least 8 students died and more than hundred people were hospitalized in the midst of a shameful silence of the great powers of this world, and a brief and timid allusion in the media.

Few days ago, Dr. Nabil invited us to be vigilant: “The disinformation continues: some media report that “Aleppo has fallen” instead of saying “liberated””.
For those who listen to the displaced people arriving from the eastern neighborhoods of the city, and those who live with them, the fact of the liberation is not enough to express the end of the nightmare they have lived. They were taken hostage by the armed groups. They were forbidden to get out, to leave. When the army arrived, they were able to feel safe. They wanted to leave as soon as possible. What to do so the media reflects the reality as it is?

As part of its monthly day “off”, the leading team of the Blue Marists went on Sunday, October 30th, to four of the poorest families we take care of. This act was followed by a time of sharing and praying. We emphasized the importance of listening and respecting every person to direct us toward the most deprived families.

On November 12th, 2016, in a special program “Ajrass El Mashrek” = “The Bells of the Levant” of Al Mayadin channel, Dr. Nabil presented “the depth and meaning of the solidarity in time of war”.

The government of Navarre (Spain) awarded us the “XIV INTERNATIONAL PRIZE OF SOLIDARITY-2016”. The Marist NGO “SED” has nominated us. In a press conference on October 30th, 2016, Miguel INDURAIN, member of the jury, had presented the reasons for this choice: “In recognition of the Blue Marists work toward peace in one of the areas the most affected by the war in Syria, the city of Aleppo, and for their defense of one of the most essential right of the human being, the right to live, and for their collaboration with other organizations”.

Fr. Georges met with high school students from 3 educational centers. He met with adults and with people interested in the situation in Syria. He explained to them the reality of the daily life in the city and presented to them all the work of the Blue Marists. Many of those who listened to him expressed their solidarity with the Syrian people.

A question was repeated several Times “where do you find the strength to continue your mission?”. And as you can imagine, our strength is rooted in our faith, our faith in Jesus Christ, close to the poor and the damned. A Jesus who invites us to encounter the other, and especially the most afflicted, the most wounded, the most bruised.

A group of kids comes to meet brother Georges, asks him lots of questions and gives him at the end a small donation…an unforgettable gesture…a gesture of solidarity…a gesture that goes well beyond all borders.

The president of the government of Navarre and the director of Laboral Kutxua, encouraged the Blue Marists to continue their work. Brother Georges, in his thank you word, announced that this award is an honor to the blue Marists, but we dedicate it also to all of the war victims…The award comes at the moment when the city of Aleppo is suffering. This international solidarity stimulates us to resist and to continue our mission. Our thank you is a promise: “To stay, to continue, to be very close to the people who suffer”.

In a visit to Germany, brother Georges had the opportunity to meet with friends who listened in person to a direct witness of the situation in Aleppo. They discovered a different reality from what the western media are reporting and appreciated our solidarity with more than 1000 families.

For that, we benefit from a large network of friends who support us and pray for us. I would like to take the opportunity to thank them and tell them how much we appreciate their support and prayers.

At the end of November, we offered every person we support (and they are thousands) a pair of shoes and a set of new clothes.

These days, the chaotic situation of the bombings forced us to take, as a safety measure, the decision to temporarily stop our two projects: “Learning to Grow” and “I want to Learn”.

One day in November, following a missile that fell very close to the distribution center of our program “Drop of Milk”, the windows were all shattered. Fortunately, it was only material damage.

The water distribution teams are not stopping. In the middle of winter, despite the liberation of the water pumping station inside the neighborhoods freed by the Syrian army, the water remains unavailable as well as the power.

The training program of 100-hour “How to Develop a Small Project”, in which 20 people participated has been completed. The participants drafted their projects, and it will be up to the MIT jury to evaluate the best ones and choose two that will be financially supported by the Blue Marists.

 

We added a new developmental program to our list. It is “Cut and Sew”. Designed for women, the program was launched in November 2016, 24 women are participating in it. During 4 months, they will train in cutting and sewing for 6 hours weekly.

All other programs: distribution of food and sanitary baskets, distribution of blankets and mattresses, distribution of water tanks, rent subsidies, war-wounded civilians and the medical program, skill school and the eradication of illiteracy program, are running as usual.

On behalf of all the Blue Marists and all the beneficiaries, I invite you to start marching toward Christmas.
On the way to Christmas, we move forward…
We, people in search, people waiting, people of hope…
On the way to Christmas, we move forward…
Guided by a star, a star of peace and solidarity…
On the way to Christmas, we move forward…
A single desire guides our steps: to encounter a child, to encounter the smile of a child, to encounter the human in a child…
On the way to Christmas, we move forward…
With hands extended to the other, the whole other, the stranger, the displaced, the disliked one…
On the way to Christmas, we move forward…
And we sing: “Peace to the men of Good Will.”
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2017

View original article here

The upcoming New Year celebration brings much joy this year for Marist it brings overwhelming excitement!

During 2017, Marist Brothers will celebrate their Bicentennial! We will be celebrating throughout the year, and invite you to participate. For more information you can go to our Marist US Province page here: https://www.maristbr.com/marist-bicentennial or the Marist International page: http://www.champagnat.org/400.php?a=17

Bicentenary of the Institute and the #MillionMarists movement

On Jan. 2, the Marist Institute will celebrate the bicentenary of its foundation. The Marists of Champagnat have been preparing this historic event for three years making way towards a new beginning.

As in a triduum, the three years are giving us the opportunity to reflect on three aspects of the Marist vocation: the mission during the Montagne Year (2014-2015); Communion in the Fourvière Year (2015-2016) and, as of August 2016, spirituality in the Year La Valla.

The celebration of the bicentenary will take place in 2017. The general council decided that this event will be celebrated in three different dates:

* On Jan. 2, a date that connects us with our past, the General Council will celebrate it in different places around the world, to highlight the internationality of the Institute: in La Valla, in Nairobi, in Lujan (Argentina) and in Rome. Superior general Brother Emili Turú will be in Bangladesh, where he will attend the launching of a school for the sons and daughters of workers of tea plantations. On that day, the superior general will connect with all Marists through a video message.

* On 6 June, it will be celebrated in Rome to highlight our presence in the ecclesial community. On that day, the three volumes of the book History of the Institute will be presented and a photographic exhibition on the Institute today will be launched.

* On Sept. 8, it will be celebrated in Rionegro, Colombia, on the occasion of the opening of the General Chapter and representation of all Administrative Units of the Marist world. It will be a special moment of thanksgiving, of request for forgiveness and, above all, of commitment to the future.

Aside from this proposal of the general government, each Administrative Unit is organising a celebration for the bicentenary. The General House’s website will publish the different initiatives that are being developed in the Marist world.

Our communications office is preparing a video on Saint Marcellin, an application for Smartphones (APP) to highlight a New Beginning, and is considering promoting other initiatives. One of them, being launched now, is the hashtag #MillionMarists.

#MillionMarists

We propose using this hashtag on social networks. We inted to get one million messages, showing in this way how the dream of Marcellin Champagnat which began with two youths in the small house of La Valla has now become a large family made up of many people, including brothers and lay people.

We are aspiring to create an important movement in the networks (trend), especially in those three most important dates of the year: January 2, June 6 and September 8.

We will show our unit using the channel of social networks and sending a message for the occasion of the Institute’s 200 years through #MillionMarists.

We can spread this call in fraternities, in schools and in all areas of Marist mission.

We ask the support of the Administrative Units and especially of their communication teams, to help spread this initiative.

View original article here

A sign of a “New Beginning”

The couple Tin (ex-postulant FMS) and Huong named their newly born boy with the holy name Champagnat! It’s tradition for Catholics in Vietnam to add a holy name in their children’s name.

The couple appreciates our Founder Saint Marcellin Champagnat and the Congregation. May God bless the “new Champagnat” as well his parents.

View original article here

The Blue Marists receive the International Award Navarra to Solidarity 2016

Marist Brother Georges Sabe, from the Marist Mediterranean Province, on December 2 received in Pamplona (Navarra) the ‘International Award Navarra to Solidarity 2016’ for the work which the Blue Marists carry out in the city of Aleppo, Syria, in which they risk their life in taking care of the victims of the war, both those who are resident there in the city of Aleppo as those displaced from other zones of the country.

At the moment of granting this award, the jury has taken into account their work and that of the volunteer persons who work with them in networking with other Christian, Muslim and non-denominational Organizations, as well as the fact that they have remained in Aleppo once the war began, continuing in this way their long path of attention to the vulnerable population.

Brother George, who thanked for the granting of the award, hopes above all, that this will serve to awaken consciences regarding this critical situation, lived in Syria and the need to reach an international agreement so that violence will cease.   “The war in Aleppo is a new wall of shame, similar to that of Berlin, but with the aggravating result of deaths, of the separation of many families who have remained separated.  We have to obtain that this war ends”.

The Blue Marists wish to allocate the donation of the Award, 15,000 Euros, to programs of humanitarian and emergency help for the refugees of the Syrian conflict, as well as for educational programs for children, boys and girls.

Brother George, who received a warm, enthusiastic acclamation from the assisting public, spoke about his denomination of Marists, as well as the complement of Blue, which he has acquired, because this is the way that in July 2012 the children began to call us in Aleppo.  “We have the charism of Marcelin Champagant as a point of reference in everything we do.   And, when the war broke out in Syria, we were collaborating in a Center with the children in Aleppo and we wore blue T-shirts and, since then, they identified us with them: ‘The Blues help us to study, the Blues help us when there is an attack,  the Blues play with us, in spite of the bombs… And it seemed curious to us and at the same time illustrative, since the first Marist Brothers, during the first years of foundation, wore a blue jacket”.

The International Award Navarra of Solidarity, jointly granted by the floral Government of Navarra and the Banking entity Laboral Kutxa, distinguishes those institutions, organizations or persons that stand out in any of the aspects of international cooperation.

The candidature of the Blue Marists for the International Award Navarra of Solidarity was presented by the ONGD Solidarity, Education and Development (SED)

View original article here

Brother Kevin Handibode Recognized by Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

On December 1st, 2016, Cogresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen took the House Floor and recognized Brother Kevin Handibode, FMS for his 45 years of service to Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, Florida and his upcoming 60th anniversary of being a Marist Brother.

In his time at Christopher Columbus, Brother Kevin has served as a teacher, Dean of Discipline, Athletic Director, varsity coach (for 18 years!), Developmental Director, and Principal. In her recognition speech, Ros-Lehtinen called Br. Kevin the “Heart and Soul of Christopher Columbus High School” and concluded by saying “Go Explorers, Go Brother Kevin!”

View original article here

New Mobile App enables fast access to Marist world news and pictures

To communicate more efficiently the Marist life, the Institute needs to use the new technologies of communication, that are constantly being created, with greater boldness.

Mobile phones are slowly substituting computers. There are increasingly less visits to websites and news circulate in social networks and in mobile applications. The message is the same, but other means are being used.

The Institute’s communication press office has developed an App, available for Androids (Google Play) and for iPhones (App Store), which offers news, images and Marist thoughts for mobile users.

One of the concerns of the press office is to use all the existing possibilities, in a coordinated way, in order to show that Marcellin’s dream is alive and is reborn under different aspects, in all environments where the Marists of Champagnat are present.

It dedicates a great amount of energy to spreading the expressions of the Marist charism in different formats: the website, social networks, YouTube, the PDF newsletter and now through this application as well.

The application is available in the Institute’s four official languages. In addition to the permanent information about who we are, we offer three dynamic sections: news, a picture of the day and a thought of the day.

Each day that information is introduced, the mobile phone receives an alert.

To download the application, go to Google Play with your mobile phone or App Store if you have an iPhone. Search for “Maristas” and download the application with the Bicentenary logo. The language of the application will automatically be the one of the mobile phone.

Haiti: How is the island a month after hurricane Matthew?

A month after hurricane Matthew hit the southwestern part of the island of Haiti, the situation of thousands of displaced people remains critical. External humanitarian aid is insufficient and, when it arrives, it is slow and spaced out in time, due to the challenges in its distribution, as well as to the state of the roads.

Today the island is experiencing the worst humanitarian crisis since the earthquake of 2010, in which an estimated 50,000 children lost their homes and now live in temporary shelters. It is also estimated that approximately 100,000 children have not been able to return to school.

The Marist world in Haiti

Marist Brothers who reside in the island have been working tirelessly to serve and help our communities. In a first moment, it was difficult to assess the damage due to the difficulty of communication with the communities of Jéremie, Latibolière, Dame-Marie and Les Cayes, whose inhabitants have lost everything. Later, they realised that the three Marist schools on the island had been severely damaged, with fallen ceilings, broken windows, ruined walls, destroyed solar panels and broken or missing water tanks. In addition, many houses of the affected populations, including those of the same brothers and their families, had damages that varied between small and very severe. In the most serious cases, some houses were completely destroyed and others are still uninhabitable, due to damage to the foundations, walls, ceilings and water tanks.

Status of the “Solidarity for Haiti” Campaign – Mexico Occidental

It will be one month this week since the “Solidarity for Haiti” campaign began. Support of the Marist schools of the Mexico Occidental province has been requested by means of the campaign in order to join their communities to this work of solidarity with the Haitian people.

In this context, we have already managed to send some aid to our brothers, with the aim of beginning the most urgent work. We are very proud to communicate that the campaign has had an echo both nationally and internationally, with the participation of the schools of our sister province, Mexico Central, as well as Fundación Marista Solidaridad, Educación, Desarrollo (SED) and Marist International Solidarity Foundation Onlus for the benefit of children (FMSI) who are also supporting us with rebuilding schools in Dame-Marie and Latibolière.

However, to date we have raised just 15% of the budget needed to fix the Marist works in Haiti and ensure that our children can continue to study.

Reconstruction work on the island

Wood, nails and metal sheets have been purchased to date through the money that has been raised so far in order to begin the reconstruction of the schools in Dame-Marie and Latibolière, and the necessary local labour has been recruited. (Bulletin presented by Solidaridad Marista AC – México Occidental Province – 9 November)

A New Beginning Project

The district of Asia is receiving five new missionaries – four brothers and a laywoman – from Cameroon, Venezuela, Bolivia, Canada and the United States.

The five Marists had been part of the first group of nineteen brothers and lay people that received formation in May and June to prepare themselves as new members of the LaValla200> International Communities for a New Beginning Project.

Their destination countries are the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Cambodia and another country.

The LaValla200> missionaries have started to arrive to their new communities, which superior general Brother Emili Turú assigned them to on June 28.

The other 15 will be going to Amazonia (Brazil), East Harlem (United States), Sicily (Italy), Rome (Italy) and Mount Druitt in Sydney (Australia).

The missionaries moving to Asia belong to the provinces of Santa Maria de los Andes, United States, Canada and Norandina, as well as to the West Africa District.

Guatemala: 100 years old: Br Alberto Castrillo Tablado

On the 19th of this month, Br Alberto Castrillo Tablado, of the Province of Central America, celebrates 100 years of life. The community of the Provincial house in Guatemala and the whole Institute celebrates this centenary of a life dedicated to the ideals of Fr Champagnat.

Br Alberto was born in Palacios de la Sierra, Burgos, Spain. His first appointment was to Cuba. He has spent most of his life in El Salvador, especially in the city of Santa Ana.

Those who know him well describe him as a simple brother, warm and with a big heart, very much aware of what is happening around him, a man of a deep spirituality, much appreciated by his ex-students.

Br Emili, in the letter he sent to express his good wishes, told Br Alberto that “your fidelity to your vocation is, at the same time, a wonderful sign of the FIDELITY of the Lord to you and to each one of us”.

MBCE Cemetery Rededication

Earlier this year, the Marist Brothers Center in Esopus began planning an expansion plan for the Marist Brothers Cemetery on the property. In the following months, the cemetery underwent major renovations thanks to the vision, dedication, and hard work of Br. Owen Ormsby, Mr. Michael Trainor, and Mr. Tom Brophy. Following the conclusion of the expansion work, the Marist Brothers held a special prayer service on the feast of All Souls Day where they rededicated the cemetery. Leading the prayer service was Father Gene Grohe, and more than forty Brothers and Lay Marists were in attendance. Br. Patrick McNamara offered words of gratitude on behalf of the province to all who have made and continue to make the sacred space even more beautiful.

Youth say Marist Charism is to ‘Love Jesus and Talk in the Way of Mary’ (Part 3)

In this new video, discover what the youth think about the Marist charism and St Marcellin Champagnat. We will present a series of the video in the next few weeks, if you would like to view the entire video in english/spanish please click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu6MHMmS4cI

View Part 1 | View Part 2

Youth say Marist Charism is to ‘Love Jesus and Talk in the Way of Mary’ (Part 2)

In this new video, discover what the youth think about the Marist charism and St Marcellin Champagnat. We will present a series of the video in the next few weeks, if you would like to view the entire video in english/spanish please click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu6MHMmS4cI

View Part 1

Sharing Our Call

The first Sharing Our Call of the year was held at Esopus on Oct. 16-18, with 20 participants from 7 schools, as well as the MBCE and the Province Communications Office. Central Catholic, Mount St. Michael Academy, Marist Bayonne, Christopher Columbus, St Joseph Academy and Marist Chicago all were represented.

It was particularly exciting to have Marist Eugene (Oregon) join us, as they seek to possibly re-connect with the Marists of the USA. President Suzanne Graf and Campus Minister Rick Martin were happy to be here, meeting colleagues from around the country. Religion, language and math teachers, IT and Development Directors, as well as administrators all were represented. Our thanks to the presenters, who all had quite an impact on the participants. They included  Br.Dan O’Riordan, Br. Don Bisson, Br.Hank Hammer,Ms Alice Miesnick, Br Al Rivera, Mr. Bob Linfors and Mr.       Matt Fallon. A few support people were on board, including Br Todd Patenaude, Br. Peter Guadalupe, and Br Joe Matthews. Of course, Henry kept everyone well fed, with Br. Dan’s assistance in the kitchen. Br. Owen extended the usual excellent hospitality of the MBCE. Evaluations at the end confirmed this – “I felt that everyone made me feel as if I were at home.”

Revitalizing work continues in Brasil Sul-Amazonia’s museum

A memorial dedicated to Saint Marcellin Champagnat in Viamão, Brazil, has now around 1,800 objects and 24,000 photographs – a number that continues to change due to donations.

With the help of the Museum of Science and Technology of the Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, the Brasil Sul-Amazonia Province helped identify and number the memorial’s objects as part of an updating process, which began in April 2015.

“We still have to continue to build a mentality that appreciates historical assets in society at large,” stated Brother Jean Arcari, coordinator of the process and historian.

“This is one of our commitments because of the importance of Catholicism in the history of our country and in our state,” he added.

A museologist that makes up of the team in charge of updating the memorial, Gabriela Carmo, revealed that the museum includes several teaching resources the Brothers used throughout history such as slates, ink cartridges, pens, overhead projectors and microscopes.

Other objects worth mentioning include drawings that the Brothers used to teach – one of them in the old Marist school Colégio Marista São Francisco, in Vacaria in the 1940s and 1950s and had been made in Paris.

The paintings were teaching tools of the second half of the nineteenth century and early decades of the twentieth century.

The memorial, part of the Center for Marist Heritage and Spirituality, was created 18 years ago, an idea of Brother Armando Luiz Bortolini.

See more in portughese

View original article here

The population of Haiti bears the consequences of hurricane Matthew

Donate to help the affected population

After the tragedy of hurricane Matthew, which cuased over a thousand deaths, Brother Louis-Jeune Jean Mance, who lives in Les Cayes, sent news describing the situation of Haiti residents.

Below is a description of the situation, which was sent on Saturday, October 15.

---

I visited our communities in Dame-Marie, Jérémie, Latiboliére and les Cayes. The colour of the environment of the whole state of the Department of Grand Anse and les Cayes is a pale grey.

A week after the hurricane, I could arrive well to Dame-Marie. They already removed the tree trunks that were on the roads and cars are able to circulate.

When I reached my house, I could not follow the path towards Anse D’Hainault and they say that that city is even worse. Not only are there no paths, but there are also many cases of cholera and a lot of destruction.

In Dame-Marie, the trees are dead and the houses are destroyed. Not even the trunks of the fallen trees are left and the homes have no roofs left or have fallen completely due to the strong winds.

There is also a lot of heat and yesterday (October 14), the first rainstorm took place. One can only imagine how wet people got.

Many people, with whom I was able to speak, say the same thing. The city does not exist anymore, everything is destroyed. This is our reality.

They have no homes. They have nowhere to sleep.

Then comes the food. Crops have been lost and there is no fruit as the trees fell.

One can count the few homes that have remained standing.

The brothers are well.

In Latibolière, they have nowhere to sleep and despite this, they attend to some families that arrive seeking refuge with them in the lower part of the school.

I saw brother Parnel sleep in the truck of the community. He says he has nowhere to go.

The roof of the novitiate situated at the front of the chapel has flown off. The wall of our community fell in three different places.

Big trees fell down and there are no fruit trees nor vegetables left.

In Dame-Marie, the roofs of schools have gone as well as the roof of the residency of Fatima.

The damages of the hurricane are huge.

The house of Dame-Marie has been left standing, but three windows fell when the hurricane passed.

In Les Cayes, the hurricane has destroyed two homes. Everything they own got wet. The cages of the chickens flew away and the chickens have disappeared. I saw that some of the rabbits that they have survived.

The houses of Brothers Dimmy, Mayliko, Erso, Bricely, Junel and Alex, among others, are completely destroyed.

The homes of the others also have a lot damages.

This is the big picture. The situation is very complicated.

I hardly saw the presence of some NGOs, like the Red Cross, Food for the Poor and Minusta.

International food aid is arriving late. Just yesterday, I saw a boat that gives food for the needy arrive.

There is a shortage of water and food. However, the most urgent and grave thing is the people that suffer for not having a home and this is very, very urgent.

I hope those in charge start acting responsibly.

Meanwhile, I have left you with some of the things I have seen during my visits.

The Brothers send you many greetings.

___________
Br Louis-Jeune Jean Mance

View original article here

Youth say Marist Charism is to ‘Love Jesus and Talk in the Way of Mary’ (Part 1)

In this new video, discover what the youth think about the Marist charism and St Marcellin Champagnat. We will present a series of the video in the next few weeks, if you would like to view the entire video in english/spanish please click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu6MHMmS4cI

Will you join us in song?

In this video, join Marist youth in prayer and song.

You can view the entire video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tu6MHMmS4cI

Meeting of the Continental Commissions of laity

Fifty participants (members of the five continental committees and several guests) meet in Notre Dame de l’Hermitage from Oct. 3 – 8 to define proposals on the life of Marists of Champagnat (lay people) which will be presented at the 22^nd General Chapter.

View original article here

Islamic-Christian day in Lyon: Commemoration of the martyrdom of Brother Henri

An encounter of Muslims and Christians took place in Lyon from Sept. 16 – 17 to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the death of the death of the monks of Tibhirine, and to recall other religious that were killed in Algeria between 1994 and 1996, as well as many other Muslims and Christians that suffered violence in Algeria.

The testimony of Muslims of the martyrdom of Christians

The event began with a conference offered by the Archbishop Emeritus of Algiers, Archbishop Henri Teissier, titled ‘The testimony of Muslims of the martyrdom of Christians in Algeria (1994-1996).’ The context of the conference could not be more significant. The encounter took place in L’Antiquaille, a cultural place very near the Basilica of Fourvière, which recalls the history of the first martyrs of Lyon. L’Antiquaille is a Lyonnais “high place” of “memory and history” where one can discover the main stages of Christian history in Lyon and its development throughout the centuries.

In the undergrounds, one can find the place where Saint Pothinus was jailed. He was the bishop of the first Christian community known as Galia, based in Lyon. Pothinus was arrested in 177 under the mandate of Marcus Aurelius at the same time as Blandine and 48 Christians, who testified to their faith. They are Lyon’s first martyrs.

In this place, one listened to the echoes of the voices of Muslim witnesses, who emphasized the faith and the personality of the martyrs of Algeria. Archbishop Henri began by quoting the words of a former student of Brother Henri Vergès, of the school of Sour el Ghoziane, where Br Henri taught mathematics.

“All humanity is proud of the existence of such people and saddened by their loss,” he stated.

“We would like to express our friendship; our fraternity amidst this drama that affects us all,” he stressed, regarding another message of Algiers that also referred to the life of Br Henri. “Never forget that you are our brothers. Whatever the differences of our dogmas, we think we have the same God. You are in our home and we love you.”

Then the speaker continued highlighting various testimonies of the 19 religious killed in Algeria between 1994 and 1996. Of particular significance was that of a law student that met four White Fathers of Tizi Ouzou.

“The horror of this act revolts me,” said the student. “How is it possible that in the name of religion and of God, the children of God are killed! How is it possible to understand a God who orders a part of his children to eliminate the rest!”

Most of these testimonies are collected in a book written by Teissier and published under the title Chrétiens en Algérie, (Desclée de Brouwer, 2002). The ceremony ended with the unveiling of
a plaque in memory of Brother Luc, a monk of Tibhirine, placed in the reception of L’Anticuaille.

Encounter with Father Thomas Georgeon, postulator of the cause

On Saturday, Sept. 17, a private encounter was held between the families of the martyrs of Argelia and Father Thomas Georgeon, postulator of the beatification cause of Bishop Pierre Claverie and his companions. The cause that includes the process of 19 religious that died in Argelia between 1994 and 1996, which includes our Brother Henri Vergès, is known with this name.

Bishop Pierre Claverie, of the religious order of the Dominicans and Algerian by birth, but with French nationality, was the bishop of the diocese of Oran from 25 May 1981 until his assassination. The notorious murder of the monks of Tibhirine occurred on 26 May 1996. Pierre Claverie knew his life was also in danger and yet he continued in Argelia. On 1 August 1996, a bomb exploded at the bishopric’s entrance taking the lives of Pierre and his young driver and Muslim friend, Mohamed, shortly before midnight.

The encounter of the postulator with the families was set in the crypt of the church of Saint Irenaeus, next to the seminar that holds the same name.

The words of the mother of the young Mohamed, who was killed alongside Bishop Pierre, were particularly significant and meaningful. The archbishopric provided a meal to the families of the
martyrs present at the event at 12:30 p.m. As representatives of the family of Brother Henri Vergès, there was a group of 15 people, led by Superior General Brother Emili Turú, the Provincial Superior of L’Hermitage, Brother Pere Ferré, and Br. Antonio Martínez Estaún, procurator general.

Encounter with Muslims and Christians

In the afternoon, from 2:30 pm onwards, the group went to the Great Mosque of Lyon, surrounded by special security measures and led by its rector, Kamel Kabtane, where Christians and Muslims prayed for unity among all men and all peoples, and in memory of the victims of the violence of terrorism.

A heartfelt prayer proclaimed with emphasis by one of the imams made the following request to the Lord on behalf of all those present: “Grant your love, your mercy and clemency to all who have been victims of hatred or blind violence of terrorism, those men and women who have paid with their lives, their love and their commitment to their Muslim or Christian faith.” He concluded with his prayer with this petition: “Oh Lord, bless France and the French and make our country a safe haven. Pour out upon them your peace. Grants its inhabitants your mercy, your favour and your clemency, You who are the Master of the world, the Almighty, the Merciful.”

At the feet of our Lady of Fourvière

At the 5:30 p.m., a Mass in Fourvière was celebrated due to the visit of the bishops of the Algerian diocese to Lyon to honour the martyrs of Algeria and promote the cause of beatification. Four Marist brothers led the procession with which the liturgy began.They held candlesticks lighting 19 luminaries to recall the living faith of the 19 martyrs of Algiers that make up the cause of beatification, which is includes Brother Vergès. These candles were placed at the altar where they remained throughout the entire Mass as a sign of the living presence of those who gave their lives for the faith. And also as living testimony to the Spirit that had animated the meeting.

During the homily, given by Bishop Paul Jacques Marie Desfarges, S.J. – Bishop of Constantine (-Hippone) and Apostolic Administrator of Alger – the figure of Brother Henry Vergès was emphasised as well as his testimony of faith among the residents of Algiers. Several Marist Brothers from different communities near Lyon accompanied Superior General Brother Emili Turú and the new Postulator General, Brother Antonio M. Estaún, during these events.

An Islamo-Christian friendly meal

Already nightfall in Lyon, the meeting ended outdoors, in the area of the seminar, while the waters of the Saone and the Rhone were multiplied with the gentle rain. Cardinal Philippe Barbarin, Archbishop of Lyon, had extended an invitation to participate in an Islamo-Christian friendly meal with this name: “Le lien de la Paix, Ribaâr essalam”.
_____________
Br Antonio M. Estaún

View original article here

Brother Ben Consigli joins staff at Christopher Columbus High School

Brother Ben Consigli, former Marist Brothers Provincial, has joined the Marist Brothers School Christopher Columbus High School as Junior Counselor. He replaces Br. Peter Guadalupe who was re-assigned as the Marist Brothers Assistant Postulant Director in New York.

Trained as a secondary school teacher and school administrator, Br. Ben has ministered at Archbishop Molloy High School in Briarwood, NY where he taught English, History and served as assistant principal. He also taught Humanities and History at Roselle Catholic High School in Roselle, NJ, and served as principal at Saint Joseph Academy in Brownsville, TX.

Within the United States American Marist Brothers’ Province, he has served as a Provincial Councilor (1998-2015), director of Marist Education (2006-09), Vice Provincial (2001-06) and Provincial (2009-15). Br. Ben studied at the School of Applied Theology in Oakland, CA.

Originally from Elmhurst, NY, Br. Ben has been a Marist Brother for nearly 30 years. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Humanities from Queens College of the City University of New York, a Master of Arts degree in History from Rutgers University in New Jersey, and a Professional Diploma in Educational Administration from Saint John’s University in New York.

“I look forward to serving Columbus, a school with a strong Marist, Catholic identity and experiencing first-hand its extra-ordinary academic, athletic, and spiritual programs,” Br. Ben said. “Saint Marcellin Champagnat, founder of the Marist Brothers, said that ‘to educate children, you must first love them and love them all equally.’ This vision is Columbus’ foundational principle and I am happy to be able to support it through my work in the school’s Guidance Department.”

Marial Spirit

12 September – Feast of the Holy Name of Mary

In giving us Marys name, Father Champagnat wished us to live her spirit. He was convinced that it was she who has done everything for us, and he called her our Ordinary Resource and our First Superior.

To make Marys spirit our own, we contemplate the life of our Mother and Model. Our ways of being and acting draw their inspiration and guidance from the attitudes that made her the perfect disciple of Christ.

Since God gave His Son to the world through Mary, we want to make her known and loved as one who will lead us to Jesus. In this way, we put into action our motto: AII to Jesus through Mary, and ali to Mary for Jesus. (Constitutions 4)

Mr. Luis Ramos officially entered his year of Postulancy with the Marist Brothers

Mr. Luis Ramos (third from right) officially entered his year of Postulancy with the Marist Brothers during a special prayer service at Champagnat Hall. Luis will live in community with Brothers Don Bisson, Dave Cooney, Peter Guadalupe, Steve Schlitte, and Br. Brian Poulin. Welcome Luis!

The Fratelli Project

Right now in Lebanon the Marist Brothers have teamed up with the La Salle Brothers to support educational centers for refugee children. A group of teachers is working to bring these children to the educational level needed so that they can start school for the first time.

One center is in Beirut and is attended by 65 children (mostly Iragui) and the other is in Saida (biblical Sidon) where there are 120 children (mostly Syrian). A professional training program has been started for ten young people, where they are receiving English lessons as well as courses being offered to eleven mothers of these pupils where they are learning to manicure and pedicure. The aim of the center is to attract both students and their families so we can provide an education to all members of the family as well. As of now, we have sent a first cohort of 31 children to the official school, which is also a main goal of the centers.

We know that one life is worth everything, and that if we can help only one child, then all the trouble, work, and effort will have been worthwhile. But we do not want to settle for that. We want to go further and as far as we can. Part of our vision is the closeness and inter-relationships that have developed not only between the Marist and De La Salle Brothers but also between our schools and the situations of the children and families fleeing from the war. We have a large number of volunteers helping us in many ways; teachers, Brothers, scouts, families, lay associations and religious groups (Christian and Muslim). It all leads us to how good God is.

The Dare to Dream Experience Capturing Marist Young Adults: Click here for the Video

Earlier this summer Marist Young Adults between the ages of 18 and 30, representing all four of the Marist branches, were called to Lyon from around the world to celebrate the last 200 years and dream together of the future of our Marist Family. Watch a video of the experience of our USA Delegation.

“That Cuba opens itself to the world, that the world opens itself to Cuba” More on the history of Marist in Cuba

One of the countries of which very little is spoken about is Cuba, the place where the Marist Brothers arrived in 1903.  They left the country in 1961, where they had ten schools and Villa Marista, when the Government nationalized the schools.

Cienfuegos, was the city where the great educational work of the Marist Brothers began, followed by Caibarién, the neighborhood of Snake in Havana (the largest school, with 1700 pupils in 1961)); Ciego de Ávila; Camagüey; Cárdenas and Matanzas, both ended in 1942; the neighborhood of Cerro in Havana and Holguin.

The foundation of the first Champagnat School in Santa Cruz was in 1933, in an old large house; at the end of 1937 the construction of the school was begun in a piece of land acquired in the corner formed by the Street Buenviaje and the Street Union, just in front of the Church of Buenviaje, today the Diocesan Shrine of the Virgin de la Caridad del Cobre.  In 1962 in Santa Clara there were 55o pupils.

Villa Marista then became the See of the Marist Cuba-Central America Province in 1949 and it became necessary to enlarge the house.  The Scholasticate of the Province, which had been in Spain until then, was transferred to Villa Marista in 1956.

In October 1960, seeing how things were developing in the situation in Cuba, the Seminarians were sent to Guatemala and Spain and a few months later the Scholastics were also sent to Spain, Guatemala and El Salvador.   In June 1961 only three Brothers remained in Villa Marista who were expelled from there in September of the same year.   In the middle of the year 1961, the private schools of Cuba were taken over; the majority of the Brothers migrated to Latin America and Spain because of the Spanish language.

Little by little groups of Cuban former pupils began to be formed in Miami, New York, New Jersey and Chicago.  The Group ‘Marist Former Pupils of Cuba in Exile” was one of the first ones, and has been the largest since it was formed in 1967.  Its first executive meeting had place in 1970.

In 2003 the centenary of the Marist foundation in Cuba was celebrated in Miami.   It was a very well-attended event by many Cuban former pupils from all parts.  Besides, 22 Brothers came from eight different countries who had served in Cuba.   The solemn Marist Mass which closed the activities of the centenary in 2003 was presided over by the actual Bishop of Holguin, Cuba, Mons. Emilio Aranguren, former pupil of Santa Clara.

The Marist re-foundation in Cuba coincided with a particularly difficult period of time for the Cuban people.   In 1998, Pope John Paul II visited Cuba and pronounced that famous phrase that gradually has been fulfilled: “That Cuba opens itself to the world, that the world opens itself to Cuba”.  It is in this framework that the General Council decided to have the Marists present in the Pearl of the Caribbean.

In the month of May 1993 the General Council decided to make the foundation of the mission of Cuba.  A first missionary group was formed by seven Brothers ready to enter the country when the authority would grant the permission.

This permission delayed eight years to arrive until finally the greatly desired permission arrived in the year 2001, but only for two Brothers. Later, one after another the other permissions arrived. It was like this that in 2001 Efrain and Carlos entered, Hector in 2003, Salvador in 2005, Jesus and Carlos in 2007, and German in 2010.

The first foundation was made in the Diocese of Cienfuegos; it was Mons. Emilio and another Marist who made the petition to the Government, to collaborate in a preferential way in the Christian education of children and young people and in the formation of the Laity.

Little by little the apostolic projection crystalized around three great axes:  the animation of the catechesis and of youth pastoral ministry in some Parishes, collaboration with some Diocesan commissions such as that of social pastoral work, youth pastoral ministry, catechesis and missions and the animation of the Marist Youth Center.

In the year 2004, the community of Cienfuegos became a formative community, first for the stage of Aspirants and then for the Postulancy, accompanying three candidates.

In 2007 it was possible to open a second community, on this occasion In the neighborhood of Cotorro of Havana because this city was where the greater part of the Congregations have the Postulants, Novices and Juniors.

At present the Marist presence in Cuba has two communities, one in Havana and the other one in Cienfuegos. Cuba belongs to the Province of Central America.

---

View original article here

What’s God’s Call for You?

As Marists we are called to live the brotherhood of Christ to a young world in need of hope and joy. What’s God’s call for you?

---

Related Content

Taking a step towards a vocation is just that – a step

Photo Gallery: A celebration of our 200 years of the foundation of the Society of Mary