MINISTRIES

The Brothers and staff at Champagnat Hall prepared Valentine's Day cookies for the children in the after school program at the Mercy Center in the South Bronx.

Community members at the Marist Community of Welcome in Austin, TX participated in a silent retreat together last weekend.

The Brothers at Champagnat Hall hosted a Mardi Gras party for the local Marist communities, family, friends and staff.

Presidents, Principals, Campus Ministers, and Religion Chairpersons from our USA Marist schools gathered in Long Branch, NJ for their annual meetings earlier this week. Eight brave members of that group embarked on a polar plunge at sunrise on Tuesday morning.

Each year the Diocese of Brownsville honors one representative from each Catholic school at its 'Spirit Awards'. This year's honoree from St. Joseph Academy was our own Bro. Frank Garza!

Roselle Catholic High School Campus ministry and Admissions held a mini-retreat for accepted students (Class of 2028) on Sunday, January 21st.

The Marist Brothers of Brownsville, TX hosted area Marists of Champagnat and Saint Joseph Academy faculty for dinner, fellowship, and prayer on January 18th.

A group of Marist Young Professionals from Florida and Texas, accompanies by Ed Kennedy (Marist of Champagnat from NJ), gathered in Kentucky for the long MLK Day weekend.

From January 6-10, the Van Cleefs of Magnificat Farm hosted Bro. Brian and five young adults for a mission trip to rural Kentucky!

Read the latest "On the Border" newsletter from the Encuentro Project in El Paso, TX.

On January 2nd, the Marist Brothers of the four communities in Miami, FL gathered together to celebrate the Feast of the Foundation of the Marist Institute.

Marists of Champagnat and future Marists of Champagnat in Brownsville, TX participated in a service project at Good Neighbor Settlement Home to support their local community.

The Marist Community of Welcome hosted over 100 young adults in a variety of end-of-the-semester events. Each evening included prayer, time to socialize and a meal prepared by the community.

Twenty-five people - Brothers, Marists of Champagnat, and even prospective new members - filled the Brownsville House of Hospitality, bringing a dish or a beverage to share - along with their amiable company!

Br. Ángel Diego García, Director of the Secretariat of Solidarity in Rome, visited the USA Province during Thanksgiving week.

From November 19th-22nd, Bogotá, Colombia, was the venue for the Meeting of the Institute’s juridical structures, bringing together the 10 members of the juridical entities Gier and Fraters, who were accompanied by Brother Luis Carlos Gutiérrez, Vicar General.

On November 17th, more than 70 student leaders came together from Marist schools across the U.S., Guatemala, and the Philippines for the first-ever Sowing Seeds of Hope: A Marist Global Youth Gathering on Ecology.

For fifty years, the Marist Youth Encounter Christ program has led young Marists in the US to truly encounter Christ’s love. Since 1967, Encounter has become like a rite of passage for our young people, and from November 9 to 12, around sixty juniors and seniors...

Members of the Group of 1948, Brothers Aquinas Richard, Stephen Bosco and Philip Richard Degagne, celebrated their 75th Anniversary of being Marist Brothers.

Marist Brothers Robert Diittus and Ryan Richter professed their first vows during a ceremony held July 23 at the Marist Brothers Center in Esopus, NY. They professed the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, committing themselves for one year according to the...

For those of us who orient our lives around the academic calendar, June is generally a time of transition. Another school year has ended and summer is beginning, a respite from the normal routines that occupy most of the year. Even a busy summer (as mine generally...

I don’t plan everything, but I do plan a whole lot. At the same time, I recognize that the world has never fallen apart because something didn’t go according to my schedule. Although I don’t believe God to be a micromanaging puppet master pulling all the strings,...

There are different kinds of endings we face in our lives. Some are jarringly sudden. Other endings transpire unobserved and only become apparent in hindsight. Sometimes its nice to have advance notice.

The Brothers and staff at Champagnat Hall joined together to decorate Easter cookies for the children in the afterschool program at the Mercy Center in the South Bronx. The community also provided materials for the participants to make and fill their own Easter...

Earlier this week, Mr. Tom Kruczek (President, Christopher Columbus High School) presented Br. Dan O'Riordan (Provincial, Marist Brothers USA) with a check for $60,000 for our Province Solidarity Project to build the first Marist-owned school in Liberia. Our...

Br. David Freiler and Br. Miguel Garcia entered our Marist Brothers USA Novitiate with a ceremony held at the chapel at Mount Saint Michael Academy in the Bronx, NY. The Marist Brothers of the United States Province celebrated the investiture of Br. David Freiler...

It is said if you really want to understand a situation or people you need to encounter it in person, and so I did. [Earlier this year] I joined a group of 10 people from across the U.S. on an Immersion Trip to El Paso, TX and Juarez, Mexico hosted by the...

Things have been wonderful! I'm teaching/helping with English in 3 different sites and each has it's own flavor. I feel so fortunate to have the ability to be a part of all these different projects and schools. I'm definitely gaining infinite respect for teachers...

On Saturday, March 4th, several SJA Bloodhound middle school students won awards at the 1st Annual Diocesan Vocations Art Contest. The contest selected three winners in each grade from PreK to 8th grades with all Catholic schools in the Diocese participating.

Lent isn’t typically portrayed as the happiest time of the year. There’s a traditional school of thought that views the Lenten season primarily as an opportunity to unite oneself with Christ’s suffering or at least to take on extra disciplines to hopefully tame...

This February break found five students and two faculty members traveling to Lawrence, MA on a mission trip to serve the marginalized. We stayed at the Marist House of Hospitality on Sheridan Street, hosted by Mr. Jim O’Neill. Our days were sandwiched by morning...

On Friday, February 17th, the NY Marists of Champagnat joined forces with some wonderful Mount Men to do a Midnight Run in Manhattan. Donations were collected over the course of a month by MOC all over the state, and 6 MOC were on site to work side-by-side with...

Our USA Presidents, Principals, Campus Ministers, and Religion Chairs met earlier this week at San Alfonso Retreat House in Long Branch, NJ. In addition to continued conversations on deepening our Marist Charism, Springtide presented their findings from a study...

Readers who actually know me are likely aware that I spend a lot of time on the road these days, zipping around from one place to another. Around the recent turn of the new year, I had an extended time actually staying put at home for a bit—just about three whole...

Sixteen participants from seven different communities around the USA Province gathered in Esopus for the 2nd SOC1 offering of this school year. The group learned about Marcellin Champagnat’s life and spirituality from the Campus Ministers at Marist College, Br....

During a special ceremony at Champagnat Hall, Br. Dan recently commissioned Br. Paul Urban Phillip as the new Dean of the USA Province.

DOC was held at the MBCE from Friday, January 20th - Sunday, January 22nd. People from the NY/NJ area, Massachusetts, and Chicago participated. Br. Luis Ramos, Br. Brian Poulin, and Erin Kelly (Marist Chicago) were the main presenters. There was time for prayer...

Highlighted sections include, Fr. Rafael Meets the Pope, Current Situation on the Border, Reflection from a Participant, and Finding a New Home.

The Brothers at Champagnat Hall celebrated the Epiphany with a special prayer service in which the the common rooms were blessed and the entrance to the chapel was "chalked" with 20 + C + M + B + 23 (an abbreviation for the traditional names of the Magi). In...

I’m not a particularly good poker player. In short, I never progressed beyond simply playing my hand to the ore advanced level of also playing the hands of others based on their body language and the probability that they might have any particular combination of...

The East Asia Province are commemorating the life and legacy of Br. Joe Teston with a special plaque that will be erected in their cemetery in the Philippines. Click here to read a History of the Notre Dame Educational Association, which Br. Joe was one of the...

Following mass on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the community at Champagnat Hall gathered to share a cup of cheer and to decorate the community room Christmas tree. During evening prayer the tree was blessed and ornaments belonging to Brothers Phil...

RC Campus Ministry held a mini retreat and reflect night with a few of the Marist Brothers! Brother Brian, Brother Dittus, Brother Ryan & Brother Bob joined 15 RC students in a mini retreat at RC about community. They played icebreakers, listen to a witness...

Over 70 members of Marist Youth gathered together this week to participate in the annual Marist Youth Christmas Prayer & Social Night at Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, FL.

On the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the 3rd Week of Advent, faculty, staff and administration of SJA gathered for night prayer followed by a potluck at the new Marist Hospitality House in Brownsville, Texas. This marks the first community event at the...

House of hospitality in Lawrence held an Advent reflection on December 7th, led by community leader Jim O'Neill. The Central Catholic community celebrated the Feast of the Immaculate Conception with Mass on December 8th, with Maureen Hagan in attendance to connect...

The Marist Community of Welcome in Austin, TX hosted a House Warming Open House for over 60 friends of the community. The evening included prayer, a BBQ, and the opportunity to enjoy our new home with our friends.

I’d like to think that I notice an awful lot. Doing so however, takes energy and focus. The expression “pay attention” really means something to me, because the effort of observation costs me something. I don’t say this as a plea for pity, but rather as an attempt...

As the Marist Brothers District of Canada investigates the possibility of joining its Archives to our USA Province’s Archives, Mr. Eric Paquet [Canadian Archivist] and Br. John Nash met to discuss possible problems and solutions. They also met at Marist College...

Our USA novices, Rob Dittus and Ryan Richter, along with Jim McKnight recently traveled to Medellín, Colombia to join other Marist Brother novices in the Arco Norte region. They spent two weeks at the novitiate in Colombia getting to know brothers and novices from...

This past week I had the pleasure of spending a couple days at Marist Catholic High School in Eugene, Oregon. In spite of its name, it is not a Marist-owned school, though it was founded by the Marist Brothers and continues to carry the Marist spirit even though...

Maureen Hagan (Director of Adult Formation - USA), Peter Marti (Christopher Columbus High School), and Br. Owen Ormsby (Vice Provincial - USA) represented the USA Province at the International Lay Forum meeting in Rome. Br. Al Rivera served as a translator for the...

Initiated in 2002, the Legends of The Mount began as a way to recognize alumni and friends who have made significant contributions to the school and to society at large, and whose accomplishments, affiliations, and careers have honored the legacy of excellence at...

Brother John Byrd, left, and Brother John McDonagh sit outside the South Wheeling Victorian that is their micro community’s home base. While the two men are the only remaining members of their Roman Catholic order currently serving in Wheeling, they’ve managed to...

WHEELING — It was a day so blue-sky perfect it seemed entirely possible. The garden oasis the city’s two remaining Marist brothers have wrapped around their tidy Victorian and leapfrogged into an empty lot elsewhere in the neighborhood could...

Sharing Our Call 1 was held from October 23rd – 25th at the Marist Brothers Center in Esopus. Fifteen participants from 5 schools (Central Catholic High School, Mount St. Michael Academy, Archbishop Molloy High School, Marist Catholic in Eugene, and Christopher...

The Lay Marist Council held their bi-annual in-person meeting on Saturday, October 22nd at the Marist Brothers Center at Esopus. Lindsay Irwin (TX), Peter Marti (FL), and Erin Kelly (IL) flew in on Friday and made their way up to the center, while Earline Tweedie...

This year's annual LaValla Weekend brought together students from Central Catholic High School (Lawrence, MA), Saint Joseph Regional High School (Montvale, NJ), Christopher Columbus High School (Miami, FL), Saint Joseph Academy (Brownsville, TX), Marist High...

The human journey toward wholeness is one that requires the hard work of healing. My current living situation allows me ample opportunities to reflect on this reality as we six Marist Brothers here in Massachusetts do our best to support each other through our own...

Sharing our Mission for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion was held this past weekend at the Marist Brothers Center at Esopus. Sixteen people from our schools around the USA Province were joined by the Postulants, Novices, members of the MBCE staff, and members of...

Marists of Champagnat is a new formation program being extended to both Lay Marists and professed Marist Brothers throughout the United States. This program was developed in response to the “calls” heard from our Marist USA province, the Arco Norte region of the...

The Province Solidarity Project for this year will be to help build a new Marist School in Liberia, West Africa. The campaign was launched this week in our Marist Schools.

Mrs. Terry Paul, longtime faculty member at Mount Saint Michael Academy in the Bronx, NY, became an Affiliated Member of the USA Province last Saturday during a special prayer service at MSMA.

The St. Barnabas community welcomed Miguel Garcia and David Freiler as they began their Postulancy. The prayer service also included Blessings on Br. Robert Dittus and Br. Ryan Richter as they began their Canonical Year of Novitiate, as well as on Br. Luis Ramos...

“I’m not ignoring you, I’m just deaf.” So read my favorite t-shirt that I saw during a week of working with the annual week-long camp for deaf children held at the Marist Brothers Center in Esopus. This shirt was worn by a deaf counselor who had previously been a...

It’s been an incredibly varied and busy summer for me. One recent highlight was the chance to participate in a group pilgrimage to the sites of the Marist origins in France. I enjoyed my time in Europe, and it seems that a bag of my clothes is still enjoying...

Throughout his lifetime as a Marist Brother, Br. Seán consistently found ways to support and assist our Marist efforts with the least favored and to those on the margins of society. During his time as the Superior General of the Marist Brothers, Br. Seán helped...

In a further effort to respond to the Calls of our 22nd General Chapter, the Province recently hired Mr. Sam King to assist the Province in responding to our Call to be in Solidarity with our Common Home. Sam will specifically work with us in developing realistic...

Although I’m familiar enough with Scripture to paraphrase an awful lot and make plentiful obscure allusions, I’ve never been a great one for citing chapter and verse. One exception to this general limitation of mine is 2 Peter 2: 22, thanks in no small part to...

The annual Foundation Stones program in Esopus was a great success this year! Six men of different ages and backgrounds came together in Esopus with a supportive community of Marist Brothers and Lay Marists in order to learn more about the Marist Brothers'...

Tony Cantu and Matt Fallon represented the province this week in Guatemala at a meeting of the Lay Marist Team for the Arco Norte region. All of the regions provinces were represented and joined by Raul Amaya of the Secretariat of Laity and Bro Rodrigo Espinosa...

Sixty-two new Marists of Champagnat were minted on Sunday, June 5, at the Pprovince-wide commitment ceremony and prayer. This second formation cohort joins a group of fifty from last year’s Cohort 1.

This year six students from the University of Texas participated in the University Catholic Center’s Vocation Pilgrimage ’22. The experience is offered to students who would like to learn more about Consecrated Life as part of their vocational discernment.

The other day, I encountered God through Hungry Hungry Hippos. That probably doesn’t make any sense unless you understand that I was facilitating rounds of Human Hungry Hungry Hippos (Hungry Hungry Human...

In the Church calendar, May 1 is normally recognized as the Feast of St. Joseph the Worker. It is also becoming ever more known as Religious Brothers Day, both nationally and internationally, as shown by this video from Timor Leste. Marist Brothers and Lay Marists...

Although vocation ministry is my official full-time responsibility with the Marist Brothers, I share with other Marists a wider concern for our overall evangelization efforts. How do we invite people into a healing encounter with Christ, if the Church that is...

During the second week of the General Conference, being held in Rome from March 8th to 26th, the participants continued to reflect on the areas of the XXII General Chapter that concretely involve Marist life and mission. The first two days of the week dealt with...

During the first week of the General Conference, the following topics were discussed: A message from Brother Ernesto calling Provincials to be Prophetic and to "Look beyond,” so we might move toward a desired future.

We live in a time of large-scale tragedy. Even as the coronavirus pandemic seems to be winding down, war is building up in eastern Europe and may threaten to spill across further national boundaries. Although these harsh realities get a lot of press, perhaps we...

This is the least I have ever looked forward to Lent. Yes, it’s a time of renewal from which I have certainly benefited in the past, but Lent can be tough. As it draws near this time around, I feel ambivalent while also knowing that it will soon be upon us...

This past month has provided me with several gentle reminders that I have less control over things than I pretend, and that even my being in control is no guarantee that things won’t get mucked up. In short, my experience of the past several weeks has been an...

We’ve been here before. In so many ways. Here we are once more at the beginning of a new year that brings new fears to accompany our new hopes. Calendars are thinning out again, COVID precautions have taken on renewed urgency… but this time the threat feels...

Advent is an omega and alpha kind of time. Each December brings ample opportunities to reflect on the events of the concluding calendar year, as some of us anticipate the announcement of Time’s Person of the Year and others use social media to share their past...

One of Bro. Sam Amos’ favorite instruments of academic torture is Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus, sections of which he assigns to high school seniors in his Faith, Science, and Reason class at Marist High School in Chicago. The...

Br. Ryan Richter and Br. Robert Dittus entered our Marist Brothers USA Novitiate with a ceremony held at the Novitiate on the campus of Marist College.

I spent a lot more time than usual thinking about the equinox this year. I’m usually not too sophisticated about the change of seasons… I figure that summer must last from Memorial Day to Labor Day, winter includes any month in which I might reasonably see snow in...

By the time this post appears on-line, I will have just finished serving at a weeklong Marist Youth Leadership Camp held near Crown Point, Indiana. Due to the necessities of time management however, I am writing before the camp even begins—it’s going to be a busy...

Brother Daniel O’Riordan, Provincial of the Province of the United States, has requested Brother John Klein, recently named as Province Historian, to research and write Volume II of the History of the Marist Brothers in the U.S. Brother John received his Doctorate...

I’ve flossed my teeth at least eight days this year. That might be eight more days than in 2020, when some nasty global pandemic went and cancelled my dentist appointments for me. Eight days of flossing might not be enough to make me a brand ambassador for Oral-B,...

LET’S WALK AS ONE GLOBAL FAMILY! became the title of the message of the last General Chapter which took place in Colombia in 2017. Those who represented us at this important convocation expressed: For the vitality and viability of Marist mission and life today, we...

The term ‘Real Presence’ has become quite the theological buzz word in Catholic circles. For those not in the know, it refers to the true and mysterious of Jesus Christ present in the Eucharist. Bread and wine, once consecrated during the Mass, and without changes...

We inhabit a point in time at which many of us can imagine the COVID-19 pandemic receding into memory. Of course, there are ways in which it will always remain with us: the premature loss of loved ones, altered norms and habits, challenges to both physical and...

We're excited about expanding our office, as we continue to reach out to the various constituencies of the Province for new and creative programming. Application deadline is June 30th. Send resumes to: [email protected]

In the course of my vocation ministry, whenever I introduce myself as a Marist Brother, I prefer to introduce my Marist community at the same time. Brother is a relationship long before it is a title, and while I may hope that people can understand me as a brother...

I have three basic modes of operation. 1) I can plan; 2) I can cooperate with somebody else’s plan; 3) I can over-plan. I can switch to a new plan when necessary, but too often I prefer to modify a pre-existing approach rather than to start fresh from scratch. To...

We’re about one year into the COVID-19 pandemic that has had pretty much the whole world in various degrees of lockdown and social distancing since Lent 2020. Many of us have never before experienced such an extended period of time in which our entire reality is...

Prior to the 2021 Provincial Chapter meeting, Br. Daniel O'Riordan was elected to fulfill a three-year term as Provincial of the Marist Brothers in the United States. Br. Dan will serve as Provincial from 2021 until 2024.

Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, there has been a general sense that the world is at an historical turning point, a point in time when something happens that causes a shift or an irrevocable change in direction. The way I see it, the world is at a...

Although I’m too young to remember ever seeing the gameshow Truth or Consequences on television, the phrase itself is familiar to me. In the month that has passed since rioters attacked and...

Brother Joseph Teston, a member of the Marist Brothers of the Schools (FMS) for more than eighty-one years, will be celebrating his 100th birthday on January 24, 2021. He will be the first Marist Brother in the United States to have reached this milestone since...

Every now and then, there’s a person or two who I just can’t deal with. Honestly, there are also moments when I can’t deal with anybody whomsoever. I’m sure nobody can relate, right? I don’t choose to be irritable any more than I choose any other given emotional...

Although Advent is the official season of waiting to celebrate Christ’s birth, the unofficial waiting often begins much earlier. When do you normally see the first Christmas decorations go up or the first display in a store? How many of you know somebody who...

Br. Dan will begin Provincial duties at the USA Province Chapter Meeting, scheduled for April 2021.

We’ve got problems. There are a lot of problems that you might feel on a more deeply personal level than I do. There are some that I might feel on a more deeply personal level than you do. The most profound problems neither belong to you nor to me though; they...

Father Timothy Healy, S.J., an American priest and former President of Georgetown University and the New York Pub- lic Library, believed that as Christians when we are frozen in our “winters” of anxiety or past frustrations or helplessness, we must “force the...

For Brother Eugene Trzecieski, a Christopher Columbus High School educator and mentor, everything was “fabulous,” his students remember.

If we were to begin a litany of the losses suffered in 2020, where would it ever end? From the overwhelming to the imperceptible, this year has taken something extra from everybody—presumably even from the obscenely wealthy whose fortunes increased so immensely...

We recently bought a gas grill for the house to prepare for the arrival of the new young men moving into our community as postulants. As they discern over the course of this year whether God is calling them to be Marist Brothers, they will be taking on the same...

Our first wish is that all of you, both Brothers and lay Marists, are well, safe, and sound. May the Lord and his Good Mother bless and keep you close during this difficult time.

The Council for USA Lay Marists has been meeting regularly since May 19th via zoom. Members have split into committees and have been working hard on various tasks, hoping to have some concrete initiatives ready to begin in the Fall.

The new Constitutions of the Marist Brothers have been approved by the Vatican. On July 3rd, Brother Ernesto Sánchez, Superior General, communicated the news. We reproduce here below the letter sent to the Institute.

I spent the last two weeks of June at the Marist Brothers Center at Esopus, partaking in a pair of contrasting and complementary experiences. First, I was privileged to enjoy a week of solitary retreat, which I...

Due to public health precautions, Mount Saint Michael Academy could not hold its graduation ceremony last weekend. Instead, our Bronx school had a drive-thru procession in which graduates were recognized and received various gifts as a placeholder until a more...

Dear Marists of Champagnat, In the name of our Marist USA Provincial Council, we write to join our voices and hearts with those of so many in our great country who are angered and outraged by the brutal killing of George Floyd.

There was much that I enjoyed about my time spent living in the Dominican Republic. As much as I had anticipated missing the passage of summer, autumn, winter, spring, summer, I actually adapted to the near endless flow of pleasant days quite nicely. Nonetheless,...

A few years ago, Bro. John Malich gave me a t-shirt with a quotation from Downton Abbey: “What Is a Weekend?” On the show, this line garnered laughs because it was spoken by an aloof member of the aristocracy who had never needed to work. With no concept...

Once more, Bro. Sam has volunteered his services as contributor of the week! Please remember to get in touch with me if you are likewise willing to write an occasional spot. Let's see what Sam has to say down below. -- Bro. Brian Poulin

The Marist community I live in is adjacent to a church and just several blocks from the nearest hospital. In this time of pandemic, that means the most frequent sounds I hear from outside are church bells and ambulances. Some days, I’m not sure which I hear more...

We each have our own particular stresses during this time of pandemic. I feel bad for the brothers I live with who are cooped up inside and am glad that they find ways to remain active. During a particularly tough trip to the grocery store though, it occurred to...

This week’s offering is provided by Bro. Sam Amos. This is not the first time he has made my life easier or brighter, and I hope you appreciate him as much as I do. – Bro. Brian Hi all. This is Bro. Sam Amos, a Marist Brother in the USA Province, like...

I’ve got it easier than a lot of people, but that doesn’t mean things are easy. I’m not even sure that easy exists right now. In considering my posture towards the current reality, generally I feel like a public optimist but a private pessimist. Neither attitude...

I’ve recently come to embrace the idea that a crisis is not in itself a problem but rather a situation that brings pre-existing problems to the fore in a way that they can no longer be ignored. Every problem we try to sweep under the rug will eventually have its...

During my freshman year of college, a handful of my classmates organized a Jimi Hendrix tribute concert in the student pub. All bands welcome, no audition necessary. I was never a very good drummer, but in those years I was just competent enough for people to...

As I telegraphed in my previous post, this week I share with you some reflections gathered from my recent day hike in Harriman State Park. I hope the title didn’t lead you to expect lessons on how to hike better—though some of those may slip in, my focus is truly...

I spent this past week in Chicago with Bro. Al Rivera for Vocations Week at Marist High School. I always enjoy visiting my Marist Brothers in Chicago, especially since it became home to our two youngest brothers in the USA,...

Does the truth actually matter? I remember learning in college that rhetoric, properly understood, originally meant not only speaking skillfully but also speaking what was good and true. I’m afraid that in spite of this era’s preponderance of speeches...

Dear Marist Family administrators and leaders, I write to share with you the official decision of our Provincial Council to close Marist High School, Bayonne, NJ in June, 2020.

Some occasions require silence. Others cannot endure it. I recently heard of a Trappist monastery that last century observed a very strict silence. At the beginning of World War II, the abbot made a simple announcement: “The world is at war”. In 1945, a second...

I often joke with friends from the Mount Saint Michael community about how much the Mount has changed me. For better or worse, I am a bit of a cultural mimic—I pay attention to human interactions and am always on the lookout for ways of speaking and ways of doing...

Most of us can finally agree that Christmas is over. It took a long time, but even your local Catholic Church has finally removed the poinsettias and Nativity scenes. The priest is wearing green again, and Lent is more than a month away. We’re back to as normal as...

My stage acting career peaked when I was a junior in high school and went downhill from there. Although my role selling bagels in Fiddler on the Roof didn’t lead to any theatrical glory, the preparation did provide a welcome opportunity for me to deepen...

I’ve recently found myself less interested in movies than at other times in my life, relegating them mostly to in-flight entertainment. Regardless, this past week I went to see A Hidden Life, the new picture about Blessed Franz Jägerstätter, the Austrian layman...

Over the summer, 75 Lay Marists gathered in Long Branch, NJ for the first-ever USA Lay Marist Assembly. The retreat-style assembly was guided by guest speakers Pep Buetas from Spain who is the Co-Director of the Secretariat of the Laity for the Marist Institute,...

As I tiptoe into midlife, I’d like to think that I am finally starting to shed illusions more quickly than I construct new ones. Although I have not yet suffered the significant loss of ability, many activities require either greater effort or more recovery time...

Having grown up in the Seattle area, I only encountered freezing rain once I went to Ohio for college. Then, one winter evening, I found my car sheathed in a coat of ice. In that moment, as my exasperation gave rise to irrational loathing, I discovered my new...

Committee members, Maureen Hagan, Lindsay Irwin, Chris Sullivan, Adam Wouk, Matt Fallon and Bro. Patrick McNamara had their second conference call last month. Their conversation focused on one of the key priorities identified, including membership, formation and...

Funny things happen when we re-tell stories. Thanks to countless Nativity sets and Christmas pageants, we are so used to imagining the wise men at the manger that we overlook the fact that the Gospels never place them in that stable at all—Matthew has their visit...

In the weeks leading up to Advent, the Mass readings took an apocalyptic turn. Kingdoms fell and judgment came to the world time and again, as prophets alternately interpreted past events or proclaimed future ones. It hasn’t been bad news though. Although...

I’m not in the business of comparing hardships. I know my pain is not special and I can usually remember that my suffering is likely no greater than anybody else’s, if not much less. Regardless, adversity promises each of us a lifetime guarantee, even if it...

As I’ve shared before in this space, one great privilege of being a Marist Brother is the chance to take part in important conversations. A conversation is not important because its participants are highly regarded or because its consequences will shape the...

One of the hidden pleasures of having a public religious identity is that people talk to me about things they might not bring up with anybody else. Those who know little of religion in general or of the Catholic faith in particular often want to test pre-conceived...

Over 50 Brothers from the Provincial Councils of the Provinces of Canada, United States, Central Mexico, Western Mexico, Central America and Norandina gathered at San Alfonso Retreat House in Long Branch, New Jersey – United States, October 21-25, 2019 for the 2nd...

Bro. Al Rivera and I spent last week visiting Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens, NY as part of our efforts to promote vocation awareness. Those familiar with Catholic buzzwords could correctly surmise that one goal of...

Everybody feels lonely at times. We can be lonely by ourselves, in crowds, in relationships, and even among friends. For a few people, loneliness is either exceedingly rare or tragically constant. For most of us, I suspect loneliness is rather like a childhood...

Our goal is to connect, to remember, to share and, perhaps, to act. To help us discern how and if we want to “be Marist”. These meetings are a first attempt to see “who’s out there”, who may be interested in one of several options

This past week, I was invited to serve as guest lecturer for an undergraduate class at Purdue University. In introducing myself, I felt it appropriate to briefly summarize who I am as a Catholic religious brother, including the three vows we profess. As difficult...

Beginning this fall, all employees of the Marist Brothers USA Province along with their families, will have access to a 25% tuition discount on eligible graduate programs and adult undergraduate programs.

With how much I travel these days, people often ask where I’m bound next—this week I write to you from Leavenworth, Kansas. I’ve had a fair number of questions about what was bringing me to “The Sunflower State”. After all, there is no Marist community here, nor...

I make a special effort to look for humanity in those who I feel have acted inhumanely. After all, human beings do not commit atrocities because they cease being human—rather they commit atrocities when they devalue or ignore the humanity of others. If I deny a...

As part of my current ministry, I spend a bit too much time and energy on Instagram. In fact, some readers may have stumbled across this very blog thanks to a posting on that or some other social media forum. Don’t get me wrong: I have some fun as long as I’m on...

There’s no such thing as a bad joke, right? Only grumpy people? Even if that’s not exactly true, let’s pretend while I start out this week’s post with a good old ‘knock knock’ joke.

After nineteen hours of flying(!) I was warmly greeted at the Phnom Penh Airport by our Australian Marist Brothers who work at The Lavalla School on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

At the recent workshop in Mexico City for young-ish Marist Brothers (mentioned last week!), one exercise asked us to consider different aspects of our lives that influence psycho-emotional health. These included the biological, spiritual, social, and professional...

This past week, I joined 12 other relatively young Marist Brothers for a workshop on the “Formation of Masculine Affectivity in Young Religious” held at an area headquarters of ours in Mexico City. Apart from myself, the participants included one Venezuelan, one...

This the 52nd Saturday since I began this weekly blog series. You are looking at post #52. Completing a year’s worth of blogs is a little bit of a milestone for me. Given that I could never sustain the habit of journaling for myself, I am glad to have maintained...

Br. Gerard Cormier started painting watercolors almost 35 years ago! Since then, he has painted around 600 pieces. In the past year, at age 93, he’s painted 25 pieces!

Br. Larry Lavalee has officially arrived in Manila and moved into his new place. He was in Cambodia for a week-long meeting before having a great farewell party in Davao.

A key part of my job as vocation minister is to accompany men who are wondering whether God is calling them to life as a Marist Brother. More and more, I feel that the most appropriate response is to affirm them that yes, God is calling them… however we cannot...

Once again, Br. Gerard Cormier has organized an outdoor art exhibition to be held on Sunday, August 25 in the Garth at Champagnat Hall. This is the fourth such exhibition Br. Cormier has organized since he joined the community in 2015.

Brother Luis Ramos professed his first vows during a ceremony held August 10 at Mount Saint Michael Academy in the Bronx, NY. He professed the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, committing himself to one year according to the Constitutions of the Little...

One thing that the experience of community life has taught me is that some people drive you nuts all of the time, but all people can drive you nuts some of the time. I challenge you to live with anybody who you think would provide an exception to that rule. This...

Among the traditional titles given to the Pope, Pontifex Maximus must be among the least graceful and most obscure. It translates into English as ‘Greatest Bridge Builder’. Pope Francis, the current holder of this office, has frequently spoken of his...

Kitchens are hot rooms full of sharp edges that bestow burns and cuts on anybody who spends much time in them. I got a new stripe this week. I am glad I did not drop the hot baking pan that gave me this 4-inch red line gently curving down my forearm: It is worse...

As a teenage reader of comic books, one of my monthly purchases was a publication called What If, a title that presented how well-known story arcs could have been transformed if certain key events had played out differently. Apparently fictitious stories...

As an outreach of Franciscan University of Steubenville, a series of 24 conferences across North America designed by Life Teen are offered each summer to help teens encounter the love of Christ. Life Teen’s mission is to build the Church by helping teens encounter...

On Thursday morning, I was lost at sea within 30 minutes of rising. Rather, I could see the shore, but just had a hard time getting there. The previous day I had been warned of a coming riptide, but I thought it would have already past, and I realize now that I...

Borders serve an important function. Within the five boroughs of New York City, vehicles are not permitted to make a right turn at a red light; when I cross over from the Bronx into Westchester County however, I know that different rules apply. Rainbow Railroad’s...

Kids have all sorts of strange ideas regarding what they want to do when they grow up. I remember that in my childhood, some of my responses to that question were conventional (teacher), and some were common but unlikely (astronaut). And then there were my more...

Peter was the rock on which Jesus built his Church and to whom Jesus gave the keys of the Kingdom. Surely, that’s got to count for something, right? Nonetheless, Paul argued openly with him when it came time to stick up for the marginalized. Paul and Peter...

The Marist Brothers United States Province joined together to congratulate all of our Brothers celebrating Jubilee Anniversaries at the Immaculate Conception Center in Douglaston, New York. Congratulations, Brother Jubilarians!

The sun was NOT shining bright on our old Kentucky home. Not consistently at least. Until the last day. Before that, it would take turns with the rain clouds, giving our work clothes just enough time to dry out before the next drenching. When the sun did shine, it...

One of the great things about intergenerational living is the opportunity to learn informally about the parts of history that don’t make it into most books. When I was younger, I was most interested in the great world-shaking events but at this point in my life, I...

I’ve been thinking for months about what I would write for this blog on the weekend of Pentecost—one of my favorite holidays. Now that it is here however, all those plans are cast aside. Between family, diverse friends, distinct groups of colleagues, Marist...

“Generativity” is a bit of a buzz word among celibates. Many of our friends and family members solve the problem of generativity simply by reproducing; in ushering offspring into this world, parents see the promise of their lives continuing beyond themselves. For...

A friend of mine who is an outspoken atheist recently asked me how I can listen patiently to and even sometimes form friendships with those who strongly differ with me on matters of great personal importance. In fact, I had separate versions of this conversation...

We’re doing it wrong. All of us some of the time, some of us all of the time. That means me, and I’m afraid it also means you. Living a good life full of right choices seems like it should be easy. Jesus condenses 613 biblical commandments into just one (or two?...

Br. Rob Clark led six students from the University of Texas at Austin on a week-long Vocation Pilgrimage on the East Coast. The students joined in community life with Marist Brothers at the Provincial Center in Forest Hills, the community at St. Barnabas in the...

I went to Rome recently for a meeting, and arrived a couple days early to catch up with some people and see some sights. As I walked with a Chilean Marist Brother through the old city, I recalled a particular...

Sometimes it seems to me that the language of business has become the language of the world. We freely use concepts such as branding, opportunity cost, and market niche, regardless of how familiar we are with their technical meanings or...

I’ll confess that I get a little emotional at the Easter Vigil. It is one of the few times every year that I can feel confident even before the Mass begins that the liturgy is going to truly be a celebration. The freedom to proclaim ‘Alleluia’ again after a drawn...

Lawrence, Massachusetts is my favorite place to spend Good Friday. St. Mary of the Assumption, a primarily Spanish-speaking parish, has a lot to do with that. Although I only discovered last year what a gran fiesta Fr. Carlos throws for the Easter Vigil...

Although it may still be fashionable in some circles to look down on clichés, I confess to love what I instead see as compelling aphorisms and archetypes that have somehow become deeply ingrained in the human experience. For me, the trick is not to discard the...

Brother Sam Amos will be presenting a workshop on “Twenty Percent Time Projects for the Religion Classroom.” Sam will speak about the theory and praxis of carrying out 20% Time Projects (also called Genius Hour Projects) in the context of a religion classroom.

FOMO may be a new term popularized by the young denizens of social media platforms, but Fear Of Missing Out is, in one way or another, as old as decision-making itself. Many of our choices require...

The gospel tells us that the prodigal son squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. Dissipation...a big word that means he was spending, and spending wildly, using all his resources. Maybe he went one too many times to the pub, not that we’d know...

“Aren’t we there yet?” I think we all know somebody for whom Lent seems to just drag on and on, and I imagine the people particularly likely to feel this way could be those struggling through their Lenten fast. Fasting can become a public act, even when we don’t...

In early July, 2003, I had an epiphany. I had just landed at the Hong Kong airport to enter mainland China for my first job after college (this was before I knew the Marists). I still had no idea how I was getting picked up, but I didn’t have time to be anxious or...

The United States Province has signed a two year lease for a house which will be the home for our new Community of Welcome in Austin, Texas. The lease includes two houses (a large and a smaller one which are right next to each other) on an acre of land. There are...

Ways to say goodbye: Adieu. Tschüß. До свидания. 再见. Ways to say goodbye: Wave from afar. Hang up the phone. Walk away. Pretend it’s not goodbye. Insist it’s not goodbye. I don’t have a talent for goodbyes, but I wonder who does today. Whenever I have had a...

It’s Lent, and somebody’s got some ‘splainin to do. As much as today’s catechists try to emphasize this as a holy time of drawing closer to God through increased prayer, almsgiving, and yes, fasting, we seem culturally to have a hard time associating this season...

As I approach the end of my time here in the Dominican Republic on March 22, I am chipping away at my DR bucket list. While my focus during the week remains on my work with BLUE Missions Group and research for my degree in Sustainable International Development, I...

Brother Kevin Handibode, President of Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, was honored by the Miami Heat to mark almost 50 years of service to the students of Columbus and for his 80th birthday, on February 23, in XFINITY East Square.

I’ve only been to Haiti once, for about 10 days in July 2012. Whenever I mention this, the most common question I get in response is “what did you do there?” I suppose that’s a fair question, but a very unfortunate one. Haiti is a beautiful though long-suffering...

There’s no kitchen like home. Before cooking in a new place, I worry about adjusting to an unfamiliar stove, whether the spice rack will have the things I normally take for granted, and how much of a mess I will make. From what I hear, I don’t think I would...

With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, I’d like to share some thoughts on love. Patient, kind, keeping no record of wrongs, rejoicing in the truth, always protecting, trusting, hoping, and persevering. Neither envious, boastful, proud, nor self-seeking. Not...

The “Encuentro Project”, in Ciudad Juárez (Mexico) and El Paso (United States), offers services for planning and lodging to deal with life experiences, in the area between the two countries, dedicated to migrants. The project includes direct work with applicants...

Ideas about work have always played a large role in my life. I grew up with my dad’s stories of laying brick under the supervision of Hans, the German mason who would tell him, “Steve, nobody cares how hard you work. They care how much work you do.” My dad may...

As a result of the recent Lay Assembly, the Marist Office of Life and Mission is pleased to announce the implementation of a new program, Discovering Our Call (DOC). DOC is a formation program, geared toward those who are working outside of school ministries.

This past weekend I went on my second religious pilgrimage since I arrived in the Dominican Republic last summer. The first had been to the National Shrine of Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes (Our Lady of Mercies) just outside of nearby La Vega. Just now I went to...

On Monday, we celebrate the secular Feast of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., Pastor and Martyr. Dreamer. Prophet. Like all true prophets however, King found more persecution than honor during his lifetime, at least in his own land. Indeed, his greatest mark of...

This weekend, the Catholic Church remembers the Baptism of the Lord. Believers differ as to whether as a youth Jesus already understood his identity as the God-Man who was both fully divine and fully human. Regardless, something dramatically changed for Jesus at...

Happy Twelfth Night! As we approach tomorrow’s Feast of the Epiphany in which we remember the visit of the three wise men to the baby Jesus, I realized that this whole story could be boiled down into a 30-second homily with four simple lessons: 1) God shows up in...

Contrary to secular practice, the Church celebrates Christmas not for one day, but several. While some traditions stretch Christmas all the way to February 2, the more commonly known 12 Days of Christmas take us through January 5th, the day before Epiphany....

One year in Brownsville, Texas, I was invited to participate in Las Posadas, a traditional seasonal observance common to Mexican and some other Latin American communities. The custom takes its name from the inns that we imagine Joseph and a VERY pregnant Mary...

Aside from Santa Claus himself, the non-Biblical Christmas protagonist who is probably best known, if not exactly well-loved, is Ebenezer Scrooge. At different times he’s been played by Bill Murray, surrounded by Muppets, and portrayed as a hideous green monster...

“Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.” The lyrics to this song are well-known, but how often do we pause to think about them? There is an urgency here that actually indicates a distinct lack of peace to those who pay attention. After all, nothing...

Many readers know that this past weekend I hiked with a group up Pico Duarte, the tallest mountain in the Caribbean, as a fundraiser for BLUE Missions Group. Specifically, money raised was designated for projects that will bring water to rural Dominican households...

The Catholic Church officially begins its new year with the first Sunday of Advent, about a month before everybody starts using new calendars. Tomorrow (if you are reading this on Saturday, Nov 24) is thus the last Sunday of the liturgical year. Since 1970, this...

As you may know, I moderate an Instagram account (@calledmarist) as part of my vocation promotion efforts for the Marist Brothers in the USA. In addition to content related to religious vocations, the Marist family, or my surroundings and activities here in the...

“She’s super religious.” “He’s not really that religious.” Sometimes I hear people talk in this way, and I don’t even know what they mean. As an entertainment celebrity, Stephen Colbert is unusually open about his Catholic faith. He takes it seriously enough to...

Fairly recently, I learned for the first time of the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles, California. As experimental as the very contemporary exterior may seem,...

Beaches in the Pacific Northwest lend themselves to different kinds of activity than those that generally attract tourists. We joke in the Seattle area that the weather is more likely to see us waterlogged than sunburned, and while this is certainly an...

In the popular imagination, religious faith appears to be a refuge for those in search of answers who are unable to live with uncertainty. This has not been my experience though. While my faith has given me peace at times, it has by no means settled the questions...

One inescapable aspect of our human experience is that at some point in time, we experience weakness. No matter how strong you think you are, there comes a time when it is not enough. If you walk long enough, you will eventually stumble and fall; if you are...

The 4.5+ billion year old blue marble that we all call home is quite young, depending on how you look at things. 1/3 of the US population, and 40% of the globe’s, is under the age of 25. There are about 40 countries in which 60% or more of the population is under...

When I was little, I had the chance to make a couple extended visits to stay with my Grandpa Joe up in Alaska. This was a special treat for me as a kid, because grandpa had seven dogs, all of which I can still name. Sam was the oldest, and was relatively civilized...

Two years ago, as a gift in celebration of my final vows, Bro. Dan O’Riordan decided to treat me to a Broadway show. We ended up seeing The Color Purple,which turned out to be an excellent choice. Aside from the tremendous music so greatly informed by the...

I write these blog posts a couple days ahead of time so there is time for me to revise as necessary and then publish for Saturday morning. For me right now, it is the evening of Thursday, September 13, and Lawrence, Massachusetts (along with neighboring Andover...

Imagine watching the first Jurassic Park movie without knowing that eventually the dinosaurs are going to break loose and start eating people. Can you picture the lush vegetation and beautiful terrain? Maybe if you focus hard enough, you can catch a whiff of fresh...