Marianist Lay Community
of North America
Being Church in the Modern World
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Greetings!
My heart has been sinking a lot this summer when I see the world around me. First, the tornadoes that ripped through the Dayton area, tearing roofs off of my neighbors’ homes or slamming trees into their bedrooms, and leaving so much destruction behind. Then came a lot of hard personal news about family members or friends who are suffering physically, emotionally, or spiritually. Then the mass shooting in Dayton, Ohio, taking 10 lives. And, of course, the news headlines… the daily reminders of hatred and injustice in our world. Perhaps you can relate to a sense of despair and helplessness when so much seems out of our control.
But this is where Fr. Chaminade’s Five Silences (part of his System of Virtues) has pulled me through this negativity and hopelessness. Specifically, the Silence of Imagination, which is the most intangible to me and the one I understood the least when first reflecting on them. It actually wasn’t until I watched
The Greatest Showman,
an original musical inspired by the imagination of P.T. Barnum, that something clicked. I was fascinated by Barnum’s extraordinary ability to dream and envision a different world than what he saw. The movie portrays the distinction between a disciplined imagination, one grounded in hope and empathy, versus a poorly-disciplined imagination grounded in greed and foolishness. The powerful songs, like “
A Million Dreams
” literally proclaim, “I think of what the world could be, a vision of the one I see. A million dreams is all it’s gonna take…” and “
Come Alive
” (which my kids request to sing every time we get in the car) challenges us to “...flip the switch and brighten up your darkest day. Sun is up and the color’s blinding. Take the world and redefine it.”
It’s this kind of imagining that can change the world. As Bernard Lee says in
Habits for the Journey,
“Imagination is essential to the work of any Marianist community in helping the Reign of God take hold of our lives… A Marianist community simply
must
imagine how the world can be different. Hope and transformation are built from imagination.”
Silence of Imagination allows us to exercise our imagination to envision how we can become more like Christ and focus our energy on visions of a better world. It also propels us into action in order to make our visions come true. We need to see the world, acknowledge the obstacles, and imagine the possibilities born of God’s vision.
Working to cultivate this virtue has lifted my heart and brought me immense comfort and hope this summer. And thanks to the imagination and action of our Marianist Family, good things are happening around our country, including tornado relief efforts in Dayton (see the article below) and prayer vigils for an end to violence.
Close your eyes and imagine the kind of world you want… then take one small step today to make it happen!
Many Blessings,
LeeAnn Meyer
Head of Temporalities
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Memorial Day Tornadoes in Dayton
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On Memorial Day, the Ohio Miami Valley experienced a record-breaking 15 tornadoes, including an EF-4 tornado that ripped through Dayton and Trotwood. In the days and weeks after the tornadoes, Lay Marianists in the area, including staff and students from Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School and the University of Dayton, offered support and assistance to victims.
Volunteers rallied to move trees, clear brush, and support families whose homes had been damaged. Coming from a local parish, the Corpus Christi Fryers grilled hot dogs and hamburgers for volunteers and residents in North Dayton. Members of the Ahava Marianist Lay Community and other Lay Marianists spent several hours on the Friday and Saturday following the storms assisting Brandon and LeeAnn Meyer, and their neighbors, in clearing downed trees.
Continued prayers and support are appreciated as neighborhoods begin rebuilding. If you are looking for ways to help,
St. Vincent de Paul
in Dayton is still in need of donations and volunteers for tornado victim assistance.
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Upcoming Event: Conference on Business as a Vocation
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Exploring Spirituality and Social Justice in Business
The conference October 25-27, 2019 is sponsored by the Marianist Business Network and will be held at the Bergamo Retreat Center in Dayton, Ohio. The Marianist Business network is a group of business people who are associated with the Marianist Family and Marianist sponsored institutions. They are interested in exploring Business as Vocation.
The purpose of the conference is to:
- To provide an introduction to the nature and purposes of the Marianist Business Network
- To explore how the Marianist Charism and the Catholic social justice tradition provides a foundation for:
- The role of business in building the common good
- Building communities of work
- Addressing some of the complex and difficult issues of contemporary business.
- To explore how the Marianist Charism and Marianist Spirituality can support the call to a business vocation and to a work-life balance
- The Marianist Business Network is new. At the conference we will critique and develop its nature, its purpose, and its future agenda.
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Mark your calendars for our next
Lay Marianist Assembly
Our first confirmed keynote is
Fr. Gregory Boyle, SJ
July 16-19, 2020
Being held in San Antonio in conjunction with the
50th Anniversary of Marianist LIFE
Co-chairs: Katie Gushoney and Jessica Gonzalez-Uhlig
Watch future newsletters for details and opportunities to volunteer.
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Are you being called to serve the Marianist Family?
This fall, MLC-NA will hold elections for a Chair-Elect for the Leadership Council to shadow current chair, Matt Dunn in 2021. The Chair-Elect will then assume the role of Chair in 2022.
MLC-NA will also be seeking nominations for a Head of Education for a term to begin January 2021.
Please pray and consider whether one of these might be an opportunity for you or someone you would like to nominate.
Job Descriptions and the nominating procedures will be in the next newsletter. However, if you'd like more information or have any questions, please feel free to contact Matt Dunn at [email protected].
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Sunday Reflections in the Marianist Tradition
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Deepen your connection to the Sunday readings with these reflections for
August 2019
from members of the Marianist Family. Thank you Ashley Davidson, Diana Cassidy, Sarah Wood, and Bro. Steve Glodek, S.M. for providing the reflections for the month of July.
*************
We invite you to write a brief reflection for one of the remaining Sundays in the upcoming liturgical year. Would you write a reflection? Would your community consider providing reflections for an entire month?
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MLC-NA is a tax exempt non-profit organization and is self-supporting through the contributions of people like you!
Your support will help us to:
- Hire a part-time National Director for the MLC-NA
- Create an online membership portal for searching for other Lay Marianists and sharing community resources
- Support the creation and launch a new lay formation process for initial and on-going formation
Contributions can also be sent to the address at the bottom of this newsletter.
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Aug 1
Aug 4
Aug 11
Aug 13
Aug 15
Aug 22
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St. Alphonsus Liguori
St. John Vianney
Transfiguration of the Lord
Blessed Jakob Gapp
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Queenship of Mary
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See more information and prayers for all these Marianist Feast Days
here
.
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In the midst of unrelenting violence, O God,
we place before you the people of El Paso and Dayton, and all places that have been scarred by heinous, senseless, and savage acts.
By the grace and strength of your Spirit,
send solace to those who are afraid,
comfort to those who weep and mourn,
calm to those who are angry or vengeful,
healing to those who are wounded and broken;
and solace to all who have died.
Show us once again that goodness truly is stronger
than the evil we create, that light can and will expose
the darkness of our disgrace; that LOVE will win,
and is indeed, stronger than hate.
Amen.
Lori True
Facebook post on David Haas / The Emmaus Center, August 5, 2019
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Lord, send us your Spirit of hope….
as we comfort and support those who have suffered tragic losses in the events that occurred in El Paso, Dayton, Chicago, and elsewhere. We pray for healing, we pray for peace, and we pray that our state and federal legislators are moved to action in bold ways to help prevent this violence.
as we hold in prayer those who are enduring pain and suffering. May God’s healing embrace give them strength for their journey and comfort in their suffering.
we ask Blessed Adele’s intercession for the immigrant children and families who are suffering. May her witness to the poor give us encouragement to continue to advocate for compassion and a just solution to this painful crisis.
as we pray for our departed Marianist Brothers and Sisters who have enriched our lives through their presence. We pray this month for Fr. Enrique Barbudo Escobar, Region of Argentina, (July 1), Fran Reavey, mother of Brian Reavey, (July 10), and Fr. Tomás de la Vega García, Province of Spain, (July 20) - may they be held in God’s loving embrace as they join the fellowship of saints.
Lord, send us your Spirit of joy….
In thanksgiving for those Marianist Brothers and Sisters celebrating their jubilees this year. May their witness and commitment give us strength for the journey.
As we enjoy days of sun and warmth among our friends and family.
For the start of the new academic year. Let us enkindle in all students a love for learning, justice, and peace.
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Thank you to all who have visited our web form - we have hundreds of updated records.
If you haven't updated your information, please take a few moments to fill out this
brief questionnaire
(it's a Google form). Each member of a family should register separately so we have individual emails for future elections, etc.
Please also encourage your community members to keep their information current. Individuals may follow the link or a community rep can send us a community roster.
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MLC-NA Area Representatives
(Click on names for emails)
Southeast (FL, NC)
Northeast (PA, NY, NJ, MD, VA)
OH, KY, IN
Central States (CO, IL, KS, NE, MO, WI)
To Be Determined
Texas
West Coast (CA, OR, WA)
Hawaii
Canada (French-Speaking)
UD-formed Communities (Many are virtual)
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NEWSLETTERS
Read the Signs of the Times and Sign Up for these Marianist Family Newsletters
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Matt Dunn
Chair-Elect
Vacant
Head of Education
Jim Barrette
LeeAnn Meyer
Margy Lisjak
Rob Brodrick
Caitlin Cipolla-McCulloch
Maureen O'Rourke
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AMAZON DONATION PROGRAM!
Did you know that when you buy stuff at Amazon.com, Amazon will make a donation to MLC-NA?
How? By using Smile.Amazon.Com.
Please consider using smile.amazon.com and selecting Marianist Lay Network as your charity. There is no additional cost to you and it really is the same site as Amazon.
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