MLC-NA 2021-3: Lenten Reflections and Opportunities

March 2021

Dear Friends,

Fr. Joe Stefanelli, SM provided our Marianist Family with many valuable resources which offer us insights into the lives of our Marianist Founders. In his little book about Fr. Chaminade he writes on page 1 about Fr. Chaminade’s pragmatic and visionary spirit. He writes, “Each time his vision was threatened he found new ways of moving toward the fulfillment of his dreams.”

I recently had the opportunity to participate in a virtual retreat weekend with my local MLC Ahava, which provided space for reflection during this pandemic year. This quotation was one that resonated particularly with me. We are officially one liturgical year into the global pandemic and when I ponder the state of the world it seems that many of our visions for the world have been derailed in one way or another.

I think taking inspiration from Fr. Chaminade about finding new ways to fulfill our dreams is a way that we can creatively bring our charism into dialogue with our wounded world.

Will you take an opportunity this Lenten season to consider how some of your visions might have been threatened by this global pandemic? Will you take time to mourn those losses? Will you also take time to consider the inspiration of our Marianist Charism which called Fr. Chaminade to consider new ways of moving toward the fulfillment of your dreams? (Even if these dreams take on a different form or imagining than you would have previously envisioned)

As part of my annual recommitment as a member of an MLC I focused in on a very specific sentence of our commitment statement “transformation to a world in need”. As part of this commitment I will take time this Lenten season to pray for our Marianist Lay Community of North America as we grapple with how to embrace new ways of moving toward the fulfillment of our dreams.

Peace today,

Caitlin

Inviting Applications for the MLC-NA National Director

Are you being called to serve the Marianist Laity with your time, skills, and gifts?

In very exciting news, MLC-NA is seeking a full-time National Director! Some of the main responsibilities of this position will be as follows:

Developing and implementing a comprehensive development plan for MLC-NA.
Expanding MLC-NA's member communications and support.
Being a collaborative point of contact for the Marianist Lay Branch.
Planing annual gatherings for Lay Marianists to connect and engage with the charism.

The complete position description and information on how to apply may be found here. Applications are due by 5 PM ET on April 1, 2021.

MLC-NA National Director Search Update

Now that the announcement has been made for the MLC-NA National Director, the process for conducting the search is underway! The following individuals have agreed to serve on the search committee:

This committee will be charged to review the applications and determine how many candidates to invite for an initial interview, develop the interview questions, and prepare the evaluation forms.

How can you be involved in this exciting search process with MLC-NA?

Lay Marianists will have the opportunity to attend an open forum with the National Director candidates later in the process. Please be on the lookout for more information on this in the near future and join us for those meetings!
Look deeply into your own Marianist circles and encourage people to apply whom you think would make great candidates for this position.

Education

This is your last chance to register for MLC-NA's virtual formation program! The Virtual Formation Program is being facilitated by the MLC-NA Office of Education. Please consider this invitation to formation yourself and share it in your communities.

There is a small resource fee of $45.

All are welcome!

Registration closes March 14.

Spirituality

Marianist Feast Days

March 19 - Feast of St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary

March 25 - Feast of the Annunciation, Patronal Feast of the Family of Mary

April 8 - Chaminade's Birthday

Patronal Feast of the Marianist Family Reflection and Prayer Model

The IO-MLC has developed a reflection and prayer model for the Marianist Family to pray together on March 25 to celebrate the Patronal Feast of the Marianist Family. The main question of focus is: What if this Patronal Feast of the year 2021 gave us the opportunity to measure how we live

the “yes” of Mary in our life during these months of the health crisis? Please find the English reflection and prayer here! A version in French can also be accessed here.

Year of Shared Discernment

Get Involved

1. Fill in a Survey to share your insights and experiences with MLC-NA!

Please share your insights with us here: Module 1 Individual Lay Marianist Survey and/or Module 1 Community Survey and Module 2 Individual Lay Marianist Survey and/or Module 2 Community Survey.

2. Join in a YSD Zoom call with other Lay Marianists:

Tuesday, March 16 from 8-9 PM ET/7-8 pm CT/5-6 PM PT:
Zoom Link to Join; Meeting ID: 868 4813 5191; Passcode: Marianist
Hosted by Kay Stone & Errol Christian
Thursday, March 25 from 10-11 PM ET/9-10 PM CT 7-8 pm PT/4-5 PM HT:
Zoom Link to Join; Meeting ID: 859 1984 8149; Passcode: Marianist
Hosted by Grissel Benitez-Hodge & Ellen Celaya
Monday, April 10 from 8-9 PM ET/7-8 PM CT/5-6 PM PT
Zoom Link to Join; Meeting ID: 865 2391 3506; Passcode: Marianist
Hosted by Linda Flores-Tober & Jose Matos Auffant

Important Links:

YSD Sign-Up

MLC-NA Year of Shared Discernment Website

Other Important Announcements:

Two Area Reps Needed!

MLC-NA is seeking two Area Representatives to provide support to Lay Marianists in North America! This is truly a great opportunity for Lay Marianists to engage with others in their area to support the continued growth and formation of both communities and individual Lay Marianists. It is a very relational role and would be a way to offer leadership to the Lay Branch of the Marianist Family.

Would you, or someone you know, be interested in assisting MLC-NA in Mary's mission by serving as an Area Rep? Reps are needed for the Midwest Region (Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky) and for the Virtual Marianist Lay Communities. If you or if someone you know might be interested, please fill out this Nomination Form. If you have questions, please reach out to MLC-NA's Area Rep Coordinator at caitlin.cipolla-mcculloch@mlc-na.org.

Invitation: SM Province-Directed Spirit of Saragossa Retreat

The Spirit of Saragossa Retreat invites retreatants into the transformative atmosphere that Father Chaminade experienced during his three-year exile in Saragossa, Spain. This is a week-long silent, directed retreat for Marianist laity and religious who seek to confirm and strengthen their commitment to living the Marianist charism. The retreat will be held from Sunday, June 13, 2021 (5:00 PM) to Saturday, June 19, 2021 (concluding at 1:00) at the Bergamo Center in Dayton, Ohio. Please find more information and directions on how to register for this retreat on this flyer.

Marianists in Action

Ashely Davidson, a committed Lay Marianist in the Northeast US, has been spending her free time helping senior citizens in New York and New Jersey obtain appointments for their Covid vaccine. In just one recent week, she assisted 67 seniors! We are so moved by Ashley's Marianist faith in action and by how her efforts have impacted the lives, circumstances, and hope for so many seniors in her community.

Do you know of any other #MarianistsInAction that we can highlight in our newsletter? How are you and the Marianists you know living the charism in action today? Let's share the good works we are doing and continue to be Jesus' hands and feet on Earth!