The Value of Marianist Sponsorship – Ten Years Later

When I was appointed director of the newly formed Office of Sponsorship in June 2013, my primary focus was to learn how our Office could help strengthen and maintain the Catholic and Marianist identity of the ministries entrusted to our care. From my conversations with key administrators in our schools and retreat centers, I quickly identified seven things these leaders valued most about Marianist Sponsorship:

• The collaborative relationship between the Province and its sponsored ministries
• A shared mission that reflects our Catholic and Marianist identity
• The Marianist Characteristics that demonstrate how we minister to others
• Formation programs and support services provided by the Office of Sponsorship
• The mission integration planning process and accountability for achieving objectives
• Shared best practices and benchmarking among sponsored ministries
• Peer networking for collaboration and building professional relationships

Ten years later, I believe these are still high-value items for sponsored ministries. The Office of Sponsorship continues to provide quality programs and services that support what Sponsored Ministries value most in an ever-changing world.

I am thankful for the friendships and relationships we have formed over the years. I am grateful for the generous support provided by the Province and the Sponsorship Commission. And I am proud of the Office of Sponsorship Team and their work to advance our programs and services (Thank you, Erica Duarte, Mary Holtmann, Larry Keller, and Pat Wheadon). 

May God continue to bless us in our ministry of service.

Gratefully yours,

Upcoming Formation Programs – Are You Registered?

Have you recruited people to attend the upcoming formation programs the Office of Sponsorship offers? Have you registered all participants and made travel arrangements to help assure the best pricing and favorable routes? 

Visit www.marianist.com/formation-opportunities for more information about these opportunities and to register for these upcoming programs:

Marianist Administrators Conference (MAC)

October 22–24, 2023, Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel – St. Louis

Board Development Workshop (BDW)

October 22–23, 2023, Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel – St. Louis

Head to Heart: Marianist Spirituality Workshop (H2H)

November 6–8, 2023, Marianist Retreat & Conference Center – St. Louis

Teaching as Ministry Workshop (TAM)

June 10–12, 2024, Marianist Retreat & Conference Center – St. Louis

Prayers for Hawaii

Marie Thérèse Grants Provide Hope to Those in Need

The Marianist Province of the United States established the Marie Thérèse Fund in 2020 to help Marianist-sponsored retreat centers better serve the poor and marginalized as part of their retreat center programming.

One example of a ministry supported by these grants is Gabriel’s Retreat Ministries. Gabriel’s Retreats are for mothers facing unexpectedness in their pregnancy – or new motherhood – to bring hope and peace in a time of unexpectedness. Through a grant from the Marianist Province, the Marianist Retreat and Conference Center in Eureka, Missouri, helped provide a no-cost retreat for expecting mothers in the St. Louis Area.

The executive director of Gabriel’s Retreat Ministries writes: “The scholarship grant we received helped the women involved in our ministry grow in their faith as beloved daughters of God and to be able to take this identity with them into their motherhood.”

Click here to learn more about Marie Thérèse de Lamourous and her partnership with Fr. Chaminade.

Welcome, Mark Butterworth, interim president, and chief operating officer at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio.

Congratulations to Carmen Camacho, named principal at Colegio San Jose in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

Welcome, Steve Eubanks, principal at Daniel J. Gross Catholic High School in Bellevue, Nebraska.

Welcome, Ryan Halverson, middle school principal at Chaminade College Preparatory in Chatsworth, CA.

Congratulations to Brittany Souza, named K-6 school principal at Saint Louis School in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Welcome, Jim Tawney, interim principal at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio.