My Journey with the Marianists

This newsletter is the last edition of Sponsorship News I will write and edit. My retirement date is April 30.

What drew me to the Marianists some 14 years ago was the particular spirituality I witnessed in a Marianist priest who would often say Mass at my home parish. There was something special about this man – what he preached, how he made everyone feel welcome, and how he drew us together as a family of faith. I was like the woman at the well; I wanted some of what this man had to offer. So, I asked him to be my spiritual director, beginning my journey to know, love, and serve the Society of Mary.

In 2011, the Marianists hired me as Assistant to the Office of Religious Life. There, I met another holy Marianist priest who introduced me to Blessed William Joseph Chaminade and helped me understand how the spirituality and charism of this Marianist founder gave voice to the spiritual stirrings of my heart. The more I studied the Marianists, the more I appreciated the importance of Marianist education and the vital ministries the Marianists share with their lay collaborators.

In 2013, the Marianists asked me to serve as Director of the newly formed Marianist Office of Sponsorship. I was charged with implementing the new organizational model adopted by the Province to strengthen the Catholic and Marianist identity and mission of the Province’s apostolic ministries. I was blessed to work with several great Marianist leaders as Director of Sponsorship (including Dr. Steve Neiheisel, Bro. Ed Brink, Bro. Tom Giardino, and Bro. Jesse O’Neill) and an excellent support team (Larry Keller, Pat Wheadon, Erica Duarte, Mary Holtmann, and Deanna Snyder). They work tirelessly to share the gift of the Marianist mission and ministry.

Now, with a grateful heart, I step aside to focus more on my family and continue service as a permanent deacon for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Thank you for your love and support all these years. Serving you, your ministries, and the Marianist Province of the United States has been a great pleasure.

Gratefully yours,

Deacon Dan Donnelly

461 Chamberlin Drive

Manchester, MO 63021

Cell: 314.258.0155

Email: dan_donnelly@mac.com

Website: www.deacondan.com

2024 Formation Programs

Mark your calendar! And begin recruiting for the 2024 formation programs presented by the Marianist Office of Sponsorship. Here is a listing of the programs presented:

Teaching as Ministry Workshop (TAM)

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

Marianist Administrators Conference (MAC)

October 20–22, 2024, Sheraton Westport Chalet Hotel – St. Louis

Head to Heart: Marianist Spirituality Workshop (H2H)

November 4–6, 2024, Marianist Retreat & Conference Center – St. Louis

Online registration begins 90 days before each program. For more information, visit www.marianist.com/formation-opportunities.

Note: Board representatives will not attend the 2024 Marianist Administrators Conference this year. Board representatives attend alternating years when the Province offers a Board Development Workshop.

Marianist Education Bridge Project

The Marianist Education Bridge Project (MEBP) is a joint program with the Association of Marianist Universities and the Marianist Office of Sponsorship, tasked with exploring ways for Marianist-sponsored ministries to work together to promote Marianist Mission and Identity. The current focus of our work is to explore how best to communicate the Marianist Mission and Identity to key stakeholders. We are surveying marketing and communications people from Marianist-sponsored ministries in March to identify topics for a professional development event during the 2024/2025 academic year. If you receive an email asking you to complete a survey, please help us by participating. More information to come!

Online Orientation Program Under Development

The Office of Sponsorship continues to partner with Catholic Faith Technology to develop an online program to “Catch the Marianist Spirit.” This program will introduce the Marianist charism and be available to new employees of sponsored ministries and new board members. We are grateful for Deacon Pat Wheadon (Office of Sponsorship), Bro. Adam Becerra (Chaminade College Preparatory in California) and Dr. Brett Desnoyer (Chaminade College Preparatory School in St. Louis) serving as subject matter experts and our development team for this vital project. This new program will be released during the 2024/2025 academic year.

Marianist Job Postings

Do you want to discover what job opportunities are posted for Marianist-sponsored ministries? Do you want to post your ministry’s job opening? Visit www.marianist.com/jobs for a list of postings, and email to sponsorship@marianist.com. Job Postings are also included on Family Online.

Moeller Basketball Coach Elected to Hall of Fame

Congratulations to Archbishop Moeller High School principal and basketball coach Carl Kremer for being elected to the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. He will be inducted with four other coaches in April 2024. 

Mark Butterworth is the new president at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School in Akron, Ohio. Mark began the school year as the interim president and COO of STVM and has since been promoted to president. Congratulations, Mark!