In Alliance With Mary

When we gathered for the Marianist Administrators Conference in October, we shared a day of reflection facilitated by Bro. Dennis Bautista, SM and Bro. Tom Wendorf, SM. It was a wonderful time to reflect on how our lives and our ministries are connected to Mary’s mission of bringing Christ to the world. That day of reflection was well received, and numerous participants commented that this time of sharing and quiet contemplation helped rejuvenate them and challenged them to be more intentional about their ministry.

In another recent gathering of participants in the Mary’s Lead program, members of the cohort discussed how they strive to be intentional in sharing Mary’s mission. But how do you measure intentionality? One participant suggested a good way was to reflect on this simple question: “What in my field of teaching looks Marianist?”

How might you answer that question? How do you help animate the Catholic and Marianist mission and identity of your school or retreat center? How does your work (as a teacher, administrator, director, faculty member, staff member, or board member) reflect an alliance with Mary?

Blessings to you all for a healthy and happy New Year!

General Council Visitation

According to the Rule of Life of the Society of Mary, the Superior General visits all of the units of the Society personally or through a delegate at least once during his term of office. These visitations are “an integral part of the Superior General’s ministry of leadership, and they are a special occasion for renewal of individuals and groups,” as written in the Rule of Life.

Such a visit is currently taking place in the Marianist Province of the United States. From January through March 2023, members of the General Council from Rome will fulfill a busy schedule to visit members of the Society of Mary in the US Province. Due to the size of the Province of the United States, all four members of the General Council will be visiting the Province, sometimes as a group of four and sometimes in teams of two.

The schedule for this visitation has been in the works for months and prioritizes time spent with regional Marianist communities. Time will also be spent visiting some sponsored ministries of the Province. Please join us in continuing to pray for the success of the visit. 

Leadership of the Province Renewed

The leadership of the Marianist Province of the United States was recently renewed by the General Administration of the Society of Mary. After consultation with members of the Province, Fr. Oscar Vasquez, SM (Provincial Superior), and Bro. Bernard Ploeger, SM (Assistant Provincial) agreed to accept an additional three-year appointment.

Fr. Oscar Vasquez, Provincial

Brother Bernard Ploeger, Assistant Provincial

Additional members of the Provincial Council will include:

Fr. Timothy Kenney, SM, Assistant for Religious Life

Bro. Jesse O’Neill, SM, Assistant for Education

Bro. Joseph Markel, SM, Assistant for Temporalities

Bro. Edward Violet, SM, Councilor

Fr. Robert Jones, SM, Councilor

We pray in gratitude for these men and their ministry of leadership.

It’s never too early to begin inviting people to participate in the formation programs provided by the Office of Sponsorship. Here are the programs offered in 2023:

Teaching as Ministry Workshop (TAM)

June 12–14, 2023, Marianist Retreat & Conference Center – St. Louis

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

 For more information and to register for programs, visit www.marianist.com/formation-opportunities.

St. Mary's to Become Independent High School

In late 2022 the Archdiocese of St. Louis announced it would be closing two archdiocesan high schools at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. One of the schools identified for closing was St. Mary’s High School, a Marianist-sponsored school for nearly 90 years. Upon learning of the planned school closing, St. Mary’s staff, alumni, board members and local civic leaders went to work to develop a plan that will allow St. Mary’s to continue to provide an integral, quality education in the Marianist tradition.

Working collaboratively with the Archdiocese and the Marianists, the school will continue as an independent Catholic high school under the name “St. Mary’s South Side Catholic High School” (an homage to the school’s original name). The newly formed Southside Education Collaborative will assume operations for the school in July 2023. The Marianists will be the Canonical Sponsor of the school, providing programs and services designed to support the school’s Catholic and Marianist mission and identity. 

New Online Program Focuses on the Magnificat

The North American Center for Marianist Studies (NACMS) has begun a new program that focuses on the importance of the Magnificat in the life and prayer of Marianists. The first one, held January 28, featured Sr. Franca Zonta as the speaker.

Registration forms for the remaining four programs, scheduled monthly through May, will be available soon at www.nacms.org.

         Magnificat and Mary’s University – February 23

         Presentation by Neomi DeAnda, PhD

         Praying with the Magnificat – March 25

         Virtual Retreat Day

         Magnificat and Social Justice – April 19

         Panel Presentation

         Writing with the Magnificat – May 19-20

         Marianists Write Now Writing Workshop

Congratulations to Jose Matos Auffant, who has been named executive director at Tecaboca (a Marianist-sponsored retreat center near San Antonio, Texas). Jose comes to us from St. Mary's University, where he served the last ten years as a minister for spiritual development at St. Mary's.

Jose is originally from Puerto Rico, where he worked with the Pontifical Mission Societies coordinating missionary awareness programs for youth and young adults. He is an alumnus of Colegio San Jose (a Marianist-sponsored school in Puerto Rico). He taught there also and worked with the Marianist LIFE (Living in Faith Experience) program. Welcome, Jose!