“Thank you” to all administrators, faculty, staff, and board members for your devotion to the Marianist Charism this past year. Whether associated with a retreat center or school, your institution continued to face daunting challenges brought on by the pandemic. Through your devotion, your ministry weathered many storms and prospered in many endeavors. This is because we all share the gift of the Marianist Charism, a common mission for ministry, and a common vision for education and retreat ministry.

There is power in numbers. There is strength in family. May we all take some time this summer to reflect on the gift of the Marianist family. Count your blessings and continue to share the good news of Mary’s mission.

The Office of Sponsorship prays you have an enjoyable summer.

The following formation programs are scheduled for the 2022/2023 academic year:

Teaching as Ministry Workshop (TAM) Registration Closed

June 13 – 15, 2022, Marianist Retreat & Conference Center – St. Louis

Mary’s Lead Summer Retreat – Cohort 2 Registration Closed

June 27 – 28, 2022, Marianist Retreat & Conference Center – St. Louis

October 23 – 25, 2022, Bergamo Center for Lifelong Learning – Dayton

 Head to Heart: Marianist Spirituality Workshop (H2H)

November 7 – 9, 2022, Marianist Retreat & Conference Center – St. Louis

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

Much time and effort has been invested this year to expand the resources available to help form governing boards of sponsored ministries. Several outstanding resources are now available to nurture the Catholic and Marianist mission and identity, including:

These documents, part of the Marianist Board Formation Series, are available for download at: www.marianist.com/board-resources.

In October 2021, at the Marianist Administrators Conference, the Office of Sponsorship hosted a joint meeting with the Association of Marianist Universities (AMU). The objective of this meeting was to begin identifying strategic ways AMU and Marianist-sponsored secondary schools could work together to support the Marianist vision of education.

A task force consisting of representatives from Marianist-sponsored universities and secondary schools has been formed to identify potential joint initiatives based on input from the 2021 Marianist Administrators Conference. The task force is wrapping up its initial meetings and will make suggestions this summer for potential initiatives. Stay tuned for more information!

The Marianist Retreat and Conference Center located in Eureka, Missouri is offering two programs this summer for Educator CPR (Come, Pray, and Recharge). All educators – teachers, youth ministers, catechists, principals, campus ministers – are invited to slow down and receive the same type of care and kindness they’ve shown to students all year. Programs are being offered in July and August at the retreat center in the St. Louis area. Here are links to the two programs:

The second cohort of the Mary’s Lead program launches this June with an opening retreat to deepen understanding of what it means to be a Marianist educational leader. Participants in Cohort 2 include 15 leaders from various ministry roles (vice-presidents, directors, principals, campus ministers, deans, etc.).

According to Dr. Savio Franco, Director of Leadership Development, Research and Partnerships, the program (an ecosystem) “is intentionally designed to gather, remember, and pass on the hard-earned leadership wisdom shared by experienced Marianist leaders and cohort members, both religious and laypersons, through formational experiences.”

Please join us in praying for open hearts and open minds for all who generously support this important formation experience.

The Marianist Administrators Conference (MAC) will be held in Dayton October 23 – 25 at the Bergamo Center for Lifelong Learning. MAC is a great opportunity to gain professional and spiritual insights and to network with leaders from other Marianist-sponsored ministries. Participants include presidents, heads of school and principals of sponsored schools, and directors of sponsored retreat centers.

We are blessed this year to welcome two Marianist Brothers who will lead us in spiritual reflection on day one of the conference. Bro. Dennis Bautista, Associate Professor of Communication Studies at St. Mary’s University, currently serves as Director of Novices for the Province. Bro. Tom Wendorf, former National Vocation Director for the Marianists, currently serves as Associate Professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Dayton. Dennis and Tom will lead us in creative spiritual reflection, designed to help recharge our spiritual batteries – a must for busy Marianist administrators!

With gratitude in our hearts, we bid farewell and best wishes to Deanna Snyder, Administrative Assistant to the Office of Sponsorship. Deanna is leaving us mid-July to explore other employment opportunities. We are grateful for her devoted service to the Marianist Province and to the Office of Sponsorship.

We encourage those at our sponsored ministries to incorporate these two prayers as part of the hiring process for new administrators:

Stay in touch with the Marianist Province by downloading our new mobile app!

The app is FREE to download and is compatible with Apple iOS devices and Android devices. The app features direct links to the most commonly used information to support formation and mission integration, as well as other important collaborators, like Marianist LIFE, NACMS, JPIC, and the Marianist Mission.

Marianist Office of Sponsorship | 314.533.1207 | sponsorship@marianist.com