Listen to the words of Blessed Chaminade on Saint Joseph:
“Yes, my dear children, our destiny is in the hands of Joseph. What a powerful motive for hope, and what a happy presage! Joseph, the foster father of Jesus and the Head of the Holy Family, has been kind enough to accept us as his children and to permit us to call him Father! Let us then pray to Saint Joseph with all fervor and confidence. Great power has been given him in heaven and on the earth. He can obtain for us from the august Mary all that is lacking to us, all that we need, even in the temporal order, and he wishes for us all kinds of good. Let us then, my dear children, have for him an entirely filial devotion, and may his name be blessed without ceasing in our hearts and on our lips with those of Jesus and Mary. “ (Chaminade, Letters, no. 1253, Circular Letter to the Marianist Communities, March 21, 1841)
Formation Weekend 2021 Recap
Last weekend, we had approximately 40 participants from three Provinces, three countries, and many states who were a part of our Virtual Conference on the Vow of Obedience. As I read the evaluations, I was struck by how positive everyone was about the opportunity to be together and to focus on the importance of listening: to each other, to our local communities, to Province leadership, and to our generous God as part of our vow. Fr. Jim Fitz gave us a beautiful reflection on various attitudes on the vow and some Scriptural references. Fr. Quentin Hackenewerth spoke on the letter vs. the spirit and his lived wisdom around the question: how do I know the will of another, and how can I understand the will of God? We had a wonderful panel of three: Bro. Joe Bellizzi, Sr. Laura Leming, and Bro. Mike O’Grady. It all came together! I invite you to contemplate the faces in the picture.
