The Provincial Council is thankful for the administrative professionals that support the work of the Province. Several of them have dedicated themselves to the mission of the Province for many years. Please consider sending them an email of thanks.

On May 1, the Feast Day of St. Joseph the Worker, religious brothers and those who support brothers from around the world will gather virtually to honor the vocation of brothers. Join the Religious Brothers Day Virtual Gathering from 12:30–1:30 p.m. (Central Time) for prayers, reflections and celebration. All are welcome! Thank you to our very own Bro. Steve Glodek and Bro. Allen Pacquing for helping to animate this group.

Thank you to Bro. Brian Zampier for sharing a reminder of the beauty of God’s creation. The roses are located at the Mary prayer space outside of Casa Maria Community, San Antonio.

Thank you to everyone for sending in the vaccine verification to Ms. Donna Tucker. Over 180 Brothers have been vaccinated to date. Remember that the vaccine protection is not 100%. Health professionals tell us that the vaccine will keep us from severe reactions, and it's important to maintain vigilance. I strongly encourage Directors to have a plan for a safe “opening up” your community and how you will deal with visitors.

Please click here for helpful information on surviving in this time of COVID.

The last few weeks, leading up to the recent verdict in our country, have been tense, stressful and very sad. Let us find 9 minutes and 29 seconds to just “be”… breathe in/breathe out; breathing in God’s love and peace, letting out our own sinfulness and poor attitudes; breathing in positive energy, letting out negativity. We pray for peace and justice in our country and we ask God to give us serenity, courage and wisdom. As we have listened in this Easter season and in the last week about St. Stephen in our daily scriptures, we recall his last words in the first reading on Tuesday, April 20 before he was murdered: “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”

The Religious Formation Conference is offering a webinar on April 28 from 1:00-2:00 p.m. (CST) “On the Road to Emmaus: Recognizing Jesus in the Journey of Racial Healing.” For more information, please click this link.

There are lots of articles and resources available for this important day. Let us pause and think about what we are each doing individually to care for our earth and the way we are living our lives with the choices we make each day. A wonderful PowerPoint titled: “Roll Out Plan for Sustainable Catholic Communities” is attached here for your meditation.

Please click on this link for many resources in the JPIC monthly newsletter, including an invitation to sign a petition against the death penalty.

Holy Family Chapel at Archbishop Moeller High School was remodeled. The brothers are looking for a new home for several Marianist-oriented works. Please click here to see a couple of the pictures. You can contact the community director, Bro. Bob Flaherty, if you have questions.

This week’s reflection is from Mary Perez-Korinko, a Spanish teacher from Chaminade College Preparatory in West Hills, California. Mary writes, “I have been teaching Spanish for over 25 years and have found many of the CMEs to be integral to what and how I teach. I have focused on Family Spirit for my reflection. It was nice to take a moment to reflect on my teaching practices." Click here to read Mary’s reflection.

Congratulations to Bro. Tom Redmond, Bro. Tom Giardino and Aspirant Chicago Schuller for being the first three to answer the last trivia question correctly. The question: Which Marianist artist painted thirteen original oil paintings titled “The Life and Times of W. J. Chaminade? The answer: Bro. Nicholas Waldeck.

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This week’s question is submitted by Lisa Finnie from NAMPUS. The first three Brothers to respond to me with the correct answer win a prize.

Good Luck!!

This weekend, specifically April 25, is the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. Please join me in praying for vocations, but also pray for our ability to invite and encourage young people to explore the possibility of Marianist life.

You can find a wide variety of prayers here. You can find resources from the USCCB here. If you have not read Pope Francis' message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations, read here.  Please remember, I have greeting cards available to help you invite young people to consider Marianist religious life. Please don't hesitate to ask if you need any or would like me to reach out to someone. Thanks!

I want to remind you, the vocation prayer binder is always changing. You can see the most updated version electronically on the portal. In August, the vocation prayer binder will be updated and will be mailed to your community.

April 22: Sean Downing

April 23: J. Allen DeLong, Thomas Oldenski

April 24: Robert Hackel, John Leies

April 28: A. Joseph Barrish, Juan Pablo Espinoza Chávez

April 29: Jack Somerville

April 25: World Day of Prayer for Vocations