On Monday, September 20, the Provincial Council and General Councils met virtually from 8:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. The meetings included a time of prayer and fraternal sharing, as well as each office giving an update on their area. On Tuesday, September 21, Provincial Council members met with their counterparts on the General Council.  

These updates were in addition to the reports that were submitted by the Provincial Council on August 25, the Feast of St. Louis. Both councils are thankful for the fraternal sharing and conversation. The Provincial Council is thankful to the General Council for accepting our recommendation/decision that it was best to postpone the visit that was to have started on September 19. The Provincial Council will work with the General Council to schedule a new visit date. 

 

 

We are grateful to the many programs that happen in the QAC community. To read their recent bulletin, click here.

If you would like to watch the STL Jubilee this Saturday, Sept. 25 (3:00 pm CST) it will be live-streamed here.

Periodically throughout this academic year, I will share with you additional reflections from Marianist educators across the province. This week’s reflection comes from Jill Stewart, who teaches AP United States Government and Politics at Chaminade College Preparatory in West Hills, California. The question asked was, “Which Characteristic of Marianist Education most influences your teaching?” Read Jill’s response below.

The CME that most influences my teaching is “Educate in Family Spirit.” As an AP Government teacher, I feel an enormous responsibility to spark civic responsibility and a passion for social justice in our young people. This aspiration has grown more challenging over the years, with cynicism and distrust of government on the rise and the partisan divide causing people to treat each other in an increasingly disrespectful way. Unfortunately, student behavior often reflects this societal reality. My focus on the CME “Educate in Family Spirit” helps to counter that narrative, however. When students feel part of a family in the classroom (physical or virtual), they are more willing to be patient with each other and to listen to each other. If respect is expected as part of this family, students act with more civility when responding to other points of view and expressing their own. And students who feel loved and nurtured in a family tend to nurture and love others more genuinely and generously, becoming servant leaders. My hope is that these by-products of the CME “Educate in Family Spirit” translate into young people who are not only genuinely passionate about social justice issues and are civically engaged but who are also patient, respectful and generous of spirit. With this foundation, our Marianist servant-leaders can truly transform the world.

A reminder to register for the live-streamed Marianist Lecture on September 26 entitled, “The Spirituality of Justice: Racism and Climate Change/ A Catholic’s Response. The presenter this year is Franciscan Fr. Dan Horan, director of the Center for Spirituality and Professor of Theology at St. Mary's College in Notre Dame, IN. To register for the lecture, click on this link.

The annual audit is now in its final stages for both the Province and the Marianist Mission. Thank you to the community directors and business managers for sending your community’s financial statements and bank statements. These reports are an important step in completing the audit. We appreciate your work and the time required to keep your community books in good order. 

A reminder in processing medical bills. It is always best to send the bills to the province office for processing. We can research the invoice and pay it directly from our office. Often times a statement from a provider is received before insurance has had the time to process the claim. When this happens the bill may accidentally be paid when it is not actually owed. It is sometimes difficult to recover these overpayments. You can send bills and statements to Gina Marty by email or by regular mail.

Thank you to the 22 people who replied anonymously to our Vocation Refresher last week.

Here is the Vocation Refresher for this week. As mentioned, we will be sending you one each week. Some, like the last two weeks, will invite participation and some are just food for thought.

For this week, please ponder the following questions.

The discernment of a candidate’s vocation seeks the answers to three questions:

Also, we would like to invite you to a free webinar "Fundamentals from call to charism to community living" on September 30, at 8:00 p.m.(ET)/7:00 p.m.(CT)/ 6:00 p.m.(MT)/5:00 p.m.(PT) to gain insight on religious life today. The hour-long format is simple; four outstanding speakers will share their insights and then welcome questions from participants.

The webinar is free, but you must register to participate or to receive an on-demand link following the session. Find out more here.

September 24: Timothy Eden

September 27: Edward Longbottom

September 29: Régulo Hernández García

September 25: St. Louis Jubilee