Dear Brothers,

Please Remember to Read

Please remember to read the Special Message from The Provincial Council that was emailed yesterday. Due to the nature of the announcement, the message will direct you to a letter which was placed on the Marianist Province portal. As always, you will be directed to login with your user name and password to access the portal. To make this a little more convenient, we have added a blue button on the top right of the portal that says, "Provincial Communications," which will direct you to the letter.

Provincial Chapter Council Reports Posted  

The Provincial Council reports were posted on Monday, January 28. Enjoy!  

Personnel Assignment

Effective Immediately:  Bro. Brian Zampier has been appointed the acting director of the Casa Maria Community. After the death of Fr. Bill Behringer, the Provincial Council consulted the community. A formal consultation will be made later. Please join me in thanking Bro. Brian for his willingness to serve the community in this special time.  

This Coming Week

*February 6-8: Board Meeting, St. Mary’s University

Dear Brothers,

Recent Visitation to Saint Francis DeSales

Recently, I visited the St. Francis DeSales community and parish in Cincinnati. It is a unique place with many ministries connected to the parish and an ideal place for a Brother searching for ministry: tutoring in the elementary school, working in the high school, assisting with the poor and getting involved in liturgical ministries with the parish—there is something for everyone!

Two unique committees that I attended were the Marianist Spirit Committee and the Model Church Committee. I very much enjoyed witnessing the wonderful work being done at the respite center nearby. Seven Brothers are connected to the community and I found all of them do some form of daily exercise: walking, using exercise machines, seeking the help of a physical therapist and using the gym at Xavier University. Very edifying!!

Missionary Preaching in the Summer

We are beginning to organize the missionary preaching schedules for the summer. We have applied to a number of Dioceses in which we have personnel and we are now waiting on the response. This is a great opportunity for us in evangelization, giving witness of our life and offering service to the poor. I have a section on this in my Provincial Chapter report. Please give this some thought. Obviously, it will depend upon dates but it would be helpful for us to know who might be willing to consider. Please send your response to Donna Tucker if you are open and we will keep a running list.

Spiritual Reading

No Salvation Outside the Poor by Jon Sobrino, Orbis Books,2008: Recommended by Bro. Bill Farrell in Guatemala. It is unsettling, challenging and has seeds of hope for the world.

Central Catholic Marianist School

I recently celebrated the Mass for the student body at Central Catholic High School in San Antonio during their Marianist Heritage Week. It was a beautiful liturgy to remember Blessed Chaminade. Towards the end of the Mass, the Brothers gathered around the altar to sing the Salve Regina and a portrait of Fr. Don Cowie was presented by an alumni artist. A very touching moment!

Dear Brothers,

What’s Happening

Visit to St. Laurence College in Ireland:

I am honored to be heading back to St. Laurence College to conduct the community visitation with the Brothers. I look forward to listening to the sharing of each brother one-on-one. I will have time to visit the school and to share time with the LIFE team as well as talk with various groups at the school about our entrance into the Le Chéile trust. 

I will be attending the Le Chéile annual conference next week where I will have the opportunity to meet members of other religious communities who are members of the trust. The formal signing of our agreement will occur at this meeting. Please keep this new chapter for St. Laurence College in your prayers.  Bro. Tom Giardino will attend a mass at the school at the end of February celebrating our entrance into Le Chéile.

A Story of Hope and Joy

Submitted by George Lisjak , director of the North American Center for Marianist Studies (NACMS)

Bro. Larry Cada has long served NACMS, as a contributing author, as a former director, and, most recently, as scholar-in-residence. His consuming passion over the past few years has been his work on a revision of Simler’s biography of Chaminade. He has been absolutely determined to complete this work, which has involved thousands of hours of painstaking research and still requires many more.

In the summer of 2017, serious health issues took him away from NACMS for nearly a year, leaving doubt as to whether he would ever be able to return. Bro. Larry, however, has an indomitable spirit, both as a Marianist brother and as a scholar. In June, 2018, Bro. Larry was able to return to his work, at first for just an hour or so at a time. Soon, that time increased. He now spends 15 hours a week at NACMS, relentlessly continuing his work on the Simler biography. His commitment to scholarship and his passion for mining the depths of Marianist Studies are inspirational. His ability to overcome his physical difficulties to return to the work he loves is, indeed, a story of hope and joy.

Bro. Larry Cada at work!

Please pray for our brothers who are celebrating their birthdays

January 31: Ronald Overman

February 4: Thomas Njari (EA), Kenneth Straubinger

February 7: Francisco González

This publication is for members of the Society of Mary. Please do not forward it. Also, please provide a printed copy for brothers who do not use email.

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