October 4, 2018
From Fr. Oscar Vasquez
Dear Brothers,


Meeting community directors

As you receive this issue of Provincial Council “Notes,” we are preparing for the beginning of the annual Directors Meeting. We are so thankful to our brothers who continue to accept the call to be leaders in our local communities. When they return to your community, please remember to thank them for their service. I know that the Provincial Council is truly thankful to each of them. 


Perpetual Vow Celebration

This Saturday, the directors will join the Holy Rosary parish community in celebrating the Mass of Perpetual Profession of two of our brothers, Syl Burkemper and Mark Motz. Please join us in prayer as we celebrate this celebration of hope for our province. Next weekend, we will be celebrating the perpetual profession of our Brother José Luis González Molina in Querétaro, Mexico. 


Continuing the spirit of hope

This past week at the Provincial Council meetings, Jesús Álvarez Peña, was APPROVED to begin the Aspirancy program in Mexico. We are thankful to God for the way that He continues to send men to the province mission of hope & joy. Please continue to pray for vocations.  

We give thanks

As I mentioned earlier, many Marianists have served the broader Church. In September, Bro. Bob Metzger completed his time of service to the National Religious Retirement Office (NRRO). The executive director, Sister Stephanie Still, PBVM, published an article of tribute to Bro. Bob for his many years of service. Read the article. Thank you Bob for being of service to the broader Church. 


Holy Rosary celebrates 70 years
 
The Mass of Perpetual Profession will take place at Holy Rosary on the same weekend that Fr. John Thompson and the parishioners of Holy Rosary will be celebrating the parish 70th anniversary. You may remember that last year the province joined in a venture with the Archdiocese of San Antonio to create a center for young adult ministry at Holy Rosary. We continue to ask our God to bless this special mission. We are also thankful for the Marianists that have served at Holy Rosary over these many years. 
From Bro. Jesse O'Neill
Dear Brothers,


What’s happening

The Sponsorship Commission will meet in St. Louis October 8–9. The commission is responsible for overseeing the director of the Office of Sponsorship and the overall work of the office. The members of the Sponsorship Commission include Bro. Jesse O’Neill (chair), Bro. Ed Brink, Marge Cavanaugh, Don Eggleston, Tim Fallon, and Dan Donnelly (ex officio member as director, Office of Sponsorship).

The Sponsorship Commission has proven to be a valuable resource in the growth and development of the Marianist Sponsorship model, and in providing sound recommendations and support to the Provincial Council in matters relating to sponsored ministries. The commission meets at least two times per year, including a session (usually in spring) with the Provincial Council. Please keep this important gathering in your prayers.


A story of hope and joy

Submitted by Mr. Jamar Mosley – director of the Marianist Urban Students Program at Purcell Marian High School in Cincinnati, Ohio.

During the first week of this 2018-2019 school year, the students of Purcell Marian’s MUSP program were asked to do an “I AM” project. The project consisted of them telling who they were in one-word using powerful adjectives. We heard many different things from “I am success, I am brave” to “I am beautiful, I am creative.” 

Doing this simple project not only gave the students in the program more confidence about themselves but it gave me a sense of hope and joy. Too many times, we hear negative things about today’s urban youth and what they cannot do. The students in the program tell me “who they are” every day I see them. Even if they did not believe that’s who they were when we first did the project, over time they will believe that’s exactly who they are!
  Pictured from left to right is Irene Goumballe (freshman), Asia Howard (freshman), Eric Dugger (sophomore), Jamar Mosley (MUSP director), Andrew Brooks (freshman) and Ta'Kya Hicks (junior). 
From the Office of JPIC - Brian Reavey
Dear Brothers,


Happy Feast of St. Francis

Today marks the annual celebration of the Saint who saw all created beings as his brother or sister. In addition to other integrity of creation resources we've shared in recent issues of "Notes," here is a video from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati showing how parishes, communities, families and institutions can implement Laudato Si in practical ways. It features our own Sr. Leanne Jablonski, FMI, from MEEC and UD, and Jeff Bohrer from Mount Saint John.


CMSM statement

The Senate hearings last week have brought to the forefront the dignity of women. A statement developed by Conference of Major Superiors of Men (CMSM) notes, “In collaboration with women, we must help to create space so that women are heard, can participate equally and many more can become leaders. As Jesus lifted up the value of women in his cultural times, we commit to continuing to engage with and for women to build a more just society and culture.” Read the full statement. 


PULSE blog

Our eight PULSE young adult volunteers have been living simply in community and serving our non-profit partners in East and West Dayton for two months now. In addition to following PULSE on social media, we encourage you to read brief reflections on our PULSE Blog, Spectacle of Saints. Recent blog posts include musings from the following brothers: Fr. George Cerniglia, Bro. Bob Donovan, Bro. Tom Redmond and Fr. Chris Wittmann.
Birthdays
Please pray for our brothers who are celebrating their birthdays

October 6: Delmar Jorn, Gary Morris
October 7: Sylvester Burkemper, Robert Moriarty
October 9: Gerald Chinchar, Edwin Shiras
On the Calendar
October 4 -7: Directors Meeting, San Antonio
October 6: Perpetual Vow Ceremony, Bros. Syl Burkemper and Mark Motz
October 7: Our Lady of the Rosary
Editor's Note:

Correction: In the August 16 edition of Notes, the ballot counts for the California area delegate were incorrectly listed as Bro. Somerville - 175 and Rev. Heft - 78. Bro. Somerville’s count was actually 135.

I apologize for this error. Thanks to Fr. Chris Wittmann for bringing this mistake to my attention.
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.