Dear Brothers,
Region of Eastern Africa
The next month will be very busy for the brothers in the Region of Eastern Africa. Bro. Tom Redmond (as previously announced) has now arrived in the Region and will train future retreat directors for the Spirit of Saragossa perpetual vow retreat. From December 19-January 22, Bro. Tom will be conducting the Spirit of Saragossa retreat for our brothers. Please place this intention on your prayer list.
New Liturgical Year
The Advent Season calls us to a spiritual check-up. Several things to consider:
- Do you have a Spiritual Director? When was the last time you visited your Spiritual Director?
- Are you being faithful to personal prayer? Community prayer?
- Have you called a family, friend or fellow Marianist who is in a care center?
- Has your community prepared a vocation plan?
This Coming Week
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December 9: Chaminade-Madonna College Prep visitation
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December 10: Funeral for Ron Jones, Fort Worth; MFC-NA meetings
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December 11: Meetings with brothers
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December 12-13: Meetings, San Antonio
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December 14-15: Provincial Council Meetings, St. Louis
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Dear Brothers,
Resources/Interesting Reading from Review for Religious
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Synodality and the Eucharistic Congress: Who Needs to be at the Table? Whom Might I Bring? In this essay, Bro. Patrick Sean Moffett, CFC, reflects on the recent plans from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops for a Eucharistic Congress, asking whether there is an opportunity for synodality and the Congress to synthesize in an unexpected way. He poses two questions for reflection: who needs to be at the Congress's Eucharistic table, and whom might religious invite?
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Biblical Bookshelf, Part 1. Review for Religious is pleased to restart a feature from the old Review: group book reviews! A "Bookshelf" will feature an expert reviewer highlighting a number of books on a topic of interest. For our inaugural Bookshelf, Sr. Joan Cook, SC, a biblical scholar, has combed through piles of biblical books to bring us seven titles of interest, starting with three in this post.
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Biblical Bookshelf, Part 2. In the second half of this Bookshelf, Sr. Joan Cook, SC, adds another four titles, including one corresponding to the liturgical year, one on the Our Father, and one on biblical perspectives on aging.
Homily/Shared Reflections Resource
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Quest Resource. Selected from the 30-year library of Quest and Summer Reflections, Bro. Bob Moriarty (director, Pastoral Department for Small Christian Communities, 1989-2017) has assembled a collection called, The Best of Quest. Covering all weeks of the year, including feasts and solemnities, the first edition of this material begins with Lectionary Year C. Bro. Bob will begin working on Lectionary Year A in 2022. Reprinted with the permission of the Archdiocese of Hartford, The Best of Quest is being published online by the North American Center for Marianist Studies (NACMS). It may be accessed free of charge here.
JPIC
While I was on visitation to the Philadelphia Community, Bro. Steve O’Neil and I met for a wonderful conversation on Province JPIC efforts and the Laudato Si’ Action Platform. Bro. Steve will be sending out an email to all of the directors later this week regarding some very practical things that communities can do to follow up on the call from the Provincial Chapter to assist in a plan for going forward for an Energy Audit. If you don't receive an email from Bro. Steve, please check your spam/junk folder. Click here for Bro. Steve’s email address.
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Register NOW for the 2022 Catholic Social Ministry Gathering! Justice at the Margins virtual gathering on January 29 – February 1, 2022. There will be inspiring speakers and grassroots voices in Church and society. Workshops with policy experts and community leaders. Intentional opportunities for best practice-sharing among participants. Resources from dozens of Catholic social ministry organizations. Virtual advocacy visits with elected officials and more.
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Rapid Response: Preparing to Welcome Afghan Allies. Catholic Charities USA (CHUSA) is hosting a webinar that is open to anyone who wants to accompany new arrivals on December 14 at 1:00 p.m. (EST). The Afghan resettlement effort is happening quickly, and resettlement agencies are encouraged to “think outside the box” in preparing for arrivals. All Catholic Charities agencies, including those without an existing resettlement program, have been called upon to prepare for and welcome Afghans over the next few weeks. To better prepare our agencies, CCUSA invites you to consider rapid response methodologies utilized in other areas of Catholic Charities ministries as your agency prepares for providing Afghan arrival assistance. This webinar lays out the ways in which a community and an agency can prepare for the arrival of our new neighbors, including engaging with state and local stakeholders, volunteer recruitment and communal participation. To register in advance for this meeting, click here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
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Dear Brothers,
Go to Joseph!
Submitted by Rev. David McGuigan, the chaplain at the Marianist Family Retreat Center
This past year, the theme of our retreat program was, “Go to Joseph!” a wonderful, prayerful and fun-filled way to participate in the Church’s Year of St. Joseph. We were delighted to welcome forty-four families over the course of eight weeks.
Together we reflected on St. Joseph’s virtues: his goodness, humility, openness to God’s message in his dreams by night, faithful actions by day, and skills of heart as well as hands. Each day’s skit, combining faith-formation with entertainment, captured those virtues, playfully; e.g., “Looks like he’s a good carpenter, reasonably priced, honest, faith-filled, devoted to his family, and trusts in God’s plan." Families were commissioned at Saturday’s closing Mass to give life to the lessons they learned and commitments they made (pictured below) in the spirit of the Marianist Charism, “We are all missionaries.”
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The Fulcrum
Click on this link for the newest issue of LIFE’s newsletter, The Fulcrum. Thanks to Erica Duarte for her leadership and passion for this most important ministry. |
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Office of Vocation Ministry - Bro. Mark Motz |
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Dear Brothers,
Vocation Refresher
“In a Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) survey of those religious in formation, over half of those who attended a Catholic college or university specifically cited the personal witness of women and men religious living out their vocations with happiness, integrity and faithfulness as having a significant influence on their vocational discernment.” (Pathways to Religious Life, Thomas P. Gaunt, SJ)
Take some time to reflect this week on how someone recognizes members of the Marianist community and what is so distinctive about us that invites young adults to discern their vocation within our community?
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Please pray for our Brothers who are celebrating their birthdays
December 10: David Betz, William Grundish
December 12: Juan De La Cruz, Thomas Spring
December 13: DuWayne Brisendine
December 14: John Putka
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December 12: Third Sunday of Advent
December 14-15: Provincial Council meeting
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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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