(Beginning with the August 2022 Personnel) Fr. Allen DeLong is assigned to the Cupertino Marianist Community with the ministry of service, clerical and pastoral assistance.

I call on everyone to pray for peace and an end to the war in Ukraine. In solidarity with many displaced Ukrainians, the Provincial Council voted at our meeting Tuesday to donate $25,000 to the Caritas/Catholic Charity as a designated gift to assist with the needs of refugees. We may speak a different language or follow varying traditions, but we all make up part of the human family. To remind us that we are different and yet the same (via Google translate), we provide the Marianist Doxology in Ukrainian. Click here to read.

Do you know a young adult interested in a year of service, solidarity and intentional community living, complemented with spiritual and professional development as a servant leader through the Marianist Charism? If so, please encourage them to visit the PULSE website and request an application for the 2022-2023 program year.

Please take a moment to learn about its nonprofit placements and the program's benefits that make it an affordable option for young adults after college. Applications are due by April 10, 2022 – late applications are welcome on a rolling basis following that date. Contact Maureen O’Rourke with any questions.

Thank you for your prayers for a wonderful formation weekend based on our Vow of Poverty. I thought you might enjoy seeing a picture of our young men and women in different stages of formation. Bro. Leno is missing as he continues his studies in France.

I invited each of our area coordinators to choose one or two Marianists to write a short reflection on JPIC themes for Lent. The following is from Fr. Marty Solma in Hawaii:

Outside one of the offices at Chaminade University of Honolulu, there is a whiteboard. Each week someone poses a question, and students/faculty write responses. Sometimes they are pretty funny.

This week’s question: “If you suddenly won $1M, what would you do with it?”

Most of the comments were predictable: “pay off student loans” (sometimes X3!); “buy my dream house”; “buy a luxury car”; “invest in mutual funds”; one even said, “buy pizza.”

But there was one entry that caught my eye. Boldly placed right in the middle of the board was this statement, “Send it to Ukraine.”

We have all been watching terrible scenes of suffering, displacement, sadness and trauma. It puts our rather “small” concerns in a much bigger perspective. We are also reminded of the gospel on Monday of the first week of Lent: “What you did to the least, you did to me.”

I hope we all win $1M and do what this generous student suggested – give it away to those needier than ourselves.

The reflection below is from youth coordinator Kevin Koslowski at the Bergamo Center for Lifelong Learning.

At Bergamo, the retreat is finished; I stand alone and reflect in the Roncalli Chapel and take a moment to breathe. Though my facilitation team and I host 40 plus retreats a year, this one was unique. It involved 70 youth from all over the east Ohio area sharing smiles, tears, joy and faith.

The retreat was called “World’s Greatest.” Its theme is a recognition of Genesis 1:27: So God created man in His image, and divine an image it was. The keynote was that God’s plan for us is to take His love and grace to each other. We are the worlds’ greatest gifts and are called to preserve, care and love the earth.

As our Blessed William Joseph Chaminade said, “Let us always tend to the pure love of God and to the profound contempt of ourselves, and the Holy Spirit will enable us to work wonders.”

The students who attended this retreat shared experiences in witnessing, small groups, liturgy and creative prayer. The retreat received positive feedback.

“I have received many retreat experiences. This one holds a special place in my heart. I have met some of my closest friends on this retreat, and it helped me grow as a person of faith.” Alena Rapien (Seton Catholic High School 2022)

“When you start seeing everyone as the World’s Greatest versions of themselves, you can start to know how good everyone is.” Julie Casavant (Mount Notre Dame High School 2022)

“This retreat challenges us to promote two truths that we are made by God to be the Worlds’ Greatest versions of ourselves. And that we are loved beyond any doubt.” Sara Peabody (Catholic Central High School 2022)

The Youth Program at Bergamo hosted 12 schools and 49 retreats this past year. We work with around 2000 students a year with 45 college-student volunteer leads. All of the schools praised our ability to work around the pandemic.

We are highlighting our mission via social media and our YouTube channel. Conor McEntee, marketing communications coordinator, is transforming some of the vocation-centered articles in ALIVE into videos. Click here to watch the latest creation. You can help support our vocation ministry by subscribing to our YouTube channel; it’s as easy as clicking here and hitting the red subscribe button. In obtaining more subscribers, we unlock various helpful tools.

How can we continue attracting and developing new religious vocations that stay true to our Marianist Charism? How does our community choose those works that form apostles and stimulate religious vocations?

March 20: Peter Pontolillo

March 21: Giancarlo Bonutti

March 22: Reinaldo Berríos, Thomas Oles, William Schlosser

March 19: Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Patron of the Society of Mary)