We have just received a letter from the Superior General, Fr. Manuel Cortés, ratifying the acts of the recent Provincial Chapter. Please read his entire letter.

You will notice that the revised Province Directory still needs to be reviewed by the GA before it gives final approval.

Of special note is Fr. Cortés' decision to extend the terms of the current Provincial Chapter delegates. Given the upcoming consultation for Province leadership, this will enable to next Council to implement the decisions of the Chapter concerning size and composition of both the Provincial Council and the Provincial Chapter.

On Tuesday, I was present for the installation of Dr. Eric Spina as the 19th president of the University of Dayton. The installation ceremony was excellent. I am grateful to Fr. Jim Fitz and others for the inclusion of a clear and direct "commissioning" of Dr. Spina on behalf of the Society of Mary. Please read the Marianist Commissioning ceremony. Read Dr. Spina's inaugural address. 

During the dinner on Monday evening and on behalf of the Province, I presented Dr. Spina with a framed picture of Our Lady of the Pillar. I explained the significance of this image for the Society of Mary as a source of foundation and inspiration.

Dr. Spina and his wife, Karen Spina, were deeply touched and very grateful.

As we enter the final days of Lent, let us pray for each other and ask the Lord for a deeper conformity to his life and self-gift.

Fr. John Klobuka will move from the Hollywood Marianist Community to the Alumni Hall Marianist Community after Easter. He will minister at Holy Angels and St. Anthony's parishes in Dayton.

Fr. Robert Bouffier will move from the Chaminade Pohaku Marianist Community in Honolulu in June, and has been assigned to the Hollywood Marianist Community in Florida. Bob will minister in the Archdiocese of Miami, including at Chaminade-Madonna.

Dear Brothers,

Thanks to Fr. Mike Reaume, of our community in Dublin, for his contribution to this series.

"What do I do? I never expected to be a 'living dinosaur.' 

Although I retired as school chaplain and the IT department at St. Laurence College in 2004, I am still around for a few hours most days. I help Mary, our chaplain, provide a "listening ear," especially to staff, and I help in whatever ways seem useful.

Recently I was asked to come into a history class and be interviewed by the students about whatever they wanted. They were born in 2005. Many of the questions related to my memories of the sixties in the United States, some to that of Ireland and of the school. My motivation has been to share about Marianist life in Ireland and other places and add some perspective to their lives.

What else do I do? These days I also help in the local parishes. Again, my motivation is to share pastoral experience from my experience in other places to a church struggling to find a way forward amid tremendous changes in faith and practice.

Recently I have been trying to help people to see the value of our biblical images and stories in the "big-bang" universe, when much of the culture here is quite anti-religious. For many years I have been sharing information and literature about near-death experiences, sometimes empowering others to share their own.

Because I also mind our small community garden, that experience offers a talking point about the environment, recycling and climate issues. It sometimes gives me an opportunity to promote Pope Francis' encyclical."

In these final days of Lent, the JPIC Advisory Committee and MEEC remind Province members about CMSM's Cherish All of Creation resolution, which the Province signed in 2015.

Here are three resolution principles with recommended actions:

1. We resolve to remember our interconnectedness and to recommit ourselves to the principle of subsidiarity. We keep the vulnerable - children, immigrants, the incarcerated - on our minds and, to the extent possible, at the table as we make decisions that may have an effect on their lives.

2. We resolve to work toward a more just and equitable system where mitigating climate change is part of every ministry.

3. We resolve that as we decrease our use of fossil fuels, in the transitional moments, we at least offset such use, particularly from flights, by purchasing carbon offsets.