When three regional coordinating teams commissioned the LIFErs, packed up supplies, and hugged each other goodbye in the summer of 2019, we had no idea that it would be three years before our next in-person LIFE program. But now, students are registering and making travel plans, supplies are coming out of storage, and coordinating teams are gathering in Ohio, California, and Texas to plan for our exciting return to our three regional locations for Summer LIFE 2022: Fix My Eyes! At the conclusion of registration, 25 schools and parishes are planning to bring more than 180 students to LIFE this summer. Students and moderators from California to New York, from Puerto Rico to Hawaii will be gathering together to deepen their faith, sharpen their leadership skills, and return to their institutions ready to build Marianist community throughout the year.
Thank you for your prayers and your support of our coordinating teams, our moderators, and our students. While we are incredibly proud of the good work that has continued throughout the pandemic, we know that community is best formed when we can look one another in the eye, share a loud laugh, hold a hand in prayer, and receive the Eucharist together, all when we are gathered in person. We feel blessed to be able to offer this experience of LIFE to students and moderators this summer. Join us as we fix our eyes on Christ so that we may lead others to do the same.
#FixMyEyes,
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Erica Duarte, LIFE Coordinator |
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We can barely contain our excitement as we prepare to welcome students back to Summer LIFE! We kindly ask for your prayers for the 184 students, 38 moderators, and more than 25 Coordinating Team members who will all make up the Marianist LIFE 2022 community. If you have questions about the summer program, please contact us at marianistlife@sm-usa.org.
Summer LIFE 2022
LIFE Pacific
Moderators: June 16-24, 2022
Students: June 19-24, 2022
LIFE Central
Moderators: July 8-15, 2022
Students: July 10-15, 2022
LIFE South
Moderators: July 18-25, 2022
Students: July 20-25, 2022
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Emmy Hamilton - LIFE Central Regional Coordinator
Dayton, Ohio
Meet Emmy Hamilton, the new LIFE Central Regional Coordinator. Emmy lives in Dayton, Ohio and is a kindergarten teacher at a local elementary school. She has been involved in Marianist LIFE for a number of years, beginning in 2006 when she attended as a student with Queen of Apostles Parish. That summer was particularly special because her older sister, a former LIFER herself, was one of her moderators. Emmy was invited to return to LIFE as a Marianist Young Adult (MYA) in 2010, which happened to be the year her brother attended as a LIFEr. "Experiencing Marianist LIFE with my siblings was such a gift. Every year during commissioning, I always remember how special it was that my sister gave me my LIFE medallion and I gave my brother his," Emmy says.
Emmy returned to LIFE Central as a moderator for Queen of Apostles in 2012 and has attended the program every single summer since. She has been in a number of different roles including serving as an institution moderator, auxiliary moderator, Head of Program, and now Regional Coordinator. Emmy even ventured out to California to serve as an aux mod for LIFE Pacific in 2019. Emmy says, "The Marianist LIFE community has become my family and I am very much looking forward to welcoming students and moderators back to Bergamo this summer." Please join us in thanking Emmy for her service to LIFE and praying for her and her team this summer.
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Congratulations, Leo!
Archbishop Riordan High School, LIFE Moderator
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Leonard A. Magnaye, campus minister at Archbishop Riordan High School, made his Marianist Affiliation Commitment on January 7, 2022. He is a graduate of ARHS and presently involved as LIFE Moderator, Coordinator of Christian Service at ARHS and teaches Religion. Congratulations, Leo! Thank you for your commitment to Marianist LIFE and the Marianist family.
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REFLECTION - Laura Flaviani
Archbishop Riordan High School, LIFE Moderator
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"In June 2021 I agreed to serve as a co-moderator for the LIFE Team at Archbishop Riordan High School. The only retreat that I had been on was a Kairos retreat and due to the Pandemic, the retreat was on Zoom. Now this new adventure was about to take place and I was nervous. From day one, Summer LIFE 2021 started out and continued to be a truly unique experience for me. Every person I met was so positive and helpful. My small group and my assistant moderator were amazing and the collaboration was more than I ever expected. All the administrators running Summer LIFE had such positive attitudes about having to hold this event online. They continued to ask me how things were going because it was my first year. They continued to offer kindness and support. I never felt alone because I knew there were people there to help me. As the different activities and prayer services took place, I found each event helping me grow in my faith. LIFE gave me a chance to have a better understanding of the Marianist Charism and how to live the it everyday. This retreat has given me ways to become closer to God and has helped me to share God's good news with others. Summer LIFE also gave me focus and strength and helped me to see myself more in communion with others in my work community. I learned to have a better understanding of how to share my faith with my students. I feel so blessed to be part of the LIFE Team at Riordan High School. Words cannot express the incredible feeling that has remained with me because of Summer LIFE and this program is among the most spiritual uplifting that I have ever experienced." |
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Is this the best email address to send Marianist LIFE updates? Are you a high school senior who will soon lose your school associated email address? Send us an email at marianistlife@sm-usa.org and let us know what address is best for you and we will be happy to update our address book! We want to be sure you stay connected to the LIFE community.
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Reflection - Ana Petrosky
Kellenberg Memorial High School
LIFEr, Class of 2022
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"This past summer, I was given the opportunity to participate in the Marianist LIFE program with 23 of my Kellenberg classmates. Something that stood out to me within the first five minutes was the phrase “build Christian community.” That is the goal of LIFE: build Christian community. Throughout the week we were given unique ideas of how we can further build community within our parishes and schools. On the second day, we were broken into small groups and assigned to draw a river, which would symbolize our own faith journey. This was without a doubt, my favorite activity of the whole week. This experience really bonded my group, as it was really inspirational to listen to everyone’s own journeys. I also understood that although each river had its bumps and rocks, the water never stopped flowing because God never left us. The river symbolizes how God calls us to be “fishers of men.” Later in the week, our families came together for dinner and Eucharistic Adoration. A few of the LIFE moderators joined us via Zoom for this special night of prayer. Before the final song, we each spoke of something new that we learned about our Blessed Mother. This was a beautiful service that I am so grateful to have been a witness of. To be praying with other LIFErs, parents and teachers was beautiful - a Marianist community! I am beyond thankful for Marianist LIFE. I have grown so much closer to Christ through the intercession of Mary. I will cherish the memories I have made with my friends, both from Kellenberg, and from different time zones. I am looking forward to building Christian community in my daily life, because I have learned what it truly means to be a Marianist in today’s society." |
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LIFE Teams are blessed with the opportunity to participate in the summer program, an experience they bring back to their schools and parishes through community meetings and service. The summer program is the starting point for their leadership in ministry, which we hope will extend far beyond their high school years.
To support Marianist LIFE, please click on the image below.
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Here We Go!
Coordinating Teams Get Ready for Summer Program
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Members of the LIFE Central Coordinating Team met in Dayton, Ohio to plan for the summer. The team is led by Emmy Hamilton and members include Glenn Griffin, Kelly Welling, Morgan Cox, Chris Shaver, Carl Schmittgens, and Kevin Wood. Not pictured is Chaplain, Fr. Bob Jones, SM. |
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The LIFE Pacific Coordinating Team met in San Francisco, California to pray, plan, and play as they prepare for an exciting summer. Pictured here are the two members of the Office of Temporalities, Gabriel Duarte and Kevin Fajardo. The Temps team organizes transportation, coordinates logistics, ensures all sessions have the supplies they need and perhaps most importantly, embody our Marianist value of authentic hospitality and welcome.
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The LIFE South Coordinating Team gathered in San Antonio, Texas for an exciting weekend of planning, including attending Mass at Holy Rosary. Thanks to Fr. Brandon Paluch for offering them a special blessing. The team is pictured here: Antonio Mari (RC), Andres Novela, DeDe Barth, Bro. Mark Motz, SM, Amanda Wilkerson, and Daniel Vasquez. Not pictured is Chaplain, Fr. Dan Griffin, SM. |
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Marianist PULSE Applications for 2022-2023 |
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Want to live, give, and grow in the Marianist charism? Are you interested in a year of service, solidarity and intentional community living, complemented with spiritual and professional development as a servant leader? Marianist PULSE is a postgraduate year of service rooted in the charism. PULSE aligns college graduates with professional nonprofit roles in Dayton, Ohio. The program provides room and board, groceries, a living stipend, healthcare, transportation, and an end of year $5,000 allocation to pray forward whatever might be next for participants. Information about the upcoming non-profit placements is available online.
Visit the PULSE website and request an application for the 2022-2023 program year. Applications are welcome on a rolling basis until positions are filled. Check out their Insta, too. Please contact Maureen O’Rourke with any questions!
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Interested in Serving on Team? |
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Would you be interested in serving on one of our Coordinating teams? Fill out the survey at this link and let us know!
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