Mission: Possible – Youth Now
You’re probably familiar with the phrase, “It takes a village.”
The following mission is no different – it requires the whole Marianist Family.
This past summer, the General Chapter of the Society of Mary met in Rome, as it does every six years, to discuss issues and plan for the future.
For 21 days, 34 brothers from 18 countries, speaking different languages, focused on Marianist Ministry with and for young people. The endeavor of evangelizing to young people is a priority for the Society of Mary, and it involves you, as detailed in a letter to the entire Marianist Family.
“We all have a responsibility for the evangelization of the young, and we take it seriously. So, we are truly thankful for all who further the faith development of the young and provide accompaniment on their spiritual journey,” said U.S. Provincial Fr. Oscar Vasquez.
In fact, it is fundamental to the Marianist Charism. “One thing I hear from young people is that they are looking for guides to help them on their spiritual path and to help them navigate life’s opportunities and challenges,” explained University of Dayton Chaplain Fr. Bob Jones.
How does the Society of Mary intend to embark on this mission? It proposes a four-fold path of Encounter, Mercy, Accompaniment, and “Todos” or unity that is laid out in a Letter to the Young, which in part states, “We want to create a culture of encounter where we discover together who we are and where we are going.”
Rather than alluding to young people as the future, it reiterates that youth are the “now” of the Church. “They are the Church of today. The young are called to step up to the plate and get involved. I encourage them to attend Church, read at Mass, volunteer, be a part of the youth or young adult group or help teach CCD (PSR – Parish School of Religion). This initial involvement allows them to meet people and be a part of the parish, Church, or school family,” said Fr. Oscar.
“Young people are full of energy and creativity, seeing the world with a fresh new perspective. They have much to offer to our Marianist Mission, and there is much to learn from them as well as all of us learning from each other and growing in faith with each other,” said Fr. Bob.
Marianists are keen on education of all kinds, offering accompaniment in their high schools and universities, listening and being present. Click here or on the video image below to hear from today’s youth and learn about the plan to address their desires.
Everyone is asked to do their part— “Invite the young to get involved in your Church, create a warm, welcoming, and accepting environment, assist them in their faith-filled journeys, but also be willing to step aside,” requested Fr. Oscar.
In The News
Enhancing Worship for Children With Disabilities
The University of Dayton received a nearly $1.2 million grant from Lilly Endowment Inc. to create and enhance worship opportunities for children with disabilities.
The funding comes from Lilly Endowment’s Nurturing Children Through Worship and Prayer Initiative, which helps Christian congregations engage children in meaningful intergenerational worship and prayer practices.
“We want to make worship come alive for children with disabilities, whose needs and gifts are often overlooked,” said Jana Bennett, chair of UD’s religious studies department and initiative leader.
The work will address accessibility concerns such as cost and space that often prevent churches from including these children in worship in meaningful ways. UD faculty from disability and ministry is working with 12 congregations in the Dayton region to address this during the next five years to test and develop new worship practices using Montessori-based materials. The team aims to produce 24 practical worship aids that enhance participation for children with disabilities. Additionally, they will develop a resource book with theologies of children and disability and adaptable prayer practices.
Click here to read more.
Lay Marianist Community Makes National News
The Lay Marianist Community, called Spiritus, was created when the Queen of Apostles parish in Dayton, OH, closed last December. The first Spiritus gathering occurred on Epiphany, and its debut was successful. While about 80 people of the 120 original congregation continue, members realize they need younger members in order to remain sustainable.
The National Catholic Reporter delves into the work it requires and highlights how it may be a model for other parish communities facing similar situations. Click here to read the full story.
Saluting Our Veterans
Veterans were honored across the campuses of many Marianist schools. At the University of Dayton Research Institute, a breakfast was held to honor the many veterans among the ranks there. A drive, in collaboration with the local Blue Star Mothers, was also held to collect and provide items for troops currently serving overseas. At St. Mary’s University, veterans and their families were welcomed to the Barrett Memorial Bell Tower for a prayer service and show of gratitude.
Marianist Ministries in Action
Promise of Life
The General Chapter of the Society of Mary recently released a document titled The Promise of Life. It is, in part, a handbook to help bring new life to and for young people through meaningful encounters. One section reads:
“Together with the Marianist Family, go with young people to meet the poor and those who remain on the outside. Let young people take their own initiatives, at the risk of upsetting us, on their own themes (ecology, the common home, justice and peace, etc.)”
The Marianist Family Encounters Project, now in its third year, took this tactic to heart, inviting the public to an immersive conference in October. More than 70 participants attended the gathering at Bergamo Center, Mount Saint John, in Dayton, OH.
Marianist Encounters co-chairs Sr. Leanne Jablonski, FMI, and Bro. Jesse O’Neill, SM, were joined by various members of the Marianist Family who contributed to the conference as presenters, Marianist ministries site coordinators, and Mount Saint John tour guides.
Bro. Steve O’Neil shared a slideshow with images of inspiring Marianist Encounters stories from throughout the Marianist Family – its schools, universities, retreat centers, institutions, lay communities, and more.
The three-day event included workshops on a wide range of topics, from ecological education, nature-based spirituality, sustainable development and solar power to social justice. Sessions focused on the Marianist Charism, with its gifts and challenges in encountering the cry of the poor, the earth, and the youth today. Prayer services, tours, and time for meditation and reflection also filled the function. “The Marianist Family Encounters Project supports not only Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’ Action Platform but also the call from our General Chapter document for pastoral ministry with and for young people in the context of the Marianist Family. May God continue to bless this most important initiative in our life as Marianists,” said Bro. Jesse O’Neill.
Click here to experience a day-to-day schedule of activities. Click here to view more photos from the conference.
A Marianist Moment
All Saints Day With a Sing-Along
Fr. Oscar Vasquez concelebrated All Saints Day Mass at Archbishop Riordan High School with San Francisco’s Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone and School Chaplain Fr. Greg Heidenblut, O.S.A. “We learned that it was Fr. Oscar’s birthday on November 1, and so after Mass, the student body sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to him. Afterward, several faculty members and I took him to lunch to celebrate with a special dessert,” said Director of Campus Ministry Alex Datoc.
The North American Center for Marianist Studies (NACMS) recently released a Community Meeting Kit, “Spectacle of Saints,” which explores Marianist candidates on the path to sainthood and examines how we are blessed with ordinary saints in our lives today. The meditative and prayerful resource is a wonderful way to engage your community with the themes of Christian sainthood. Click here for the free and downloadable kit.
We ask that you pray for our Marianist Blesseds in their cause for sainthood. God gives us the saints to encourage and guide us on the path of Christian life. It is important not to let this help be lost, especially when it concerns our Marianist Family. Beatification or canonization is, above all, the fruit of the people’s devotion and attachment to this witness whose power of intercession we use, bringing about graces and miracles. Click here to explore ways you can help promote these causes.
From the Archives
Baby Boom Build
Did you know the Marianists were asked to build a high school to accommodate a baby boom?
Maryhurst, sitting on more than 100 acres in Kirkwood, MO, served as a Marianist novitiate beginning in 1921, but the landscape was transformed in 1960 when St. John Vianney High School was built on the tract.
By the late 1950s, the first wave of Baby Boom babies started crowding the local high school, so St. Louis Archbishop Joseph Ritter proposed a new private Catholic high school for boys in south St. Louis County. At the archbishop’s request, the Society of Mary agreed to sponsor the school built on the grounds of Maryhurst. Classes began in the fall of 1960 with 33 seniors, 35 juniors, 35 sophomores, 215 freshmen and a faculty comprised of 13 Marianists and two lay teachers.
Today, the Marianist novitiate is located in Dayton, OH, on the grounds of Mount Saint John. However, a Maryhurst namesake remains in MO—the Maryhurst Memorial Cemetery remains on the grounds in Kirkwood. Click here to discover some of those memorialized there.
If you’d like to see images from the archives, visit and “like” this Facebook page.
Pray With Us
Please join us in prayer for these members of the Marianist Family.
Fr. Timothy Dwyer, 89, died on Nov. 18, 2024, in San Antonio, TX, with 70 years of religious profession.
His obituary is forthcoming and will be posted here as soon as possible.
Click here to see pictures of Fr. Timothy through the years.
Good to Know
Advent Retreats Available
All three of the Marianist retreat centers are offering retreats for the Advent season.
On Sunday, Dec. 1, 2024, the Bergamo Center for Lifelong Learning invites you to gather around its cozy fireplace lounge and enjoy time for prayer, crafts, and yummy treats. The family-friendly event is free and open to the public. Click here for more information.
The Marianist Retreat and Conference Center near St. Louis, MO, is holding its annual Advent retreat Friday, Dec. 6, through Sunday, Dec. 8, 2024. The theme is “The Word is Still Becoming Flesh,” and it will have a trio of presenters, Steve Givens, Lucia Signorelli, and Fr. Tom Santen. It will include time for silence, fellowship, scripture-opening teaching, experiences of various kinds of contemplative prayer, opportunities for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Sunday Mass, and small group sharing. Click here for more information.
Family retreats are a focus this Advent at the Marianist Family Retreat Center in Cape May, NY. Eight to ten families will come together for a week or weekend to form a Christ-centered community. Here is what you can expect: Mass and other family liturgies complemented by skits, presentations, family sharing, peer group discussions, and fun activities. Click here for more information.
Lyrical Lessons from Rapping Teacher
No PhD in rhymes and beats,
but she mixes lessons with metrical feats.
With chalk in her hand and a beat in her soul,
Making grammar lessons rock is her ultimate goal.
When Chaminade University of Honolulu (CUH) graduate Donna Kay Fisher, MA ’16, EdD ’24, was a kid, she couldn’t get enough of “Schoolhouse Rock” with cadences like “Conjunction Junction, what’s your function?”
Fast forward to Fisher’s life in the classroom today at Kapolei Middle School and she’s got her own catchy rhymes. You can check them out on YouTube; her handle is @Englishraps4u. There, you’ll find her rapping about clauses and adjectives, fragments and run-ons, and even dangling modifiers—all with an electronic keyboard backing her up. “I hope my rap lessons are just as enduring as ‘Schoolhouse Rock,’” said Fisher, who dubs herself the “educational rapper.”
Fisher, who this past spring was part of the inaugural cohort at CUH to graduate with a Doctor of Education in Organizational Leadership for Adaptation and Change, is a veteran English teacher in Hawai’i public schools with a passion for engaging her students.
Click here to learn how even a heart attack didn’t stop her from pursuing her dreams and dropping her beats.
ALIVE Magazine – Fall Edition
The new fall edition of ALIVE magazine is now available.
Inside, you will discover why an 85-year-old former St. Mary’s University employee refers to Marianist giants, the reason the Marianist Novitiate is compared to a reality show, and how a Black Orchard cake is a cause for celebration.
Click here to read those stories and more in the digital version.
Check Out More Marianist News
Via Latina from the General Administration of the Society of Mary
Sharing Our Marianist Stories podcast from North American Center for Marianist Studies
Justice Jottings from the Marianist Social Justice Collaborative
AMU Newsletter from the Association of Marianist Universities
Region Update #86 from the Marianist Region of India
FatherSide Chats is a web video series featuring Fr. Gene Contadino. Discover new episodes every Tuesday about a variety of topics. Click the graphic to view episodes. Click here to read more.
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