Marianist-Sponsored High School Garners National Attention
An unconventional high school program at St. Mary’s South Side Catholic High School in St. Louis, MO, is being touted in Labor Tribune and IBEW publications, Tech Ed Magazine articles, local TV news stories, and most recently, in the National Catholic Reporter.
The Marianist-sponsored high school began an elective pre-apprenticeship curriculum for juniors and seniors in the fall of 2022. The skilled trades education program is the first (and currently only one) of its kind in the state. The Missouri Works Initiative partnered with the school to create courses and schedule guest instructors as well as fully fund it for the next four years. The Federation of Area Trades donated $250,000 to purchase equipment, supplies, and certifications for enrolled students.
“We were the first school in Missouri to offer this pre-admission program,” said Principal Valerie Todd. This is not something new at St. Mary’s. “We have had, over the years, some kind of trade opportunities,” said Todd, who has been at St. Mary’s for 27 years. “We used to have electricity and HVAC classes for a while. Probably since the 2019-20 school year, we have had a partnership with Ranken.” Ranken Technical College in St. Louis specializes in degrees and certifications for automotive, electrical, construction, IT, and manufacturing. Todd stated that St. Mary’s students could participate in “dual enrollment,” spending half days at both the high school and Ranken.
President of MO AFL-CIO and St. Mary’s alum Jake Hummel jumped at the opportunity to get involved in the program. He reported that the class travels off campus to job sites to visit apprentice training centers across the St. Louis region.
The high school would like to extend this emerging program, possibly adding a new building on campus dedicated to supporting students pursuing skilled labor trades.
Click here to read an in-depth article on this “vocational education” in the National Catholic Reporter.
In The News
Marianist Educational Associates Launch New Year
St. Mary’s University Marianist Educational Associates (MEA), President Winston Erevelles, and Marianist Religious gathered at Holy Rosary Catholic Church in San Antonio, TX, to celebrate and launch the 2024-2025 academic year.
The Marianist Educational Associates is an initiative among the three Marianist universities to build strong partners with members of the Society of Mary. Each year, faculty, staff, and administrators are invited to deepen their understanding of and commitment to the traditions and beliefs of a Marianist community.
The formation program includes readings, reflections, and insights sharing. MEAs meet once a month from Sept. to May to continue their formation by developing, strengthening, and advancing our Catholic and Marianist philosophy of education. At the end of the academic year, during a special service, MEAs make a public commitment to sustain and enrich the university’s Catholic and Marianist character.
National Merit Scholars and Acing the ACT
Two students at Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati, OH, have been named National Merit® Semifinalists. A certificate from the National Merit® Scholarship Cooperation will be presented to William Bimonte and Alexander Rose on Oct. 28, 2024.
These academically talented high school seniors now have an opportunity to continue in the competition for thousands of scholarships worth nearly $26 million. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state.
Alex Rose earned another impressive honor – a perfect ACT score! The ACT consists of tests in English, mathematics, reading, and science, each scored on a scale of 1-36. Only about one-quarter of 1% of students who take the ACT earn a top score. In the U.S. high school class of 2023, only 2,542 out of more than 1.39 million students earned a score of 36.
“We are so proud of Will and Alex. They earned this honor through hard work, dedication, and intellectual curiosity. They exemplify what it means to be a Man of Moeller through their dedication and commitment to excellence. We can’t wait to see what they accomplish beyond Moeller,” said Dr. Christine Brookbank, provost of Archbishop Moeller High School.
The Legacy of Chaminade University – Honolulu
The first Marianists arrived on the island of Hawaii in 1883. A new video recently released pays homage to the Society of Mary’s deep roots in Hawaii. It delves into the bond Marianists made with the royal family before the monarchy was overthrown and how that relationship helped create an educational venture that celebrated the unique cultural aspects of the islands. Click here to experience the Chaminade Mission Tour, which takes you from ‘Iolani Palace to the original Saint Louis College to the current university and beyond.
Marianist Ministries in Action
Grieving Grandchildren Create a “Wee-Woo” Fund
Even through times of disorientation and confusion as she battled triple negative breast cancer and then dementia the past few years, Kathleen Wicker‘s face would light up saying, “Wee Woo,” mimicking ambulance sirens when she’d see her two EMT-certified grandchildren.
Emily Burgess, Kathy’s granddaughter, is a Crew Chief/Lead and the Assistant Chief of Personnel for University of Dayton Emergency Medical Services (UD EMS). Her grandson, Joseph Niederschmidt, is a crew member and a second-year organization member.
UD EMS is a non-profit organization comprised of approximately 42 full-time undergraduate students and 18 students-in-training who volunteer their time serving the campus community as nationally-registered and state-certified Emergency Medical Technicians. The students — 24 hours a day, seven days a week — help provide basic medical care and ambulatory rides to the hospital to students on campus for free.
In loving memory of their grandmother, Kathy, who passed away in St. Louis, MO, on Aug. 27, 2024, Burgess and Niederschmidt created a GoFundMe page in lieu of flowers, with proceeds benefiting UD EMS and new uniform shirts to help observe Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October. Click here if you would like to donate.
“We hope to honor her legacy and bring comfort to others facing similar battles. Every contribution will help keep her spirit alive and support a cause close to our hearts,” said Niederschmidt.
“Our cherished grandmother’s warmth and wisdom touched every soul she met. Her life was a beautiful story of love, kindness, and unyielding strength. She always had a special way of making everyone feel valued and understood. Her legacy of compassion and grace will forever remain a guiding light and path of service,” added Burgess.
A Marianist Moment
Nurturing Teachers Through Community and Faith
Magdiel Perez finished a hard day during her first year as a classroom teacher, exhausted, embarrassed, and unsure how to calm her busy mind. Fortunately for Perez, she is starting her second year in a program designed to help with the intricacies of teaching and provide encouragement.
The Lalanne program at the University of Dayton offers two years of mentored teaching experience while earning a master’s degree. It is specifically designed to support educators by combining service and teaching in Catholic schools.
Students in the program are placed in a Catholic school, receive intentional support from their school administrators, take master’s coursework in the summer, live in community with other Lalanne teachers and grow in their faith with the guidance of spiritual mentors.
“I truly believe that the community aspect is very important and beneficial,” Perez said. “We’re all teachers, so we understand how draining and exhausting our days can be. If we need our time alone, we understand that. When we need advice, we’re able to listen and give tips where needed.”
The program celebrated its 25th anniversary last summer. It reports that 90 percent of its alumni are still working in education, which is impressive considering that many teachers seek out a new career after about five years, citing burnout, stress, inadequate preparation and unrealistic expectations.
Click here to read the full story.
From the Archives
Blue Army: Joining the Ranks of Our Lady
What do Our Lady of Fatima and the apparitions in Portugal have to do with Russia? Michele Jennings, an archivist in the Marian Library, researches the history of this image.
In 1946, the head of the Scapular Apostolate, American John Haffert, traveled to Portugal to meet with Lúcia dos Santos who witnessed the apparitions, and the origins of the Blue Army came into focus. Joining forces with Monsignor Harold Colgan in 1947, the two worked to found the Blue Army and bring the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Fátima on a tour of the United States. Millions of American Catholics honored the Pilgrim Virgin and prayed for the conversion of Russia. Devotion to Fátima in the United States took off during the Cold War and made anticommunist sentiment a mainstream aspect of American life as well as American Catholic religious and political practice. This included pop culture, such as the popular song “Our Lady of Fátima,” originally performed by Gladys Gollahon and eventually covered by jazz singer Tony Bennett. By 1952, membership had reached two million.
Click here to read more.
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. Christian Aloysius Janson, 83, died on Sept. 14, 2024, in San Antonio, TX, with 64 years of religious profession. Father Cris, born in St. Louis, MO, was one of 14 siblings. He was a beloved teacher, pastor, chaplain, campus minister, and vocation director who considered learning “the core passion” of his life. As a young man in formation, Cris noted that he had “no special desire to be sent to the missions.” Still, his priestly ministry would take him to Mexico for 16 years. He literally came to be identified by this mission work, adopting “Cris” as his nickname because it was easier for Spanish speakers to pronounce.
Click here to read his full obituary.
Click here to see pictures of Bro. Christian through the years.
Good to Know
“A Spectacle of Saints” Community Meeting Kit
The North American Center for Marianist Studies has released a new Community Meeting Kit, “A Spectacle of Saints.” It explores the Marianist candidates on the path to sainthood and how we are blessed with ordinary saints in our lives today. As we approach All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day, this meditative and prayerful resource can be a wonderful way to engage your community with the themes of Christian sainthood.
Click here to download the free kit.
Retreat on “Seeing God in All Creation”
The Marianist Retreat and Conference Center (MRCC) is offering a weekend retreat based on Laudato Si’. The focus will be on the call for action to protect the Earth. It will be held Oct. 11-13 and will include large group presentations, small group discussions, and plenty of time to enjoy the beautiful grounds of MRCC. It is located on 120 acres in Wildwood, MO, and offers ample opportunities to enjoy the beauty of God’s creation through personal reflection, outdoor prayer experiences, and hiking. Click here for more information and registration.
Statue Dedication Ceremony
Chaminade College Preparatory in St. Louis, MO, cordially invites you to
the Fr. Ralph Siefert statue dedication ceremony on Oct. 11 at 4:30 p.m. in the Skip Viragh Center Rotunda. Fr. Ralph (1945 – 2021) was a pillar of the school community where he served as president for 33 years. He is credited with putting the school on firm financial footing and for helping secure a transformative donation of $28 million to build the Skip Viragh Center for the Arts on campus. The center, which opened in 2011, includes a 1,000-seat theater, art classrooms, music rehearsal rooms and an art gallery. Among the artwork displayed at the center are photographs taken by Father Ralph. During his tenure, he took thousands of photos of school events and activities every year.
“We are who we are as a school because of Fr. Ralph,” stated Chaminade President Dr. Todd Guidry in the obituary. “Our strong academic program, extracurricular and faith-development programs, our financial stability, our world-class campus, our deep embrace of the Marianist Charism, and the loyalty of our faculty, staff, alumni, and parents are all a direct result of Fr. Ralph’s leadership.”
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 #85 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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