OKAY, HE ROSE, NOW WHAT?

Lent was supposed to change me. Mary Magdeline did not, at first, recognize Jesus at the tomb on Easter morning. He had changed. Nobody, however, seems to be mistaking me for someone else. Perhaps my Lent was not as good as I had hoped.


Now Easter has come and gone. So where do we go from here?


Over the coming weeks we will hear what comes next. The first reading at daily and Sunday masses will be from the Acts of the Apostles. We will learn from these readings what the apostles did as a result of their persecution. They scattered. They went to other countries. They formed communities. 

 
Blessed William Joseph Chaminade also scattered under threat of death. In Saragossa he prayed before Our Lady of the Pillar knowing the Apostle's story. Then he returned to France to teach others to repeat it.


Many Marianist Lay Communities consist of scattered individuals who keep in touch through e-mails, phone calls and occasional retreats. Like the Apostles who still got back together when they could, they face the daunting task of remaining in community while building community. The second part is often harder than the first but, sometimes, it's the other way around.

 
We at the Marianist Lay Network with the help of our colleagues, Pati Krasensky at the Marianist Lay Formation Initiative and our partners at the North American Center for Marianist Study, stand by to help. Let us know if you need assistance with your community or with building a new community.


Easter has come and gone. Now the work begins in earnest. Now change will come.


peace and love,

aj

MLNNA E-news - Editor's Message

Many of you may not be aware of the various Marianist communication vehicles that the Lay and Professed Religious produce.  Through the links that are included in each of these E-news editions (see left column) we try and provide you access to these resources and highlight those we think have specific useful elements for lay groups.

The Lay Marianists have chosen Fridays to distribute their communications. They are:

• Friday Magnificat from International Organization of Lay Communities - first Friday of the month

• E-news - 2nd Friday (Changed this month due to Easter)

• Saying Yes reflection - 3rd Friday

• Gifts and Tasks newsletter from the International Lay Organization - 4th Friday

There is another mailing that many of you receive once a month, Justice Jottings, from the Marianist Social Justice Collaborative.  This organization is a collaboration of the three branches of the Marianist Family (SM, FMI and Lay).   We wanted to integrate Justice Jottings into our Friday mailings, but we were out of Friday's. 

We realize that people may feel they are receiving too many e-mails and too much information to process, so we decided to make Saying Yes a part of the E-news beginning in May. Justice Jottings will then be sent to you on the third 3rd Friday of the month. By doing this we will be reducing the number of e-mails some of you receive each month while exposing others to the great social justice work being done by the Marianist Family.

The mailing list for the E-news and Justice Jottings has significant overlap but are not identical.  We intend to merge these two lists.  They will be sent from different servers so you can unsubscribe from one and still receive the other.  Our system has the option at the bottom for you to unsubscribe or opt-out.  By clicking this button, your e-mail is automatically blocked from receiving any future mailings from that server.  We can never add that same address back.

(NOTE:  Friday Magnificat and MLNNA E-news share one server so unsubscribing from one of these will block the other.)

It is our intension to add value to your lives.  Please let me know if you have comments about our changes.  I and the leadership team are working for you. I hope you continue to gain benefit from this and the other communications as we work together to build and sustain communities of believers working to build the kingdom.

Winnepeg Marianist Lay Community

The Circulo da Boa Nova MLC of Winnipeg is known for its generousity, warm hospitality and culinery talents! On Palm Sunday, April 5th, the community sponsored and hosted the soup kitchen at the Immaculate Conception Drop-In Center in downtown Winnipeg.

Dinner was shared with 250-300 people. Local Marianist Lay Communities helped to provide financial support. 

It was a beautiful experience of solidarity and the faith of the heart (and hands)--we have been working on the "mission" of the community of Boa Nova for a while now and will explore some options for the future. 
it was appropriate we did this social outreach today--in our discipleship as Marianists we were untied and untying the knots of that bound donkey--to free it for a journey!

The Marianist Volunteer Program Announces:
Two to join Marianist Volunteer Community in Malawi!



The Marianist Volunteer Program would like to welcome Chris Tavares and Alyson Youngpeter to the ranks of MVP! Chris and Alyson have committed to serve with the Marianist Volunteer Program in Karonga, Malawi from August 2009 to August 2011.

They will be joining Matt Meyers, Molly Heineman and Kat Brumm, who have been serving in Karonga at Chaminade Secondary School and MIRACLE since August 2008. Chris and Alyson will fill openings in the community when UD grads Sarah Wdowiak and Emily Richardson finish their two-year term of service this coming August.

Thank you to all of our volunteers for the amazing work that you do. We are so proud of you and you are always in our prayers. And welcome Chris and Alyson!   www.marianist.com/mvp.

Preparations for the International Meeting of Lay Marianist - Nairobi Kenya August 1-7, 2009

Much effort has already gone into the planning for this every 3 year event - the coming together of representatives from Marianist Lay communities all over the world. 

The delegates representing North America are:
  Anthony Garascia - President
Susan Vogt- USA Delegate
Jacqui Griswold - USA Delegate
Lisa Vega - USA Delegate
Michael Pera - USA Delegate
Julie Nagasako - USA Delegate
Marie-Paule Guénette - Canada (Quebec) Delegate
Marg Van Herk - Paradis - Canada Delegate
Jack Ventura, SM - Advisor