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MARIANIST BOARDS “SHARE THE MISSION” AT DALLAS CONFERENCE

Bro. Jack Ventura, task force co-chair; Sr. Pat Talone, speaker; Provincial Stephen Glodek; and Tony Fitzgerald, task force co-chair

“The dream and vision for this conference started five years ago, and it finally became a reality,” said Bro. Jack Ventura, who helped organize the Conference of Marianist Boards Feb. 15 to Feb. 18 in Dallas. Bro. Jack and Tony Fitzgerald chaired a task force that made the conference a reality – bringing together those who serve on Marianist boards and the presidents/directors of more than 30 Marianist institutions. Approximately 100 participants represented universities, secondary and middle schools and retreat centers as well as NACMS, Marianist LIFE, the Marianist Volunteer Program (MVP), the Marianist Mission, and the Center for Marianist Spirituality and Communities (CMSC). Provincial Stephen Glodek gave the keynote address, “Sharpening Blunt Intentions: Reflections on the Stewardship of Marianist Boards.” Read the address.

Participants were given resources that will help them better understand the Marianist mission, history, structure and charism so they can strengthen the Marianist identity of their boards. Each board has named a “mission integration chair” who will be responsible for this effort.

“We challenged the board leadership to make the Marianist mission envisioned by the founders alive and available for future generations,” said Tony Fitzgerald. “As Brother Stephen said in his address, we can no longer rely on osmosis. We must transmit the charism with intention.”

Rick Riley, a board member of Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco, said that he experienced the “living evidence” of the hospitality and family spirit of the Marianists. “As laypeople, we need to understand and integrate this special charism into our decision making. It’s the message I’ll bring back to Riordan.”

Bro. Jack says he is excited that the participants understand the importance of this effort. “This conference was not a reactive response because there are fewer religious brothers, but a proactive response to all the lay people who want to move forward with this charism.”

LEFT: Fr. Tom French, Archbishop Riordan High, San Francisco, and Jim Sukys, Villa Angela-St. Joseph High, Cleveland; RIGHT: Bro. John Campbell, Saint Louis School, Honolulu, Vince Mirigliani, Marianist Family Retreat Center, Cape May, and Ray McCracken, NACMS, Philadelphia

LEFT: Denis Link and Leah Kauffman, TECABOCA, Texas; Fr. Dave Paul, Marianist Retreat & Conference Center, St. Louis, and Paul Garro, TECABOCA; RIGHT: Fr. George Cerniglia, provincial administration, Dr. Sue Wesselkamper, Chaminade University of Honolulu, and Bro. Dennis Schmitz, Marianist Volunteer Program

FOUR PRENOVICES TO ENTER NOVITIATE IN SANTIAGO, CHILE

Four prenovices from the District of Mexico have received approval from the Provincial Council to enter the novitiate in Santiago. The prenovices are: Leandro Marmolejo Muñoz, Tampico, Tamaulipas; Mario Lenín Espinoza, Managua, Nicaragua; Rigoberto Martínez Hernández, Tancanwitz, San Luis Potosí; and Saúl Rodríguez Lavoignet, Misantla, Veracruz. At the novitiate, they will join first-year novices from Columbia, Brazil and Argentina, as well as three second-year novices from the District of Mexico. The prenovices will depart for Chile on Feb. 27. Our congratulations and prayers!

Mario

Leandro

Rigoberto

Saul

ART AND SPIRITUALITY COME TOGETHER AT VOCATION RETREAT

At the Marianist Galleries in Kirkwood, Mo., first row, Bro. Don Smith, Gabe Torno, Julie and Mark Laury, Dan Hernandez and Bro. Mel Meyer; second row, Bro. Brian Zampier, retreat organizer, Sr. Jody O’Neil and Nathan Raddell; third row, Moira McCarthy, Bro. Charles Wanda, William Koch and CaSandra Johnson; top row, Amy Policino, Bro. Gary Marcinowski, Fr. Mike Lisbeth and Bro. Cletus Behlmann. Photo courtesy of Bro. Don Smith

The first Marianist Artist Vocation Retreat was held Feb. 16 to Feb. 18 in Eureka, Mo. The weekend offered a unique opportunity for artists to gain insight into religious life and reflect on the role of spirituality in art. A group of almost 20 students, teachers, youth ministers and religious gathered to pray, share stories on art and spirituality and create art. A highlight of the event was a tour of the Marianist Galleries in Kirkwood, Mo. Bro. Brian Zampier (Marybrook, St. Louis), an assistant at the Marianist Galleries, and Bro. Charles Johnson, national vocation director, were the retreat organizers. Fr. Mike Lisbeth (Cleveland), aspirancy director, and Bro. Joe Markel (Marycliff, Eureka) assisted with the liturgies. Nick Raddell, a student at Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School in Cleveland, said that it was a great opportunity to see various artists with different styles. “It was a good experience, enlightening and worthwhile,” said Nick.

At the retreat, Moira McCarthy, art teacher at Nolan Catholic High School, and Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School students Nathan Raddell, Dan Hernandez and William Koch

CHAMINADE UNIVERSITY HONORS 2007 FOUNDERS DAY AWARDEES

Front, Daniel Mannell, Janine Kurosawa and David Coleman; back, Bro. Bernie Ploeger, Chaminade President Sue Wesselkamper and Bro. Jerry Bommer

Chaminade University of Honolulu celebrated its Founders Day with Mass and an awards ceremony Jan. 24 at the Mystical Rose Oratory. Three members of the school’s community were honored for the Marianist values they reflect on campus. The “Marianist Award,” was presented to Janine Kurosawa, executive secretary to Executive Vice President and Provost Bro. Bernie Ploeger. Dr. David Coleman, dean of humanities and fine arts, was given the “Chaminade Award,” and student Daniel Mannell received the “Founders Award.” Our congratulations to the award winners!

BRO. TOM PIEPER LEADS THE “ROSARY RAP” AT UD

The University of Dayton’s Marianist heritage events in January included a multicultural rosary event. Students shared their rosary praying styles, and Bro. Tom Pieper (Kiefaber Street, Dayton) led a “rosary rap” which combined rhythm with prayer. Other Marianist heritage activities on campus included a lecture by Fr. Pat Tonry, director of the Marianist Mission, French food—a tribute to foundress Adèle de Batz de Tenquelléon— in the faculty-staff dining rooms of Kennedy Union, and free hot chocolate served in the Humanities Plaza on Chaminade Day, Jan. 22.

Bro. Tom with Joe Melendrez, co-director of Marianist involvement for the University of Dayton's student government association

SAINT LOUIS SCHOOL IN HAWAII CELEBRATES MARIANIST HERITAGE

Bro. Jim Dods addresses the Saint Louis School student body at the school’s Father Chaminade Mass

In honor of its Marianist heritage, the Saint Louis School LIFE team worked with the school’s middle school students to deepen their understanding of Father Chaminade and the Characteristics of Marianist Education. The LIFE team also joined brothers at the Center Marianist community for Mass and dinner on Jan. 31 and coordinated a Father Chaminade “Work Day” on Feb. 1.

Fr. Robert Hackel was the celebrant for the Mass.

TRINITY AVENUE COMMUNITY HOSTS “LIVE-IN” VOCATION EXPERIENCE

University of Dayton students Eric Stoiber and Mark Gore (center) enjoy a game of dominoes with Bro. Michel Dourma, Fr. Chris Wittmann, Bro. Andy Kosmowski and Fr. François Rossier as part of their “live-in” vocation experience at the Trinity Avenue community in Dayton Feb. 9 to Feb. 14. In addition to recreation time, the students took part in discussions focused on religious discernment and the works of the Marianists throughout the world.

MARIANIST VOLUNTEERS ATTEND MID-YEAR RETREAT IN TEXAS

At the retreat, John Graziano, Bro. Phil Aaron, Meagan Brorman, Erica Noble, Chris Nieport, Addi Velasquez, Norman Capinpin, Jordan Kaderli and Maureen O’Rourke

Men and women commissioned as Marianist volunteers in August 2006 took part in a mid-year retreat this week at the TECABOCA retreat center in Ingram, Texas. The retreat provides volunteers time to share and reflect on their experiences and time for group prayer. Dan Richter, coordinator of the Marianist Volunteer Program, Maureen O’Rourke and Bro. Phil Aaron (Chambers Street, Dayton) are the organizers of the retreat. View the videocast to hear comments from the Marianist volunteers about their experiences.

VIDEOCAST Marianist Volunteer Program Mid-Year Retreat

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE REPOSE OF THE SOUL OF . . .

Bro. Antonino Pardo (Province of Madrid), 81, who died Feb. 15, 2007, in Madrid. May he rest in peace. Bro. Antonino's obituary will appear in the next issue of FamilyOnline.

Please pray also for Helen Cardone, Joey Garro, Thomas Kearns, Mary Louise Kern and Douglas Pott. Read more.

ST. MEINRAD ARCHABBEY, INDIANA

Photo courtesy of Bro. Bob Resing, S.M. Bro. Bob's images are available for sale as note cards or prints. To order, visit www.resingart.com

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE HEALING OF . . .

Fr. Gus Biehl (East St. Louis, Ill.), who is having outpatient surgery today.

Bro. William Deanhofer (Governor’s Island, Ohio), who has moved to Mercy Siena for rehabilitation following knee surgery.

Fr. Thomas Doyle (Port Washington, N.Y.), who is in a rehabilitation center after suffering a stroke.

Bro. Ed Fick (Mercy Siena, Dayton), who has been hospitalized for observation.

Bro. Herbert Janson (Marianist Residence, San Antonio), who has been hospitalized due to dehydration and low blood pressure.

Bro. John Klein (East St. Louis, Ill.), who is hospitalized for surgery to repair a broken hip.

Bro. Joseph Meierdirks (Mercy Siena, Dayton), who is hospitalized with a severe foot infection and a blood clot in his leg.

Bro. Frank Mullan (Mercy Siena, Dayton), who is hospitalized in serious condition with complications from pneumonia.

Fr. Ed Rhodes (Mercy Siena, Dayton), who has been hospitalized with a severe case of the flu.

Please pray also for Anna Oldenski, Hilda Schroer and Steve Weiner. Read more.

MARIANIST LIFE SOUTH MEETS IN SAN ANTONIO

MARIANIST FAMILY RETREAT CENTER HOSTS YOUNG ADULTS

Fr. Joe Kozar, first row, center, and Anthony Fucci, retreat center director, second row, far right, with the 2007 Young Adult Retreat participants

With a record turnout, the Marianist Family Retreat Center in Cape May Point, N.J., held its annual Young Adult Retreat Feb. 2 to Feb. 4. Forty-five young adults were led on a “scriptural journey” by Fr. Joe Kozar, a professor in the Department of Religious Studies at the University of Dayton. Retreatants reflected on different parts of the scriptures and how they apply to their daily lives and on Jesus’ journey to the cross. They also prayed and enjoyed skits.

NOLAN COMMUNITY VISITS MARIANIST BOARD CONFERENCE

(Almost) the entire group from the Nolan Marianist Community in Fort Worth attended the “Sharing the Mission” conference in Dallas, participating in Eucharist and the Saturday evening banquet. Standing, Bros. Hugh Charlson, Louis Ernst and Al Kuntemeier; seated, Bro. Pierre Weitkamp, Fr. Steve Tutas (visiting from California) and Fr. Larry Doersching, who attended the conference as a representative of Nolan Catholic High School. Not present, Fr. Jim Bartlett

WHO'S DOING WHAT. . .

Congratulations to Bro. Jim Burkholder (Central Catholic, San Antonio), who was honored Feb. 3 as an “Outstanding Leader in Catholic Education” by the Catholic Schools Office of the Archdiocese of San Antonio. Bro. Jim, who has taught physics at Central Catholic High School for 25 years, is known as the school’s “technology guru.” Read an article about Bro. Jim from the Feb. 2 issue of Today’s Catholic.

Bro. Giovanni Onore (Region of Columbia-Ecuador), an entomologist who has campaigned against the destruction of the tropical rain forest in Ecuador, met with faculty, students and and staff of the University of Dayton Feb. 14 to Feb. 15. Read more about Bro. Giovanni.

Fr. John Leies (Marianist Residence, San Antonio) attended the Catholic Bishops’ Workshop on Bioethics Feb. 5 to Feb. 8 in Dallas. The event, attended by approximately 150 bishops from around the world, was coordinated by the National Catholic Bioethics Center, of which Fr. John serves as a consultant.

Fr. Robert Hogan (Casa San Juan, San Antonio), parochial vicar of St. Mary Magdalen Church, gave the opening blessing at the San Antonio Right to Life Foundation Rally at Milam Park on Jan. 21.

Lay Marianist Elisabeth Hangartner, Dayton, and Bro. Peter Daino (District of Eastern Africa) are featured in a story in the Feb. 2 issue of The Catholic Telegraph about their efforts to help women in Malawi care for orphans. Read the article.

Bro. Ray Kane (Jackson Street, Hollywood, Fla.) was recently featured in the Florida Catholic newspaper in honor of his 50 years of religious life. Bro. Ray ministers at Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory as a guidance counselor and substitute teacher.

STORIES, FOOD SHARED AT CULTURAL DIVERSITY GATHERING

Guests at the Seventh Annual Diversity Gathering at Cape May Point

Fr. Ted Cassidy reports that on Feb. 12, 2007, the Marianist Family Retreat House in Cape May Point celebrated its Seventh Annual Diversity Gathering for 40 guests who shared food and stories of their cultural family histories. Guests brought food from the African-American, German, Jewish, Italian, Irish and Muslim cultures. Lois Smith and Evelyn McClurkin sang African-American spirituals and Joanne McCracken gave a presentation on the nature of culture and guided small groups to share how culture was expressed at family meals when they were children.

REDS IN RANCHI TREAT STUDENTS TO PICNIC AT GETASUL DAM

Bro. Alex Toppo with some of the 950 students who attended the Ragpicker’s Education & Development Scheme picnic in Ranchi, India, Feb. 18

FROM THE SCHOOLS . . . ST. JOHN VIANNEY HIGH SCHOOL in St. Louis has named Michael E. Loyet as the school’s new president effective July 1, 2007. He is the first lay president in the school’s 47-year history. Mr. Loyet, a 1977 Vianney graduate, is currently an associate principal at Chaminade College Preparatory in St. Louis. Read more. CHAMINADE UNIVERSITY OF HONOLULU students along with students from Saint Louis School in Honolulu performed a joint service project as part of their Chaminade “Work Day” Feb. 1. The students helped remove graffiti and trash from the Palolo Stream Channel area below the Saint Louis field. The City and County of Honolulu provided the students with paint and other supplies for their service project. UNIVERSITY OF DAYTON 2007 Lackner award winners Amy Lopez and Steve Mueller are deeply-rooted in the Marianist tradition. Lopez is a graduate of Chaminade-Julienne Catholic High School in Dayton and UD and is director of UD’s Kennedy Union and conference services. Mueller is a graduate of Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati and UD, and is executive director of counseling and health services at UD. The Lackner award recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to the Catholic and Marianist heritage at UD. Fr. Paul Marshall, UD rector, Steve Mueller, Amy Lopez, and Dan Curran, UD president

FR. TIM KENNEY VISITS MARIANIST COMMUNITY IN PUERTO RICO

LEFT: Seated, Bro. Reinaldo Berríos and Fr. Tim Kenney; standing, Fr. Don Wallace, Bro. Armando Añeses and Bro. Francisco González; RIGHT: Fr. Tim with students from Colegio San José

GOOD TO KNOW OUT AND ABOUT. Read the upcoming travel schedule of members of the Provincial staff in St. Louis. PERSONNEL CHANGES. Read the changes. Remember that personnel information on the PORTAL is updated on a regular basis.

Feb. 22 – Feb. 25 Mid-LIFE Retreat, San Francisco Mar. 2 – Mar. 5 Provincial Chapter Meeting, St. Louis Mar. 2 – Mar. 4 LA Congress MORE

ENJOYING THE VIEW FROM THE MOUNTAINS OF DAVAO CITY

Gathering in Davao City, Philippines, Bro. José Degorio, Richard Giner, a contact visiting from Manila, Bro. Oscar Kerketta, Fr. Roland Bunda, Novice Roberto Rivera and Fr. Richard Joyal. Fr. Roland is now beginning the second half of his sabbatical year at the Sangre de Cristo Center, near Santa Fe. Photo courtesy of Fr. Roland

NEWSLETTER CENTRAL

CAPE MAY. Read the February 2007 issue of Beacon.com, the newsletter of the Marianist Family Retreat Center in Cape May Point, N.J.

RETREAT CENTER YOUNG ADULTS PARTICIPATE IN SERVICE TRIP

Fourteen young adults from the Marianist Family Retreat Center in Cape May Point, N.J., recently assisted with the Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts in New Orleans. The trip was sponsored by Catholic Charities of Camden, N.J. Shown are, front row, Lynette Bernot, Amy Pollicino, Diane Birken, Mark Strasser, Caitlin Seymour, Katie Fitzgerald, Helena Sroczynski and Peter Knipper; back row, Angela Collins, two Franciscan sisters from New Jersey, Emily Roe, Ben Pollicino, Betsy Rickter (homeowner), Jean Dervise, Michael Fingerman (Catholic Charities), Dave Sherwen and Jessica Sherwen (retreat organizers)

JUST ONE MORE...

Bro. Paul Bredestege knows how to make friends with locals on Governor’s Island in Huntsville, Ohio.

PROVINCE BIRTHDAYS

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February

March

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Editor: Joan Suda; assistant: Ann Mueller. This biweekly e-mail newsletter produced by the Society of Mary features news about the Society of Mary (SM), Daughters of Mary Immaculate (FMI) and lay Marianists. Bro. Stephen Glodek, SM, provincial; Fr. Jim Fitz, SM, assistant provincial. Read the 2007 publication schedule and deadlines. Read hints about submitting photos and copy. NEWS: We'll include news of travels, health updates, prayer requests, community celebrations, professional accomplishments, birthdays, and whatever personal or community news you'd like to share. Send news, digital photos and comments and suggestions to Diane Guerra at dguerra@sm-usa.org and use "FamilyOnline" as your subject line. TECHNICAL PROBLEMS: If you're not receiving this newsletter in the proper format, with proper spacing and photographs and art appearing, please let us know and we'll try to find a solution. If we can't, we'll put you on our "NOTIFY ONLY" list. CHANGE IN E-MAIL ADDRESS: Send to Ann Mueller at amueller@sm-usa.org. NOTE TO DIRECTORS: Please print this newsletter and post or distribute to brothers who do not have e-mail. BACK ISSUES/SEARCH: Visit www.marianist.com/fol. SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE: Visit http://www.marianist.com/subscribe.htm. Remember: you can search the archived issues of FamilyOnline at www.marianist.com/fol. Type in the word(s) you're looking for, open the issue, pull down the "Edit" bar and click on "Find on This Page," which will take you to the exact spot you need.