Volume 4, Number 6
Tuesday, March 22, 2005

PROVINCIAL LETTER OFFERS CHAPTER SUMMARY

At the Chapter: from left, Bro. Sukrit Tirkey and Frs. Ignase Arulappen and Martin Solma, on March 5 at the Marianist Retreat & Conference Center in Eureka, Mo.

Provincial Stephen Glodek has written Provincial Letter 12 dated March 15, 2005, in which he summarizes the work of the 7th session of the Provincial Chapter March 4 - 8, 2005. Brother Stephen writes: "There was a depth of discussion . . . that signaled to me that the Province is . . . beginning to plumb the depths of mission and ministry priorities." The summary discusses the new Mission Statement (see below), future structure of the Chapter, the Districts of Mexico, Eastern Africa and India and Region of Korea, community assessments, Sharing Fund, and more. Read Provincial Letter 12. To read chapter documents, including the General Council's letter ratifying the acts of the Chapter, visit the PORTAL at www.marianist.com/portal. All Provincial letters are archived on the PORTAL.

Taking a break at the Chapter meeting, Superior General David Fleming (left) and Fr. Jim Heft at the Marianist Retreat & Conference Center in Eureka, Mo.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, FATHER CHAMINADE!

How about throwing a birthday party for Blessed William Joseph Chaminade, whose birthday is April 8? (He was born in 1761, in Perigueux, France).

April 8 is a Friday this year, a great night for a party. In early April, every community will receive a "birthday party" package of materials that includes a DVD (with reflection questions) produced by Fr. Joe Kozar, who initiated "The Chaminade Project" to increase devotion to Chaminade. The package also will include a Chaminade birthday poster, a prayer card/pledge card, a letter from Provincial Stephen Glodek, and birthday candles for the cake. Bro. Stephen writes: "Let us join together, Brothers, in powerful prayer and intercession to this man who has inspired our lives, inspired our cooperation in the Mission of Mary, and who will inspire young men and women to follow the Marianist way." More to come!

PROVINCE MISSION STATEMENT DEBUTS

The Mission Statement of the Marianist Province of the United States was accepted unanimously by the Provincial Chapter after months of discernment and hard work by the Education Committee of the Chapter, and input from many Province members. More in the next issue of FamilyOnline.

VISITATION LETTER FROM GENERAL COUNCIL

At the GA visit and meeting at the Marianist Residence in San Antonio, from left: Bro. Javier Anso, Fr. George Cerniglia, Aspirant Steve Paone, Fr. Dave Fleming, Aspirant Bob Jones and Bro. José María Alvira.

Members of the General Council have written a letter offering reflections of their visit to the Province of the United States during December, February and March, and recommendations for the future. The group met with most Province members, including those in formation, visited the schools, retreat centers and parishes, and participated in the March Provincial Chapter. They also met with Lay Marianists in most areas. The Province thanks Fr. David Fleming, Bro. Javier Anso, Fr. George Cerniglia and Bro. José María Alvira for their generosity and wisdom. Read the visitation letter.

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

Charles (Jack) Dofing, 74, who died of lung cancer on March 9, 2005, in Florida. May he rest in peace. Charles was the brother of Bro. Art Dofing (Curé of Ars, St. Louis).

Jeff Weisbruch, 42, who died of brain cancer on March 3, 2005. May he rest in peace. Jeff was the nephew of deceased Bros. Otto and Fred Weisbruch of the former St. Louis Province.

Joan Carol Robertson, who died on Feb. 12, 2005, in Roseburg, Ore. May she rest in peace. Joan was the first mothers' guild president of Archbishop Mitty High School.

CREEK IN INDIANA PARK

Photo courtesy of Bro. Bob Resing, S.M. Bro. Bob's images are available for sale as note cards or prints. To order, contact Bro. Bob at rresing@sm-usa.org.

PLEASE PRAY FOR THE HEALING OF . . .

Fr. Richard Knuge (Meyer Hall, Dayton), who has been diagnosed with a malignant tumor in his esophagus.

Bro. Jesse O'Neill (Marianist Community, Eldersburg, Md.), who is recuperating from leg surgery.

Bro. Ray Fitz (Stonemill/Kiefaber, Dayton), who is recuperating from minor heart surgery.

Bro. Robert Kraft (Montgomery Road, Cincinnati), who is recovering following a hospital stay.

Bro. Joe Meierdirks (Mercy Siena, Dayton), who is recovering following a hospital stay.

Please also pray for Jean Canning, Rita Dames, Martha Fishter, Esther Martin, the mother of Fr. Ralph Siefert, and the Health Resource Center. Read more about these intentions:

BY ANY OTHER NAME . . .

At the March 5 dinner for St. Louis area Marianists and Provincial Chapter members, front row, from left, Fr. Quentin Hakenewerth, Bro. Leo Slay (with rose) and Bro. Sukrit Tirkey. Back row, from left, Bro. Bernie Ploeger, Bro. Bob Resing, Bro. Mike Sullivan and Fr. Gus Biehl.

PERSONNEL NEED: FINDLAY STREET

Bros. Mitch Schweickart and Paul Hoffman of the Findlay Street Community in Cincinnati are open to the possibility of new Province assignments. However, they are concerned about the future of the Findlay Street ministry. The Urban Plunges sponsored by this community offer a unique experience for Province institutions, and the community's work with the poor, especially in neighborhood development, is a good model for the Province. If Mitch and Paul accept other Province assignments, Fr. Jim Fitz (jfitz@sm-usa.org) or Bro. Mike O'Grady (mogrady@sm-usa.org) would like to hear from brothers who are interested in continuing the work at Findlay Street.

FIRST MEETING OF PEACE & JUSTICE COMMITTEE

Members of the Province Peace and Justice Committee met for the first time March 19-20 in St. Louis. The committee focused on advancing justice within the Province; proposals will be discussed with the Provincial Council. Meeting minutes will be available in FamilyOnline. Committee members welcome suggestions. Back row, from left: Bro. Frank O'Donnell, Fr. Bernie Lee, Fr. Paul Marshall, Fr. Steve Tutas and Bro. Dick Olsen; front row, from left: Bro. Steve O'Neil, Bro. Brian Halderman and Myles McCabe. Not shown: Bros. Phil Aaron and Jesse O'Neill

2005 JUBILARIANS; CELEBRATIONS

In 2005 in the Province of the United States, 26 Marianist brothers will celebrate the anniversary of their first vows; nine Marianist priests will celebrate their ordination jubilee. Read the list of 2005 jubilarians. Five jubilee celebrations will be held in the Province—in St. Louis, San Antonio, Honolulu, Cupertino and San Antonio. Read about the 2005 celebrations.

At the 2004 jubilee celebration in San Antonio, Fr. John Manahan (left) and Fr. Tim Dwyer (right), both 50-year jubilarians, are congratulated by Bro. Bill Chewning.

PEACE & JUSTICE UPDATE: Myles McCabe Province Director of Peace & Justice mmccabe@sm-usa.org Regional discussions on social justice. Join me as I visit communities —"Advancing Justice— Challenges and Opportunities" March 28-31 Honolulu April 1-2 Maui April 3-4 Los Angeles (Chaminade College Prep) April 6-7 New Orleans Late April Cleveland, Dayton, Cincinnati (tentative)

SHARING FUND GRANTS SPAN THE PROVINCE

The Marianist Sharing Fund Allocations Committee has distributed more than $200,000 to 93 projects in the United States and abroad.

PHOTO LEFT. Fr. John Klobuka (Denton, Texas), presented a Sharing Fund grant to Nancy DeHonores for a Hispanic Lay Marianist community that will provide scholarships and educational materials to Hispanic students from low income families. PHOTO RIGHT. Myles McCabe presented Brian Christopher, S.J., with a Sharing Fund grant to benefit the youth of Revitalization 2000, Inc., a neighborhood-based outreach program in St. Louis' Ville area. Shown, from left, Dan Richter, Brian Christopher, Sr. Mary Beth Hefti, Myles McCabe, and Bro. Tom Payne.

PHOTO LEFT. Bro. Larry Corbin presented Charmaine Kessinger, executive director of Catholic Residential Services in Cincinnati, with a Sharing Fund grant for Operation Empowerment, a Catholic residential services agency in Cincinnati that serves the developmentally disabled. PHOTO RIGHT. Christopher Janezic (left), religion teacher at Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School in Cleveland, receives a grant presented by Bro. Jack Dempsey (Marcella Road, Cleveland) for the school's "El Salvador Encounter."

From left, Joanne McCracken (lay Marianist affiliate), Elissa Laslo, Andrea Ferich and Fr. Michael Doyle of Sacred Heart parish in Camden, N.J., receive a Sharing Fund grant from Bro. Walt Oberster (Rockaway Park, N.Y.) The grant will enable the parish to continue one of its many projects for the poor.

SAN ANTONIO DISCERNMENT RETREAT

Participants in the Feb. 25-27 "traveling" Discernment Retreat attended sessions at several Marianist communities in the San Antonio area, including Casa Maria, St. Mary's University, Our Lady of Guadalupe parish (Helotes, Texas), the Marianist Sisters community, Central Catholic High School, the Marianist Residence, and the Woodlawn community. At Central Catholic, sitting, Bro. Bill McCarthy; standing, from left, Tom Fox, Bro. Richard Martens, Cynthia Sias, Fr. Don Cowie, Robert Bowie, Bro. Jim Burkholder, Bro. Harry Cornell, Nicole Trahan, Dustyn Lai-Ragasa, Curt Behlow, Bro. Martin McMurtrey, Jeff Lewis and Lionel Rondmen. Photo courtesy of Aspirant Robert Jones.

WHO'S DOING WHAT

Bro. Gary - portrait by Bro. Jim Wisecaver

Fr. Bob

Fr. Bob Bouffier and Bro. Gary Morris (Chaminade Pohaku, Honolulu) served as consultants for the design and construction of the new Black Box Theatre at Chaminade University of Honolulu. Both directed plays in November 2004 that launched the inaugural season of the theater, which is located in Freitas Hall. Bro. Gary is directing the school's current production of Godspell, which runs April 7-10 at the Mamiya Theater on the Saint Louis School/Chaminade University campus.

Congratulations to Bro. Francisco Gonzalez, who has been appointed to the Executive Committee of the National Catholic Educational Association (NCEA) for Region 14, which includes Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Theatre also is alive and well at Saint Louis School in Honolulu, according to Headmaster Fr. Allen DeLong and Bro. Jim Dods. The Saint Louis School Players recently completed an extended run of Elton John's rock musical Aida, the first high school in the country to perform the play. Local papers published glowing reviews of the production, and all performances were sold out.

Students from Saint Louis School, Honolulu

Bro. Ed Brink (Kiefaber Street, Dayton) and the University of Dayton's Center for Catholic Education are hosting the Rogus Lecture on April 4 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. at UD's Kennedy Union Ballroom. Fr. Jim Heft, UD chancellor, will speak on Catholic education and social justice. Information: 937.229.3778

Three Marianists will speak and moderate at The Mariological Society of America's annual program, "Mary, Eschatological Icon of the Church," from May 18-21 in Biddeford, Maine. Frs. Bert Buby, Johann Roten and Tom Thompson will serve as moderators, and Fr. Bert will deliver a presentation, "The Fourth Gospel's Icon of Mary." Information: cecilia.mushenheim@notes.udayton.edu.

Fr. Dan Doyle (Hollywood, Fla.) was profiled in Pilgrim Notes, a newsletter of the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging. The article describes Fr. Dan's service to CFCA and Isaiah Parish Missions and his commitment to other ministries.

Bro. John Samaha (Villa St. Joseph, Cupertino, Calif.) wrote a paper, "Mary's Priestly Role. Mother and Associate of Christ the Priest," that appears in the January-March 2005 issue of Ephemerides Mariologicae, an international Marian review.

NEWS ABOUT VOCATIONS

Read the March 17 issue of Vocation News from Bro. Charles Johnson, national vocation director.

ST. LOUIS BROTHERS JOIN CHAPTER MEMBERS

Provincial Chapter members and St. Louis area Marianists gathered on March 5 for dinner at the Marianist Retreat & Conference Center in Eureka, Mo. The Chapter met from March 4-8 at the center. Pictured at the dinner, front row, from left, Frs. Bill Wightman and Paul Marshall and Bro. Len Rudy. Back row, from left, Bros. Tom Payne and Norb Karpfinger and Fr. Jim Kunes.

UNIVERSITY DONATIONS

Congratulations to two Marianist universities that received major gifts supporting academic programs and faculty recruitment.

The University of Dayton received a $3.8 million donation, the bequest of Eileen Sears, who with her husband was involved in the UD community for more than 50 years. The donation is one of the largest in school history.

St. Mary's University in San Antonio recently received donations totaling $3.5 million to support the Center for Terrorism Law and two endowed chairs.

SCIENCE FAIR STARS

Bro. Francisco González (far left) is pictured with Juan Carlos Meléndez, Luis Valdés, Augusto Pérez and Pedro Gil de Rubio, grand prize winners from the Regional Science Fair in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and students at Colegio San José, the Marianist high school where Bro. Francisco is director. In May, the students will participate in the International Science and Engineering Fair in Phoenix.

MYSTERY MARIANIST

Who is this young Marianist brother (left), shown in 1963 with Fr. Fee?

2004-2005 PERSONNEL

READ CHANGES TO THE PERSONNEL. NEED MORE COPIES OF THE PERSONNEL? Just e-mail Ann Mueller at amueller@sm-usa.org

OUT AND ABOUT

Read the upcoming travel schedule of members of the Provincial staff in St. Louis.

LINDELL GOES GREEN

Is there anything more Irish than Bro. Mike O'Grady holding a bowl of cabbage on St. Patrick's Day? The Lindell community in St. Louis invited Maryland Avenue for a traditional St. Pat's dinner, including homemade Irish soda bread from Bro. Charles Johnson. At the party, from left, Bro. Stephen Glodek, Bro. Mike, Fr. Tim Kenney and Bro. Charles.

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?

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.

BISHOP VISITS CHAMINADE UNIVERSITY

Bishop William Weitzel, M.M., of American Samoa presided at a recent liturgy at Chaminade University in Honolulu. Shown with Bishop Weitzel are Chaminade University President Sue Wesselkamper and Fr. Ken Templin of campus ministry.

NEWSLETTER CENTRAL

CAPE MAY. Read the March 2005 issue of Beacon.com, the e-newsletter of the Marianist Family Retreat Center in Cape May, N.J.

MSJC. Read the March 2005 issue of Justice Jottings

PHILIPPINES. Read the March 2005 issue of Alive in the Philippines

TOPSAIL. Read the March 2005 issue of High Tidings, the e-newsletter from the CFL Family Retreat Center in N. Topsail Beach.

Note: To view PDF files, you need Adobe Acrobat Reader, which is available free of charge at http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html. If you're opening a "PDF" file and the publication is too small, pull down the "percentage" menu and increase the percentage to 100 percent or higher for easy viewing.

MAN AND MACHINE

On March 14, the first-year novices were given the grand tour of the Marianist Mission by Bro. Ron Overman. Marveling at one of the Mission machines, from left, Novices Luke Hoenigman, Alfredo Chavez, Novice Master Fr. Dave McGuigan, Bro. Ron and Novice Armando Añeses. Photo courtesy of Novice Dennis Bautista.

ARE YOUR DATES POSTED ON THE CALENDAR?

A calendar that lists events involving Marianist brothers, Marianist sisters and lay Marianists is now available at www.marianist.com/calendar. The calendar also is available on the PORTAL at www.marianist.com/portal. If you'd like an event included, send the event, date, location and contact information to Pat Stephens at pstephens@sm-usa.org.

AFFILIATES GATHER FOR BAY AREA REUNION

Fr. Jack Rielly reports that the Bay Area affiliate reunion was held March 6 with Eucharist, a meeting about the Founder, and a social. The affiliates, front row, from left: Rose Romelfanger, Margaret Walsh, Naomi Eagleson, Grace Maynard (the "Rejuvenator") and Mary Rielly; back row, from left: Bill Rielly, Irene Rielly, Fr. Jack, Mary Schembri and Peter Schembri. Photo courtesy of Bro. Jim Leahy

PUBLICATION SCHEDULE, DEADLINES FOR FAMILYONLINE

Read the 2005 publication schedule and deadlines for photos and copy for FamilyOnline. Read hints about submitting photos and copy.

TAIZE PRAYER SERVICE AT WASHINGTON STREET

The Washington Street community in Dayton hosted Taize Prayer: Around the Cross on Feb. 28 for neighbors, friends and colleagues of the community. Almost 35 guests attended the gathering, which included a soup supper. Shown with Bro. Jim Brown is neighbor Irene Smallwood. Photo courtesy of Bro. Brian Halderman.

NUTRITION Q&A

Courtesy Jim Glaser, registered dietician

1. The key to buying a higher-fiber bread is to look for the word(s) ______ in the first ingredient.

a. stone ground
b. natural
c. whole
d. organic

2. Trans fats are found in which of the following:

a. olive oil
b. all brands of margarine
c. peanuts and peanut oil
d. most packaged cookies and crackers

3. If you're older than 55, which is the best source of vitamin B-12?

a. milk
b. poultry
c. eggs
d. green, leafy vegetables
e. supplements

(scroll down for answers!)

A THOUGHT

Photo courtesy of Bro. John Lemker Remove the rock from your shoe Rather than learn to limp comfortably. Steven Paul

MYSTERY MARIANIST UNVEILED . . .

It's Bro. Jim Roberts, an artist who lives at Marianist Hall in Honolulu.

PROVINCE BIRTHDAYS

ABOUT FamilyOnline

Editor: Diane Guerra; assistant: Ann Mueller. This biweekly e-mail newsletter 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. 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. Please 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 find a solution, 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: To subscribe, visit http://www.marianist.com/subscribe.htm. UNSUBSCRIBE: To unsubscribe, visit http://www.marianist.com/subscribe.htm.