Volume 4, Number 14
Tuesday, July 26, 2005
www.marianist.com

LARGEST MEC MEETING DRAWS MARIANIST EDUCATORS

Teachers and administrators at the MEC meeting in Dayton listen intently to Fr. Jim Schimelpfening, who spoke about Fr. Chaminade. Photos by John Samples.

The Province Office of Education hosted more than 100 administrators, teachers and campus ministers for the 18th annual MEC (Marianist Education Consortium) gathering July 21-24 at the University of Dayton, the largest MEC meeting on record. The education office includes Director Fr. Tim Kenney, Bro. John Habjan, Bro. Gene Meyerpeter and Mary Perotti. MEC’s goal is to deepen the knowledge and living out of the CME (Characteristics of Marianist Education). Marianist speakers and attendees included Frs. Jim Fitz, Joe Kozar, Robert Osborne, Jim Schimelpfening, Joe Tedesco and Bro. Richard Thompson. Discussions and workshops focused on social justice, TAM (Teaching as Ministry), a Marianist religion curriculum, spirituality and leadership, and sports in a Marianist school. In addition, Don Frericks, longtime professor and supporter of Marianist education at UD, was feted at a retirement dinner.

PROFESSION NEWS FROM EASTERN AFRICA

Congratulations to Bro. Erick Otiende Odhiambo, who has been approved for profession of perpetual vows. The ceremony will take place in Limuru on Jan. 21, 2006, and will be preceded by several months of preparation, including a 30-day directed retreat. Hearty congratulations also to five, second-year novices in Eastern Africa who have been approved for first profession of vows: Bros. Floyd Chanda, Henry Kamundi, John-Paul Kirimi, Moses Atito Okoth and Dingiswayo Soko. Their profession ceremony will take place on July 30 at the Kabuku parish church. After the profession, the newly-professed will move to the scholasticate community and prepare for the beginning of their academic programs for ministry.

GREENFIELD, CALIFORNIA

Photo courtesy of Bro. Jim Wisecaver

PERSONNEL ANNOUNCEMENTS

Congratulations to the following brothers who have accepted director assignments, effective Aug. 15, 2005. We pray for their ministry.

FIRST TERM (three years)
Bro. Gene Meyerpeter, Curé of Ars, St. Louis
Fr. Steve Tutas, Maui, Hawai’i

The Provincial Council thanks Fr. Bill Wightman for his years
of service as a director.

Bro. Charles Wanda will reside at the Stonemill/Keifaber community in Dayton, with ministry at the Marianist Vocation Office.

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

Olive Singler, who died July 10, 2005, in St. Louis. May she rest in peace. Olive was the sister-in-law of Bro. Francis Singler (Marianist Residence, San Antonio).

Please also pray for Rudolph Bissen, Bishop Joseph Delaney, Greg Honnert, Joseph Maloney, Dr. Robert Kenney and Dara Shakespeare. May they rest in peace. Read about these intentions.

WATER LILY, SMITH GARDENS, DAYTON

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 . . .

Bro. Jim Christiana (Center Marianist Community, Honolulu), who is hospitalized in California.

Bro. Bob Kraft (Mercy Siena, Dayton), who has moved to Troy, Ohio, for specialized medical care. Please contact Bro. Bob at 937.332.9911 or Harborside Health Care, 512 Crescent Ave. #119, Troy, Ohio 45373-2718.

Bro. Skip Matthews, who is recovering from spinal surgery in Cupertino, Calif.

Fr. Joe Rasky (Marianist Residence, San Antonio), who is recovering from hip surgery.

Bro. Tom Spring (Chaminade Pohaku, Honolulu), who is being treated for a skin melanoma.

Jim Resing, who is recovering from heart bypass surgery in Florence, Ky.
Jim is the brother of Bro. Bob Resing (Maryland Avenue, St. Louis).

Tom Moriarty, who is hospitalized with Legionnaire's disease.
Tom is the brother of Bro. Bob Moriarty (Vernon, Conn.)

Nancy Cady, who is recovering from an illness. Nancy is the sister of Bro. Ken Straubinger (Maryland Avenue, St. Louis).

BIRTHDAY TIME IN HONOLULU

Happy birthday to Fr. Ken Templin (standing), who was honored on July 13 in Honolulu. Helping Fr. Ken celebrate, seated, from left, Bros. Frank Damm and Robert Maruyama and Peter Sun, a friend of the community. Photo by Bro. Franklin Pao

WHO'S DOING WHAT

Bro. Jim Droste (Marycliff, Eureka, Mo.) was profiled in the June-August 2005 issue of Witness, the quarterly newsletter of the St. Louis Archdiocese's Office of Consecrated Life. Bro. Jim is celebrating his 50th jubilee this year. Congratulations!

Fr. George Montague (Casa San Juan, San Antonio) participated in an international consultation on canonical hermeneutics in June at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome. Fr. George wrote, "Understanding the Bible: A Basic Introduction to Biblical Interpretation," to be published soon in a second, expanded edition.

Bro. Bernie Stratman (Washington, D.C.) recommends an excellent Web site resource for reviews of Catholic books. He also recommends materials from the conference, The Roman Catholic Priesthood in the 21st Century, held recently at Boston College. Read several book reviews, including a review of Fr. Bernie Lee's "The Beating of Great Wings."

Bro. Stratman

Fr. Lee

The State of Tennessee has adopted House Joint Resolution No. 725, which recognizes Bro. Mel Meyer's contributions to the world of fine arts. The Resolution was signed by the Tennessee governor and speakers of the House and Senate. Bro. Mel was commended for " . . . his unstinting dedication to revealing the majesty and beauty of God and his creation through his works." Kudos to Bro. Mel!

Congratulations to Gary Liebl, who has been named chairman of the Board of Regents of Chaminade University of Honolulu. Mr. Liebl has served on the executive committee since 1999. He also served on the advisory board of the former Province of the Pacific.

Rudy Reyes Jr. invites everyone to Visitor's Night for Marianist LIFE South on July 30 from 6:30 - 11:15 p.m. at TECABOCA in Mountain Home, Texas. The evening includes a Eucharistic celebration and a social/dance. No reservations necessary; information at 574.243.1757.

Fr. Gérard Blais, SM (Québec, Canada) has published 40 biblical study cards entitled "Judaïca," which explain Judaic symbols and their links with Christianity. The cards are perfect for use in classrooms, Bible studies, etc. Fr. Gérard is the director of the Centre Biblique Har'el in Québec. To order, e-mail cpharel@cndf.qc.ca.

SOUND OF MUSIC AT FAMILY RETREATS

Bro. Dan Klco (Stonemill Road, Dayton) led the music at the Family Vacation Retreats at Governor's Island in Ohio. See more about the retreats below.

CHAMINADE UNIVERSITY TO CELEBRATE 50 YEARS

Congratulations to Chaminade University of Honolulu, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a full year of celebration beginning the weekend of Sept. 16, 2005. The opening liturgical celebration and reception will be held Sept. 17 for faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends. An alumni weekend reunion is set for April 2006. For everything you need to know about the anniversary celebration, visit the 50th anniversary Web page or call the anniversary hotline at 808.739.8365.

NEW PLAY YARD AT ST. JOHN'S IN ROCKAWAY PARK

A bird's eye view of the yard, which includes a basketball court, a softball field and a dodgeball area.

Bro. Tom Trager, executive director of St. John's Residence for Boys in Rockaway Park, N.Y., reports that a ribbon cutting ceremony was held July 14 for the residence's new play yard. Fr. Paul Landolfi, St. John's alum and director of the alumni association, blessed the yard. Members of the St. John's community, its board of directors, and local organizations attended the ceremony. Visit St. John's new Web site.

The basketball court was dedicated as a memorial to Jimmy Geyer, a victim of the Sept. 11 tragedy, who was a good friend of St. John's. Bro. Tom Trager assists Jimmy's children, Matthew, Michelle and Laura, in cutting the ribbon on the refurbished yard.

AFFILIATES GATHER FOR FAMILY PICNIC IN COLORADO

Fr. Al McMenamy presided at Mass at the Pueblo Zoo during the Lay Marianist Affiliate Family Picnic in Pueblo, Colo., on July 17. About 70 Marianist religious and family and friends of Affiliates—and one pious peacock—attended the festivities. Bro. Jack Ventura (Office of Religious Life) gave a talk at the gathering.

From left, Bros. DuWayne Brisendine, Mike Sullivan, Norb Karpfinger and Fr. Al McMenamy during an ice cream social which was part of the Affiliate gathering in Pueblo, Colo.

FAMILIES GATHER FOR RETREAT AT GOVERNOR'S ISLAND

Governor's Island in Ohio hosted two weeklong Family Vacation Retreats in July with the theme of "God the Builder." Nine families attended the retreats. Bro. Paul Bredestege was the general coordinator of the planning team, which included Barb Belle, Anne Petratis and Bro. Don Smith. Shown is the retreat team for the second retreat, front row, from left, Lisa Mergler, Katie Delaney, Alison James, Jeanna Neville, Barb Belle and Coordinator Anne Petratis; back row, from left, Bro. Dan Klco, Novice Andy Kosmowski, Fr. Tom Schroer and Bro. Don Smith. Other retreat team members: Fr. Jim Russell, Patrick and Cindy Delaney, Vince Gregoric and Carol Weiss

ST. MARY'S UNIVERSITY: COLLEGE WITH A CONSCIENCE

The Princeton Review recognizes St. Mary's University as a leader in fostering social responsibility and public service in its new book, "Colleges with a Conscience: 81 Great Schools with Outstanding Community Involvement." University President Charles L. Cotrell, Ph.D, said, "Civic engagement at St. Mary's is at the heart of the University's mission, which calls us to public involvement in and service to our community and society at large." Congratulations, St. Mary's!

HONOLULU CONTACTS JOIN THE PARTY

Bro. Dennis Schmitz (standing) and contacts Brandon Alana, Reynard Nivera and Lionnel Ronduen helped Fr. Ken Templin celebrate his birthday on July 13 at Hale Malia in Honolulu.

MYSTERY MARIANIST

This "Mystery Marianist" was 30 years old when this photo was taken in 1967 at Mang'u High School in Thika, Kenya. Who is he?

2005-2006 PERSONNEL COMING IN SEPTEMBER

Ann Mueller, administrative assistant in the Province Office of Communications, reports that the 2005-2006 Personnel, with a rich purple cover, will be distributed in mid-September.

OUT AND ABOUT

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

NEWSLETTER CENTRAL

EASTERN AFRICA. Read Fr. Marty Solma's Regional Letter #5 from the Region of Eastern Africa dated July 19, 2005.

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

THE CLASSIFIEDS

The Marianist Retreat & Conference Center in Eureka, Mo., is seeking a director. Résumés are due by July 31, 2005. Read the job description.

OOPS!

In the tribute to Marianist educators in the last issue of FamilyOnline, we
inadvertently left out one of our noted educators, Fr. Edwin Johnson, and gave the incorrect number of years in education for Bro. Kevin Whelan. Our apologies!

	Fr. Edwin Johnson 40 years Chaminade College Prep Middle School, Chatsworth, Calif.
	Bro. Kevin Whelan 43 years Chaminade-Madonna, Hollywood, Fla.

A THOUGHT

Ewa Beach, Hawai'i - photo courtesy of Novice Robert Jones

He who governed the world
before I lived
Will govern it when I'm gone.
My part is to improve the present.

MYSTERY MARIANIST UNVEILED . . .

It's Bro. Ken Thompson, who lives at the Franklin Street community in Dayton and serves on the staff of Emmanuel parish. Bro. Ken taught English for 15 years at Mang'u High School in Kenya. He relates that "mang'u" is a Maasai word meaning "that's not me you smell." Bro. Ken said: "When the Maasai hunted lions in the tall grass, they would shout "mang'u, mang'u" to inform their fellow hunters of the situation!" Bro. Ken's life lesson: "Don't let the sun set each day before you make at least one person feel like a million bucks."

PRIESTLY FORMATION BOOKLETS AVAILABLE

The National Catholic Educational Association has published a series of four booklets called "The Core Elements of Priestly Formation." The booklets include readings published in Seminary Journal that address the intellectual, human, spiritual and pastoral pillars of formation. Bro. Bernie Stratman is executive director of the NCEA's Seminary Department. Order at seminary@ncea.org or 202.337.6262, ext. 222.

PROVINCE BIRTHDAYS

VISIT OUR WEB SITE AT www.marianist.com

Editor: Diane Guerra; 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 2005 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.