Faith-Fueled and Forever Changed: The LIFE Experience
“It was one of the best weeks of my life and changed my faith in ways I could have never imagined,” declared Ryan Eilermann, a junior at Chaminade College Preparatory School in St. Louis.
“LIFE helped strengthen my faith,” noted Natalya Garcia, a senior at Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School in Dayton, OH.
“I truly believe I am where I am today because of LIFE,” stated Theresa Mayorga, a participant in 2019 and auxiliary moderator in 2025.
What exactly is this LIFE (Living In Faith Experience) that warrants such passionate reviews from teenagers and young adults? It’s a Marianist summer program, a faith-formation experience for high school students and moderators.
This summer, 151 students from 17 Marianist schools in the U.S. Province, two from the Province of Meribah, St. Laurence College in Ireland, and two non-Marianist institutions, along with 61 adults, attended one of two Summer LIFE opportunities. One was held in June in Occidental, CA, and the other in Dayton, OH, in July.
DeDe Barth has participated in 15 Summer LIFE programs, formerly as a moderator and now as the national coordinator, and continues to be amazed. “Every time I am in awe of the community built during our time at LIFE and the impact it continues to have on our faith journeys for the rest of our lives,” she said.
“My LIFE experience truly shaped the direction of my life. At LIFE, I first learned about the Marianist Leadership Program (MLP) at St. Mary’s University, which I later applied for and joined. I never would have chosen St. Mary’s without MLP. There, I learned about Marianist PULSE, a year of service program that I just completed this past year,” shared Mayorga. It’s what prompted her to pursue being a physician assistant caring for underserved populations.
The takeaways of Summer LIFE may be different for each participant. Eilermann said the impression for him was “realizing that my faith will grow by helping others grow in their own.” Garcia revealed the keynote for her was “we have to learn how to trust people and help others.”
Everyone involved agrees that it is a life-changing encounter and one they encourage everyone to experience.
“It ignited my faith. I can never replicate what I felt, but I can share it. If I were able, I would make it a required trip. Jesus moved through the trees there, and I could feel it; therefore, finding myself compelled to tell anyone who listens what I experienced that week,” exclaimed Eilermann.
“One thing I want to share with my school is that if you have the opportunity to attend LIFE, do it because it will change your life,” said Garcia.
“Serving as an auxiliary moderator reminded me of how God moved in my life through LIFE and how he would continue to move through the lives of all the students who spend a piece of their summer at LIFE,” noted Mayorga.
Blessed was the theme for this year’s program, inspired by the song “I’m so Blessed“ by Cain. The program was blessed by the following vowed Marianists who shared their time, talents and presence: Fr. Bob Jones, Fr. Peter Heiskell, Bro. Brandon Alana, Bro. Chicago Schuller, and Bro. Peter Sennert. Novice Paul Pruski also served on the coordinating team.
In The News
UD Adds Trustees, Welcomes New Board Chair
The University of Dayton (UD) added seven highly accomplished members to its 2025-26 board of trustees, including significant contributors to its record-breaking “We Soar” campaign, senior business executives, a young legal standout, and two Marianists with decades of service in the Society of Mary.
Brian Blaser, Dave Conway, Kristin Dailey, Jamel Gross-Cassel, Greg Stevens, and Marianist Brothers Bob Metzger and Jack Ventura joined the board for three-year terms. Gross-Cassel will serve as a recent alumni trustee, a position for members three to eight years post-graduation with a record of student engagement in volunteer and philanthropy initiatives and continued involvement with UD.
The board also welcomed new chair Deb Tobias ‘73, who was chair of the University’s highly successful “We Soar” campaign. Tobias took over for Rick Omlor ’79, who spent 14 years on the board.
Click here to read bios of the new members. Click here for a full list of the board of trustees for the 2025-2026 school year.
Marianist-Sponsored High School Purchases Property
St. Mary’s South Side Catholic High School announced it has purchased the 23-acre property and all of its buildings from the St. Louis Archdiocese.
You may recall that in September 2022, the archdiocese announced that it planned to close the school.
Alumni of the nearly 100-year-old school rallied, garnering support from city leaders and establishing partnerships within the region, making the $1.5 million purchase possible. It will now operate independently from the archdiocese in leadership and finances, but remain committed to its Catholic Marianist education.
It has launched exciting new opportunities for students over the past few years, including:
- Partnerships with local trade unions offering pre-apprenticeship college credits
- Internships with SSM Health trades professionals, preparing students for career success
- A renewed commitment to providing quality education rooted in faith and service
Click here to read more. Click here to watch a local news story.
Marianist Sisters Continue to Say, “YES”
The Marianist sisters had a joy-filled celebration marking the renewal of vows for Srs. Rose Rucoba and Emily Sandoval. It was also a time to bestow blessings and thanks on Sr. Gretchen Trautman as she finishes provincial leadership and the installation of the new unit council, Srs. Laura Leming, Leanne Jablonski, and Grace Walle.
Marianist Ministries in Action
Feast of the Assumption Celebrations
On August 15, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was taken up body and soul into heaven. In 1950, Pope Pius XII infallibly defined the dogma of the Assumption of Mary into heaven to be closely connected to faith in Christ. It’s a special day in the Marianist Family and was celebrated in communities and schools across the Province with Masses and feasts. At the Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School Mass, LIFE student leaders announced the hashtag #BeStrongCJ that they created over the summer to help guide their community. Through the hashtag, students hope to encourage each other and all of us to be strong in faith, strong in hope, and strong for one another. At Archbishop Riordan High School, the Assumption Mass also served as a welcome for the school’s new Chaplain, Fr. Jerald Geronimo. The Marian Library highlighted art depicting Mary’s Assumption by Bro. Cletus Behlmann, S.M.
Marianist Moments
First Marianists to Reach U.S.
Courtesy of the North American Center for Marianist Studies (NACMS)
In late 1849, Marianist Bros. Damian Litz, Andrew Edel, John Stintzi, and Maximin Zehler bravely crossed the Atlantic from France to join Bro. Charles Schultz, SM, and Fr. Leo Meyer, SM, who had arrived earlier that July. This determined group established the first Marianist presence in the United States, ministering in the Cincinnati-Dayton area and founding institutions like St. Mary’s School for Boys in 1850. This institution eventually evolved into University of Dayton, which is celebrating its 175th birthday this year.
For those traveling, we hope your summer adventures are far smoother than the arduous journey described by Bro. Damian Litz: “We got aboard a rickety, old merchantman in which a sort of den was made of rough boards to hold us and our originals. We did not sail: we rolled and rolled for forty-two and a half days. I was the first among the passengers to discover land. Brother Edel was sick of [with] dysentery during nearly the whole time. I myself got seasick at every heavy roll. (Brother Edel relates that during a severe storm, the vessel received such a severe shock once as to make Brother Litz jump up and cry out “Salve Regina.”) Brother Zehler was once flung from one side of the ship to the other and was badly hurt.”
To delve deeper into the Society of Mary’s early years in the U.S., read Father Leo Meyer’s 13 Years at Nazareth, by Fr. John Graves, SM, available in the NACMS bookstore.
Pray With Us
Please join us in prayer for these members of the Marianist Family.
Each year, the Society of Mary recognizes brothers and priests who are marking milestones of their first profession of vows or their priestly ordinations.
Thank you to our 2025 Jubilarians! We will highlight them over the course of the next few months in FamilyOnline.
Click here to see pictures from the Jubilee celebration in St. Louis, MO, on May 31, 2025.
Click here to see pictures from the Jubilee celebration in Dayton, OH, on Aug. 9, 2025.
BRO. MICHAEL O’GRADY
I was born in Cleveland, OH, and grew up in Bluefield, WV, and Cleveland, attending Sacred Heart in Bluefield and both St. Aloysius and St. Philomena in Cleveland. My high school years were spent at Cathedral Latin School, also in Cleveland, and Marianist Preparatory in Beacon, NY, from which I graduated in January 1964. I professed my First Vows on February 11, 1965, in Marcy, NY, before relocating to University of Dayton, where I earned a Bachelor of Arts in History and English in 1969. I then went on to earn a master’s degree in religious education from the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago in 1975. Click here to read more.
BRO. ROBERT RESING
Born and raised in Covington, KY, I attended St. John the Evangelist for grade school, followed by Covington Catholic High School, before professing my First Vows in Marcy, NY, on August 22, 1965. I went on to University of Dayton and Dayton Art Institute, where I earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, before attending the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University Chicago. My first assignment—which lasted 17 years—was teaching art to students in years 7-12 at St. Paul’s College in Altona North, Victoria, Australia. Click here to read more.
BRO. LAWRENCE SCRIVANI
I was born and raised in San Francisco, CA, where I attended School of the Epiphany, followed by Archbishop Riordan High School, graduating in 1964. I then attended Chaminade University of Honolulu in Hawaii for three years before moving to the University of San Francisco, where I earned a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science in 1969. I went on to earn a Master of Arts from California State University in San Francisco (1975), a certificate from the Advanced Archival Studies Institute at the University of Denver (1980) and attended the International Mariological Research Institute at University of Dayton from 1997 to 2000. Click here to read more.
BRO. RICHARD THOMPSON
On my 60th year of religious profession as a Marianist, I can’t help but be filled with gratitude to Almighty God and to our Mother Mary for calling me to be a religious in the Society of Mary. I have been blessed to be surrounded by a community of men who, by their example of dedication and service, have continually encouraged and challenged me to live our vocations more fully. I have been blessed by the presence of many laymen and women who, throughout my years in various ministries, have given me confidence and have challenged me to live my vocation more fully. Click here to read more.
Good to Know
World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation
The World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation, celebrated on Sept. 1 every year, is the foundational day of the Season of Creation, which runs from Sept. 1 to Oct. 4 and culminates each year on the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. This day was observed in the Orthodox Church’s liturgical traditions before being adopted by the universal Church. The Catholic Church, under the leadership of Pope Francis, embraced this celebration in 2015.
Click here for resources on celebrating the Season of Creation.
Retreats Available Through December
Classes may have started, and summer is coming to a close, but retreats continue at the Marianist Family Retreat Center in Cape May. There are six retreats scheduled in September, and a variety of others are planned from October through December. Some are on a wait list, so click here for the Retreat Calendar and book your getaway today!
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
All Things Marian podcast from the International Marian Research Institute
Justice Jottings from the Marianist Social Justice Collaborative
AMU Newsletter from the Association of Marianist Universities
Region Update #93 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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