marianist.com/donate • 11 ichael Brown’s death on Aug. 9, 2014, in Ferguson, Missouri, rattled many across the country, but it grabbed hold of Maureen Hoock in an unexpected way. “I felt like the Holy Spirit picked me up and dropped me on a path,” she says of her quest to make sense of the tragedy that had exposed deep divides of racism and white privilege. Yet, not until she became involved in the Marianist Studies Program 2.0 last fall did she begin to understand why she was on this journey. “Most people don’t want to talk about white priv- ilege,” says Maureen, a Lay Marianist from St. Louis. “They get defensive. For many, the first thing they say is ‘my family and I started with nothing, and we’ve worked for everything we’ve got.’ And I say, ‘of course you did, and what you’ve done is amaz- ing. But that’s not what white privilege is about.’” The words flow calmly from Maureen. Talking with others about a sensitive topic with love and compassion is one of the gifts she’s received from the MSP 2.0 program called “The Five Silences: Marianist Mind- fulness for the 21st Century.” “Practicing the Silences is a way to be present,” says Maureen. “They help me catch myself before I say or do something I might regret.” (See “What are The Five Silences?” on page 12.) They also have challenged her to speak her truth and create an opening to talk with others about a difficult subject without shying away. As part of the year-long study program, all of the MSP 2.0 participants were required to complete a scholarly project. For Maureen, that meant producing a paper and PowerPoint presentation about white privilege. She is amazed by what she has received in return. “This program pushed me to grow spiritually,” she says. “And studying with others and witnessing their commitment to being on this journey with me was priceless.” The search for spiritual treasures Spiritual growth. A collaborative community. Scholarly work. These are what George Lisjak, director of the North American Center for Marianist Studies (NACMS), and Patti Gehred, program and curricu- lum coordinator, had in mind when they launched the Marianist Studies Program last year. They also were looking for a format compatible with today’s lifestyles. “We decided to offer the monthly sessions online to enable people from across the country to participate,” says Patti. Still, they had no idea how many people would be interested. “We were elated when 13 people — four religious and nine lay people — committed to the program,” says Patti. MSP 2.0 was patterned after the popular Marian- ist Studies program from the ‘70s and ‘80s that yielded scholarly papers — many of which are still used by NACMS today. “Our goal was to inspire new scholarly Marianist work and to create a sup- portive scholarly community,” says Patti. While projects from the past were primarily pa- pers, today’s scholars used diverse media: podcasts, videos and other nontraditional approaches. NACMS leaders believed the topic — The Five Silences and the practice of mindfulness — were fertile ground for researchers who, with enough digging, would unearth an abundance of spiritual treasures. They have not been disappointed. “This program pushed me to grow spiritually. And studying with others and witnessing their commitment to being on this journey with me was priceless.” – Lay Marianist Maureen Hoock Lay Marianists Tony and Beth Garascia with Patti Gehred (center) NACMS program and curriculum coordinator M PHOTO: SKIP PETERSON PHOTO: MIKE BIZELLI