20 • Call 1.800.348.4732 here’s a touch of wonder in his voice when Mar- ianist Brother Bob Wiethorn reflects, “I’ve never had an assignment that I didn’t love.” That’s say- ing something for a man who’s now approaching his 60th year in the Society of Mary, a span during which he’s seen his vocation unfold in unexpected ways. Which, perhaps, is what God had in mind for this native of Cincinnati. His parents divorced when he was four, so among Brother Bob’s earliest memories growing up in his grandparents’ “very Catholic home”are praying the rosary regularly and joining them for Mass and various religious devotions. Even so, the seeds of a vocation were not obvious to all. “I was probably more than the Sisters wanted to handle,” he notes wryly of his grade school years. “They used to tell me, ‘just wait ‘til you get the [Marianist] Brothers in high school!’” Far from chafing at the Marianists’ influence, how- ever, he found himself drawn to them and the care they showed for students at the Marianist-run Purcell Marian High School in the late 1950s. The staff encouraged in him a love for science and math, along with a desire to serve people, giving rise to his notion that he might become a physician. But a funny thing happened during his senior year retreat. “I remember sitting in chapel and felt a move- ment of grace within,” he says. “It was as if God was saying, ‘You’ve got it all planned out, but you haven’t consulted Me.’” This nudge provided the impetus to explore a different path by joining the Marianists in their mission. At the time he professed first vows in 1960, that path led directly to the classroom — an environment where he flourished, taking on assignments as a BRICK-BY-BRICK Marianist Brother Bob Wiethorn enjoys ministering with others, building on an enduring foundation of faith and friendship in the communities he has served. By John Schroeder Brother Bob Wiethorn, SM, center, takes a stroll with Brother Nick Rufo, SM, and the late Father Ed Jach, SM. “I remember sitting in chapel and felt a movement of grace within. It was as if God was saying, ‘You’ve got it all planned out, but you haven’t consulted Me.’” – Brother Bob Wiethorn, SM T ALL PHOTOS: ANDY SNOW