b'day, present and future faith communities sparkedPHOTO: ALICIA WAGNERby LIFE need that face-to-face component.At the same time, she says, were reminded thatcommunity-building requires us to meet studentswhere they are. Flexible ministry, or educating for adaptation andchangea Characteristic of Marianist Education is, in part, why LIFE has thrived so long. This charac-teristic is evident in the retreats encouraging youngparticipants to discuss hot-button issues, includingwater, human trafficking, immigration and the deathpenalty. Social justice education, which challenges individualsto understand their relationship to human rights issuesand their ongoing part in making things better, wasinitiated by former Marianist LIFE coordinator BrianReavey, who, in 2006, told ALIVE that LIFE is a life-long faith formation program.Marianist Brother Jesse ONeill, Society of Maryassistant for education, who has supported LIFEsince becoming a Marianist in1992, believes that the programis uniquely enduring becauseits mission is a reflection of ourMarianist family.Individuals from all over thecountry come together as acommunity and discover thatwe are more alike than different,Brother Jesse says. This program,led by Marianist religious and lay peoplethe men and women at our schoolsis a beautiful embodiment of the Marianist notion of discipleshipPHOTO: ALICIA WAGNERof equals.Lifelong bondsMany LIFE participants share a common story that,after devoting part of their lives to the MarianistLIFE program, they become LIFErs. This happenedto Toni, a Hawaii native, after she joined LIFE as aparticipant in 1991. I still keep in touch with friendsI met almost 30 years ago, she says. Andrs Novela mirrors that experience. For 20 years,he has been campus minister at Monsignor EdwardPace High School in Miami Gardens, Florida. Andrsfirst attended LIFE in 1994, calling his student experiencelife-changing. In 2001, I returned for visitors night with a fewfriends, he says. Then, in 2003, I returned as a mod-erator with several students from Monsignor PaceHigh School where I worked.16 Call 1.800.348.4732'