b'Renewal located in Mountain Home, Texas, a coupleof hours northwest of San Antonio. She signed up fora family retreat and, while at the camp, she felt thepresence of Mary all over this place, she says. I thought, this seems very much like me. I wantedto find out more.For her part, Marianne had spent the better partof a decade soaking up the charism by osmosis,courtesy of her daughter Caitlin, a University ofDayton graduate who studied as a novice and, for a time, served as a Marianist Sister.From spending time with Caitlin and visiting var-ious Marianist communities, Marianne got to see thecharism in action in places as far-flung as Peru, Qubec,Texas and California. She also participated in MarianistFamily events in the Dayton area, just north of herhome in Miamisburg, Ohio. Those experiences leftan impression. I felt a connection to the Marianistspirit, she says. Thats when I realized, I want tobe part of this. Its something bigger than me.Abbey Saurine, head ofthe manifestations of the charismthe different wayseducation, MLC-NA, whoits lived out in the worldand allow them to explore From unlikely beginnings: spearheaded the VLMF Zoomsessions, says: My goal was where they feel called to get involved, LeeAnn says. Seeds of communityfive people, so Im prettyBoth vowed religious and Lay Marianists taught Deborah and Marianne live about 1,200 miles apart,excited that we had 21! the VLMF sessions, which covered a variety of topics, but their diverse paths converged in the VLMF sessionsincluding Marianist history, Marys role in the story ofand from that unlikely beginning, the seeds ofsalvation and the mission of the laity. The presenters community began to form. taught and shared Marianist content, but, just as impor- Through VLMF, Marianne now appreciates thetant, theyre witnesses to what a diverse Marianist potential impact of small faith-sharing groups similarFamily looks likebrothers, priests, sisters and laity to those promoted by Blessed Chaminade. In ourteaching and exploring difficult and timely issuesculture, where many lack a sense of belonging, thesetogether, says LeeAnn. small-faith communities fill a need for present-dayCatholics, she says. With open hearts:Deborah, too, found her spirit being fed by theFinding Mary in surprising places VLMF presentations and Father Chaminades call toThe participants also did their parts by coming to the respond with new ways of being Church, new waysbi-weekly Zoom sessions with open hearts, according to of being Christ to one another, she says. In addition,LeeAnn. In the very first session, I was struck by how she felt drawn to the charisms emphasis on inclusionvulnerable they were willing to be, how genuine and over hierarchy. That has been life-giving.honest about struggles with faith, or the Church, and With others from the first VLMF cohort, Deborahwhy they felt called to the Marianist Family, she says. and Marianne are exploring how to launch their ownThats true, even though some, like Marianne and virtual Lay Marianist community. Its so nice to haveDeborah, didnt know what to expect from the program. a formal foot in the door, Marianne says. Were Deborah had never heard of the Marianists prior to excited about modeling Marys behavior and being 2020 when she stumbled upon the MLC-NA newsletter a positive change in the world.\x00during an internet search. From the newsletter, shelearned about Tecaboca: A Marianist Center for Spiritual John Schroeder is a freelance writer from St. Louis.For more about VLMF: The MLC-NA will start a new formation cohort in early 2022. The program runs four to five months andmeets via Zoom every other Tuesday evening. To register, check with Abbey Saurine at [email protected]. 6 Call 1.800.348.4732'