Marianist Lay Community
of North America
Being Church in the Modern World
|
|
Greetings!
“For today by your gift we celebrated the festival of your city, the heavenly Jerusalem, our mother, where the great array of our brothers and sisters already gives you eternal praise. Towards her, we eagerly hasten as pilgrims advancing by faith”. “Bestow on us, we pray, through the prayers of so many intercessors, an abundance of reconciliation with you”
These excerpts are taken from the Collect and Preface of the Eucharistic Prayer in the Roman Missal for the celebration of All Saints Day.
I find the church helps me to use the month of November to recall the many holy people in my life who have gone home to God. The older I get the more of my friends and mentors in Marianist life are now on the other side unified now with the God who created us. I was once challenged in spiritual direction to consider how my Marianist vocation is united with the vocations of Marianists who have gone before me. It was pointed out the majority of Marianists are now on the other side with God (there have been over 250 years of Marianists before us after all), how do they continue living out their vocation from the heights of heaven? How does that affect me who is still here on earth serving as Mary’s missionary? I must admit that I never came up with a solid or definitive answer to these questions, but pondering these questions provided me some hope and consolation.
Sister Death, as St. Francis of Assisi called her, frequently welcomes our friends. After all death is the gateway to life with God. When I reflect on my own Marianist journey, I am grateful for the witness to holy life afforded me by many Marianists who are now with the Lord. I thank Sr. Audrey Buttner, FMI, Fr. Francois Rossier, SM, Fr. Jack McGrath, SM, Bro. Felipe Melcher, SM, and Bro. Charlie Wanda, SM. There are other men and women I could thank but these are most present to me as I journey now at different moments. I’d invite you to consider who in your Marianist life is praying with you on the journey. The Communion of Saints are present with us in a different way than when they dwelled as part of our earthly community and when we attend to this presence great new insights and joy can be felt.
Blessings,
Caitlin Cipolla-McCulloch
At-Large
|
|
As a faith community, MLC-NA is the national association to which all Lay Marianists in North America belong. It is self-supporting through contributions from individuals and local communities.
Your support helps us to:
- Employ a part-time Administrator
- Maintain communication tools such as the newsletter, database, and Zoom accounts used by numerous committees and communities
- Support the Marianist Social Justice Collaborative and the International Organization of Marianist Lay Communities
- Support the creation and launch a new lay formation process for initial and on-going formation
Contributions can also be sent to the address at the bottom of this newsletter.
|
|
Register to Explore Spirituality and Social Justice in Business
|
|
The conference April 3-5 is sponsored by the Marianist Business Network and will be held at the Bergamo Retreat Center in Dayton, Ohio. This conference was originally scheduled for October 2019, but was just moved to April 2020. The Marianist Business network is a group of business people who are associated with the Marianist Family and Marianist sponsored institutions. They are interested in exploring Business as Vocation.
The purpose of the conference is to:
- To provide an introduction to the nature and purposes of the Marianist Business Network
- To explore how the Marianist Charism and the Catholic social justice tradition provides a foundation for:
- The role of business in building the common good
- Building communities of work
- Addressing some of the complex and difficult issues of contemporary business.
- To explore how the Marianist Charism and Marianist Spirituality can support the call to a business vocation and to a work-life balance
- The Marianist Business Network is new. At the conference we will critique and develop its nature, its purpose, and its future agenda.
|
|
MLC-NA received 11 nominations for the Head of Education and 12 for Chair-elect for the MLC-NA Leadership Council. Thank you for recognizing leadership qualities in your peers and fellow community members.
Nominees have been contacted and invited to discern their interest, time, and skills to serve in these roles. Many email exchanges and conversations have been had. Those interested in proceeding will complete a one-page bio that we will share with you. Lay Marianists should watch for more information soon about the voting process.
|
|
Mark your calendars for our next
Lay Marianist Assembly
Our first confirmed keynote is
Fr. Gregory Boyle, SJ
July 16-19, 2020
Being held in San Antonio in conjunction with the
50th Anniversary of Marianist LIFE
Co-chairs: Katie Gushoney and Jessica Gonzalez-Uhlig
Watch future newsletters for details and opportunities to volunteer.
|
|
Changes for Reflections in the Marianist Tradition
|
|
Deepen your connection to the Sunday readings with these reflections for
November 2019
from members of the Marianist Family. Thank you Kathe Lehman-Meyer, Allison Gray, and Alicia Cordoba Tait for providing the reflections for the month of October.
*************
MLC-NA is announcing a change to Sunday Reflections in the Marianist Tradition. Beginning with the new liturgical year (November 29, 2019), reflections will be provided for Marian and Marianist Feast Days rather than for each Sunday. We are making this change to heighten awareness of those feasts holding special significance for the Marianist Family and to allow for more focused reflection on the meaning of those days.
Volunteers are invited to sign up to provide a reflection for one or more of the dates via this link -
Marianist/Marian Feast Days
- or contact Margy Lisjak, at
margy.lisjak@mlc-na.org
with a request for a specific date or to be assigned one of the feast days.
Details regarding length and due date to meet publication deadlines will be shared with those who volunteer.
|
|
Nov 1
Nov 2
Nov 6
Nov 21
Nov 28
|
|
All Saints Day
All the Faithful Departed
Memorial of Blessed Miguel Léibar and Companion Martyrs
Presentation of the Blessed Virgin
Thanksgiving Day
|
|
See more information and prayers for all these Marianist Feast Days
here
.
|
|
Presentation of the Blessed Virgin
November 21, 2019
|
|
Mary, Mother of God
Mary, Daughter of God,
from all time, you were the beautiful
thought in God’s mind.
Mary, Immaculate Child of grace,
You are God’s gift to his Son.
Mary, Mother of the Son of God, the Christ,
Pray for us.
Mary, Daughter of Zion,
You are the beautiful Maiden of Nazareth.
Mary, amazing Woman of Hope,
Your “fiat” gave us Jesus.
Mary, Mother of Joshua, “God Saves,”
Pray for us.
Mary, Spouse of Joseph,
From refuge in Egypt to Calvary at the cross,
Mary, made our Mother at his feet.
Our precious Icon of Faith,
Mary, Mother of the Church
,
Michael Nartker, S.M.
Marianist Family Prayer Book, vol. 2
|
|
Lord, send us your Spirit of hope….
as we hold in prayer those who are enduring pain and suffering. May God’s healing embrace give them strength for their journey and comfort in their suffering.
as we ask Blessed Adele’s intercession for the immigrant children and families who are suffering. May her witness to the poor give us encouragement to continue to advocate for compassion and a just solution to this painful crisis.
as we call upon our world leaders to model compassion, work for justice, and raise up those who suffer.
as we pray for our departed Marianist Brothers and Sisters and Marianist family members who have enriched our lives through their presence, especially Bro. Walter “Wally” Ebbesmeyer (Sept. 26) and Bro. John Samaha, 88 (Sept. 27). May they be held in God’s loving embrace as they join the fellowship of saints.
Lord, send us your Spirit of joy….
for the growth of the Marianist family as new lay communities undergo formation and discern their commitment.
As we pray in gratitude for the 200 years of witness of our Marianist brothers in continuing Blessed Chaminade’s vision for bringing Christ to our world through education.
that Mary’s example of contemplation and reflection give us a model for listening more deeply to one another.
as we celebrate the gifts of the Marianist Sisters, whose presence in the United States for 70 years has been a blessing to so many.
that we, like Marie Therese, find within our hearts the joy and love in serving others.
|
|
|
|
Thank you to all who have visited our web form - we have hundreds of updated records.
If you haven't updated your information, please take a few moments to fill out this
brief questionnaire
(it's a Google form). Each member of a family should register separately so we have individual emails for future elections, etc.
Please also encourage your community members to keep their information current. Individuals may follow the link or a community rep can send us a community roster.
|
|
MLC-NA Area Representatives
(Click on names for emails)
Southeast (FL, NC)
Northeast (PA, NY, NJ, MD, VA)
OH, KY, IN
Central States (CO, IL, KS, NE, MO, WI)
Texas
West Coast (CA, OR, WA)
Hawaii
Canada (French-Speaking)
UD-formed Communities (Many are virtual)
To Be Determined
|
|
NEWSLETTERS
Read the Signs of the Times and Sign Up for these Marianist Family Newsletters
|
|
Matt Dunn
Chair-Elect
Vacant
Head of Education
Jim Barrette
LeeAnn Meyer
Margy Lisjak
Rob Brodrick
Caitlin Cipolla-McCulloch
Maureen O'Rourke
|
|
AMAZON DONATION PROGRAM!
Did you know that when you buy stuff at Amazon.com, Amazon will make a donation to MLC-NA?
How? By using Smile.Amazon.Com.
Please consider using smile.amazon.com and selecting Marianist Lay Network as your charity. There is no additional cost to you and it really is the same site as Amazon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
