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Dear Friends,
Many thoughts and images came to mind as I worked
on this issue of ?Gifts and Tasks?. Those of us who
attended the 4th International Meeting of MLC in
Bordeaux might remember Bro. Dennis Schmitz
and Kay Stone from Hawaii leading us in
the song, ?Weave One Heart from the many
strands.?. These many strands are apparent in
the Philippines. The first MLC in Manila was founded
by our FMI Sisters in Japan, and is now also
supported by the new foundation of the Society of
Mary, a truly multicultural community. I
invite you to read the ?Alive in the Philippines?
newsletter to learn more.
The update from Hawaii continues these strands
weaving across the globe ? from the Marianist Family
Retreat programs from the eastern shores of the USA
to Hawaii to Korea. They even reach to the heavenly
communion of saints where our friend, Basilio Choi
continues to pray for us!
These stories also show how blessed we are for the
ongoing efforts and support of the Daughters of Mary
and the Society of
Mary in our collaborative work of building communities
in the Marianist tradition. Our Family Spirit is alive
and well.
Let's celebrate our Foundation Day on Feb.2nd with
joy - joining our prayers, these many strands, in
thanksgiving for our one heart, one family in mission
with Mary for the glory of her Son!
Peace to all,
ISABELLA R. MOYER, MLC
RESPONSIBLE FOR
NORTH AMERICA AND ASIA
INTERNATIONAL
TEAM
MARIANIST LAY COMMUNITIES
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Lay Marianist Consecrations in Manila |
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Dear Isabella, Tony and members of the International
Team,
Yesterday I came back from Manila.
Saturday (January 20th) were the
consecrations of our Marianist Lay
Community members. It was a simple and nice
celebration. Finally 24 members made their
consecration. There were 2 more, originally, but they
couldn?t come for family and working problems.
Hopefully they will do it in February, when
Richard Joyal will go there, or in March,
when I have to go back. Sister Fumiko Yamada
FMI, with the president of the MLC-
Japan, Ms Seiko and other 2 members
of the MLC in Japan, were present. Sister
Fumiko presented the candidates and the Japanese
women gave them the medals. I am sending you
some pictures and the ?rite? we used, some parts in
Tagalog.
Blessings in your works
Pablo Rambaud, SM
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Excerpts from Filipino Celebration |
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PRESIDER: (Addressing the candidates)
God manifests the mystery of divine love in countless
ways.
You have responded to the mystery of that love by
your expressed desire to live the most faithful
imitation of Jesus Christ, son of God, become Son of
Mary, crucified and risen for our salvation.
This is the mission for anyone who belongs to the
Marianist Family.
You will share in the prayer and good works of the
entire Family of Mary throughout the world.
We ask you now about your intentions.
Ipinakita ng panginoon ang msiteryo ng pag ibig
na walang hanggan sa ating buhay.
Sinagot mo an misteryo ng pag ibig na ayon sa iyong
pagpapahayag at gusto mong mamuhay katulad ni
Kristo, anak ng Diyos, na naging anak ni Maria,
ipinako sa Krus at nabuhay para tayo mailigtas.
Ito ang ating misyon sa lahat ng miembro ng pamilya
marianista.
Tuwing kayo?y magdadasal ibabahagi ninyo ang
inyomg panalangin sa lahat ng miembro ng pamilya
marianista sa buong mundo.
DELEGATE: What are you asking for?
Ano ang iyong intention? Ano ang hinihiling mo?
CANDIDATES: Gusto ko pong maging bahagi ng
Pamilya Marianista lalo na sa kanilang mabuting
gawain at mag spiritual na bagay.
I ask to be consecrated in the Marianist Family and
share its good works and life of prayer.
DELEGATE: Do you understand the obligations you
will assume as Consecrated Lay Marianist?
Naiintindihan mo ba ang obligasyon na ito
bilang bahagi ng Pamilya marianista?
CANDIDATES: Opo (I do)
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Hawaii Updates |
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Chicken Skin Moments in Hawaii!
by
Bro. Dennis Schmitz, SM
I
know that many readers from the USA are associated
with Cape May and the Family Retreat
Program.
After a number of fumbling efforts, there are 4
Marianist Lay Communities in Hawaii which will
be
making their first commitments at a
ceremony on
campus on Feb. 4th. They are talking about
leading
a Family Retreat as a joint ministry project in
September. Barb Belle, who worked on the
family
retreats at Governor's Island, has offered to
coordinate these efforts. A few weeks ago the
group got a call from people on Maui looking for
someone to lead a family retreat. They already had
a location, the families, etc. These families, who
don't really know the Marianists yet, are seeing
themselves as a pilot program for something they
want to start on their island. The Hawaiian MLC's
are borrowing a Cape May Program and some lay
Marianists
(Vince and Laura from Philadelphia) to help teach the
Hawaiian MLC members and these families how to do
this
kind of retreat. One of these members, Jayne
Mondoy,
is the religious education director for the diocese and
sees this as a pilot for what she wants to do in her
programs. All of a sudden, this has all fallen in the
Hawaiian MLC's laps. This seems to be an example of
believing in something enough to move to action.
Belief in the Marianist charism seems to move the
members to share it.
A recent phone call from Basilio Choi's
(president of
the Korean MLC's a few years ago) widow,
Gemma,
sparked a conversation highlighting that Basilio must
be praying hard for the Hawaiian MLC's. Then
Gemma revealed that the Korean MLC's are
making
their commitments on the same day as those in
Hawaii. Gemma decided to send the Hawaiian MLCers
a gift and the Hawaiian MLCers are sending the
Koreans shell leis. Many parts of the country would
say that something gives them "goose bumps" but in
Hawaii everyone says, "chicken skin."
There's a lot
of "chicken skin" moments for Hawaii right now!
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Alliance for Marianist Lay Formation |
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The recently formed "Alliance for Marianist Lay
Formation" gathered in Dayton, OH the
weekend of
December 1-3, 2006 to help discern the
future of lay
formation in the Marianist family. The meeting was
convened and sponsored by the Society of
Mary's
Office of Religious Life. Present, left to right,
were
Brian Reavey (Marianist LIFE), Isabella
Moyer
(International Organization of Marianist Lay
Communities), Marge Cavanaugh (MLNNA),
Bro. Tom
Giardino, SM (International Center for
Marianist
Formation), Bro. Mike O'Grady, SM (Office of
Religious
Life), Carol Ramey (NACMS), and
Joan McGuinness
Wagner (former director of the Lay Formation
Initiative). Not pictured are Bro. Jack Ventura,
SM
(Office of Religious Life) and Pati Krasensky
(CMSC).
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Marianist LIFE |
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Dear moderators and friends of Marianist
LIFE,
Registration paperwork for our 2007 summer
programs
is now available online:
http://www.marianist.com/ministries.php?
pid=124
Similar to last year, information will not be mailed to
you and/or your institution. Therefore, you must
download and photocopy all of the information for
you, your administration, your participating
moderators, and/or your students using our website.
Please note these important dates:
March 15, 2007 ... Pre-registration forms (#
of
students and moderators) and deposits are due to
the national office in Philadelphia
April 15, 2007 ... All moderator and student
Registration forms are due to the national office
May 15, 2007 ... Final payment due to the
national
off (checks made payable to Marianist Province)
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to
contact me or our Administrative Assistant, Marie
Wyman, at marianistlife@sm-usa.org. We look
forward to another meaningful summer of building
communities of faith with you and your students!
Peace to you and your communities,
Brian F. Reavey
National Coordinator, Marianist LIFE
www.marianist.com/life
1341 N. Delaware Ave. #302A
Philadelphia, PA 19125
215.634.4116 (office)
breavey@sm-usa.org
"Let us attach ourselves to God alone, for only
God is eternal." - Adele de Batz de Tranquelleon
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Cyber Communities Growing |
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By Marceta Reilly
The Harvest Women?s Prayer Group is a
telephone MLC begun in September, 2005. The six
members, five from Kansas and one from New Jersey,
meet monthly on a telephone bridge line to discuss
common spiritual reading and learn about the
Marianist charism. The first book they read was
The
Cup of our Life by Joyce Rupp. Now they are
reading
The Rule of Benedict by Joan Chittister. The
group
has been meeting for more than a year and plans to
host a Women?s Retreat in Hoyt, Kansas, at
the end
of February. Joanne McCracken, a group
member,
and Chris Suriano will be the retreat
facilitators.
Both Joanne and Chris are members of Our Lady
of
the Round Table cyber MLC.
In June, 2006 another faith-sharing community
based
on the experience of Our Lady of the Round Table
began "meeting" in cyber space. The group currently
consists of five women from across the United States
who e-mail reflections on the upcoming Sunday
Gospel to the other members of the group. Few
members knew any of the others before the group
began, but intimacy and trust were quickly displayed
in the postings. In the short time the community has
been in existence, members have shared stories of
anger, confusion, loss, and fear. In return they've
received messages of support, hope, and love based
on the common bond of faith they share. The group
is in the process of inviting friends to share in this
high tech faith-sharing
experience.
Brian Reavey, National Coordinator Marianist
LIFE,
from Philadelphia, initiated a weekly cyber group
in
November of 2006. Though only two months
old, this
MLC ?jelled? quickly! The seven members
post ?lectio? reflections about the Sunday readings
anytime during the week. The experience is like
getting little spiritual ?boosts? at unexpected times
all week long! And it has the added benefit of
preparing one well for the Sunday Mass each
week.
If you are interested in becoming involved in a cyber
community, contact Joanne McCracken at
maypoint@gmail.com.
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Virtual Learning Community Courses |
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February 25-March 31 2007
The North American Center for Marianist Studies
(NACMS), in partnership with the Institute for
Pastoral Initiatives at the University of Dayton, is
offering two Virtual Learning Community courses in
February 2007.
An Overview of Marianist Charism, Spirituality,
and Mission
(New Course)
What does it mean to be Marianist? This course will
explore the concept of charism and what is special
about the Marianist charism. Participants will delve
into spirituality and the principles and practices of
Marianist spirituality; as well as become familiar with
the Marianist apostolate and its importance in
forming Marianist life. The real and potential impact
of the Marianist mission on the wider Church and
global community will be examined. Ultimately,
participants will have a deeper and broader
understanding of what it means to be Marianist.
(Course Facilitator, Ray McCracken).
Community in the Marianist Tradition
From the first days of the Church, people longing to
know and live the Gospel of Jesus gathered into small
communities. This way of being Church evolved into
structures we now know as parishes. However, the
need for smaller, more personal ways to develop
one?s faith remained. Within Marianist tradition,
community is a key component of its spirit and
charism. This course will investigate both the general
elements of Church life and the principles around
which small faith communities operate and the
particular characteristics of Marianist faith
communities. Class members will be introduced to the
Marianist Family, religious as well as lay communities.
Various ways are described of how communities
support members and address critical needs the
Church and of our world, now and in the future.
(Course Facilitator, Dan Jordan).
To register go to vlc.udayton
.edu from now until February 21, 2007.
For more information contact Patti Gehred, VLC
Coordinator (NACMS) at
Patti.Gehred@notes.udayton.edu
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Call to be Christ-Centered |
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Archbishop Raymond Roussin, SM reminds us
that we are all called to be more Christ-centered. His
reflections can be found in The B.C.
Catholic, the newspaper of the Archdiocese
of Vancouver, Canada.
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Ecumenical Appointment |
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Fr. Luis Melo, SM of the Region of Canada,
has been appointed by
Cardinal Walter Kasper, President of the
Pontifical Council for Promoting
Christian Unity a member of the Joint Working
Group (JWG) between the
Catholic Church and the World Council of Churches
for the period 2006-
2013.
Fr. Luis attended the 2nd and 4th
International Convocations of MLC in Lliria, Spain and
Bordeaux, France. He is also the spiritual advisor and
member of the Circulo da Boa Nova MLC in
Winnipeg,
Canada. We rejoice with him in this exciting
appointment!
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February 2nd Feast Day |
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February 2, 2007 is the 206th
anniversary of the Foundation Day of Marianist
Sodalities. The Marianist Family Council of
North America invites all Marianists to unite in
praying the ?Prayer of the Marianist Family?
on this day, the Feast of the Presentation of the
Lord.
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Gifts and Tasks -February Issue |
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We need local and national stories, reflections, and
photos for Gifts and Tasks! Please send
submissions and ideas for next month's issue to
moyerfam@mts.net by February 20th.
And kindly forward this issue to contact persons
within your country to help with its distribution. If
anyone would like to be added to the subscription
list, please send email addresses to
moyerfam@mts.net. Thank you!
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