 GIFTS & TASKS
--not just for my faith, my community, or my country, but for global Marianists
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International Organization of MLCs:
Region of North America,
Asia, Australia, and Ireland
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August 2009 |
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| Dear friends,
The
5th International Meeting of MLC is over but the joy and
energy is continuing across the miles! Emails from participants are overflowing
with praise for the Karibu welcome we
received from our Kenyan sisters and brothers. Gratitude is being expressed for
the work of the past leadership team and prayerful support promised for
the new team.
I begin my new
role as President with a heart full of joy for the many friendships that have
been made in our Region in the past four years. This newsletter has been a true
"Gift." It has allowed me to share the good news of our Marianist family in all her
diversity. Your positive feed-back supported me in this work. Your
stories inspired me. Your photos helped me to see faces and scenes, not just
names and countries. I hope that it did the same for
you.
And now I am
happy to pass the "Task" of this newsletter to our new Regional Responsible for
North America, Asia, Ireland and Australia - Susan Vogt. I look forward to working with Susan, Ernest,
F�lix and Isabel in the next four years. I pray that the spirit and energy of
Nairobi will inspire and guide us in the work
ahead!
With much
affection and gratitude,
Isabella Moyer
President,
International Organization of MLCs
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Dear friends - new and old,
We bid Isabella Moyer farewell as the Responsible (representative) for our region but only to take on an even bigger responsibility for Marianist MLC's as President. Thank you Isabella for the great work you have done over the last four years.Our prayers are with you. Now let me to introduce myself as your new representative. I have been a lay Marianist for over 40 years and a member of MLCs in 4 different cities. I currently am a member of the Anawim Community in Cincinnati, Ohio. My husband, Jim, is Director of the Marianist Social Justice Collaborative which serves lay and religious Marianists in the USA and Canada. We live in Covington, KY and have 4 young adult children. (One lives in Washington DC, one in Afghanistan, one in Covington, and one in Singapore.) You will learn more about me in future Gifts & Tasks but for those who are curious, you could check out my website: www.SusanVogt.net. My plan for Gifts & Tasks is to feature a different country each month so that we can get to know each other better and learn what is going on in our vast region. The countries represented are: Austrailia, Canada (French and English speaking), Haiti, India, Ireland, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, and the USA. That's 10 countries which should take us almost a year. Please e-mail me ( SusanVogt@fuse.net) with photos, updates about what you are doing, and what you'd like help with. United in prayer across the miles,
Regional Responsible
North America, Asia, Australia, and Ireland |
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 5th International MLC Meeting
Nairobi, Kenya - August 1 to 7, 2009
MLC Facebook Quiz: Who can you recognize below?
See names below and get to know your regional MLC contacts. Connect with distant MLCs without leaving home.
1st row: Lugun Marianus, SM (India), Chan Bok Park (Korea/Rome), Jin Bong (Korea)
2nd row:Eun Hee Theresa Kim (Korea), Lisa Vega (USA), Susan Vogt (Reg. Resp.),
Johneleen Lardera (Philippines), Jack Ventura, SM (N. Am. assessor),
Marie-Paule Guenette (Quebec), Isabella Moyer (President)
3rd row:Michael Pera (USA), Peter Kachhap (India), Julie Nagasako (MSJC rep. Hawaii),
Salomi Ekka (India), RichardThibault (Quebec), Wesly Etienne (Haiti), Jacqui Griswold (USA)
Missing: Marg Van Herk Paradis (Canada), Australia, Ireland, and Japan.
The above people represented six of the countries in our region, 115 MLCs, and over 1,500 lay Marianists. So, the vast majority of you didn't personally go to Nairobi, what does the 5th International MLC meeting mean for you? It means you missed:
- Hours of intensive meetings and listening to translations (important but not a favorite way to spend a vacation)
- A sample of African food, hospitality, singing, dancing, and a few wild animals
- Visiting several Marianist development projects: Our Lady of Nazareth School, Imani project, and a mental health center.
- Coming to consensus on the document,Marianist Lay Communities in the Church and the World. Pour le Francais, cliquez ici. Para espa�ol haga clic aqu�.
I can't repeat the meetings, food, and sights for you, but the document Marianist Lay Communities in the Church and in the World is worth reading and discussing with your community. I plan to develop some discussion questions that will help an MLC spend a fruitful evening or two on this important topic of how we relate to the world outside our communities and how we can be more pro-active in serving the poor, working for social justice, and simplifying our own lifestyles.
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MLC Quiz #2:
How many names of national responsibles do you recognize?
Not everyone was in Nairobi!
Australia - Julie Aherne
Canada (French speaking) - Jacqueline Carrier
Canada (English speaking) - Val Bergeron
Haiti - Wesley Etienne
Ireland - Susan Buckley
India - Salomi Ekka
Japan - Seiko Sakano
Philippines - Johneleen Lardera
S. Korea - Eun Hee Theresa Kim
USA - A.J. WagnerHopefully you at least know your own representative. If not, it's time to connect.
Please let me know if I've misidentified anyone. This is the time to correct the regional database since I will soon be asking you to summarize the growth or decline, progress or concerns of Marianist lay life in your country. This will help me represent you well at the International MLC meeting in Rome, Nov. 7, 2009. Watch for my e-mail.
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What are you doing on October 11?
Praying of course. It's the Marianist World Day of Prayer. This year Marianists will gather in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. You don't have to travel to Africa, however, to pray. Set your watch or computer for 3:00p.m. and perhaps pray something like this:
Jesus, you made the ultimate
sacrifice of love
when you surrendered your life for us by dying
upon the cross.
We pause now to remember that just as you
gave your mother, Mary, into the care of your
beloved disciple, John, so too you ask us to
take care of
each other.
We remember.
World Day of Prayer English, French, Spanish
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News from Haiti
Dear friends,
Last Saturday, we had a wonderful celebration for
the first vows of our two Brothers Claudel Noel and Wildy Marcelin. We now have 6 Haitians brothers which brings us to a total of 9 Marianists
brothers at our young Marianist foundation in Ha�ti.Claudel and Wildy will go en Africa (Abidjan) on
September 15th for their scholastic studies.
Pray for them. |
Click on FRIDAY MAGNIFICAT to see more about how the Daughters of Mary in Korea implement Mary's prayer.
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September Feast Days
 Saturday, September 5
Mary, Queen of Apostles
Blessed William Chaminade considered the retreat of 1818 as foundational. At the end of that retreat on Sept. 5, seven men
made the first public profession of vows in the new Institute of Mary.
Do you know why Sept. 8, 12, 15, and 18 are also special days for Marianists? Click here to see Fr. George Cerniglia's list of other significant feast days.
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Via Latina 22 Online
The following articles are found in the July issue of Via Latina 22, the newsletter for the General Administration of the Society of Mary:
- Developments in the Cause of Faustino
- General Leadership Assembly
- Mixed Composition
- Appointment of new Vice-Rector for International Seminary
- Horizons 2010
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Past issues of Gifts and Tasks are archived online at GIFTS AND TASKS ARCHIVE
Gifts and
Tasks is published on the last Friday of each month. We need local and national
news, stories, reflections, and photos. Please send submissions and ideas for next
month's issue to susanvogt@fuse.net
by the previous Sunday.
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 susanvogt@fuse.net.
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