MLNNA
Marianist Lay Network of North America
Building a Community of Communities
 
 
MLNNA is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization
serving lay Marianists and members of 
Marianist lay Communities across North America

Lenten Greetings!

 

This entire issue is devoted to the 2014 Lay Assembly being held this summer. Matt Dunn

 

However, we can't dismiss the fact that this weekend we begin observing the holiest week of the year.

 

Palm Sunday begins in a joyous celebration of Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem. I'm mindful of the way the people of Peru greeted lay Marianists from around the world at the International Assembly. I'm mindful of the way celebrities and public figures are greeted. And I'm humbled. And then we get to the Passion. "Crucify Him" we shout as if we were among the people who scorned Jesus rather than follow him. On Holy Thursday we remember how Jesus humbled himself as a servant. On Friday we recall the greatest thing someone can do for others - lay down one's life. Jesus died for us, as sinners. It was our sin that put him on the cross, followers or not.

 

The joy of the Resurrection is that we are saved. We. Jesus didn't just die for me. He died for you. For us. The joy of the Resurrection is in our relationship with others. Community. Our faith community. Our families. Our local and global community. Our salvation only means something in the context of how we live our lives in relation to others. Do we tend to the sick and dying? Do we care for children and widows? Do we care for the poor and outcast? Do we care for the imprisoned? How do we serve one another and the stranger. Would we lay down our life? Do we follow Jesus' example? 

 

I find strength in community. I am challenged to be a better person and to give witness to God's love for me by sharing that love. I'm looking forward to the Assembly this summer because there is so much to share and learn from one another, realizing we aren't on our journey alone.

 

Blessings for a prayerful and grace-filled Holy Week, and a blessed and joyous Easter!

 

Matt Dunn

Editor 

Register Now!

Please register by May 30, 2014!  RegisterNow

While it's not a hard deadline, the sooner we know how many people to anticipate we can start finalizing plans for housing and meals!

 

The Assembly starts on Thursday evening, July 24th and concludes with Mass on Sunday July 27th. It will be held at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, TX.

 

Make it your summer vacation! 

 

Make it your personal retreat!

 

Make it your community's retreat! We encourage as many people as possible from all communities. If not all can make it, consider offering to financially support one of your members to be able to attend on your community's behalf. There will be plenty to bring back to share with your members!

 

This only happens every 3-4 years.  If you don't attend now, it will be a few years before it happens again! Join Marianists from all over the country! Make new friends and reunite with old ones! 

 
Some Registration Details

 

Online Registration is available at www.marianist.com/assembly 

 

There you can register as well as pay via our PayPal account. You may also register online but send us a check. See details on the webpage.

 

You may also download a registration form to fill out and mail back. Feel free to download it and share it with community members and colleagues, particularly at Marianist institutions! ALL ARE WELCOME!

 

COSTS
 

Registration with Housing Options - (3 nights, 7 meals, presentation materials, facility costs, etc.)

  • Single Occupancy - $275
  • Double Occupancy - $230 you can pick a roommate or we can assign one
  • Scholarship Rate - $165 a no-questions asked reduced rate for those who require it. Lodging will be double occupancy. Hardship cases can be negotiated and will remain confidential.  
  • Additional nights - $45 per person, per night (only prior, we cannot stay beyond the 27th) 

 

Registration without housing - $165 (include meals, presentation materials, facility costs, etc.)  

 

Author and Lay Leader to Give Keynote!

The Assembly planning team is excited to announce Gregory F. Augustine Pierce as one of the keynote speakers.
       

Gregory F. Augustine Pierce is the publisher of ACTA Publications in Chicago and a past president of the National Center for the Laity. He is the author of Spirituality at Work, The Mass Is Never Ended, and The World As It Should Be. He recently edited and published The Message: Catholic/Ecumenical Edition, a new translation of the Bible into idiomatic American English by Eugene Peterson and William Griffin. He is married to Kathleen Augustine Pierce, a Catholic schoolteacher, and the couple has three young-adult children. They are members of St. Mary of the Woods Catholic Church in Chicago.

 

What else will be happening!?! 
   
If you've never been to an Assembly before, you might be asking yourself what this is all about!

The Marianist Lay Network brings together Marianist laity, and vowed religious, from around the country approximately every 3-4 years.

The best way to describe an Assembly is part retreat, part conference, part family reunion all in the spirit of the Marianist charism. Friends reunite, intergenerational conversations take place, ideas about community life and Marianist life are shared. New friends are made and participants learn from each other different expressions of the Marianist charism.

A tentative schedule includes panel keynote speakers, small group conversation around laity in the church and world, laity in mission, panel discussions about different ways of being Marianist, and more! The Assembly includes prayer and socials and time to explore San Antonio. There will also be a presentation on the Marianist Lay Network strategic plan in which many people have participated in recent months. This plan will guide the lay branch of the Marianist family in the United States for the next 5 years!
Pray with us and for us! 
  

We invite you to pray with us for the success of this Assembly! You are part of the Marianist Family and this Assembly is about YOU whether you are able to attend or not! We pray for one another, for the Assembly, for the future of the Marianist Family and for the role of the laity in the Marianist Family, church and world.  

 

Assembly 2010 Hawaii  


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