Alive MARIANIST CULTURE, FAITH AND ... - The Marianists

Aspirant Brandon
Alana-Maugaotega
sounds a conch, a
tradition from his
Hawaiian-Samoan family.
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Crossings community in
Cincinnati and teaches at
Purcell Marian High School.
“I knew I didn’t want to be in a
monastery. I wanted to be in
an active community — such
as the Marianists who are
very apostolic — serving people
in a variety of ways. That was
exciting to me, particularly
since I came from a teaching
background, and I knew the
Marianists were dedicated
to education.”
Community also was the
main thing that attracted
Brandon Alana-Maugaotega,
a 24-year-old aspirant living in
the Casa Maria community in
San Antonio. “I’m Hawaiian-
Samoan,” says Brandon, a
graduate of Chaminade Uni -
versity in Honolulu. “Family
is very central to that culture.
I knew if I was going to pursue
religious life, I wanted to do it with a
group of people and not by myself.”
Although community was important
to Brother Sean, he says he was drawn by
the Marianist sense of practicality. ”The
Marianists have a very scholarly aspect
but our feet are firmly grounded on the
earth and that’s what attracted me.”
While the welcoming
nature of Marianist
communities may initially
attract would-be
religious, men in formation
say the charism
— the desire to minister
to the world while forsaking
worldly values
and the desire to deepen
their faith by living
in community — is
what convinced them
to take their vows.
LIFE IN COMMUNITY
For all its blessings,
living in community
presents many challenges,
particularly for
men accustomed to
living on their own. As Brandon notes,
“It’s a joy and a blessing and I love it,
but there are things that come up in
community. I live in a house with eight
guys with eight ways of doing things
and eight points of view.”
While celibacy and the call to forsake
a traditional family life may loom large for
men entering the formation process, they
soon discover greater challenges elsewhere.
Because Marianist life is all about family,
many of the new brothers say the true
challenge isn’t in giving up a traditional
family, but in learning to embrace community
life and to consider the needs of the
entire community when making decisions.
“There are times I miss my independence,”
says Brother Sean. “But being able
to come home and share the Eucharist
with my brothers and sit down to the
dinner table and share the day is very
essential. It keeps people human. There
are joys and difficulties in living in community,
but I think it’s better than living
alone. When you’re surrounded by others,
you learn your strengths and weaknesses
and it helps you become a better person.”
Marianist Father Oscar Vasquez, 43,
agrees that putting the needs of the
Second-year novice
Bob Jones