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

Hope
is embodied in children
Marg Van Herk-Paradis, lay Marianist
M ARG V AN H ERK-PARADIS WORKS
as an administrator and pastoral care assistant for L’Arche,
a community for people with developmental disabilities in
Stratford, Ontario. “We are all disabled in our own ways,“
she says. “The people I work with teach me a lot about
being real and authentic. They don’t have as many masks
as the rest of us do.”
The other great teachers in her life are her two small
children. “When I am down or feeling overwhelmed from
work, I come home and play with them. They invite me
into their childlike world full of trust and hope. They live
in the moment, and that’s a challenge for me.”
One of Marg’s daily practices is the care of her children.
“By investing in my kids, giving them my time and attention,
I am investing in the future. We have a saying at L’Arche
about ‘changing the world one heart at a time.’ I do that
by investing in my children.”
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Hope
is shared through people
Debbie Durand, lay Marianist and member of the board of the
Center for Marianist Spirituality and Communities
D EBBIE D URAND IS A NURSE IN A CRITICAL
care unit at a community hospital in Elizabeth, N.J. Her work
puts her face-to-face with death, grief and loss on a regular
basis. “When I feel most hopeless, invariably it’s a person or
relationship that pulls me back up. It’s the human spirit that
makes me hopeful,” she says.
From a Marianist perspective, regardless of life’s challenges,
“the wisdom of the community can help you find your way.”
One daily practice that helps her remain calm and grounded
is her 18-minute walk to work. “It’s contemplative … I love
being aware of my surroundings … feeling the sun, looking at
the colors of the sunset or just observing the weather. These
things lift me up and renew me,” she says.
Hope
looks for the best
Marianist Brother Art Cherrier
B ROTHER A RT C HERRIER SAYS HE LOOKS FOR
the good in every situation. “I look for things that make me
joyful — a person who is happy or an event in my life that has
helped me along.”
But he wasn’t always like this, he says, testifying to the fact
that hope is a trait you can develop. Since returning from
Marianist work in the Ivory Coast of West Africa in 1998, he
began noticing a change in himself. “I realized, ‘hey, life isn’t
going to last too much longer, why be down about it.’”
But it’s not a change that happened overnight, he says.
One of Brother Art’s favorite verses from Scripture that keeps
him hopeful is from Paul’s letter to the Philippians:
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Let your gentleness
be known to everyone. The Lord is near … Philippians 4:4
“I try to be a good example to others. I do that by being happy.”