Today's Marists Volume 6, Issue 3

Today’s
2021 | Volume 6 | Issue 3
Marists
Society of Mary in the U.S.

Today’s
Marists
2021 | Volume 6 | Issue 3
Publisher
Editor
Editorial Assistants
Archivist
Editorial Board
Joseph Hindelang, SM, Provincial
Ted Keating, SM
Elizabeth Ann Flens Avila
Communications Coordinator
Philip Gage, SM
Randy Hoover, SM
Susan Plews, SSND
Susan Illis
Ted Keating, SM, Editor
Michael Coveny
Mark Dannenfelser
Thomas Ellerman, SM
Mike Kelly
Joseph Hindelang, SM
Randy Hoover, SM
Bishop Joel Konzen, SM
Elizabeth Piper
Jack Ridout
Nik Rodewald
Bill Rowland, SM
Linda Sevcik, SM
Today’s Marists is published three times a year by The Marist
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Today’s Marists Magazine
Society of Mary in the U.S. (The Marists)
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In this issue...
3 from the Provincial
by Joseph Hindelang, SM
4 Creative Waiting in Hope
by Ted Keating, SM
5 You are Not Alone
by Jack Ridout
Society of Mary of the USA
6 Laudato Si’ – Aspects in the Marist World
by Ben McKenna, SM
9 Reflection: Who is Mary in the Life of a
Social Justice Advocate?
by Dr. Valerie D. Lewis-Mosley
10 The Ardent Love of Neighbor
by Elizabeth Piper
12 BRAZIL: 20 Months of COVID-19
by Patrick Francis O’Neil, SM
14 Living in Changing World – Effects of the
Pandemic on Education and Worship
by Tony Kennedy, SM, Jaime Pérez Martínez, SM,
Mike Kelly and Linda Sevcik, SM
19 Economics with Father Colin
by Tom Ellerman, SM
20 Movie Review: A Story of Trust and Hope
in the Midst of Chaos
by Brian Cummings, SM
22 Marist Students Explore Civil Rights at
Marist School
by Andrew Johnson and Michael Coveny
24 Artistic Kenosis: Jean-Claude Colin, SM,
and the Gift of Modern Art
by Nik Rodewald
25 News Briefs
26 Marist Lives: Rev. Ellis L. DePriest, Jr., SM
by Susan J. Illis
27 Donor Thoughts: Why I Support the Marists
by Arthur Deegan
Marist Center of the West
625 Pine Street, San Francisco, CA 94108-3210
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Contact our Editorial Office. Our website offers additional
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© 2021 by Society of Mary in the U.S. All rights reserved.
This issue focuses on how the pandemic has impacted our daily lives in terms of
education, vocation formation and worship.
2 Today’s Marists Magazine
Printed on partially-recycled stock with a vegetable-based ink mixture.
Design: Beth Ponticello | CEDC | www.cedc.org
Cover Credit
Christ And His Mother Studying The Scriptures (c. 1909), Henry Ossawa Tanner (1859-
1937) Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas
Henry Ossawa Tanner is the most distinguished African-American artist of the 19th
century. He is an artist who achieved an international reputation largely through his
religious paintings. Visit https://s.si.edu/3FuazUT to learn more about his life.

from the Provincial
Rev. Joseph Hindelang, SM
One quality that was important to Fr. Jean-Claude Colin, the
founder of the Society of Mary, was hospitality. We Marists try
to live that virtue of hospitality, so the first thing I would like to
do is welcome you to this issue of Today’s Marists. We hope that
you enjoy with insight the assortment of articles by a variety of
authors. A broad theme which unites the articles is living in an
ever-changing world. We hope to do that with grace.
Years ago I heard a speaker talk about how long it took human
knowledge to double. Recently when I tried to find an article on
the internet about this, I discovered that the speaker may have
been quoting Buckminster Fuller, the architect, engineer and
futurist. It was his theory that all human knowledge doubled
about every century until 1900 or so when it picked up speed.
Fuller said that by 1945 knowledge doubled about every 25
years. Other authors who continued his theory said that by
the beginning of this century knowledge was doubling every
13 months. By 2020 the estimate is that human knowledge
doubles about every 12 hours.
2020 is also the year that we all became aware of COVID-19.
As it spread and infected people around the world it began to
have a major impact on almost every aspect of our lives. Life
has changed and some aspects will never return to the way
they were. Whether or not you are fascinated by the estimate
of how rapidly human knowledge doubles, when we stop to
think about it we know that we definitely live in a world that is
constantly changing.
Certainly the pandemic has changed our lives, but we notice
smaller changes all the time. Whenever we buy a new car or a
new cell phone the new model can do more things faster than
our old version. We can all communicate with our friends
and family in numerous ways that were unavailable a decade
or two ago, and these forms of communication have become
very helpful during the pandemic. In addition to technological
changes, we have had to adapt to changes brought on in
society, education, politics, climate and worship. At times we
long for previous days or getting back to the way things were
but in reality our world will keep changing.
“At times we long for previous days or getting
back to the way things were but in reality our
world will keep changing.”
We pray that one area of increased knowledge includes more
effective ways of dealing with this pandemic and preventing
or minimizing future threats to the health of people around
the world. The truth is that as part of the human family and
especially as people of faith, we are called to act intelligently
and compassionately together out of concern for our own
health and for the health and well-being of others.
If we look at Jesus in the New Testament building on God’s
revelation in the Old Testament, a change, we get a picture of
what Jesus is revealing about God. Jesus shares good news and
hospitality - welcoming those who are poor, “sinners,” those
on the margins - to believe that they too are loved and saved by
God.
Mary, a young woman from a tiny town, adapted to change
in her life when she accepted God’s unexpected plan for her.
Her life continued to a change when she gave birth, saw Jesus
grow as a teenager, heard him preach and heal, shared in his
sorrow as she witnessed his death and joined the apostles in
experiencing him as alive again.
“Mary, a young woman from a tiny town,
adapted to change in her life when she
accepted God’s unexpected plan for her.”
Throughout our lives it is important that we turn to God in
prayer. God is unchanging but our relationship with God
changes as we grow and experience life. God wants to be a part
of our lives and cares deeply about us, no matter what changes
we are going through. One positive outcome that happened
as we all adjusted to a slower pace because of the pandemic
is that many people found they spent more time with their
families and more time outside. Hopefully this time also led
people to reflect on what is truly important in their lives. While
we all hope that we can contain and minimize the spread of
the virus, it would be good if we continue to spend time with
our families, time outside and time reflecting, maybe even
reflecting on our relationship with God and how God wants to
affirm the good that is within each of us.
Changes can be good or bad but are often a mixture of both. It
is important that as human knowledge and technology rapidly
increase, we make sure we still focus on our shared humanity.
God became human to show us how to live our human lives.
God calls us to care for each other, to care for ourselves and to
care for our home - the earth which we share with other parts
of God’s creation. In this way we honor God, the Father of us
all. As you move into this issue of Today’s Marists, I hope you
find some of the articles of value to help you as we all adapt to
living in an ever-changing world.
Volume 6 | Issue 3 3

Creative Waiting in Hope
by Ted Keating, SM
In June 2021, the Marists in the United
States had a well-received and highly
reviewed retreat led by Maryknoll priest
Fr. Larry Lewis. When Fr. Lewis initially
communicated the retreat theme to the
planning committee, the spirituality
of “waiting,” we were left puzzled but
hopeful.
Fr. Lewis knew that we would be dealing
with significant challenges at our
upcoming Provincial Chapter (the formal
meeting of Marist representatives from
the Province to plan for our future). As we
look to our changing future, like many
smaller religious congregations, we are
facing diminishing numbers in terms of
recruitment of men for vowed religious
life and growing numbers of older men,
resulting in fewer active men. So, he
thought that this would put us into the
proper mindset.
He began the retreat by sharing forty
adjectives that people use in surveys
when asked about their attitudes toward
waiting. None of them are positive.
They go from “anxious” and “angry” to
“waste of time” and “unbearable.” We
shared some of our own experiences
about waiting - from waiting in doctors’
offices to grocery stores, airports, auto
repairs, rush hour traffic and on and on.
Our attitudes about these experiences of
waiting were similar to those shared in
the survey results. Are we frustrated and
exhausted at all the lost time? We came to
the conclusion in our discussion that we
are frustrated and often impatient as well.
When you research the word “wait”
in the English language, you find that
it originally carried the meaning of
“watching.” The people in the earliest
years of the English language probably
did not have to wait so much as we do
today. Life was simpler. The word “wait”
was what the watchman (usually males)
did for the protection of the people (tribe,
fort, castle, etc.) - watching for danger or
threat on the horizon in order to warn
and help to protect others. So, there
may still be something deeply buried in
the experience of waiting that carries
“concern for others.” Observation, focus
and a caring heart for other people was
the foundation of the word that still
lingers in its meaning
The way we use the word today better
reflects contemporary life. We spend a
great deal of time “waiting” for something
more important and useful to happen, so
we designate this time as “empty space.”
The time we wait over a lifetime is likely
enormous in our current world. It is no
wonder that “frustration” is the word
often used to describe how we feel about
waiting. Our American culture would
value finding something useful to do with
that time.
As Christians we come across “waiting” as
a central part of the life of those to whom
St. Paul wrote in his Epistles, especially
in the letter to the Thessalonians. At
the center of their lives was the great
and overarching reality of waiting for
the return of Jesus. Their prayer in the
original Aramaic language of Jesus was
Maranatha, meaning “Come Lord Jesus.”
St. Paul had to warn them that we “know
not the day nor the hour” when He will
return, so do not quit your jobs or walk
away from your marriage while sitting
around as if He will come in the morning.
To be a Christian is to be “waiting for
the return of Jesus” with the solid faith
that He will certainly return, but we do
not know when. It may well be that we
ourselves, as Paul says, will pass away
and find Jesus in the final self-offering
of our lives to the God who created us in
love. So, the attentive Christian life is one
4 Today’s Marists Magazine

long period of waiting. We can wait just
as intensely for the coming of the reign
of God when “there will be no more tears
and no more mourning” as the final lines
of the Book of Revelation tell us. While we
feel much sadness in “watching” so much
suffering and cruel injustice in our world
so often for the poor, the powerless, and
the innocent that will be taken up with
Jesus in the Resurrection on the Last Day.
When our hearts are broken in the face
of our own sorrows and of those we love
of the world around us, this “waiting” is
precisely the hope that feeds the courage
we need to persevere in faith until the
end. Then we can put our lives on the
line to seek ways to right the brokenness
of humanity, knowing that only “the
coming of the one we await” will bring
the world back to the love that created it
as gift in the first place. Maranatha is the
cry of the whole Church and perhaps of all
humanity in its various ways.
What did all the reflecting and discussing
about “waiting” do for us Marists in the
face of our challenges at the coming
Chapter? It began to help us be liberated
from our anxious concern about ourselves
and even about our “small Society,” as Fr.
Colin called it. No doubt that there are
challenges waiting for us in our anxious
fears about our future, but they do not
have to overwhelm us. The disciples in
the raging storm sat with Jesus in the
boat, beginning to see things through
the eyes of Jesus, trusting in the love
and protection of Him who can “calm
the seas and quiet the storms.” Our boat
is tossed and threatened by massive
waves of change in our Church and the
world around us. In all that, we wait to
understand and discern what God is
doing with our Society, our Church and
our world, and what He expects of us in
all of it. We patiently await our future
in peace knowing it is already enclosed
in the loving hands of God's Providence
and the protection of Mary our Mother.
So finally, we can peacefully explore the
choices and decisions we must discern,
but always crying out "Maranatha! Come
Lord Jesus." What a way to transform
all of our moments of “waiting” into
moments of trust and hope in God's
presence in each moment of our lives in a
world already redeemed and awaiting its
fulfillment in the Kingdom.
Please pray for us. The boat is small and
the sea is large.
You are
Not Alone
by Jack Ridout, Administrator of the Notre Dame des Victoires
Retirement Community, San Francisco, California
I am sure you have experienced, at least once, a car zooming by going way too
fast which left yourself wondering what would have happened had I changed
lanes, you’re not alone. Have you heard about someone crossing a street when
a speeding car hit that person and took off? - you’re not alone. Have you seen
trash dumped on a street? - you’re not alone.
In a recent New York Times opinion piece by Ryan Burge, he stated that in 2018
“millennials” expressed a lot less certainty about the existence of God (44%)
as opposed to baby boomers and Gen X’ers (63%). “Even more doubtful were
members of Gen Z – just one third claimed certain belief in the existence of
God.” He continued, “scholars are finding that by almost any metric they use
to measure religiosity, younger generations are much more secular than their
parents or grandparents.” The results of a survey indicated that over “40% of
the youngest Americans claim no religious affiliation” and just 25% attend
religious services a weekly or more.
Just where are these statements leading our society? It can be easily said that
we are heading away from a religious based culture to a secular one. Bishop
Barron likewise states, “. … The secular person, by definition, is one who hears
only the voices that echo around the public square, in the popular and the
high culture, and perhaps especially in social media.” These voices “trumpet
the importance of wealth, of power, of pleasure, of fame, of worldly success”
and are so powerful “and insistent…that they drown out …the tiny whispering
voice of God.” Sadly, secularism continues to assert itself in our once strong
religious culture. (Magnificat, September 2021)
These are powerful words and sentiments and can shake one into a better
understanding of the world we live in and the problems we face in all aspects
of our society. Our political life, social interactions, dealing with all the
pandemic related issues (masks, no masks, getting vaccinated or not) all have
been influenced by the secular cry of me, myself and I.
If all of this leaves one empty, and I believe it can, where can one look for help
and inspiration? Pope Francis’ recent encyclical, Fratelli Tutti: On Fraternity
and Friendship, may shed some light. In this encyclical Francis reflects on
the way St. Francis expressed “the essence of a fraternal openness that allows
us to acknowledge, appreciate and love each person, regardless of physical
proximity, regardless of where he or she was born or lives.”
What is Francis telling us in this letter?
I believe he is trying in a positive way to outline a path of living by looking to
the tested wisdom of the past, recognizing the pitfalls of abandoning God and
religion and relying too much on the negative influences of social media.
There are numerous aspects of his letter on fraternity and friendship that
can be commented on, but these few words of his are just a beginning and
challenges all of us to read, reflect and pray for guidance as we are confronted
daily with the influences of a secular world.
Volume 6 | Issue 3 5

Aspects in the Marist World
by Ben McKenna, SM, Assistant to the Superior General of the Society of Mary
Our Context
As I type these words the Season of
Creation, an annual, ecumenical,
experience (September 1st – October
15th) has begun. The theme this year is
“A Home for All – Renewing the Oikos
of God” (oikos is a home). Many will
hopefully take part in this program in one
way or another. Those who are members
of the Laudato Si’Movement (https://
laudatosimovement.org), formerly called
the Global Catholic Climate Movement,
have a Pledge to sign and actions to
commit to. Others may be engaged in
the Laudato Si’ Action Platform (https://
laudatosiactionplatform.org) – the Official
Arm of Pope Francis, through the Vatican
Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human
Development. On October 4th they will
begin to roll out a 7 Year Program of
ongoing ecological conversion to Care for
our Common Home. The Marist Superior
General, John Larsen, and the Council of
our Marist Branch of the Society of Mary
signed the Commitment to develop the
Marist Laudato Si’ Plan on September 2,
2021. Families, Congregations, and/or
Dioceses can also sign the Commitment
to create their own Laudato Si’ plan.
We hope and trust that all of us can
contribute to this 7-year journey to
which Pope Francis has called us. We
understand this to be the Work of Mary,
whose words are at the heart of our
Charism - “I supported the Church at
its birth; I shall do so again at the end of
time.” (Constitutions of 1988, #8)
Background
The first Earth Day was held on April
22, 1970, when awareness was at a
peak on the damage being done to
the environment through pollution
and exploitation. This event inspired
20 million Americans and led to the
formation of the US Environmental
Protection Agency.
Pope Francis traces the development of
Catholic teaching and engagement in
these crucial matters for the world which
God loves so much in the work of his
predecessors. (Laudato Si’, #3-9) He notes
that Saint John XXIII had written Pacem
in Terris in 1971 to ‘all people of good will’;
that Paul VI referred to the ecological
concern as “a tragic consequence of
unchecked human activity;” that John Paul
II called for a global ecological conversion,
and for an authentic human ecology;
Benedict XVI said that “the deterioration
of nature is closely connected to the
culture which shapes human existence;”
and Patriarch Bartholomew teaches
“to commit a crime against the natural
world is a sin against ourselves and a sin
against God.” Francis calls us “to accept
the world as a sacrament of communion,
in the conviction that the divine and
human meet in the slightest detail in
the seamless garment of God’s creation,
in the last speck of dust of our planet.”
(Laudato Si’, #9)
Marist Implementation
The 2017 Society of Mary General
Chapter, held in Nemi, south of Rome,
(2 years after Francis’ publication of
Laudato Si’), called us ‘to bring the Joy of
the Gospel to a world too often scarred by
fragmentation, and by the degradation
of the poor and the earth’ (2017 Society of
Mary General Chapter Statements and
Decisions, N. 185 – XIV, 1, #3); ‘Mary,
the mother of the New Creation, calls us
to nurture life in all its forms, especially
among our most vulnerable brothers and
sisters, and in our damaged planet’ (#5); ‘in
all ministries Marists pay special attention
to safeguarding, planetary health,
and social justice’ (#24)]; ‘the general
administration shall establish ways of
communicating information on matters of
peace, justice, and the integrity of creation’
#27); ‘care for the planet and care for the
poor are intrinsically linked; when the
planet is degraded it is the poor who suffer
most’ (#44); Laudato Si’ ‘gives us a new
perspective for reading our Constitutions’
(#45); Each Marist community shall
address some of the concrete implications
of the encyclical most particularly at the
planning meeting at the beginning of the
year’ (#46); the general administration
shall create a program for an appropriation
of Laudato Si’, providing a variety of
practical tools to carry out this process of
renewal #48).
Marist Ecology Commission
The Marist Ecology Commission (MEC)
was established by the Superior General
on August 15, 2018. The overall goals of
the MEC are: 1. “To strive for a higher
level of professionalism in missionary
involvement through further education,
research, teaching, publishing and
advocacy” (c.f. General Chapter, 2017, n.
9b.); 2. To contribute to our locality by
offering on-going formation, education,
seminars and awareness-raising exercises
for the local people in the respective areas
of the Commission; and 3. To contribute
6 Today’s Marists Magazine

to living our Marist missionary vocation
more authentically by working within the
Society of Mary to help all of us respond
better as Marists and Marist communities
with the leadership of our respective
MEC.
The members of the MEC are Fathers
Donato Kivi (Chair), Peter Healy, Petero
Matairatu, Samuel Tukidia, and Ben
McKenna as General Administration
link. The MEC meets on Zoom on the 4th
Monday of each month to review and plan
their work. Besides the mutual support
of the members, which is a value in itself,
the MEC has overseen the establishment
of the following:
• Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Creation
(JPIC) blog (https://jpicblog.maristsm.
org): Established in January 2019, this
is where weekly stories from Marists
around the world are shared regarding
their engagement in JPIC matters (120
posts so far are shared and articles
from the Inter-religious Dialogue
Commission are posted. Once a month
a confrere’s reflections on Marist
Contemplative Living is published
which is at the heart of Marist active
engagement in mission.
• Sustainability Covenant (https://bit.
ly/3uSJ9mN): This was developed, as
a draft to be adapted locally, by the
MEC and adopted by the Superior
General and Council on September 29,
2020. The Superior General’s January
Reflection 2021 (https://bit.ly/2YfaHH1)
encouraged all major superiors to
implement this in their Units.
• Webinar for Marist Family (https://bit.
ly/2Y2QLqH): This was a webinar given
by Fr. Joshtrom Kureethadam, SDB,
from the Dicastery for Promotions
of Integral Human Development,
on February 11, 2021, for the Marist
leadership around the world.
• Marist Ecology Frameworks (by Ben
McKenna, SM): These have been
developed to carry the Laudato Si’
message into key Marist moments of
impact. The frameworks have been
given to: the Colinian Renewal 2020,
La Neyliere as input; the European
Province as a retreat; published
in the Forum Novum in 2020; and
presented as a series of 8 articles in the
2021 Marist Messenger New Zealand
publication (https://bit.ly/39PxcES).
Sam Tukidia, SM also wrote an article
in the 2020 Forum Novum titled
“Marist Spirituality and Laudato
Si’: Towards Possible Ecologically-
Inclusive Frameworks for Marist Life
and Mission” (https://bit.ly/2Y8UWlc).
• Marist Integral Ecology: This is a
draft document developed by Peter
Healy, SM, (May 7, 2021) on the
Doctoral Thesis of Donato Kivi, SM.
The document focuses on the classical
understandings of Mary as Virgin,
Mother and Queen, as applied to Mary
as Earth, Garden and Governor – a
Marian Way for implementing Laudato
Si’. This will be published in a future
issue of Marist Messenger New Zealand.
• Service of Documentation and
Study on Global Mission (SEDOS):
Petero Matairatu, SM, Director of
the Tutu Rural Training Centre (www.
tutufiji.com) in Fiji, gave a webinar
presentation on the “Principles and
Practices of Tutu” to an international
audience in attendance at the SEDOS
Residential Seminar ‘Living Green
Mission’ on May 4, 2021.
Some of the other Marist projects of which
the Commission are aware include: the
Nkoloman Agricultural Project in Yaoundé
Cameroon, led by Luigi Savoldelli, SM;
Marist Ecological Centre, in Dawasamu,
Fiji, led by Donato Kivi, SM; and the Tutu
Rural Training Centre in Fiji, led by Petero
Matairatu, SM. In addition, there have
been blogs published by Marist School in
Atlanta, Georgia, Notre Dame Preparatory
and Marist Academy in Pontiac, Michigan
and Marist School in Toulon, France.
Marist Family Laudato Si’
Group (MFLSG)
In January 2020 members of the Marist
Family General Councils met at our
General House to brainstorm ideas
Volume 6 | Issue 3 7

for implementing the vision of Laudato Si’. Following the
webinar by Josh Kureethadam for the Marist Family in
February 2021, the MFLSG has been meeting monthly online.
The members include: Angel Diego, FMS, Anne McCabe, SM,
Euphaise Mukamana, SMSM, Francis Lukong FMS, Akenese
Afoa, SMSM, and Ben McKenna, SM. Each branch of the
professed Marist Family engages with their own Marist Laity.
A significant contribution was made by this group at
the Superior Generals’ and Councils’ Annual Meeting at
Manziana, in May 2021. The ideas suggested by the Superior
Generals and Councils are currently being compiled by the
MFLSG, being led by Angel Diego, FMS, for consideration and
possible implementation of relevant aspects by the Superior
Generals and Councils. We are working together to think of
ways to join the official launch of the 7 Year Laudato Si Action
Plans.
A Note on Oceania
Oceania, one of our largest provinces and the part of
the world that was entrusted to the Society of Mary in
its founding, is also where the global impacts of Loss of
Biodiversity, and Climate Change are often most keenly felt.
Our confreres in the eight countries of this Province – PNG-
Bougainville, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji,
Tonga, Samoa, and Wallis-Futuna – are ministering to God’s
people while being affected by rising ocean levels resulting
in village relocation, increasing extreme weather events,
soil depletion, loss of biodiversity and offshore drilling and
mining. A good overview of the situation in Oceania can
be found in the State of the Environment Report for Oceania
(www.caritas.org.nz/state-environment), published each
year on October 4th.
Conclusion – Contemplation and Action
As Marists, we are all called to Contemplation and to Action.
Above is a glimpse of the fruits of this dynamic at the heart
of our lives. I hope and trust that these words and references
to the various websites, all inspired by Laudato Si’, will be
both an inspiration and an encouragement for us in doing
Mary’s Work of supporting the Church in our time - to meet
the needs of God’s wounded People and God’s wounded
Creation. If you would like more information or would like to
share what you are doing in this regard, then I welcome you
to contact me: bernard.mckennasm@maristsm.org
PS: Two additional meetings I would recommend:
UN Biodiversity COP 15
Kunming, China
October 11-24, 2021
www.cbd.int/meetings/COP-15
UN Climate COP26: Glasgow
November 1-12, 2021
www.ukcop26.org/the-conference
An Addendum to the
Laudato Sí’ Work Around
the Marist World
by Ted Keating, SM
In 2006 the United States Conference of Catholic
Bishops helped form the Catholic Climate Covenant
to address the growing ecological awareness and the
need to implement Catholic social teaching on ecology
within the United States Church. The Climate Covenant
inspires and equips people and institutions to care
for creation and care for the poor and is the principal
organizing and mobilizing group for implementation of
Pope Francis’s call in Laudato Si’ in the United States.
The Society of Mary United States Province has been a
member of this nonprofit organization since its origins
and has brought the concerns of our Oceania missions
to the Covenant. The Climate Covenant sponsored
the journey of Bishop Bernard Unabali (dec.) of the
Solomon Islands to the US in 2012 to speak of his
experience of helping resettle large numbers of what
are now climate refugees coming to the Solomons
from surrounding islands — an early image of what may
well be our climate future. The Marists were happy to
provide hospitality and support for his journey while in
the United States.
In addition, the Climate Covenant and Creighton
University in Omaha sponsored its 2nd national
conference on Laudato Sí’ from July 13-15, 2021, held
via Zoom due continuing concerns of the pandemic.
The conference focused on forming a large national
collaboration on the consequences and call of Laudato
Sí’. In 2019 the first conference brought together 300
attendees from a host of leaders of lay organizations,
educational institutions, advocacy groups and youth
groups around the country at diocesan and parish
level. The conference in 2021 attracted 2000 people
of similar groups as at the previous conference. The
Vatican itself was quite supportive of the conference
sending greetings and blessings to all the attendees.
The topics ranged from “on the ground” projects, the
Vatican’s action platform, reports and workshops from
the convening groups, ministry dimensions, advocacy
groups, along with help for priests and deacons for
preaching the message of Laudato Si’. There was Marist
representation from the United States at both of these
conferences. The overall goal of these conferences
is to raise our consciousness about Laudato Si’ and
participate in this movement in the United States
Church.
8 Today’s Marists Magazine

REFLECTION:
Who is Mary in the Life of a
Social Justice Advocate?
by Dr. Valerie D. Lewis-Mosley
When you enter into my home, you are
confronted with various Marian icons.
Mary, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Mother
of the Oppressed, and Mother of the
Streets. The Icon of the Black Madonna
(Our Lady of Czestochowa), Our Lady of
Montserrat, and Our Lady of Guadalupe
adorn the entrance foyer. The most
prominent is the portrait of Mary, Mother
of Sorrows.
One might ask: “What do these icons or
Marian devotions have to do with my
mission and ministry as a social justice
advocate?”
It is all centered in my love of Mary’s
Magnificat.
As a young Catholic girl, I was led to
embrace Mary as the Blessed Virgin, the
Mother of God, Mary Most Holy. One who
was pure and innocent. My first encounter
from kindergarten was my attendance at a
Catholic school named Assumption of the
Blessed Virgin Mary.
As I matured into my late teens and
early twenties – “the age of being
a revolutionary” - I challenged the
images that reflected Mary in most of
our churches. The images of purity and
innocence were not always the context
of many. So how could they relate to
the image, this example so difficult to
emulate?
Yet, it was when I began to understand the
suffering Mary, that I was able to identify
with her.
The Mother of Sorrows who witnessed her
Son, a Man of color, being dragged through
the street. A mother who witnessed her
Son being vilified, tortured, and mocked
by an unjust legal system. A mother who
heard the verdict of capital punishment, a
death sentence for her Son even though He
was innocent.
A mother who had pondered the prophecy
of her heart being pierced with a sword.
A mother faced with the reality of that
prophecy.
Her Son of her very flesh subjected to the
cruelest of all circumstances. She would
be left to witness the humiliation
and suffering of His death
on a cross - Crucifixion. A
mother who surely must
have asked, cried out in
anguish: “Does not the
life of my Palestinian
son matter to the
state?”
Mother Mary certainly
must have recalled the
prophecy of her being in
the favor of the Lord, blessed
among all women. Surely, she
must have recalled the proclamation
from her very lips: “My being proclaims
the greatness of the Lord, my spirit finds
joy in God my Savior.”
Certainly she had to ponder: what could
this current event, which seemed to
contradict the earlier prophecy, mean?
One must believe that the words of the
angel Gabriel must have echoed even then
in her ear: "Be not afraid!"
"So be it!" must have been her only
affirmation even at that most horrific time.
Mother Mary in that moment and even
now is not a helpless woman without
any “recourse.” Her prophecy and
proclamation were for all times to come.
Mother of Perpetual Help, leading her
children on in hope. She provides the
promises of what will come to be for
those who persecute and those who are
persecuted.
Mother Mary, the Theotokos (“Godbearer”),
ushers in a time of justice and an
ordered social advocacy. She proclaims
that God is on the side of the oppressed,
the disenfranchised, and the hungry, the
poor and the broken-hearted. She reveals
the promise of the mercy of God.
Mother Mary, impregnated with the
Incarnate and Inculturated Word of
God, in her spirit, in her mind, and in her
body. She is the embodiment of throwing
down rulers from their thrones and
lifting up the lowly, because
she embodied the King of
Justice—Christ the King.
So when I reflect on
social justice - the call
to advocate for those
who have no voice, no
action, and no agency
- I think of Mother
Mary. I hear her Song
of Justice echoing in my
ear, piercing my heart. It is
the food for the journey. The
battle to empower the anawim.
They are the people without money and
power. The mission is to provide them with
the good things, the Good News for the
poor. Mother Mary is a revolutionary spirit
who models the Catholic Social Thought of
the preferential option for the poor.
Mother Mary in her Magnificat sings the
praises of the Lord. She challenges us and
confronts us to be that advocate, that voice
for those who are considered the least by
society but looked upon as favored by God.
Article reprinted with permission (Source: Black
Catholic Messenger, June 8, 2021, https://bitly.
com/3v1Fmni).
Dr. Valerie D. Lewis-Mosley is a
pastoral theologian, master
catechist, and social justice
advocate. She is a Lay
Dominican of the Sisters of St.
Dominic of Caldwell and an
adjunct professor of theology at the sisters’
Caldwell University. In addition, Dr. Lewis-Mosley
is an adjunct professor in the Master of Theology
Program at Xavier University of Louisiana Institute
for Black Catholic Studies and a member of the
Black Catholic Theological Symposium. She had
also been the Director of Religious Education at
Christ the King in Jersey City, New Jersey for
more than 25 years.
Volume 6 | Issue 3 9

The Ardent Love of Neighbor
by Elizabeth Piper, National Formation Leader for Catechesis of the Good Shepherd; Co-Leader of World Lay Marist;
Director of Faith Formation, Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church, Atlanta, Georgia
Summary of interview with Suzanne Ernst, leader of Justice and Peace Ministry and Suzanne Degnats, leader of Creation
Care team at Our Lady of the Assumption, Atlanta, Georgia.
Our Lady of the Assumption (OLA) parish,
a Marist ministry, offers a Justice and
Peace Ministry for parishioners and the
greater surrounding community which
reflects the Marist value of ardent love
of neighbor. This ministry began as a
small group that completed the 32-week
JustFaith Ministries (https://justfaith.org)
program after which they chose to
create the Justice and Peace Ministry at
OLA to act on needs that they became
aware of through their spiritual study.
JustFaith Ministries is an excellent
nonprofit organization that forms,
informs and transforms people of faith
by offering programs and resources that
sustain them in their compassionate
commitment to build a more just and
peaceful world. Under the umbrella of
Justice and Peace are ministries that
include Ethical Trade, Creation Care and
Racial Justice. Each of these ministries
addresses the needs and understanding
within both the OLA and the worldwide
community, calling attention to the needs
of those on the margins expressing the
ardent love of neighbor.
Through the study of the JustFaith
module the group became aware of the
dire conditions of citizens of third world
countries and the inability of the small
sustainable farmers to sell their crops at
a fair wage as they compete with large
plantations. Maria Massey spearheaded
the Ethical Trade sales which are held
once a month at OLA. Café Compessino,
the supplier, has ties with Catholic Relief
Services which help the farmers improve
their production without contaminating
God’s creation. There is a small markup
and the profits are funneled to Food
for The Poor to build houses for third
world families. The OLA community
has been very generous and supportive
in their efforts to provide a marketplace
for farmers as well as build houses for
families. So far the Justice and Peace
Ministry has partnered with other groups
to build 5 houses.
The Justice and Peace Ministry leaders
continued their awareness of greater
community needs through the monthly
study of the encyclical Laudato Si’: On
Care for Our Common Home. This led to
the formation of the Care for Creation
Ministry team at OLA lead by Suzanne
Degnats. This ministry has led efforts in
our parish including a recycling program,
a water use audit and a tree planting in
honor of Earth Day. They continue to
take the lead on environmental issues at
OLA by publishing a weekly educational
column in the bulletin, writing to the
clergy to encourage preaching on Laudato
Si’ and partaking in other religious and
educational opportunities.
10 Today’s Marists Magazine

Laudato Si': On Care for Our Common
Home is the appeal from Pope
Francis addressed to "every person
living on this planet" for an inclusive
dialogue about how we are shaping
the future of our planet. Pope Francis
calls the Church and the world to
acknowledge the urgency of our
environmental challenges and to join
him in embarking on a new path. This
encyclical is written with both hope
and resolve, looking to our common
future with candor and humility.
(https://bit.ly/3FsdSw7)
When the pandemic struck the Justice
and Peace Ministry team continued
to meet via Zoom. As the news of the
pandemic became more dire, the group
discussed ways they could ally with our
marginalized neighbors. In wanting to
continue their yearly support of Stand
Up for Kids, an organization that helps
homeless children, the Justice and Peace
group organized a parish wide drive to
collect needed items for these children.
Also, during this time the Justice and
Peace Ministry sponsored the following
guest speakers virtually in order to
further the group’s ministry for the
marginalized: Father Gregory Boyle,
S.J., the founder of Homeboy Industries
(https://homeboyindustries.org);
Father Victor Galier from Catholic Relief
Services; and Kitti Murray, founder of
Refuge Coffee (www.refugecoffeeco.com).
Each of these speakers gave a virtual
presentation, educating the community
on how they help our marginalized
neighbors.
The Racial Justice Ministry, led by
Beth Belden, was begun in an effort
to raise awareness and create change
for those impacted by systemic racism
and inequality in our community and
Archdiocese. As the representative for
the group, Beth attends cohort meetings
in the Archdiocese of Atlanta. She then
returns to OLA with the ideas shared in
these meetings for the purpose of creating
a welcoming atmosphere in our parish
and community and to provide a space
for dialogue on racism — continuing to
demonstrate the ardent love of neighbor.
In the middle of the pandemic Pope
Francis released the encyclical Fratelli
Tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship
which became an organic priority for the
Justice and Peace Ministry to study. Led
by Suzanne Ernst the Justice and Peace
Ministry holds monthly study sessions
of the encyclical using the Fratelli Tutti
reading guide by Bill Huebsch.
Fratelli Tutti: On Fraternity and Social
Friendship: This new encyclical from
Pope Francis invites the Church to live
out the call to universal fraternity and
social friendship. The third encyclical
of his pontificate, Fratelli Tutti, offers
“a way of life marked by the flavor of
the Gospel" (#1) and shares a vision
for humanity that Pope Francis has
emphasized throughout his papacy:
“It is my desire that, in this our time,
by acknowledging the dignity of each
human person, we can contribute to
the rebirth of a universal aspiration to
fraternity. Brotherhood between all
men and women.” (#8) (https://bit.
ly/3mnxXuv)
Suzanne Degnats stated, “Fratelli Tutti
is all about the ardent love of neighbor
drilling down on the human aspect.
We are global neighbors called to care
for each other, there is no escape hatch;
we must take this personally to make
changes for all. Pope Francis insists that
we must see each other as global citizens.
We either take the challenge or the earth
will progress on its own, healing itself
one way or another. As global neighbors
we must see that the person living in a
hut in a third world country who is being
affected by the increasing environmental
disasters is just as important as those
in our community. Since we are living
in an age where global community is
connected through news outlets, we
can see the effects of our actions of
continued environmental harm. Nature,
through flooding, hurricanes, storms
and earthquakes, is responding to our
inaction.”
After the Justice and Peace Ministry
group completes their study of Fratelli
Tutti, they will decide if they will offer a
class to all OLA parishioners to study this
encyclical. There are so many avenues
the document can be used to support
including the parish’s goal of showcasing
the ardent love of neighbor through one’s
actions. Civilize It: A Better Kind of Politics
(www.usccb.org/civilizeit) is a resource
from the USCCB Office of Justice, Peace
and Human Development, issued in
response to Pope Francis’ invitation,
which calls us to affirm through words
and actions the dignity of every person
— even those with whom we disagree.
We need to be able to disagree in a civil
way and respect the views of others.
The members of the Justice and Peace
Ministry group can be leaders by teaching
others about communication tools that
foster a better kind of discourse.
The Justice and Peace Ministry
recognizes that they have been reflecting
the call by the Pope to a universal
fraternity in their community. Creating
this dialogue and a united sense of
community is essential to demonstrating
the Marist value of ardent love of
neighbor.
Volume 6 | Issue 3 11

BRAZIL:
20 Months of COVID-19
by Patrick Francis O’Neil, SM, Member of Marist Mission Community in Iuiú, Bahia, Brazil
The first case of COVID-19 in Brazil was officially recognized
on February 26, 2020, although the virus had probably been
circulating for a few weeks prior. After 18 months Brazil has
seen almost 20.8 million infections and recorded 580,000
deaths in a total population estimated to be 213 million.
Controlling the COVID-19 virus was always going to be a
challenge here. There is a significant number of people who
think that rules and regulations do not apply to them because
of their social status or because of who in authority they
know – the famous “jeitinho.” Brazil is also a very “warm” and
“emotional” culture where hugs and kisses are literally woven
into the fabric of life, so these past months have demanded
that people adapt significantly. Add to this, in the major urban
centers, millions of people who are crowded into makeshift
shanty towns called “favelas,” where social distancing is
impossible. Overloaded buses and trains are also a fertile
breeding ground for the virus.
In addition to these challenges Brazil, like other countries,
has had to endure a tug-of-war between competing levels
of authority – federal, state and local – over the best way to
combat this deadly virus. Without effective coordination many
lives have been unfortunately lost unnecessarily. It has also
resulted in delayed administration of vaccinations. As I write
this article, Brazil has 42.5% of its population fully vaccinated
and 70% have received the first dose of the vaccine.
How has the Church in Brazil Responded to the
Pandemic?
Clearly the first concern of the bishops was for the safety
of their congregations. At the beginning of the pandemic
churches and schools were shut down all over Brazil and we
had to quickly develop our social media skills to connect with
people. The CNBB (National Conference of Brazilian Bishops)
through its Lenten Campaigns has also reinforced the need for
dialogue and solidarity during the pandemic.
In response to the very real threat of hunger especially among
those who lost their employment or who were forced to stay
at home, Caritas Brazil, an entity of the CNBB recognized as
a federal non-profit organization (https://bit.ly/3ozfcXV),
began a movement known as “Tempo de Cuidar” (Time to start
Caring). The purpose of this initiative was to identify those
who need assistance and collect donations, especially food
parcels. Every parish in Brazil has made an effort to identify
families most in need. In our little parish of Iuiú in the Sertão
of Brazil we care for about 20 families a month. This is done
in conjunction with the Ministry of Social Work so that as
many families as possible are assisted. I am also part of a team
that helps distribute food from the Ministry of Education to
students and their families. All over Brazil different groups,
businesses and even major radio/tv networks have been
involved in providing food assistance to those most affected by
the pandemic.
Impact of Pandemic on Education
One significant area of concern is the effect of the pandemic
on education. Most schools in Brazil have been closed since
March 2020 and gradually began to re-open in some states in
June 2021. This meant that teachers had to quickly adjust to
online teaching – many doing so from home and using their
own equipment since several schools were unequipped with
the needed technology. Despite the heroic efforts of teachers
and administrators to quickly adjust, the gap between the
rich and the poor, the towns and the countryside remains,
seriously impacting student learning. While students in some
households might have the equipment to do their schoolwork,
in other households there may be just one cellphone to
be shared among several children for completing school
assignments. In addition, virtual learning requires some form
of supervision which is impossible if both parents work or have
limited education.
The situation in rural areas like ours here in Iuiú, Bahia is even
worse where often there is no cellphone coverage! I know of
one mother who lives in an isolated farm ten miles from the
nearest settlement. Every day she walks four miles with her
three children and two other children to find Wi-Fi so they
can do their lessons. This sort of reality highlights just how
important it is that we continue to inspire ourselves with the
spirit of the pioneer Marists who believed in the importance of
education for all, especially in remote rural areas and parishes.
Now that most teachers have been vaccinated schools are
slowly re-opening, but a huge task lies ahead. The pandemic
may well have created a lost generation in terms of education
and personal development.
Marist Parish Life
In our Marist parishes here in the Sertão of Brazil our
experience of the past 20 months has been very similar to the
rest of the country. Many pastoral activities had to be curtailed
and we use social media far more to connect with parishioners,
especially with Masses and for classes and presentations to
different parish groups. Since August 2021, when the number
of COVID-19 cases decreased, we have been able to have
more in-person meetings and been able to visit our rural
communities to celebrate the Mass and the sacraments. We
have also been able to resume some projects that were halted
due to our inability to raise money through popular parish
events such as Bingo and Horse parades (Cavalgadas). In
Iuiú we hope to resume the construction on our new Pastoral
12 Today’s Marists Magazine

Center and Parish Hall. Fr. Lauro Ferreira, SM, in Malhada, has
also been able to start a much-needed extension of the main
Church, and Fr. José Maria da Silva, SM, continues his work in
preparing the Diocesan Sanctuary of The Mother of God and
Men, Queen of the Sertão in Palmas de Monte Alto.
During this time the CNBB has also promoted study and
action based on Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato Si’: On Care
for Our Common Home in response to the on-going threats
to the Amazon and other bio-diverse areas of Brazil. The
first “Week of Laudato Si’,” geared especially towards young
people, was held in May 2020 to celebrate the fifth anniversary
of the Encyclical’s publication. The challenges of preserving
the Amazon and other areas of Brazil are enormous due to so
many different groups interested in exploiting the region for
personal benefit and profit. At the beginning of 2021 our Marist
community in Bahia resumed a detailed study of Laudato Si’ as
part of our weekly community meetings. One outcome of this
is that we have been able to start few small projects including
the replanting of native trees on the Church property.
Signs of Hope
While these are all signs of hope we can never be certain of
what awaits us in the future. Brazil is only now beginning to
experience the insidious tentacles of the Delta variant, which is
slowly and inexorably spreading out from Rio de Janeiro.
I suspect that we will all need to learn, as the author Oliver
Burkeman quotes a psychiatrist in his recent book Four
Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals, to live “in a
new kind of everlasting present.”
I ask for your prayers for Brazil and for our little Marist District
of South America (Brazil and Peru). We tragically lost one of
our members to COVID-19, Bishop Luis Sebastiani Aguirre,
SM on August 10, 2020 in Peru, and all but two members of the
District, including our seminarians, have been infected over
the past 20 months. All are now vaccinated but we continue to
be vigilant.
ABOVE: Marist community in Brazil (Left to right): Frs. José Maria da Silva, Lauro
Ferreira, Alfred Rösener, Leandro Martins and Patrick O'Neil
RIGHT: Site of project to replant the area around the Church "Nossa Senhora, Mãe de
Deus e dos Homens, Rainha do Sertão" in native trees
Volume 6 | Issue 3 13

LIVING IN A CHANGING WORLD —
Effects of the Pandemic on
Education and Worship
Marist Formation in
Pandemic Times
by Tony Kennedy, SM, Rector, International Major Marist Seminary,
Rome, Italy
On Saturday, February 1, 2020, the Marist theology community
in Rome joined with many other religious and with Pope
Francis to celebrate the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in
St Peter’s Basilica. At that very time, there were reports in the
local news that two people in Rome had just tested positive for
COVID-19 and were in quarantine. I can remember coming
to the realization as we lined up to go through security before
entering the Basilica that we were in this large gathering of
people, and now what will happen to us?
When the first total lockdown in Rome occurred a little later,
in March 2020, the Marist theologate community faced several
challenges.
First, the seminarians could not go to any of the universities
for class because all classes and some lectures were now
being given online. Coping with the technology for that was
a challenge to some. We were dependent on good internet
connections. Moreover, the seminarians missed the social
interaction with their friends and peers. There was no longer
the chance to talk things over with fellow students and to catch
up over a cup of coffee.
One of our formators, Fr. Larry Duffy, SM, had recently gone to
La Neyliere, France, to assist with a retreat when the borders
closed. He returned to Rome over two months later, while our
lay staff could not come for many more months.
It was not long before we were getting calls from family and
friends who had seen and heard about the difficulties in Italy,
and they were, naturally, worried about us. We have been
lucky in that no one contracted COVID, while other religious
communities and formation houses were not so lucky.
Churches were closed for liturgical celebrations, though open
for personal prayer. We were fortunate to have access to our
chapel in the school below where we were able to celebrate the
Holy Week liturgies together. We also have a large terrace roof
where we can walk around and breathe fresh air. Many people
do not have the luxury of such a space.
Many of our plans for the year had to be cancelled or
rescheduled, including our annual retreat after Easter. We
could not conduct our usual pastoral ministry outside the
community either. Usually, our students go to different places
during the summer for various pastoral experiences and
vacation, however this was not possible in 2020.
We had seven deacons in the community who were concluding
their initial formation in Rome. Arranging plane tickets
home was challenging with many flights being cancelled and
countries having different requirements in terms of travel and
quarantine. One of the deacons, who was unable to return
to Fiji and is still in Rome, was ordained a priest this past
February and is now completing his Licentiate in theology.
The Year 2 seminarians who were unable to return home for
pastoral experience and vacation walked some of the “Way of
TOP
Enjoying the rooftop terrace
at the formation house during
lockdown
BOTTOM LEFT:
Using technology to connect
with others
BOTTOM RIGHT:
Marist formation pastoral work
14 Today’s Marists Magazine

International travel is much more complicated these days and
flights are limited from some countries. As a congregation,
Marists decided some years ago that there were many
benefits to international formation, and we still believe this.
The rich diversity of cultures and experiences help provide
an appropriate setting for formation. Last year we were a
community of twelve from seven different nations. This
year we are fifteen Marists from nine different countries.
Fortunately, we have been able to welcome six new students
over the summer from Cameroon, Togo, New Zealand, and
Vanuatu.
Fr. Sam Tukidia’s ordination, February 22, 2021
St. Francis” (a route to reach Assisi following in the footsteps of
St Francis) for their annual retreat. Our two new seminarians,
who could not arrive at the end of June as they normally do
because of travel restrictions, arrived later which impacted the
time they needed to learn Italian.
When a new academic year began in October 2020, further
restrictions were put into place as the number of infections
increased, this time much higher than before. We lived in a
city with a nightly curfew from 10 pm to 5 am for more than six
months. We were confined to our house except for those times
when we went out to celebrate the Liturgy. When going out, you
had to carry a form that indicated your reason for being outside
your house. Face masks were required outside from October
2020 to June 2021, and currently we still must wear them inside
buildings and on public transportation.
Fortunately, by the end of June 2021, everyone in the student
community had been able to obtain a vaccine injection,
and most adults in Italy have now been vaccinated. Now the
requirement is to carry a green pass which indicates that you
have either been vaccinated, have had a recent negative test, or
have recently recovered from COVID. Without the green pass
it is not possible to enter universities, restaurants, cinemas,
gyms, etc., or do other activities.
In terms of the formation of Marist religious, this has been a
challenging time. Keeping apprised of the current conditions,
staying healthy, and knowing what rules apply has been
difficult and stressful at times, as it has been for everyone.
The importance of our Marist common life is especially
evident during these times. As our Constitutions state: The
ministry of loving service to each other in community is a
primary apostolate. (# 127) Everyone has had a role to play
to ensure the well-being of the community, and we all take
responsibility for different areas of our common life.
The pandemic has also forced us to look at various aspects
of our formation program. We have had to adapt and have
learned that people are very resilient. Through video
conferencing we were able to have some conferences with
Marists from other formation houses and communities around
the world. One of our Zoom calls was a reflective conversation
between Marists in Sydney, Australia and some of our deacons
in Rome about the sacrament of Reconciliation.
We pray that this academic year will be a time of many
blessings for our world, for the Church, and for the Society of
Mary. We are grateful for the support of all the many people
who support our community in so many ways.
Marist Smartphones: A Marist
Seminarian’s Reflection About
Life During the Pandemic
by Jaime Pérez Martínez, SM, Seminarian
I was taking a few days off at the Marist General House
in Rome, and the community invited me to join them for
Scripture sharing. After listening carefully to the Gospel,
each one was to choose a word or a phrase that captivated us.
Then, listening to the Gospel passage a second time, we all
had the opportunity to share our insights. One participant, Fr.
Lutoviko, SM, offered the group something quite memorable:
“Now that we are living the lockdown, we have more access to
communicating with so many people. I am sure that my Marist
confrères are continuing their ministry and taking care of all the
souls entrusted to their care.”
Isn't it true that everyone in the Society of Mary has better
ways of communicating these days? A smartphone follows us
wherever we go. It has become part of what we wear. Even the
Liturgy of the Hours and the Roman Missal can be found easily
on our smartphone.
In Rome, although our communities experienced the
lockdown, we were still present to each other. In one of his
articles, Edwin Keel, SM writes that we must believe that
certain Marist Spiritual Exercises also exist, which far more
than repeating Hail Mary or the Sub Tuum or the Angelus,
are exercises experienced as gestures of presence. So, by way
of technology, we can support the faith of brothers and
sisters who still suffer more than we do. Michael Fitzgerald,
SM explains how the article on the Spirit of the Society from
Father Jean-Claude Colin’s 1872 Constitutions is fully present
in our 1988 Constitutions. The first paragraph prompts us to
live creatively as Marists, Fitzgerald concludes, because it is
full of exercises: “Colin describes the spirit of the Society as a
consciousness, which results from an experience, a choice, a
covenant, a total penetration and animation by another’s very
breath, through a practice of discernment which develops a
growing sense of congruity or incongruity when listening to the
movements of our heart, when viewing our thoughts, actions,
continues on page 16
Volume 6 | Issue 3 15

and feelings.” I believe that, as young Marists, we are called to
attract souls for God and, at the same time, we are achieving
a greater love and concern for the world, that is, a greater
human, Marist and ecclesial maturity.
In the midst of our studies and examinations, there were times
of great fear of getting infected with COVID-19, but everything
has guided our hearts and minds, like that of the first Marists,
by adopting a Marist consciousness with conviction. Marie
de Solemne, in her book Insaisissable Fraternité, includes an
interview that she calls “La Splendeur du Simple” with Brother
Jean, who describes with creative imagination what is the true
work that man must do: “to become king of his interior lands, to
offer a pure and virgin space to God. God dwells in this kingdom,
in this space of peace.” That pure and virgin land that we offer to
God as Marists is the same that we also offer to God's people in
these times of the virus.
The habit of checking our smartphone could become a Marist
exercise in our formation program. The pandemic has made us
mature as young people embracing that feminine side of life
in order to be in better harmony with those who want to share
their tears with us.
I know that I cannot give absolution or celebrate the
sacraments. Through my smartphone, however, I have been
able to hear someone else’s heart. And no, this is not a feeling
of romanticism. It is a reality. It is a hidden ministry. And for
this reason, when I finish my calls or video chats, I make the
sign of the cross, trusting in the tender action of God through
us, his instruments of mercy.
The Christian life is a constant journey from childhood to
maturity, or as Miguel A. Fiorito, SJ points out, “the Christian is,
at the same time, a child in terms of his malice and an adult in
his judgment. (cf. 1Cor 14:20) The Christian is therefore a young
man always waiting to grow even more.” In these times of the
pandemic, everything has changed, although not according
to how we think things should necessarily be. It is possible,
however, to continue growing, maturing, caring, and bearing
fruit in an uncertain season.
So, if I am a Marist and also have a smartphone, I am invited to
reflect upon this.
More Pluses Than Minuses
The lingering (and sometimes permanent) effects
from the pandemic on education are not all negative
by Mike Kelly, Director of Marketing, Notre Dame Preparatory and
Marist Academy, Pontiac, Michigan
In a July 2021 report from research firm McKinsey & Co.,
the impact of the pandemic on K-12 student learning was
significant, with students on average falling five months
behind in mathematics and four months behind in reading
by the end of the previous school year. While the McKinsey
report focused on public primary and secondary education,
there were serious ramifications from the pandemic evident in
private schools across the country too.
Notre Dame Lower School 5th grade teacher Jennette Wrobel working from home
on the first day of virtual learning in March 2020
A study by the Cato Institute released in April 2021 found that
COVID-19, in numerous cases, threatened the actual existence
of many private and/or Catholic schools in the United States.
"As COVID-19 struck the United States in March 2020, sending
the nation into lockdown, worry about the fate of private
schools was high," noted the think tank headquartered in
Washington, DC." These schools, which only survive if people
can pay for them, seemed to face deep trouble. And families
that could still afford private schooling might have concluded
that continuing to pay for education that was going to be
online‐only made little sense."
According to Cato, as of April 2021, no fewer than 132 private
schools in the United States announced that they would
be closing permanently, at least partially because of the
pandemic’s economic effects. The country also has seen an
average 5 percent drop in private-school enrollment overall in
the past year and a half.
Fortunately, for Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist
Academy (NDPMA) in Pontiac, Michigan, while not totally
unscathed, the pandemic so far seems to have had relatively
little long-term negative effects in both the classroom and in
the business and admissions offices.
"From an admissions and enrollment standpoint, the
pandemic has not had an adverse impact on our school," said
Kathleen Offer, NDPMA's director of enrollment management.
"Applications to all three levels of our school have risen the last
two years."
"The only negative with admissions, which likely will be
short-term, has been financial," Offer added. "We have seen an
increase in families requesting aid, but we've also increased
our level of support for them in turn."
16 Today’s Marists Magazine

Konja notes that despite the awful physical and mental tolls the
pandemic has taken on the world's population, when it comes
to educational technology, it has supercharged how academics
are delivered by schools, especially in K-12.
"The pandemic fundamentally sped up digital transformation
in many schools, including here at Notre Dame," he said. "And
the administration at NDPMA understood that early on and
provided the resources to upgrade much of our classroom
technology to help our teachers and students become more
tech savvy. These skills will certainly benefit them in the
future and possibly improve how they use technology in their
lives outside of the classroom. The technology we have in place
now because of the pandemic will also benefit future students
and our school for years."
Notre Dame fifth-grade teacher Jennette Wrobel is one of those
benefiting from the many tech upgrades.
During the 2020-21 school year, Notre Dame Prep students (from left) Jack Kautz
and Tai Moore conduct a sublimation lab with caffeine tablets as Abby Stowe
looks on.
Diana Atkins, the longtime principal at Notre Dame's lower
school, weighed in on how the pandemic has affected students.
"The most challenging aspect of the pandemic, obviously, was
the loss of the in-person learning," she said. "As we came back
to campus last year, it was evident, even with all the directional
hallways, social distancing, sanitizing and masking, that the
students and faculty loved being with each other every day."
She believes schools that decided not to return to campus for
the full year last year may look back and rethink that decision.
"However, the mental toll on students globally is one we will be
watching over and caring for in many years to come," she said.
Other educators at NDPMA weighed in on how the pandemic
has affected students in the short and long term.
Kyle Lilek, who teaches English and the rigorous IB Theory of
Knowledge class in NDPMA's upper school, said the impact of
the pandemic on students in general goes very deep.
"The long-term negative impacts of the pandemic are many
and multifaceted, but I can think of three things right off the
bat: the social disconnect, inconsistent expectations and the
fear associated with safety," said Lilek, who also serves as the
senior class moderator. “For the fear associated with safety, for
example, I mean 'feeling safe, feeling at ease, feeling like we're
almost back to normal,' and then all of a sudden someone you
know gets sick or passes away."
He said that can be traumatic on students at such an early
stage of life and learning.
Eden Konja, who manages NDPMA's IT department, has both
a cautionary and optimistic tale to tell on the effects of the
pandemic in schools.
"Attending class remotely through tools like Zoom or Teams
is just not the same," he said. "Students tend to hide from the
camera and generally avoid speaking or sharing. This makes it
difficult for the teacher to know if the student is even grasping
the lesson."
"We have access to so many different apps and programs that
I feel like anything is possible," she said. "Knowing everything
that we have on these devices to be utilized for virtual teaching
really makes me feel that I am not limited in what I can do with
my students from anywhere, and I am very grateful for that."
Notre Dame Middle School Principal Brandon Jezdimir also
sees several positive things coming out of such a monumental
disruption to the world and to learning.
"The excitement and eagerness of students to return to inperson
learning is palpable when you walk the hallways, he
said. "Schools provide a social environment and connection
that was deeply missed when we were in virtual mode. But
the resilience and grit showed by our teachers as they shifted
from virtual to in-person to asynchronous learning while still
providing a top-notch Notre Dame and Marist education was
remarkable."
Andrew Guest, NDPMA's head of school, also acknowledged
the drawbacks of virtual learning versus in-person and said
remote learning definitely is a poor substitute for being in the
classroom, even at Notre Dame with its advanced digital tools.
"We did step up our game when it comes to technology, " he
said. "However, technology will never replace live teachers,
but even in a live classroom, we’ve been able to embrace
technology to more fully ensure that we're utilizing all the
tools necessary to enhance the academic outcomes for our
students."
Guest also said another lasting and positive outcome from
dealing with the pandemic was that it has given all a chance to
sit back and reflect on what's really important in life.
"For us, and I'm sure for all other Marist schools, that includes
God, family and living a life of service to others," he said.
continues on page 18
Volume 6 | Issue 3 17

Pandemic Effects on
a Retreat House
by Linda Sevcik, SM, Executive Director, Manresa Jesuit Retreat
House, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
When the pandemic struck and lockdowns began in March 2020,
Manresa Jesuit Retreat House in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, (in
the Detroit area) was in full lockdown for several months. Retreats
were canceled and courses and board meetings were held online.
Spiritual direction, if it took place, occurred virtually.
In July 2020, Manresa began gradually re-opening, accepting
smaller numbers of people per event, and putting many
precautions in place, particularly in the chapel, lounge and dining
room. Because the number of participants physically present was
limited, it initiated more virtual offerings. It even ventured a small
weekend retreat using Zoom, and participants’ evaluations of that
experience were positive.
Currently Manresa has not returned to accepting pre-pandemic
participant numbers for retreats, courses and talks offered,
although the participant allowance numbers are gradually being
increased. However, what was learned during the pandemic is
motivating many changes in the way ministry takes place.
Even prior to the pandemic, many retreat houses around the
country have been closed in recent years. It is noted that Manresa
is increasingly drawing people from areas that no longer offer inperson
spiritual resources, and particularly for virtual offerings. It
is also attracting homebound persons to virtual offerings as well
as people who simply do not feel ready to be in public settings due
to COVID-19. Manresa offers a 2-year Ignatian internship training
Spiritual Companions. There are presently two different cohorts
being trained almost entirely online, and the newest cohort
includes several people from different states. A new component of
this training is that participants will learn how to use platforms
other than in-person for spiritual conversations. The pandemic
has shown us that physical proximity is no longer considered a
necessity for this.
One decision made recently was to hire an employee for a
new part-time position to train and assist Manresa staff and
volunteers in using virtual platforms. This training will help them
in their competency to utilize various features of programs such
as Zoom. In addition, certain courses are being offered in a hybrid
format, with some participants attending in person and others
Front gate of Manresa Retreat House
online. Special equipment is needed for that, and the assistance of
the new employee can free the leader from worrying about most
of the technology concerns.
A meeting in early September 2021 gathered six Jesuit retreat
house directors in the Midwest. Each director spoke about how
the ministries were adjusting post-COVID and shared trends.
Several noted an increase in the percentage of first-time adult
retreatants this fall, many of them younger men and women. The
directors speculated that the greater quiet, isolation and losses of
the months since March 2020 have awakened a desire for greater
connection with God, or a search for deeper meaning in the lives
of these new retreatants. We are not certain about the reasons,
but hope this trend continues.
Interestingly, Manresa and other retreat houses in recent months
have observed an increased number of retreatants for individually
directed retreats. At Manresa, the four eight-day sessions offered
from May to August 2021 devoted to individually directed
retreats were some of the largest experienced in recent years. The
participants included a good proportion of younger lay adults.
In summary, the pandemic has shaken us from our customary
routines. It has opened some new possibilities in retreat house
ministry and some hopeful trends are noted. This is bringing
enthusiasm to staff members to venture forward with new
initiatives to help people grow spiritually in a (hopefully) post-
COVID time. It has also caused us to look more carefully at justice
issues regarding those homebound or beyond our geographic
borders and to consider ways of reaching them. It calls us to look
beyond the gates of Manresa while still valuing what is within
the gates.
We Appreciate Your Donation!
We ask for your prayers for our seminarians and for Marist
Vocations during these challenging times. If you are able
to make a financial investment in our seminarians, please
use the envelope in this magazine to send your gift.
Please check the circle “Recruitment and Education of
new Marists” on the inner flap of the envelope. Thank
you for your generosity and be assured of our prayers!
18 Today’s Marists Magazine

Economics with Father Colin
by Tom Ellerman, SM
In a previous reflection (Today’s Marists,
Vol. 6, Iss. 2) on our Founder, Father Jean-
Claude Colin, and his rule, we looked
at his “politics,” that branch of ethics
which deals with how we should relate
with others outside of our homes and
communities. His thoughts on this topic
are contained in Article III of his 1872
Constitutions.
Now, in this reflection we will look at
Articles IV and V of the Constitutions, in
which Marists find instruction on how
they should live in community. This
branch of ethics is called “economics.”
By 1854, when Father Colin resigned as
Superior General, the Society of Mary had
grown and included a significantly diverse
membership. Diversity and plurality were
now realities that he had to deal with.
There is a diversity of roles and ministries
in the Society depending on the role
they have or in the responsibilities to
which they are called. The first are called
“aspirants,” referring to those who aspire.
Today we would regard them as either
“inquirers” or those in a preliminary
period of formation. Inquirers are learning
about the Society. Those in formation are
committing themselves to a process of
experience and a time of personal change
and growth with the prospect of becoming
members of the congregation. Growth
in maturity is important at this stage of
association, since both the candidate
and the Society must discern whether
the aspirant has the necessary qualities
to live and thrive in Marist religious life.
Not everyone develops at the same pace.
For some beginning their discernment at
a younger age is best, while for others a
higher level of maturity that develops with
age is necessary.
There has been a long history from the
beginning of the Society of Lay Brothers.
Our understanding of this vocation among
us has changed much since our origins.
All Marists profess the same vows and
share one common call. Our recent 2017
General Chapter reaffirmed the vocation
of the Brothers emphasizing again that we
share one common vocation with different
ministerial roles. Brothers contribute to
the mission in a distinctive way. They can
be present in different milieux in ways that
are not possible for ordained Marists. The
distinctiveness of the Brothers is the ease
of their ability to work with laity and relate
directly with them.
The third vocation in the Society are the
priests and those in priestly formation.
They are primarily destined to priestly
ministries in the Society as educators,
chaplains, members of parish renewal
teams, foreign missionaries and in a
variety of other church ministries.
All these diverse groups we have
mentioned progress through various
stages of development, responsibility
and commitment. Even though those
associated with the Society are diverse in
their needs and contributions, they form
one and the same family. There should be
no difference between them with regard to
meeting personal needs.
Faced with the presence of diversity in the
Society of Mary, Father Colin had to face
the challenge of unity. For the Society to
attain its ends it must have unity. Divine
help and human cooperation must work
together so that the members of the
Society “may be firmly united, as members
of the one body, by the bond of charity.”
Father Colin provides a brief rule for
maintaining unity in the Society:
1. Love each other as brothers in the Lord
2. Take no account of regional or national
differences
3. Forestall all discord
4. Maintain proper respect for each other
5. Frequent communication
6. As much uniformity as possible in all
things
7. Disregard your own comfort for the
sake of the
common good
8. Unity between members and superiors
9. Union among the superiors themselves
and with the Superior General
10. Direct one’s will to the service of God
and the salvation of souls.
Every day Marists must meet the challenge
of living out the Mystery of Unity in
Diversity “with the intercession of the
Mother of God for the help needed to
attain the Society’s ends for a greater
service to God.”
“We Marists seek to bring compassion and mercy to the Church and
world in the footsteps of Mary who brought Jesus Himself into
our world. We breathe her spirit in lives devoted to prayer and
ministry, witnessing to those values daily in community.”
Cause for the Beatification of Venerable
Jean-Claude Colin, SM
The first Marists were all diocesan priests, men of pastoral experience, who had
enough confidence in Fr. Colin to elect him as their leader and to follow his Marian
wisdom as their rule of life. Such confidence tells us about the impression he made
on his confreres and should encourage us to turn to Fr. Colin in prayer whenever we
need his guidance and aid.
Please report all exceptional favors granted through prayer to Jean-Claude Colin to:
Marist Provincial House | 815 Varnum Street, NE | Washington, DC 20017-2298 | USA
Volume 6 | Issue 3 19

MOVIE REVIEW
A Story of Trust and Hope
in the Midst of Chaos
by Brian Cummings SM, Director, Pā Maria Marist Spirituality Centre, Wellington, New Zealand
Editor’s Note: For several years now, Fr. Cummings has been kind enough to share with us his faith-based
reflections after prayerfully watching significant films that come out each year. He describes it as a form of
Ignatian contemplation whereby we use our imagination to reach the divine. In this article, he gives us the
methods he uses in reflecting on movies we see in these often dark and chaotic times. He focuses on five quite
relevant films. It is hoped that this is a practice we can all use in films we watch.
Every year Pa - Maria “Marist Spirituality
Centre” in Wellington, New Zealand,
offers a Winter Film Series over five
consecutive weeks.
Despite its name, the series primarily
touches on prayer. It concentrates on a
particular spiritual theme each year. An
individual session progresses through a
preliminary orientation lecture for about
a half hour. Then everyone watches the
movie and this is followed by a period of
personal reflection which is based on a
handout that addresses the main points
of the opening presentation with some
suggested questions for further reflection.
There is never any discussion on the
movie itself. So the focus is not on “what
did I learn about this film,” but rather
“what do I learn about myself from
watching this movie?”
Our theme this year was “Things to Come.
Reflections on the Themes of the Book of
Job: A Story of Trust and Hope in the Midst
of Chaos.”
WEEK 1 was titled ‘Beginning Where
We Are,’ and focused on examining the
realities for each of us as to how we cope
with living in a Covid-19 world. How well
do we cope with the “unexpected” in life:
on a personal level, an emotional level, a
spiritual level, and as a society?
The movie we used was Contagion (2011,
directed by Stephen Soderbergh). Readers
may recall that I used this movie as the
basis of my review in the 2020 Today’s
Marists, Vol. 6, Issue 1.
Without repeating the whole article, it
would be worth recalling a 2011 comment
about the movie that Dr. Anthony Fauci
made. “It's one of the most accurate
movies I have seen on infectious disease
outbreaks of any type.” (CIDRAP, Center
for Infectious Disease Research and
Policy, University of Minnesota).
WEEK 2 - Engaging With Chaos. The film
this week centered on connecting our
present reality with the Book of Job, and in
particular “The Prologue” (Chapters 1 & 2).
The Book of Job is not only about a
particular individual called Job. It is
about each one of us and our ability, or
lack of it, to live a life of integrity and
authenticity. (cf. Perseverance in Trials:
Reflections on Job, Cardinal Carlo Maria
Martini, pp. 26-28).
The concept of “chaos,” both internal and
external, is introduced through three
main characters: Job, Satan and God.
Externally, Job’s world is radically
changed through the sufferings he
undergoes on a family and personal
level. The world as we knew it socially,
economically, politically, doesn’t exist in
the same ways any longer, either. Nor is it
coming back, as Pope Francis reminded
us of last year. (Video message by Pope
Francis, Pentecost Vigil, May 2020,
https://bit.ly/3oTBML6)
And there is internal chaos, when we lose
focus and turn inwards on ourselves and
try to control everything.
As Marist anthropologist Gerald
Arbuckle, SM says in his latest book,
“We cannot learn from the ordeal of
chaos if we deny it is happening to us. …
We rediscover our powerlessness and
vulnerability, our lack of absolute control
over our lives and our world, and at the
same time we rediscover the saving, recreative,
energizing power of God.” (The
Pandemic and the People of God: Cultural
Impacts and Pastoral Responses - to be
published in 2021)
The movie for Week 2 was Children of
Men (2006, directed by Alfonso Cuaron).
“It is above all the look of “Children of
Men” that stirs apprehension in the heart.
Is this what we are all headed for? The
film is set in 2027, when assorted natural
disasters, wars and terrorist acts have
rendered most of the world ungovernable,
uninhabitable, or anarchic.” (Roger Ebert,
October 4, 2007)
WEEK 3 - Entering Into Mystery (Part 1).
This week, participants actually picked
up the Bible and began to look at Chapters
3-42 of the Book of Job.
What goes on in these chapters is a form
of contest between two types of wisdom:
the wisdom of the world and the wisdom
of God. The cry of Job to God, “Why have
you done this to me?” (7:20) is the cry of
all of us at times when disasters strike
our lives without any apparent rhyme
or reason. We can feel abandoned by
God. We can, in our darkest moments,
seriously doubt that there even is a God.
20 Today’s Marists Magazine

Job wants to achieve a clarity about
himself, about others, and about God that
leaves no place for shadows. But that is
impossible. Job is entering into mystery,
and he is being called to stay within the
mystery rather than try to solve it.
This raises questions for us, too. How
do we cope when faced with things we
cannot explain or solve? Are we open
or defensive? Do we respond to the
mysterious in our lives or do we react
against it?
The movie for Week 3 was Arrival (2016,
directed by Denis Villeneuve). “It’s a
film that forces viewers to reconsider
that which makes us truly human, and
the impact of grief on that timeline of
existence. At its best, … the film proposes
that we’ve all had those days in which
communication breaks down, and
fear over the unknown sets in.” (Brian
Tallerico, Roger Ebert, November 11, 2016)
WEEK 4 - Entering Into Mystery (Part 2)
During this week we continued to look at
the “contemplative journey” of Job, but
from a different perspective.
God now responds to, without answering,
Job’s questions. The invitation to Job is to
openness to “otherness,” in other words,
to an encounter beyond his own selfcontained
world view. He is being called
to move outside his own comfort zone,
which is never easy for any of us.
The movie for this week movie was
The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (2007,
directed by Julian Schnabel). Based on a
true story, the movie is both challenging
and deeply uplifting. “And so, curiously
enough, a movie about deprivation
becomes a celebration of the richness
of experience, and a remarkably rich
experience in its own right.” (A.O. Scott,
NY Times, Nov. 30, 2007)
WEEK 5 - Things to Come. Lastly, What
lies ahead for Job, and for us?
Richard Rohr, OFM suggests, “My
significance comes from who-I-am-in-
God, who-I-am-as-part-of-a-much-largerwhole.
I am somehow a representative
of God, and God is carrying me, both
the good and the bad parts. There seems
to be only two ways that we know this
experientially: prayer and suffering. I
think that is perhaps the central message
of the whole Bible, but surely the message
of the Book of Job.” (Job and the Mystery of
Suffering, pp. 158-159)
The final movie was the extraordinary
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012;
Director, Benh Zeitlin). “You can make
Beasts of the Southern Wild into an
allegory of anything you want. It is far
too detailed and specific to fit easily into
general terms.… Sometimes miraculous
films come into being, made by people
you've never heard of, starring unknown
faces, blindsiding you with creative
genius.” (Roger Ebert, July 04, 2012)
The whole Winter Film Series “came
together” in Chapter 42 of Job, and
through reflection on this final film.
Job says, “I have uttered what I did not
understand, things too wonderful for me,
which I did not know” (42:3); “I had heard
of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my
eye sees you.” (42:5).
Hushpuppy, the remarkable six-yearold
star of Beasts of the Southern Wild,
remarks at the end of the movie, “When
it all goes quiet behind my eyes, I see
everything that made me lying around in
invisible pieces. When I look too hard, it
goes away. And when it all goes quiet, I
see they are right here. I see that I'm a little
piece in a big, big universe. And that makes
things right.”
And that is the journey of Job, Hushpuppy,
and all of us, a journey to insight and A
Story of Trust and Hope in the Midst of
Chaos.
It is a journey Marists can particularly
relate to for we were founded in a time
of political, social, and religious chaos in
France.
And as we know, our founder, Fr. Jean-
Claude Colin, believed that the best way
to help people caught in chaos is to be a
source of compassion, a gentle presence,
hidden in the world but not hidden from
the world, just as Mary had been for the
early church. And that is still our mission
today.
Volume 6 | Issue 3 21

Marist Students Explore Civil Rights
at Marist School
by Andrew Johnson, Theology Teacher, Marist School, Atlanta, Georgia and
Michael Coveny, Marist Way Director, Marist School, Atlanta, Georgia
“There is something in every one of you
that waits and listens for the sound of the
genuine in yourself. It is the only true guide
you will ever have. And if you cannot hear
it, you will, all of your life, spend your days
on the ends of strings that somebody else
pulls.” (Howard Thurman's 1980 commencement
address at Spelman College)
Overview
Every spring term at Marist School
in Atlanta, Georgia provides a new
opportunity for students to explore the
Theology and History of Civil Rights in
America, an elective course that has been
offered to students since March 2017 and
to parents as part of the school’s winter
evening program in 2018.
Framed within a larger context of Marist
values, the course, developed through the
vision of English teacher Gina Parnaby
and Theology teacher Andrew Johnson,
has been a source for civil rights dialogue
within the school community as it
explores human rights (presented recently
in Pope Francis’ encyclical Fratelli Tutti:
On Fraternity and Social Friendship)
and is inspired by the works of Howard
Thurman. Both teachers saw a need to
increase awareness of the civil rights
movement for the Marist School student
body and provide a forum for students to
express their views openly and honestly.
Marist Way director Mike Coveny, who
taught history and theology, noted that
history classes also provided a thoughtful
foundation of the history of civil rights;
however, these classes did not have time
to explore legislation or Supreme Court
cases that provided a catalyst for the civil
rights movement.
Together, the idea for an interdisciplinary
course on the Civil Rights Movement took
shape.
Howard Thurman and the
Influence on American Civil
Rights Thinking
“Don't ask yourself what the world needs.
Ask yourself what makes you come alive
and then go do that. Because what the
world needs is people who have come
alive.” (The Living Wisdom of Howard Thurman: A
Visionary for Our Time)
Howard Thurman’s thinking is a driving
inspiration for the theology of this course.
Students generally do not know who
Howard Thurman was.
Howard Thurman (1899-1981), a graduate
of Morehouse College in Atlanta, Georgia,
trained in seminary, became a pastor/
preacher and eventually created a
philosophy of “common ground.” He
taught that humans need to seek an inner
spiritual happiness that would lead them
to share in their experience in community
with others. At Boston University, where
he became the first black dean of a mostly
white university, he mentored Martin
Luther King, Jr. as he developed his
philosophy of nonviolence. (https://www.
bu.edu/articles/2020/who-was-howardthurman/)
Thurman was appreciated as a mystic
who framed civil rights thinking within
the heart of Jesus. According to Thurman,
Jesus began with a simple idea: “Every
man is potentially every other man’s
neighbor … A man must love his neighbor
directly, clearly, permitting no barriers
between.” (Jesus and the Disinherited,
1949, p. 89)
In the course students are taught that
Thurman stressed the need for reaching
Class students with Mr. Charles Black, Chairman of the Atlanta Student Movement
22
Today’s Marists Magazine

the oppressed, for wherever the spirit of
Jesus “appears, the oppressed gather fresh
courage; for he announced the good news
that fear, hypocrisy, and hatred, the three
hounds of hell that track the trail of the
disinherited, need have no dominion over
them.” (Jesus and the Disinherited, p. 29)
Students are challenged by Thurman’s
approach to the “disinherited.” It is
difficult for students who come from
privilege to understand the perspective
of someone with their “back against
the wall.” Thurman says that no good
can come without first acknowledging
their need to survive. “A profound piece
of surgery has to take place in the very
psyche of the disinherited before the
great claim of the religion of Jesus can be
presented. The great stretches of barren
places in the soul must be revitalized,
brought to life, before they can be
challenged.” (Jesus and the Disinherited,
p. 68)
Students struggle to heed Thurman’s
warning, when dealing with oppressed
people, that “mere preaching is not
enough. What are words, however sacred
and powerful, in the presence of the grim
facts of the daily struggle to survive?”
(Jesus and the Disinherited, p. 69)
Thurman’s influence helps students in the
course know that many Americans are
simply struggling to survive in a society
that has consistently oppressed them.
The Spirit of Fratelli Tutti
“To put it in the terms of St. Thomas
Aquinas, an unjust law is a human law
that is not rooted in eternal and natural
law.” (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., “Letter from a
Birmingham Jail”)
Civil rights history is the other element
of the course. However before students
embark on a review of legislation and
case law, they are initially asked to share
how Marist School supports certain
Marist values - namely, the values of
inclusiveness and hospitality. Oftentimes,
these discussions are challenging and
difficult.
Students then explore the differences
between a human right and a civil right by
reviewing excerpts from the Compendium
of the Social Doctrine of the Church
(https://bit.ly/3Ag5H22) and aspirational
historical documents such as the UN
Declaration of Human Rights (https://bit.
ly/2YoHhpB).
Class students in front of Graves Hall at Morehouse College (A field trip to Morehouse college and presentations
by civil rights experts, including Freedom Rider Bernard LaFayette, is a regular feature of the course.)
Finally, students are pressed to
understand the idea of protecting human
rights as a precondition for protecting
civil rights, a vision more recently
inspired by Pope Francis’ encyclical,
Fratelli Tutti.
Students read Pope Francis’ instruction
that the world is filled with “insufficiently
universal human rights” and that today
these human rights “seem to be showing
signs of a certain regression.” (Fratelli
Tutti, #11)
Regarding civil rights and race, students
are faced with the reality that “(i)nstances
of racism continue to shame us, for they
show that our supposed social progress
is not as real or definitive as we think.”
(Fratelli Tutti, #20)
Students are asked to think critically of
the laws of the past. As Marist students,
they are expected to understand “the
social meaning of existence, the fraternal
dimension of spirituality, our conviction
of the inalienable dignity of each person,
and our reasons for loving and accepting
all our brothers and sisters.” (Fratelli
Tutti, #86)
Students learn the dangers of thinking
of themselves as individuals that ignore
the call for community and disregard the
source of all liberty. Pope Francis warns
that “(l)iberty becomes nothing more
than a condition for living as we will,
completely free to choose to whom or
what we will belong, or simply to possess
or exploit. This shallow understanding
has little to do with the richness of a
liberty directed above all to love.” (Fratelli
Tutti, #103)
Students are taught that forgiveness is
paramount but does not ignore the duty
to stand up for what is right and just.
Pope Francis wrote: “Forgiveness does
not entail allowing oppressors to keep
trampling on their own dignity and that of
others, or letting criminals continue their
wrongdoing. Those who suffer injustice
have to defend strenuously their own
rights and those of their family, precisely
because they must preserve the dignity
they have received as a loving gift from
God....This is entirely just; forgiveness
does not forbid it but actually demands it.”
(Fratelli Tutti, #241)
In the end, when discussing human and
civil rights, Pope Francis’ words connect
with students and serve as a reminder
for everyone: “The important thing is not
to fuel anger, which is unhealthy for our
own soul and the soul of our people, or to
become obsessed with taking revenge and
destroying the other.” (Fratelli Tutti, #242)
In that spirit, this course helps students
understand what it means “to be Marist”
in addressing disputes that arise from
civil rights.
Volume 6 | Issue 3 23

Artistic Kenosis:
Jean-Claude Colin, SM, and the Gift of Modern Art
by Nik Rodewald, Theology Teacher and Campus Minister, Marist School, Atlanta, Georgia
Imagine that you are on a trip to New York. You walk towards
the Museum of Modern Art, curious about what you may find
there. After waiting in line for nearly an hour you finally procure
a ticket and enter the museum. You walk into the first room and
see nothing but several plain, black canvases. Perhaps the sight
intrigues you, or perhaps it makes you scoff with disgust - “this
isn’t art.”
Now imagine that you are attending a piano recital. You have
been waiting to hear this talented young virtuoso try his/her
hand at a selection of Beethoven piano sonatas. You take your
seat and the pianist comes on stage. He/she sits behind the
piano and then … silence. You are witnessing a performance of
John Cage’s 4’ 33”. You look at your watch, bored, disappointed
and ready to leave the performance - “this,” you think, “isn’t
music; it’s just a gimmick.”
Or is it?
This type of modern art often appears to us to be nothing: we see
no clear subject, nor do we hear any clear theme; we observe no
impressive brushstrokes, nor do we hear any musical virtuosity;
and yet these artists and composers sincerely believed that in
creating nothingness, they were giving us the greatest of gifts.
They also give us a tangible and concrete example of what Fr.
Jean-Claude Colin, founder of the Society of Mary, meant by the
oft-repeated phrase, “as if hidden and unknown in the world.”
To understand what artists like Robert Rauschenberg – the
architect of asymmetrical displays of
plain black canvases – or composers
like John Cage wish to say to us, we
must understand something of their
historical context. Following World
War II, two significant aesthetic
philosophies in the United States and
Europe existed in direct opposition
to each other. One philosophy placed
its hope in technological solutions:
just as technology could save us from
repeating the horrors of World War II,
they argued, so modern art must advance
through research seeking increasingly
complex relationships between aesthetic
elements. Opposing this school were
composers like John Cage, Earle Brown,
and Pauline Oliveros. These composers,
having discovered elements of Eastern
spirituality, began to ask important
questions: what would happen if the
composer were to allow their ego to
decrease? What would happen if musical
elements were left up to chance or left up
to the performer?
These questions were answered in a variety of ways: Earle
Brown created graphic scores, devoid of traditional musical
notation, which asked the musical performer(s) to interpret
lines on white paper; John Cage used the I-Ching, an ancient
Chinese divination text, to make compositional decisions for
him; Oliveros eventually blended electronic music, ritual, and
meditation into what she termed deep listening experiences. Yet
perhaps the most significant way in which composers ceded
control of their works was through silence, with John Cage’s 4’
33” being the most famous example.
During the performance of 4’ 33” the pianist walks onto the
stage, sits down at the piano and, raising the lid, sits in silence
for four minutes and thirty-three seconds. The idea behind the
piece is not the music (there is none), but rather to provide a
space for the audience to experience the sounds by which they
are surrounded each day: the cough of an audience member, the
hum of an air conditioner or the creaking of a chair.
Robert Rauschenberg – a close friend of John Cage – does
something similar in the visual arts. By refusing to paint a
particular subject and instead by using a collage of everyday
subjects, or even a pure black or white canvas, Rauschenberg
creates something stunning: a tapestry that reflects the interior
freedom of the viewer. Instead of being forced to see what the
artist’s ego desires you to see you are free to see and hear what
exists in the moment.
24 Today’s Marists Magazine

As such, the work of art becomes a blank slate for the viewer to
encounter quotidian visual and auditory realities. This, Cage
points out, is a gift:
Having made the empty canvases (a canvas is never empty.),
Rauschenberg became the giver of gifts. Gifts, unexpected and
unnecessary, are ways of saying Yes to how it is, a holiday. The
gifts he gives are not picked up in distant lands but are things
we already have … and so we are converted to the enjoyment
of our possessions. (“On Robert Rauschenberg, Artist, and His
Work,” Silence: Lectures and Writings)
Cage’s point is that the tabula rasa, or blank slate, allows us to
recognize the “art” and beauty by which we are surrounded
each day. As a result, contemplation of this art converts us from
a consumeristic desire for what we do not have to an enjoyment
and appreciation of what we do.
In their aesthetic philosophy, these composers are unwittingly
imitating the peculiar way God creates and acts in the world,
that is, they are “hidden and unknown in the world.”
“Hidden and unknown,” God comes into the world as a helpless,
lowly child, born a refugee in exile. God embraces vulnerability
and renounces power and might, paradoxically saving
humanity through God’s own renunciation. The pinnacle of this
renunciation is the kenosis of Jesus described in Paul’s letter to
the Philippians: “Take to heart among yourselves what you find
in Christ Jesus: He was in the form of God; yet he laid no claim
to equality with God, but made himself nothing, assuming the
form of a slave. Bearing the human likeness, sharing the human
lot, he humbled himself, and was obedient, even to the point
of death, death on a cross!” (Phil 2: 7-8) This is the logic of the
cross: that paradoxically, in utter self-emptying weakness is
found the greatest strength, which is alone capable of saving
creation. This approach, from a merely human perspective,
makes no sense. St. Paul admits as much – it’s a “stumbling
block” to the Jews and “foolishness” to the Gentiles, and yet
“to those who have been called, a Christ who is both the power
of God and the wisdom of God.” For, “God’s folly is wiser than
human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human
strength.” (1Cor 1:25)
For Fr. Colin, Mary’s life was to be seen as the perfect human
imitation of Jesus’s kenosis. Colin saw in Mary a certain
paradox: despite Mary being referred to in Catholic theology
as the Queen of Heaven, the first of all creatures and the
perfect disciple, she chooses to set aside her perfections and
titles and supports the newborn church in simple ways that
often go unseen. As Jesus empties himself of his divinity, so
Mary empties herself of her queenship. Marists, called to live
Mary’s life by thinking, judging, feeling, and acting as Mary
in all things, are likewise called to empty themselves of ego, to
become “as if hidden and unknown in the world.”
The process of self-emptying is the process of conversion
and is always ongoing. Fr. Colin believed that this was an
interior disposition discovered primarily through prayer
and discernment. Perhaps as we seek the seeds of prayer and
contemplation that will guide us on the way to conversion, we
will not only look to Scripture but also to those works of art that
enable us to be converted to the enjoyment of our possessions,
thanks to the kenosis of the artist.
News Briefs
Marist Year of Vocations 2021-2022
The Superior General of the Society of
Mary (Marists) will launch a Marist
Vocation Year, to reflect, to pray,
and to promote vocations for
the Church and to the Society.
The Vocation year will be
launched in November 2021.
The year of focus and
celebration of vocations is
dedicated to work and reflection on vocations to the Marist
way of life, and to encourage Marists to reflect on the mystery
of their own vocation and their call to personal holiness. The
aim is also to find and share creative forms of vocational
ministry in order to inspire young people in discerning their
own vocation. The vocation year will involve the participation
at different levels locally and globally through reflections,
inputs, and online seminars and workshops. This will also be a
time for Marists to deepen their own commitment and invite
others to share in their lives.
We will continue to provide updates via our E-Newsletter,
Facebook page (@SocietyOfMary.Marists.USA) and Instagram
page (@smpublicationsusa).
New Principal Named at NDP
On July 1, 2021 Kimberly Anderson,
former vice principal of Notre
Dame Preparatory School (NDP),
in Pontiac, Michigan was named
principal of the Preparatory School.
Kimberly first came to Notre Dame
Prep as a teacher in 1997 and since
then has served as a Spanish teacher,
department chair, assistant principal
of attendance and discipline,
ISACS steering committee member, senior class moderator,
Spanish Honor Society moderator and IB Diploma Program
coordinator.
According to Andy Guest, Head of School, “Kim brings an
extraordinary amount of academic and educational leadership
experience to the principal position and understands the
culture of our school. … Kim has … distinguished herself this
past year in helping ensure smooth operations during the
pandemic.”
“I am so grateful and blessed to be given the opportunity to
work as principal of this great school,” said Kimberly.
(Source: IRISH, Spring/Summer 2021)
Volume 6 | Issue 3 25

MARIST LIVES
REV. ELLIS L. DePRIEST, JR., SM
From a Childhood Ministry
to a Life in Liturgy
by Susan J. Illis, Archivist, Archives of the Society of Mary, US Province
Although his surname might suggest
that Ellis DePriest was destined for
priesthood, his path to religious life was
not so direct as his name would imply.
Ellis Louis DePriest, Jr. was born on
October 23, 1926 in Jackson, Mississippi
to Baptist parents. His mother died when
he was young and his father remarried
a Catholic woman. Ellis told the story
of visiting an aunt who took him to a
Catholic Mass. He was captivated by the
sacred liturgy. His aunt was disturbed by
this and afraid that it would anger Ellis’
father who was not so enamored with
Catholicism to put it mildly.
After this experience Ellis wanted to
become Catholic and eventually a
priest even though he was a child at
that time. He was an intelligent child
who knew how he was going to get
to that liturgy that he felt such love
for. Although Ellis’s Baptist father
vehemently opposed his son’s plans,
at the age of 13 Ellis converted to
Catholicism and was baptized in the
Catholic church on May 13, 1939. By
the age of 14 Ellis was determined to
begin studies for the priesthood despite
his father’s opposition. His pastor, an
alumnus of Notre Dame Seminary in
New Orleans, Louisiana contacted the
seminary about the matter. Rev. Michael
J. Larkin, SM (1893-1988), then rector at
Notre Dame, traveled from New Orleans
to Alexandria, Louisiana where the
DePriest family had moved. Rev. Larkin
refused to leave until Ellis’s father agreed
to allow his son to complete his high
school education at St. Mary’s Manor, the
Marist minor seminary in Langhorne,
Pennsylvania. Although he promised
not to oppose his son’s vocation, Ellis’s
father declined to pay the requested
contribution for his tuition, a decision
that may have been driven by finances
rather than disapproval. Ellis went
off to the Manor and never returned
home till many years later. He lived at
the seminary even through summer
vacation time
At St. Mary’s Manor, Ellis’s academic
achievements attracted the notice
of his classmates, who wrote in the
October-November 1942 issue of The
Manorite: “There’s a lad who can start,
continue, and finish a deep discussion
on education any time of the day or
week.” By his fourth year, he served
as Prefect and when he left St. Mary’s
Manor in 1946, The Manorite noted: “He
devoted his spare moments to the organ,
and through the years has become quite
accomplished in that line.” His musical
skills may have been understated as
his later career will attest. His love for
the Liturgy of the Mass continued and
he learned to love Gregorian chant, the
ancient music of the Catholic Mass.
Ellis DePriest was professed in the
Society of Mary on September 8, 1947
and ordained by Bishop Michael Keyes,
SM on February 1, 1953. Throughout
his career, which included parish work,
teaching and official positions with both
the Society of Mary and the archdioceses
where he served, his two passions were
music and liturgy. He earned a master’s
degree in music from Catholic University
of America in Washington, DC in 1956
and in 1971 earned a masters in liturgy
from there.
While he was initially drawn to the
beauty and majesty of the celebration
of the Mass, Fr. DePriest endeavored to
make it more accessible to everyone,
including himself. As early as 1964 he
wrote to his provincial, Very Rev. Charles
J. Willis, SM (1911-1996), requesting
permission to say the breviary in
English, stating, “I feel the vernacular
will better increase my devotion to the
official prayer of the church.”
Ellis holding a palm at the Ruthenian Rite Liturgy
Fr. DePriest was appointed Rector/
Superior of Marist Major Seminary
in Washington, DC from 1967-1974.
He taught Liturgy and music at the
Marist Seminary and led the Marist
College choir at the nationally televised
Midnight Mass on Christmas for some
years at the Basilica of the National
Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in
Washington.
In 1974, Fr. DePriest returned to
Louisiana, where he would spend much
of the rest of his career and life. He
was appointed Rector of Notre Dame
Seminary in New Orleans in 1976. At
Notre Dame he taught Liturgy and
music.
While Rector of Notre Dame, Archbishop
Philip M. Hannan of New Orleans gave
26 Today’s Marists Magazine

DONOR THOUGHTS
Why I Support the Marists
by Arthur Deegan
As a former Marist seminarian, I am very aware of the
mission, special spirit and countless ministries and good
works provided by the Marist Fathers and Brothers
(The Marists). I personally owe the Society of Mary
a tremendous debt for the education and spiritual
formation provided to me. Supporting the Marists in
their work of spreading the story about the life of Jesus
is my one way of repaying that debt.
I know the Marists are committed to living a life of
holiness while leading others to sanctity. Over the years,
I have come to know many of the Marists personally. I have
witnessed their zeal and self-sacrifice in fulfilling their vows.
The least I can do is share some of my good fortune in support of
their work. I encourage all readers to help support the Marists, but also, in the words
of Mother Teresa, to help raise funds of love, joy and harmony to bring peace to our
poor world.
The Marists have taught me to put everything in the hands of Mary who will lead me
directly to Jesus, her Son. What a lesson this is!
Postscript: The Marists received the sad news that Mr. Deegan’s beloved wife,
Patricia, of 64 years passed away. We extend our sincere sympathies and prayers to
Mr. Deegan and his family.
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MARIST LIVES, continued from page 26
permission for the Byzantine Liturgy to be celebrated at Notre Dame Seminary to
educate the seminarians. A monthly Mass for local Byzantine Catholics was also
added. In 1978, special faculties to celebrate in the Byzantine rite by the Vatican
while also continuing to celebrate in the Roman rite. This was unusual becoming
bi-ritual in the two rites. These monthly liturgies gradually became weekly. Through
these liturgies Fr. DePriest ended up deeply loved and treasured by a Byzantine
community in New Orleans and also close to the heart of their Bishop in Ohio. He
maintained his bi-ritual faculties until his last years as his health failed. He became
equally enamored of the ancient Byzantine rite as he had of the Roman rite as a
child.
For much of his time in New Orleans, he served as the director the Office of Worship
for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, while continuing to say Mass for the Ruthenian
Byzantine Catholic Community. After a brief illness, Fr. DePriest died on February 6,
2009. Most Rev. Basil Schott, O.F.M., the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Ruthenian
rite in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania presided over the elaborate Byzantine wake service
for DePriest. The following day a funeral Mass was celebrated by the Society of Mary
at Ellis’s beloved Holy Name of Mary Church in Algiers/New Orleans where for many
years he had been pastor. At the wake service Ellis’s brother shared that in those
earliest years of fascination with the Catholic liturgy, Ellis used to plan elaborate
funerals for birds that had died. They say that people with the happiest lives are
those that live out the dreams of their childhood in their adult life. It is no wonder
that Ellis DePriest, SM, had such a happy and passionate life.
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28 Today’s Marists Magazine