Today's Marists 2025 Volume 9, Issue 1

Today’s
2025 | Volume 9 | Issue 1
Marists
Society of Mary in the U.S.

Today’s
Marists
2025 | Volume 9 | Issue 1
Publisher
Editor
Editorial Assistants
Archivist
Editorial Board
Joseph Hindelang, SM, Provincial
Ted Keating, SM
Elizabeth Ann Flens Avila
Communications Coordinator
Denise D’Amico
Randy Hoover, SM
Susan Plews, SSND
Susan Illis
Ted Keating, SM, Editor
Michael Coveny
Joseph Hindelang, SM
Randy Hoover, SM
Mike Kelly
Bishop Joel Konzen, SM
Bev McDonald
Ben McKenna, SM
Elizabeth Piper
Jack Ridout
Nik Rodewald
Bill Rowland, SM
Linda Sevcik, SM
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Today’s Marists Magazine
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In this issue...
3 from the Provincial
by Joseph Hindelang, SM
4 The Marian Church: Hope in a Time of Necropolitics
by Nik Rodewald
5 Atlantic Hospitality: A Mission for and With Migrants
by Youssouph Stev Youm, SM
Society of Mary of the USA
6 The Deep-Rooted Interest in Migrants of the Catholic
Bishops of the United States
by Ted Keating, SM
9 The American Missions & the Early Marists: A
Pre-history of the U.S. Provinces
by Alois Greiler, SM
14 A Marist School 30 th Anniversary Reflection Where
HOPE Became Reality
by Andy Guest
16 Marist School Launches Bearing Witness Institute
by Marist School Communications and Brendan Murphy
18 Instruments of Healing: The Marist Lourdes Ministry
Finds a Home at Marist School
by Marianne Ravry McDevitt
19 A Jubilee Year for Turning Debt into Hope
by Ted Keating, SM
20 The “Work of Mary” Living Hope
by Karen Kotara
22 Marist Spiritualtiy in Today’s Chaotic World
by Jan Hulshof, SM
23 A Reflection of a Marist Experience at the
U.S. Southern Border
by Joseph McLaughlin, SM
24 Mary’s Faith and Ours
by Jack Ridout
25 News Briefs
26 Marist Lives: Rev. Elphege Godin, SM
by Susan J. Illis
27 Obituary
Marist Center of the West
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2 Today’s Marists Magazine

from the Provincial
Rev. Joseph Hindelang, SM
May Hope Fill Your Heart
Since the year 1300 AD, popes have declared jubilees every 25
years. Following that tradition, Pope Francis has declared 2025
a Jubilee Year with the theme, Pilgrims of Hope. We have chosen
that as the theme of this issue of Today’s Marists. It is a happy
coincidence that the Today’s Marists magazine is also celebrating
a major anniversary – 25 years of bringing the good news of Jesus
Christ to friends of the Society of Mary, from a Marist point of
view.
A jubilee is a significant anniversary. During jubilee years in
the Church, popes have invited Christians to reflect on our
pilgrimage through life, toward the God who created us, saves us
and lives among us. We can do this through prayer, but it is also
important to remember that others are on this same pilgrimage
with us, through their own lives. Sometimes the Church refers
to itself as the People of God, not because we see ourselves as
special, but because we want to grow in friendship with God on
our pilgrimage.
Throughout salvation history, God, who loves all people and all
of creation, shows special concern for those in need. As friends of
God, we are also called to put our belief into action for people who
are poor, suffering, struggling, unborn, migrants, bullied, elderly,
young, lonely, lost – anyone who feels less than a beloved child
of God. If we can do anything for people in need, no matter how
small, that is where God calls us.
The Marists invite our friends and readers of this publication to
join with us and the whole Church as Pilgrims of Hope. If we look
at the world around us and our own lives, we know that things
do not always go well or easily for us and for others. But as people
who believe in the good news of Jesus, we can have a deep sense
of hope, which Pope Francis refers to as a desire and expectation of
good things to come in this life and in the life to come.
I recently came across a quote by an Australian musician and
writer named Nick Cave who writes honestly about the challenges
of being a hopeful person:
Unlike cynicism, hopefulness is hard-earned, makes
demands upon us, and can often feel like the most
indefensible and lonely place on Earth. Hopefulness is
not a neutral position either. It is adversarial. It is the
warrior emotion that can lay waste to cynicism with
each redemptive or loving act, as small as it may be.
Like faith and love, living in hope is a challenge for friends of Jesus
Christ. I think that hope, like all the things that add meaning and
purpose to our lives, is only acquired with effort. On behalf of
the Marists, I assure you of our prayers and companionship, as
we join the worldwide Church on a Pilgrimage of Hope. I think
you will find articles in this issue of Today’s Marists that will be
interesting and challenging as we move through this Jubilee Year
declared by Pope Francis.
May HOPE fill your heart.
Cover Explanation
The cover of this issue displays the official logo for the 2025 Jubilee Year. The logo shows four stylized figures, representing all of humanity, coming from the
four corners of the earth. They embrace each other to indicate the solidarity and fraternity which should unite all peoples. The explanation of the logo can be
found at: .iubilaeum2025.va/en/giubileo-2025/logo.html
Volume 9 | Issue 1 3

The Marian Church:
Hope in a Time of Necropolitics
by Nik Rodewald, Today’s Marists Editorial Board Member
Cameroonian political theorist Achille Mbembe describes the
contemporary world as dominated by “necropolitics,” by
which he means uses of power that create “deathworlds,”
not only through killing, but also through
establishing “living conditions that confer …
the status of the living dead” on its victims.
It is not difficult to see what Mbembe
means. As I write this, Russia’s full-scale
invasion of Ukraine is estimated to be
responsible for over 1,000,000 deaths,
both military and civilian. On October
7, 2023, Hamas launched attacks
on Israel, killing over 1,200 people
- viewed by many as the deadliest
day for the Jewish people since the
Holocaust. The subsequent Israeli
invasion of Gaza has resulted in
the displacement of 1.9 million
Palestinians and the death of
nearly 48,000 people, including
18,000 children. On the climate
front, 2024 was the hottest year
on record as the world surpassed
1.5ºC of warming. As this warming
exacerbates existential threats
to millions in the global South,
the global North is not without its
own consequences, including the
recent wildfires in Los Angeles. The
United States is currently carrying
out mass deportations, with those
deported often being denied basic
human rights. Some migrants were
initially deported to Guantánamo Bay in
Cuba, an American facility synonymous
with torture. Videos of others, deprived of
due process and deported to El Salvador, show
shackled migrants having their heads shaved
as they are forced into prison cells. Meanwhile,
the current administration’s de-funding of the United
States Agency for International Development (USAID) has
crippled efforts across the globe to establish food security and
clean drinking water, among other basic necessities of life for
the world’s poor. All the while, military budgets increase and tax
breaks benefit the wealthiest members of society. Lives of luxury
increase as necropolitics forces more of the world’s population
into death-worlds. What does Christian hope have to say in this
time of necropolitics?
In Spes Non Confundit, the papal bull announcing the 2025
Jubilee Year, Pope Francis acknowledges that Christians today
may have “conflicting feelings” (#1). Who among us is not
conflicted when thinking of the future? Who among us does not
need a renewal of hope within our hearts? Yet Christian hope
does not mean unseeing the necropolitics that dominates our
world. Nor can Christian hope ever mean, in the words
of the Ukrainian-American poet Ilya Kaminsky, that
“in the street of money in the city of money in the
country of money, our great country of money,
we (forgive us) lived happily during the war.”
(We Lived Happily During the War) Rather,
Christian hope in a time of necropolitics
is a dynamic striving between eschaton
and apocalypse, a striving for what those
of us who walk the Marist Way call the
Marian Church.
As Pope Francis reminds us, “hope
is born of love and based on the love
springing from the pierced heart
of Jesus upon the cross” (Spes Non
Confundit,3). St. Paul powerfully
affirms the reality of this love when
he writes,
Who will separate us from the love
of Christ? Hardship, or distress,
or persecution, or famine, or
nakedness, or peril or the sword? No,
in all these things we are more than
conquerors through him who loved
us. For I am convinced that neither
death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers,
nor things present, nor things to come,
nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor
anything else in all creation, will be able
to separate us from the love of God in
Christ Jesus our Lord.(Romans 8:35, 37-39)
Whatever power the necropolitics of the world
may exert over me, however much the horrors
of violence may destroy my life, Christian hope
patiently and stubbornly insists that Christ’s death
and resurrection will have the last word. Christian hope
is eschatological - it is rooted in a confidence that, at the end
of time, Christ’s resurrection conquers death, destruction, and
suffering. Yet, when abstracted from attention to the concrete
suffering of the world, this eschatological certainty becomes a
naïve optimism masquerading as Christian hope.
Avoiding naïve optimism means tempering the eschatological
with the apocalyptic, that is, the incarnation of hope within the
concrete reality of suffering. For Pope Francis, Mary becomes
an icon of this apocalyptic hope: “at the foot of the cross, [Mary]
witnessed the passion and death of Jesus, her innocent son.
Overwhelmed by grief, she nonetheless renewed her ‘fiat,’ never
abandoning her hope and trust in God” (Spes Non Confundit,
continued on page 7
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4 Today’s Marists Magazine

Atlantic Hospitality:
A Mission for and With Migrants
by Youssouph Stev Youm, SM, Director of Complexe Scolaire des pères Maristes, Dakar Senegal
I am Father Youssouph Stev Youm, a member of the Society of
Marycurrently on mission in Senegal as the Director of Complexe
Scolaire des pères Maristes, a private Catholic school in the suburbs
of Dakar that was founded in 2011 and which the Marists have
been operating since 2017. The mission of this school is to provide
young people in this area with the same quality of education as
those in the city, and also to create employment opportunities. It
is an ongoing project that integrates many aspects of education
and pastoral work with youth, including topics of migration –
specifically migration so that well-supervised youth will not think
of risking their lives on the Atlantic route - the migratory route used
to reach Europe from the African continent via the Canary Islands.
Personally, I have a particular interest in
the suffering of humanity, more precisely
migrants. My interest arose in 2017 during
a pastoral placement in Ireland with the
community of l’Arche. This is what led
me to publish a book on the issue and
pastoral care of migration entitled Who
is my Neighbor? (Lk 10 :25-37). A Biblical
Paradigm for Pastoral Management of the
Migration Crisis.
In my book I examine the parable of
the Good Samaritan from different
perspectives such as Christological, existential and pastoral with a
Marist understanding. I then address the migratory phenomenon
with its apparent and hidden causes by considering the trafficking
behind a fairly manipulated policy and the theological scope
of migration and its anthropological aspects. A final part of the
book consists of considering other perspectives and proposals for
solutions and migratory pastoral care.
My interest in promoting a dignified life for the most vulnerable
increasingly guides me in my work with migratory pastoral
care to reflect concretely on the care for these people who risk
their lives in order to find a better future. It is in this same vein
that, on May 6, 2024, I received a call from the members of the
Vatican Dicastery for Integral Human Development to be part of a
network of reflection and work in favor of migrants called “Atlantic
Hospitality.”
The Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development
(DSDHI) supports the “Atlantic Hospitality” project which consists
continued on page 8
Map of the Atlantic route
Volume 9 | Issue 1 5

The Deep-Rooted Interest in Migrants of
the Catholic Bishops of the United States
by Ted Keating, SM
Dating back to the early 20th century, the Catholic Bishops of the
United States have had a deep-rooted interest in migrants. At that
time, the majority of migrants to the U.S. were European Catholics,
a group to whom the bishops naturally felt a special connection
and were keen to assist in their transition to the U.S.
This interest intensified as the assemblies of the bishops became
a more organized from their first established council (National
Catholic War Council) that focused on the issues of World War
I in 1917, to a later more institutionalized council established
in 1919, the National Catholic Welfare Council (NCWC). The
NCWC was a highly organized body with a stable secretariat
and staff. The famous Monsignor John A. Ryan, with his work
rooted in the Catholic Church’s social teaching, was central to
NCWC’s functioning and served as the head of NCWC’s Social
Action Department. A key issue, of course, was the treatment of
immigrants and refugees, and the protection of their human dignity
in the U.S. U.S. law by then had guaranteed respect for several
rights of immigrants once they had crossed the U.S. border into the
country.
During World War II, ships filled with Jewish people fleeing the
horror of the Holocaust had sailed from nation to nation seeking
entry into safe harbors and were turned away. The U.S. along with
Cuba and Canada had turned away passengers on the M.S. St. Louis
who were seeking asylum (protection from the violent situation in
Germany). Ultimately twenty-four days after the M.S. St. Louis had
departed Europe it was forced to return.
World War II was about to end in 1945, with the European nations
in ruins and the world wanting peace. Representatives of 50
countries gathered to draft and then sign the UN Charter which
officially created the United Nations. It was hoped that this would
prevent another world war like the one they had just lived through.
While most of the international laws established by the UN at
that time still stand today. A treaty on the treatment of asylum/
refugees fleeing persecution under the threat of violence or death
was granted to them by right. They would enter the county and
prove in some fashion the truth of their fears. This treaty still exists
today, but the U.S. would not sign it. It lay ignored before the U.S.
Congress for almost thirty years until Jimmy Carter’s presidency.
His firm interests in Human Rights Law are well known throughout
the world. He worked out a compromise whereby the U.S. would
not sign the Treaty but would draft the very same provisions into
U.S. law. Since that act, the U.S. has consistently applied the rights
to asylum seekers ever.
In my years of pastoring at a parish in New Orleans with a
significant Guatemalan population, I worked with a team of lawyers
in an ecumenical law firm funded mainly by the great Archbishop
Hannan, who was deeply sensitive to these issues. In one case, we
were working with a clearly tortured labor organizer with scars
all over his body. He was a member of a union working for the
protection of Guatemalan campesinos (farmers), protecting them
from the violence and cruelty of the government and the ranchers.
Jewish refugees stand on the deck of the MS St. Louis as the ship arrives in
Antwerp in June 1939, returning to Europe after its passengers were not allowed
to disembark. (Credit: US Holocaust Memorial Museum, courtesy of Bibliotheque
Historique de la Ville de Paris)
It was also at the times of the Central American wars. His case was
proven quickly at trial, and we were moving toward his final status
when his relatives called us to say that he was suddenly missing
from the immigration facility, and they were very worried. The
facility told us that he had been accidentally deported - put on a
plane to Guatemala City. We knew by past practice that he would
be pulled out of the line from the aircraft on arrival and “disappear.”
We dashed over to the Federal courthouse on a Habeas Corpus,
and the judge was shocked at the behavior and understood the
dangers. He called the FAA and ordered them to find the plane,
turn it around, and return the man to the airport and bring him to
the judge. The pilot was found, and he said he was no longer in U.S.
airspace so he would continue to Guatemala. The judge ordered
the immigration authorities to send two investigators to the court,
and he ordered them to go to Guatemala immediately and find the
gentleman and bring him back. As we expected, they could not find
him and they returned to a furious judge empty-handed.
I share this story to underscore the critical, life-and-death issues
in which the U.S. Bishops are deeply involved, often overlooked
in our political dialogues. The bishops’ work primarily focuses
on refugees who have pled their cases to the Immigration Courts
and succeeded in obtaining visas in the U.S. The bishops are not
harboring undocumented immigrants but refugees that the U.S. has
already accepted. They found ways to settle the large numbers of
refugees from the Vietnam War, from Africa in the 1980s, and they
still work with current refugees today. The bishops are paid a fee for
this work that often does not cover the costs of “resettling” these
refugees around the country.
The U.S. Bishops do engage in lobbying and publicly raising
their voices over the treatment of immigrants who have entered
continued on page 7
6 Today’s Marists Magazine

The Deep Rooted Interest continued from page 6 The Marian Church, continued from page 4
the country, the vast majority who have never committed a
crime within the U.S. borders as guaranteed by U.S. law. Most
undocumented immigrants are not and have not been breaking any
U.S. criminal laws during their time here. They are not “illegals.” It
has been settled in U.S. law that undocumented immigrants, at best,
may be in some civil violation like a traffic ticket, but they are not
breaking any criminal laws even if they are undocumented. These
undocumented immigrants pay taxes and social security where
they work but may never receive the benefits of these payments.
They are employed by eager companies and enterprises, and
they are part of their neighborhoods and churches. A very small
number do commit crimes and need to held accountable for it.
If an undocumented immigrant is discovered they will often be
deported. It is the risk that they have taken, but they are not illegals.
They are put on a plane and sent back to their country.
Politicians often deliberately use the complexities of these issues to
put all immigrants into one category for political purposes - criminals
and violators of U.S. law. Many refugees are in status with the U.S.
government; many undocumented immigrants are not violating a
law; and there is a small percentage of criminal immigrants who have
to face the consequences with the government for their criminal
actions. They are not all the same. The current consensus of U.S.
citizens is that the recent massive deporting procedures should only
be directed to immigrants who have been shown to have committed
a crime. That is not what is happening.
24). Mary is an icon of hope, not because she turns her eyes away
from necropolitics or because she lives happily during the war,
but because she follows her son to the foot of the cross and there,
in the crucible of grief, dares to proclaim that death will not have
the last word. Rather than abstracting suffering through a grand,
eschatological narrative of a new heaven and a new earth, Mary
chose to stand in the place of pain and proclaim that there, in that
moment and in that place, hope was to be found.
Walking in Mary’s footsteps - as the Marist Way calls us to - thus
entails a pilgrimage into the heart of necropolitics. Pope Francis
reminds us that, during this year “we are called to be tangible
signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience
hardships of any kind” (Spes Non Confundit, 10). This is a concrete
call: to work for peace (Spes Non Confundit , 8), to advocate for
better conditions in our prisons (Spes Non Confundit, 10), to visit
the sick, lonely, and elderly (Spes Non Confundit, 11), to refuse to
let the hopes and dreams of the young die (Spes Non Confundit,
12), to welcome migrants, exiles, displaced persons, and refugees
(Spes Non Confundit, 13), and to “commit ourselves to remedying
the remote causes of injustice, settling unjust and unpayable
debts and feeding the hungry” (Spes Non Confundit, 16). In other
words, a pilgrimage of hope requires apocalyptic action, taking
concrete steps to incarnate justice in our world, in a way that
entails “enthusiasm for life and a readiness to share it” (Spes Non
Confundit , 9).
(Credit: Daily Caller News Foundation, February 7, 2025)
The U.S. Bishops are to be praised for a century of protection of
immigrants, especially refugees. They are losing money because
of their contracts with the government for serving the needs of so
many refugees, as defined by the government. The bishops have
never lobbied for opening our borders to all and prefer orderly
and respectful ways of dealing with those who come to the border
as established by the government. They bring to their challenges
the most basic principles of Catholic Social Teaching: a profound
respect for the dignity of every human being. They see Jesus on the
face of every immigrant coming into the country, and they hope for
a society where everyone can see that. “Do not mistreat an alien or
oppress him, for you were aliens in Egypt. You shall not oppress an
alien, for you know the heart of an alien, seeing you were aliens in
the land of Egypt” (Exodus 23:9)
Editor’s note: Since the writing of this article the U.S. Bishops have
had to rescind their multi-decade resettlement agreements with the
U.S. government because of the government’s cancellation of grants
for resettlement and its refusal to renew the cooperative agreements.
The government has also decided on a ban on the entry of any
refugees based on the declaration of a state of emergency. It is under
review in the Federal courts.
Through this pilgrimage of hope, Marist life can offer a unique
response to the problem of necropolitics: the creation of a
Marian Church. As Achille Mbembe points out, the problem of
necropolitics is not exclusively the sub-human conditions that it
creates, but also that it renders us so overwhelmed by the burdens
of suffering that we question our connection to other human
beings. The Marian Church, born in the crucible of suffering,
offers an apocalyptic hope that our attention to suffering can
incarnate a new way of living. For Jean-Claude Colin, founder
of the Society of Mary, the Marists were to “begin again a new
Church,” but in a Marian fashion, the heart of a mother beating at
its center. As Justin Taylor, SM notes, this implies that the Society
of Mary - and thus the whole Marist project - “is meant to be, in
miniature, the model of the ‘new Church’ and, at least potentially,
of a new human society.” To stand in the place of suffering and
proclaim that God meets us there is to model, in the here and now,
a new way of living, the way of justice, peace and mercy that will
mark the end of time. Yet, in modeling this eschatological vision,
something remarkable happens: living according to the logic of
the Marian Church creates a fissure in the necropolitical order.
Perhaps only in a small way and for a brief moment, it creates
an apocalyptic inbreaking of hope in the midst of suffering and
pain. The Marian Church is thus a dynamism of eschaton and
apocalypse: rooted in eschatological confidence, it becomes the
place that incarnates hope in the midst of suffering.
As we embark on the 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, perhaps our
pilgrimage is one to our Marist roots. May we rediscover, during
this year, what it means to live within that dynamic tension of
eschaton and apocalypse that we call the Marian Church.
Volume 9 | Issue 1 7

“The three objectives of the Atlantic
Hospitality project are: to provide
accurate information,... save
lives... and to work in a network....”
Atlantic Hospitality, continued from page 5
of an ecclesial network formed by 10 countries and 32 dioceses
of Africa and Spain to promote and coordinate the protection of
migrants. The project is promoted by the Migration Commission
of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE), a representation of
the African dioceses and the Africa-Europe Network for Human
Mobility (RAEMH). As stated on the project website, “The three
objectives of the Atlantic Hospitality project are: to provide
accurate information, both in the countries of origin and transit,
about the dangers of the route, legal difficulties in Europe, as well
as their rights at the border; to save lives, as it seeks to facilitate
access to safe spaces for the comprehensive care of migrants in
transit; and to work in a network, as it promotes communication
between development projects in dioceses and countries.” More
information about the network can be found on the Dicastery
website (bit.ly/3FyJ29n).
My role, which is voluntary, is to be the Dicastery’s relay and
coordinator in Africa. My responsibilities include collecting
data from the various African countries; participating in online
meetings; making reports; and corresponding with the various
coordinators of the dioceses, who are responsible for working with
migrants, about how to help this vulnerable sector of society as
much as possible.
This work requires a lot of organization and communication
between the Dicastery and the diocesan leaders in charge of
migration. The first step taken was to create a document, the
Atlantic Hospitality Guide (bit.ly/425CaJr), for migrants who
choose the Atlantic route. This publication offers reliable resources
and a pastoral point of reference in their journey. There is no
question of promoting irregular migration, but rather of not
abandoning these people who have risked everything to seek a
better life. The objective of the “Atlantic Hospitality” project is to be
able to provide information, save lives and work in a network in an
ecclesial dynamic that respects human dignity.
Members of the “Atlantic Hospitality” project will have a meeting
in May in Dakar, Senegal, which will occur on the sidelines of
the meeting of the bishops of West Africa in order to make this
project known to the participants and also to get in touch with the
respondents from the different dioceses. This is a meeting of great
importance that will bring together all the countries involved with
at least 30 project participants.
I find this work, that allows me to be either in contact with migrants
or to think about how to impact society with real support, quite
satisfying. It is not a question of taking this as a glory but rather as
an accomplishment in the sense that God’s will is realized through
our humble services. I sincerely hope that these small gestures will
have impacts that would give a better life to some desperate people.
Fr. Youssouph Stev Youm, SM
8 Today’s Marists Magazine

The American Missions & the Early Marists:
A Pre-history of the
U.S. Provinces
by Alois Greiler, SM, Passau, Germany
Introduction
In 1803, the United States of America purchased Louisiana from
France. That same year marked the birth of Peter Chanel, who
later wanted to become a missionary in Louisiana or elsewhere
in the North American missions, as they were called. Sixty years
later, in 1863, the first Marists, Fathers Bellanger and Gautherin,
landed in Louisiana.
This article focuses on the sixty intervening years and attempts
to provide a short prehistory of the Marist presence in the USA.
During those years, several contacts between North America and
the Society of Mary in France occurred, finally leading to the first
ministry in St. Michael’s parish in Convent, Louisiana near New
Orleans.
With the arrival of the two Marists, the seed was sown. It
developed into significant provinces of the Society of Mary
with essential works, support for Oceania and other missions, a
tentative foundation in Colombia and work in the academic field,
in Marist research, and also on the international administrative
level of research in the worldwide Society.
These traces of prehistory do not necessarily anticipate later
events but indicate that North America was topical for the early
Marists and that the Marists were topical in building the North
American Catholic Church.
From 1803-1836:
Marist aspirants and America
1803-1830: First contact
In the 19th century, Catholics in the USA were immigrants and,
overall, a majority of Caucasians. By 1820, Catholics were about
2% of the population; by 1860, this had risen to about 8%. At the
beginning of the century, Catholics were mainly in the North,
Northeast and Southeast. Two-thirds of the bishops came from
abroad. The same was true for many of the clergy and religious. In
1808, the first diocese in the Midwest was founded in Bardstown,
Kentucky. Others followed with the growth of the United States.
On October 4, 1829, the Catholic Provincial Council of bishops in
Baltimore sought to consolidate diocesan structures in the USA.
The year 1803 is our starting point for this Marist pre-history. The
Louisiana Purchase covered a territory of 2.144.476 km. Napoleon
sold it for 15 Million U.S. dollars or 80 Million French Francs (7
US dollars per km²). The deal was signed on April 30, 1803. Today,
this would amount to something like 233 Million U.S. dollars or
110 Dollars per km2. The territory was the former French colony
West of the Mississippi River, including the state of Louisiana and
parts of modern Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Oklahoma, Kansas,
Nebraska and South Dakota, as well as parts of Minnesota, North
Fathers Henri Bellanger, SM and Joseph Gautherin, SM
were the first Marist priests to arrive in America
Dakota, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and
even further, small parts of the Canadian provinces of Manitoba,
Saskatchewan and Alberta. The U.S. territory doubled in size!
The same year, on July 12, 1803, St. Peter Chanel was born in
France. He joined the minor seminary in Meximieux, France.
The director, Matthias Loras, impressed the young Chanel and
his friends Claude Bret and Denis Maîtrepierre to the point of
considering a missionary life in North America, as Loras had
experienced. In France, the missions were known through French
priests and religious who had gone to the U.S. and as reported in
the L’ami de la religion (founded in 1814). On November 1, 1829,
Abbé Loras embarked at Le Havre for the Louisiana mission,
arriving on the 22nd of December. He later became bishop of
Dubuque, Iowa. Later, Peter Chanel said that when he celebrated
his first Communion on March 23, 1817, he had decided to be
a missionary, possibly in America. He repeated this to Brother
Marie-Nizier on Futuna when they were assigned there together.
Chanel was ordained in 1827 for the Diocese of Belley in France
by Bishop Devie. On January 23, 1831, Jean-Claude Colin wrote
to Marcellin Champagnat, ‘Several excellent subjects are seeking
admission.’ They included Peter Chanel. Chanel signed the Marist
Consecrations at the retreat of 1831 and became director of Belley
College in 1832. His missionary destination depended now on the
fate of the Marist aspirants. His case shows that this group was
already open to foreign missions before the Pope sent them to
Western Oceania.
Meanwhile, another link with the North American mission was
established in Lyon, France. Bishop Louis-Guillaume Dubourg,
the new Bishop of New Orleans, Louisiana, a Frenchman, had
presented his issues in Rome and on his way back, stopped
in Lyon in 1815. At the time, the See of Lyon was disputed –
Cardinal Fesch, uncle of Napoleon, was in exile in Rome but
had not resigned, and no successor had yet been appointed.
Volume 9 | Issue 1 9

Original St. Michael’s Parish in
Convent, Louisiana
Much influence lay with the acting vicars general of the diocese.
Dubourg became friendly with Jean Cholleton, a future Marist.
In Lyon, Dubourg sought support for his Louisiana mission, and
Cholleton, Madame Petit, a friend of Dubourg from the U.S., and
others organized a campaign to help. Owing much to Pauline
Jaricot and Cholleton, it evolved into the Association for the
Propagation of the Faith, founded in Lyon on May 3, 1822. On
September 18, 1829, the Pope issued a letter commending the
Lyon-based missionary-support organization to all Catholics. This
organization will finance the future Marist missions in Oceania.
Colleton was made honorary vicar general of New Orleans by
Dubourg in reward for the help he received in 1815.
At the time, Colleton also accompanied the aspirants for the
Fourvière-Pledge in the major seminary. After papal approbation
of the Society in 1836, he was Colin’s candidate as Superior
General. In 1840, Colleton joined the Society of Mary, led by his
former seminarians.
With a bishop in Lyon, priestly ordinations could now be carried
out. On July 22, 1816, Colin, Champagnat, Terraillon, Déclas, and
others were ordained by Bishop Dubourg, then bishop of St. Louis,
Missouri in the U.S. and later of New Orleans.
This visit made North America a topic of significant interest
in the seminary during the early Marists’ years. In the major
seminary and during his first appointment as a priest in Cerdon,
Jean-Claude Colin intensely read the work of Mary of Agreda, The
Mystical City of God. One of the stories about Mary of Agreda was
her bi-location to work for the conversion of the natives in North
America — in the middle of the 16th century!
On July 23, 1816, twelve young men, some ordained, others not,
climbed the steps to the sanctuary of Fourvière and promised
to begin a Society of Mary. One of those who took the Fourvière-
Pledge was Philippe Janvier (1792-1866). Janvier did not become
a Marist. By the end of 1817, he had arrived in Louisiana, Detroit,
Michigan in 1819, and Donaldsonville, Louisiana in 1823. In
1826, Janvier returned to France for health reasons and became
chaplain at the Fourvière hospital. Later, he worked in parishes.
He had contact with Champagnat, the Founder of the Marist
Brothers, and the other Marists in Saint-Chamond.
In the early 1800’s, Champagnat encountered some difficulties.
Local clergy criticized him for his work with the Marist Brothers.
His first biographer writes, “To rescue it from the persecutions
which threatened its ruin, he thought of asking to be sent to
the American missions.” Champagnat also received a request
from the USA for brothers in 1825. Thank God he persevered in
founding the Marist Brothers.
Among the crisis points at the Hermitage was the presence of
Jean-Claude Courveille (1787-1866), leader of the Fourvière group.
He left the Marist scene in 1829. Much later, people were asking
where he had gone. An oral tradition with the Marist Teaching
Brothers existed that he had gone to America. This was not true.
After staying in varying dioceses, Courveille became a monk of
the re-established abbey of Solesmes in France in 1836, the same
year Colin was elected Superior General of the Society of Mary.
1830-1836: From America to Oceania
In 1830, Colin was unofficially elected central superior of the
Marist aspirants before the Society was approved. The group had
only each of their respective diocesan status. Still, it allowed Colin
to work to establish the Society of Mary. In Belley College, he
gathered the Marist aspirants as staff members.
The intention of going to the North American missions was
to convert the native people, the “Red Indians.” Other French
congregations, like the St. Joseph Sisters, did go, but they often
found themselves ministering to the white immigrant population
from Europe instead.
On January 17, 1835, Colin wrote to Champagnat that Jacques
Fontbonne (1803-1886), another of the early aspirants, would go to
St. Louis, Missouri in the U.S. in January 1836. Chanel Fonbonne,
or Fontbonne (as sometimes written), was also born in the year
of the Louisiana Purchase. He would have joined the Oceania
team if the Marists had been approved earlier. On July 6, 1836,
Fontbonne recalled his Marist links and wrote from St. Louis to
ask for Marist Teaching Brothers for America. Rosati, bishop of
Saint-Louis asked him to come with some sisters of Saint Joseph.
In 1848, he was the parish priest in Saint-Martin, diocese of New
Orleans. Later, he returned to France for health reasons. A college
in St. Louis is named after him, Fontbonne College.
Other French priests and religious left for America in 1831.
Benoît Roux (1801-1865), a fellow seminarian of Jean-Baptiste
Pompallier, a Marist, and the first bishop of Western Oceania, left
for Louisiana. Roux, at some stage, had been a Marist aspirant. In
June 1831, he got permission to join Bishop Rosati in St. Louis. In
1848, he returned to France to serve as a parish priest. Babad, who
had been a missionary in the U.S. for some time and lived near the
Marist aspirants. gathered around Champagnat and Etienne Séon
at the Hermitage, the Marist Brothers central house.
Pompallier was asked to head a new mission territory, the
vicariate of Western Oceania. One of its borders was the Americas.
Valparaiso in Chile, South America, was to be a harbor to reach
the new vicariate on the long trip from France. That was the
‘Catholic route’ to the Pacific. The first mission band, Bishop
Pompallier, and the Marists, among them, Chanel and Bret, left
Le Havre. Here, we must recall that the Suez Canal opened only
in 1869 and the Panama Canal in 1914. The way to the Pacific
took a year, and it went to the other side of the globe, around
the Americas or later around the Cape of South Africa. The trip
around the south of South America through Cape Horn was a
dangerous passage, often ending in shipwrecks.
After much planning and negotiation with Rome, the Propaganda
Fide, the Vatican Council for the Missions, and the bishops in
France, the Society of Mary received papal approval on April
10 Today’s Marists Magazine

29, 1836. One of their tasks was to send missionaries to Western
Oceania, the youngest and furthest Catholic mission in the
Church at the time.
1836-1854:
During the Generalate of Father Colin
The Catholic Church in North America continued to grow,
creating the need for more personnel, institutions, and leadership
structures. By 1840, there were about 663,000 Catholics, which
corresponded to about 4% of the population. In 1852, the
Catholics were served by 1320 clergy. The bishops asked for more
clergy from Europe.
Among those asked was Jean-Claude Colin, Superior General
of the Society of Mary from 1836 to 1854. In 1836, he had taken
on the massive vicariate of Western Oceania and discovered
the Marists lacked enough men for this charge. During his
Generalate, Colin received many requests for new foundations,
including requests from Canada and the U.S. The massive Colin
biography by Jean Jeantin has very little on the contacts with
the U.S. during the generalate of Colin, only the request of 1844
to open a house in Panama. In Europe, Colin responded to a
proposal to open a house in London in 1850. Requests from
Ireland and Scotland, he had to answer in the negative. In Latin
America, Quito, Haiti, and Panama asked for Marists. In North
America, the dioceses of St. Paul, St. Louis, Dubuque, Galveston,
Toronto, Oregon City and others asked for Marists.
The most frequent and most urgent requests came from North
America. This had to do with personal relationships with local
bishops of French origin. In Toronto, Armand de Charbonnel,
a Sulpician, knew Colin. Charbonnel was in Lyon from 1826 to
1834. In 1839, he came to Montreal. In 1847, he returned to France
for health reasons and established a friendship with Colin. With
Charbonnel, Colin discussed the need for an apostolic visitation
in America, Oceania and everywhere. Both agreed. This would
strengthen the bonds with the Holy See, the Mother Church.
Charbonnel initially refused to become bishop of Toronto but
finally accepted in 1849. He asked Colin for priests. Colin seemed
to have made a promise to him. The Marists finally came to
Canada in 1929. They opened an Apostolic School in Sillery.
Besides contacts with bishops, there were other reasons to
consider America.
In 1838, Colin had asked for ships leaving Bordeaux to go to
Oceania via Valparaiso, Chile, and be willing to take Marist
missionaries on board. In 1839, Colin wrote to Nicolas Soult,
former general of Napoleon and then minister of war, listing the
difficulties of the Oceania mission. Initially, the natives were as
“tricky as the old Gauls in their forests.” Still later, the economic
advantage for France would be considerable, as it was now for
the English and the Americans to have started dealing with
these people. He could refer to their experience in the recent
New Zealand mission, where the Marist missionaries and Bishop
Pompallier had contact with English and American traders. The
same Pompallier was reminded by Denis Maîtrepierre, Colin’s
assistant, not to be too demanding regarding personnel and
money. The bishops in America struggled with the same difficulty.
In 1845, Colin returned to the economic advantage argument in
his exposé to finance the Société de l’Océanie. Missionaries on all
continents should receive material support.
This material support was ultimately due to the procurement
center for the Oceana missions in Sydney, Australia established
in 1845. But one of the coasts of the Americas had also been a
possible one. To Propagation de la Foi, in his report of 1846, Colin
mentions the costs of the vicariate, including sending things
from America or Sydney. Mail and travel were sometimes routed
through a country in South America. In 1837, the first group with
Bishop Pompallier stayed in Valparaiso, Chile. Pompallier hoped
for help from the French naval bases in the Americas. In 1842 and
1843, the missionaries mentioned passing through America and
proposed that America was the route to send mail. They did send
mail and luggage through America. In 1844, Chevron complained
to his family that his luggage was still there in the U.S.
In Oceania, Grange pondered the religious situation of the
different peoples, be it Oceania, Europe or other missions like
America. Fr. Comte also compared the mission work to different
peoples. For their work, they needed material help, and America
was a place to look for it:
“The strength of the missionaries is exhausted due
to lack of care, and it is impossible to obtain help
in Oceania for such a type of life. We must resort to
America; this suggests that a ship is essential for our
mission…” (Jean-Claude Colin)
Material help was gained through the tireless work of Auguste
Marceau (1806-1851), captain of the Arche d’Alliance, of the
Société de l’Océanie. From 1845, he sailed for four years, visiting
all Catholic mission stations in the Pacific and the Americas,
bringing support and undertaking trade. The revolution of 1848
and other causes finally led to the bankruptcy of this unique
commercial enterprise for the missions that Colin strongly
supported.
Fathers Montrouzier and Chevron showed scientific interest in
comparing the fruits and vegetables in different countries to
describe what they found in the Pacific Islands. Mondon did so
when landing briefly in Bahia, Brazil, on his journey out.
The U.S. was present in the Pacific with growing political
influence in trade and business. This was already seen in the early
days of Chanel and Marie-Nizier on Futuna. Father Mériais wrote
to Colin in 1849 from Futuna about Bishop Bataillon’s wishes.
One day, Bataillon hoped to send Oceanians to America or Rome
to learn how to work as printers. Printing presses, books and
pamphlets were most important for missionary work.
In France, Colin was aware of events in America through the
L’Ami de la Religion reporting, especially on news from French
bishops. In 1837, Bishop Forbin-Janson was the negotiator
during a rebellion of prisoners. In appointing a Marist as bishop
in Oceania, he had before his eyes the warning that bishops
in America sometimes had difficulties managing finances.
This was to be avoided, of course. While visiting the Marists
in the Angoulême region of France in 1839, Colin reflected on
evangelizing in this de-christianized area and used a note from
the work in America as an illustration. He wanted Marists to
evangelize without interest in financial reward. Father Petit, a
missionary, had written that in a particular place in America, it
was given to the Sacred Heart Picpus Fathers to baptize only the
poor – because of interest in money on the side of others. In Belley,
Mayet met Bishop Flaget of Bardstown, Kentucky, and Desgeorge,
a Chartreux missionary from Lyon. With Desgeorge, he talked
about the Society of Mary, foreign missions, home missions and
education as the central ministry. Along with Oceania, that was
the moment to take on other foreign missions.
Volume 9 | Issue 1 11

Jefferson College, Convent, Louisiana
In December 1846, Lagniet, assistant to Colin, writes about the
visit by Crétin, at the time vicar general of Dubuque, Iowa, and the
future bishop of St. Paul, Minnesota, asking for Marists because
of their needs in Iowa. Bishop Blanchet of Oregon even ‘threw
himself on his knees’ before Colin to plead for Marists for his
diocese.
In 1847, Bishop Loras, seminary director of Chanel and Bret, was
bishop of Dubuque, Iowa, and asked for Marists for his diocese.
In St. Paul, Minnesota, Bishop Crétin, a native of Belley, asked for
Marists. In 1886, Archbishop Ireland, a former pupil in Montbel,
entreated, and finally, Marists came to St. Paul. (A college in
Dubuque, Iowa, is named after Bishop Loras, the pioneer of the
Church in that area.) Bishop Kenrick of St. Louis and Bishop
Blanchet of Oregon City also asked for Marist priests.
In October 1848, Colin wrote to Father Morcel that he would
prefer a mission in Africa to one in America. But the Society is not
strong enough. In 1850, Father Poupinel wrote the report about
the money the Marists asked for from Propagation de la Foi, which
is a lot, ‘but little compared to what was spent over time for the
missions in Africa and America. And in Oceania, there are still
cannibals!’
America came into view again after the mission in New Caledonia
failed twice, and Bishop Douarre was willing to go there instead.
Colin mentioned this idea to Cardinal Fransoni, the head of
Propaganda Fide, in June 1850. The Cardinal was in charge of the
foreign missions:
A mission to America would smile on us. Several requests
have already come to us from various parts of this part of
the world. We had postponed them because the missions
of Oceania absorbed us. (Jean-Claude Colin)
Father Bernini, who was in Rome to discuss matters for the
Marists in Oceania, informed Cardinal Fransoni that Douarre
could not accept anything from an episcopacy that would
dismantle Bishop Bataillon’s vicariate. He was willing to take a
bishopric in America or Paraguay, which could form a logistic
center for ships going to Oceania. An alternative for Douarre
would have been Samoa.
Father Mayet reported that a priest who had made a fortune
working in America offered himself to Douarre as a missionary
vocation. Douarre replied, “Well, you would need to take the three
vows, poverty being one of these.”
While Bishop Douarre was willing to work in America, Brother
Optat (Pierre Bergillon) had decided to leave the Marists. He went
from Sydney to return to France but finally decided to stay in
America when on his way back.
Bishop Odin, a Vincentian bishop of Galveston, Texas, and later of
New Orleans, Louisiana, visited Colin on his way back from Rome
in 1851 and asked for a Marist foundation. Colin wrote to Cardinal
Fransoni about it on October 19, 1851. After the recent foundation
in London, he was sorry not to be able to send men right now to
Bishop Odin. Odin would reiterate his invitation several times.
Colin was asked from different sides to establish a mission
in America. However, after the disagreements with Bishop
Pompallier in New Zealand, he hesitated to take on a significant
new mission. Besides the lack of personnel, Colin also regarded
the missions of Oceania as more complex than those in America,
and he believed that the sufferings of the Marists in Oceania
would bring the benediction of God onto the Society of Mary.
12 Today’s Marists Magazine

However, the Americas were on the mind
of the Marist leadership as a place for a
possible foundation for another reason.
They were searching for a logistical base
for the Oceania mission. Colin thought of
Mexico, Brazil or possibly California as a
Marist center to manage logistics and travel
towards Oceania. Marists visited South
America on their way to the Pacific. The
first group stayed in Chile, and the others
took a break in Brazil. However, this plan
was dropped once the travel route switched
to London and the Cape of South Africa.
Sydney became the logistical center for the
mission to the Western Pacific.
In this context, mention must be made
of a foundation Colin had agreed to but,
even so, did not carry out due to a lack of
personnel. The bishop of the Cape in South
Africa had asked for Marists, whom he got
to know because they had stopped there
on their way to Oceania. Propaganda Fide
supported this request. Ultimately, Colin
had to withdraw, and nothing came out of it.
Many French clergy and Religious, among them future bishops,
went to Canada and the U.S. and took up missionary work and
leadership roles. Some of those were personal friends or contacts of
Colin and other Marists. Searching for personnel, they would ask
the Marist Superior General for support. Colin did not feel able to
send anybody. He already had difficulties staffing Oceania and had
to back out of the already accepted foundation in Southern Africa.
During his generalate, Colin made only a tiny beginning toward
English-speaking areas, namely the house in London in 1850.
1854-1885:
During the generalate of Father Favre,
the Second General
Julien Favre (1812-1885) extended the search for English-speaking
vocations to staff the missions in Oceania, where many regions
had become English colonies or zones of English influence. Favre
opened houses in Ireland and England, which would be future
workforce resources for the United States. He was then Superior
General who finally started a Marist mission in North America.
The majority of the men were French. Some had learned English
in the Pacific or London.
America had appeared frequently in the correspondence of Colin’s
administration, for example, in letters written by Father Poupinel,
an official visitor to Oceania. Like outgoing missionaries, he
mentioned the sight of the North and South American coasts. As
a nation, the USA was an established element in the Pacific. King
George of Tonga refused the Marists entry to his kingdom. He
wanted to submit the case to the judgment of great nations like
England or America, but Thomas, from the Wesleyan mission, said
this matter was not grave enough for such nations.
The repeated requests finally motivated the General to open
a novitiate in Dublin, Ireland, for English-speaking vocations
necessary for Oceania and North America. Favre asked for money
to be able to do so.
From 1860, the Society went through a phase of stability and
new foundations. The Constitution written by Favre received
Modern day
picture of
St. Michael’s
Parish in
Convent,
Louisiana
temporary approval from Rome. In 1861,
statutes came out for the congregation.
Three houses were opened in the U.S.: in
1863, St Michael, Convent in Louisiana (a
parish); in 1864, Jefferson College; and in
1865, Algiers (Holy Name parish in New
Orleans). In 1865, a second house was
opened in London, the French parish of
Notre Dame de France.
Odin, now archbishop of New Orleans,
had, since February 15, 1861, pleaded
for Marists again and again. In 1862, he
contacted Favre in person in Lyon. “In
1862, Bishop J.M. Odin, a Lazarist, first
bishop of Texas, and transferred a year later
to the archiepiscopal see of New Orleans,
and his request was so strong to Favre and
so persistent that he was successful. He
offered the Society of Mary the parish of
St-Michel, 50 miles upstream from New
Orleans, on the left bank of the Mississippi,
and raised hopes of the management of
Jefferson College, located a short distance
from the church and then owned by a civil society. Two Fathers
were designated for this mission: Frs. Bellanger and Gautherin
had been employed at Sainte-Anne’s Church in London for several
years, so they spoke English well.
They embarked from Le Hâvre on February 2, 1863, on the sailboat
the “Sainte-Geneviève,” which transported them to New Orleans
with 60 Seminarians recruited in France by Mgr. Odin and by
Mgr. Dubuis, bishop of Galveston, for their respective dioceses.
Mgr. Dubuis, who personally led this pious troop, knew how to
communicate to all his companions the ardent enthusiasm that
animated him. To occupy the leisure time of this long crossing, he
became, with our two Fathers, a professor of Theology for all these
young people. After two months, the “Sainte-Geneviève” arrived
at its destination: April 4, in the middle of Holy Week. The Marists
had difficulty getting to the parish at Convent. The Mississippi
River was closed because of the flaming battle of Vicksburg. It has
been said that the boat was a warship.
Hence, this landing of Marists on these new shores illustrates
different things. How did a new foundation come about? It was
through the ‘French connection,’ personal contacts the early
Marists had with other clergy, some of whom had gone to the
U.S., many of them Bishops. In the U.S., they needed personnel,
and they drew on their homeland, which had many vocations,
particularly missionary vocations, after the troubles during and
after the French Revolution. Gautherin had learned English in
London. The others could start working immediately with the
French immigrants in Louisiana. The decision to take on Holy
Name of Mary in Algiers (New Orleans), an English-speaking
parish, shows their openness to the local situation. They did
not come into established religious structures, in part, not even
established diocesan structures. They did not know how their
presence and project would evolve. They would surely be happy
to see what has grown out of the seed they planted in the soil of
Louisiana. This long journey to America also shows Fr. Colin’s
profound challenges in the earliest years of the Society and the
deep debt of gratitude that we owe him.
The full article with references can be viewed at: bit.ly/3XOsLn4.
Volume 9 | Issue 1 13

The world-ranked 1,230 squarefoot
robotics lab features indoor
and outdoor workspaces as well as
mobile workstations that allow for
computer-aided instruction.
A Marist School 30 th Anniversary Reflection
Where HOPE Became Reality
by Andy Guest, Head of School, Notre Dame Preparatory, Pontiac, Michigan
Pope Francis has designated the 2025 Holy Year as a time to
renew ourselves as Pilgrims of Hope. The Pilgrims of Hope Jubilee
Year is an invitation for Catholics around the world to renew our
relationship with God, each other and all of creation, in celebration
of the most central aspect of Christian faith: hope. But what does
hope mean and how does it apply to our Marist schools?
According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the meaning of
HOPE is to cherish or desire with anticipation: to want something
to happen or be true.
In the Bible, hope is a confident expectation that God will fulfill His
promises. It is a choice to trust in God’s faithfulness and goodness.
Hope is a virtue that is built on faith and love. I imagine when the
Marists founded Notre Dame Prep (ND Prep) in 1994, they HOPED
it would be successful. Thirty years later, it is safe to say that their
hope has become reality.
There were many challenges in starting the new school and it was
not always easy. The hope the founding Marists had needed to be,
merged with many years of difficult and hard work. Faith, the close
sibling of hope, was necessary as well. For hope is a future-oriented
expectation or desire for something to happen, while faith is a
strong belief in something or someone, even without proof. The
Marists not only hoped the school would succeed, but they also
had faith that Mary, our patroness, would watch over us in difficult
times. It was the combination of hope, hard work and faith that led
the school to success.
In reflecting on ND Prep’s 30th anniversary celebration in 2024, I
am proud to have been here for 20 of those 30 years. As an alumnus
of Notre Dame High School, I never dreamed that I would come
back and work for the school yet alone make this my home for the
rest of my life.
I feel gratitude to the Marists that impacted me as a student at
Notre Dame, including Frs. John Bryson, Ray Coolong, Leon
Olszamowski, Joe Hindelang, Juan Gonzalez, Jim Strasz, Gerry
Demers, John Sajdak, Ron DesRosiers, Ray Ouellette and Br. Louis
Plourde. Over the years, I have also had the pleasure of meeting
Frs. Bob Champagne, Bob Graham, Br. Leonard and John Kiselica
(former Marist), who were all instrumental in their respective eras
at the school. Later, I had the opportunity to meet Frs. Richard
Egan, Bill Rowland and Bishop Joel Konzen at Marist School in
Atlanta, Georgia. What a terrific community of men and great role
models.
I also had the opportunity to meet and work with Frs. Ted Keating
and Roland Lajoie as former provincials, Fr. Richard Colbert in
St. Pete Beach, Florida, and Fr. Ron Nikodem during his stay at
ND Prep. I have a saying that I never met a Marist that I did not
like. One of the defining characteristics of a Marist is that they are
all “good guys.” I think about that often as I try to live up to their
examples in my current role.
I inherited a picture of the school from Fr. Leon that is in my office.
It is a picture of the campus in 1994, when ND Prep was not much
more than a hope. The picture is almost unrecognizable from
the school today. Over the past 30 years, we have added three
academic wings, including the Timothy Easterwood Science, Arts,
and Technology wing, the Melissa Kozyra Botany Center, the Mary
Courtyard, the Grimaldi Athletic Center, the Beverly Gifford Music
Center, Kozyra Alumni Field, six tennis courts, turf baseball and
softball diamonds, the Betty Wroubel Athletic Center and have
built a lower school across the street on the corner of Giddings
and Walton. This is due to the benefaction of alumni, parents and
friends who believe that Catholic and Marist education remains
more important today than ever in a mixed-up world where
traditional Judeo-Christian values are often dismissed or take a
back seat to popular secularism.
In 2013, we purchased all the property and grounds from the
Archdiocese of Detroit (AOD) and incorporated the school as
14 Today’s Marists Magazine

Two fine arts studios, one for upper school students
and another for lower school students, also feature a
gallery where student work can be displayed.
an independent Michigan-based educational nonprofit 501(c)3
corporation. As such, we receive no financial support from the
government or the AOD and depend solely on tuition revenue and
donations to keep the school strong and healthy.
I remember our first Michigan High School Athletic Association
(MHSAA) State Championship in 2006. It was girls’ skiing, and
we were very excited. It took more than 10 years to reach that
pinnacle of success, and the students were awarded a day off from
school to celebrate. Since that time, we have won 19 MHSAA state
championships, 15 MHSAA runner-up state championships and
crowned 25 individual MHSAA state champions, including our
most recent state championships this past fall in boys’ soccer and
football and girls’ competitive cheer. What a great time to be at ND
Prep!
Equally important to the student experience is the plethora of extra
and co-curricular programs, such as our award-winning robotics
teams, top-notch musical productions, premier band, choir and
visual arts programs, innovative science engineering and empathy
class, fully operational greenhouse, a thriving spiritual life and
dozens of different clubs for students to grow, learn and have fun.
We are the only Catholic school in the City of Pontiac and draw
students from 48 different zip codes within a 30-mile radius of
the school. We are the first Catholic school in the nation and
the only Catholic school in Michigan to offer the International
Baccalaureate (IB) Program at all three divisions (lower, middle and
upper).
We have an A+ ranking on Niche (https://www.niche.com) and are
perennially listed as one of the top Catholic and private schools in
Michigan. Our lower school is an Apple Distinguished School, and
our middle and upper schools are Microsoft Showcase Schools.
Despite these successes, the school still needs support. We
lack some of the facilities to cover the depth and breadth of
our academic, spiritual and athletic offerings. We also lack a
true endowment that could protect the school from financial
downturns, bolster teacher pay and increase scholarships for
families in need. These are priorities for the institution in the
coming years. We must do everything we can today to secure a
strong future for the students of tomorrow.
I am proud of how far our Catholic and Marist school has come
these past 30 years and hope that with help from our alumni,
parents and friends, we can build an even better school for the
The 26,000-square-foot Timothy J. Easterwood
Science, Art and Technology Wing features
science laboratories and collaborative learning
classrooms.
The Melissa Kozyra Greenhouse and Botany Learning Lab allows
students at every grade level to use hands-on experiences to
learn about plants, sustainability and the environment.
future. A school that the Marists will always be proud of, a school
that represents their legacy as an order and a school that sticks
to its Marist mission of working with God to form good Christian
people, upright citizens and academic scholars. With the Grace of
God and through Mary’s intercession, we pray that our students will
continue to be pilgrims of hope for Marists all over the world.
Volume 9 | Issue 1 15

Marist School Launches
Bearing Witness Institute
by Marist School Communications and Brendan Murphy, Founder and Director of Bearing Witness Institute, Marist School, Atlanta, Georgia
Marist School has announced the launch of the Bearing
Witness Institute for Interreligious and Ecumenical Dialogue,
a groundbreaking national initiative aimed at fostering mutual
understanding, collaboration, and dialogue among diverse
communities, particularly those of the Abrahamic faith
traditions, including Christianity, Judaism and Islam. The Bearing
Witness Institute’s mission includes increasing knowledge and
understanding necessary to oppose religious intolerance and other
forms of hate.
Founded and led by Brendan Murphy, an award-winning educator
with a distinguished 30-year career at Marist School, the Bearing
Witness Institute reflects the school’s commitment to promoting
religious solidarity and combating hate and prejudice. Beyond
Marist School’s significant commitment, grants from The Marcus
Foundation, the Molly Blank Fund of the Arthur M. Blank Family
Foundation, the Rosenberg Family Foundation and The Roberts
Charitable Foundation, along with generous donations from
individuals, have made the establishment of the Bearing Witness
Institute possible. To date, over $1 million has been raised for this
important initiative.
“We are pleased to support the work of Brendan Murphy and his
team at the Bearing Witness Institute,” said Fay Twersky, president
of the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. “We commend Marist for
its commitment to this Institute and the important role it will play
in teaching a broad audience the lessons of the Holocaust and the
dangers of antisemitism and other forms of religious intolerance.”
The Bearing Witness Institute will offer a series of curated
educational experiences - lectures, Holocaust education seminars,
and Bearing Witness trips to Munich, Prague and Krakow - designed
to build and expand a vibrant, engaged community of students and
adults committed to religious solidarity. Additionally, the Bearing
Witness Institute will offer teacher trainings in collaboration with The
Olga Lengyel Institute for Holocaust Studies and Human Rights as
Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time
sculpture, Marist School, Atlanta,
Georgia
well as the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust and The Breman
Museum.
The programming of the Bearing Witness Institute builds upon the
success of Murphy’s “History and the Holocaust” seminar course for
Marist students, which features international field trips to significant
Holocaust sites in Europe. Through visits to concentration camps
and historic sites in Munich, Prague, and Krakow, participants
engage in immersive, firsthand learning about one of history’s most
profound tragedies. Designed as a complement to the Bearing
Witness Institute’s Holocaust seminar and other antisemitism
programs, these journeys challenge participants to reflect on the past
while inspiring them to consider how they can contribute to making
the world a better place.
“Bearing Witness is far from an ordinary program,” said Marist
student Colton Walker ’26. “[The trip] is a profoundly transformative
experience for everyone lucky enough to participate. You learn about
the tragic past, observe present issues, and strive to raise awareness
for the future. While there are no definitive answers for what history
has written, this program taught me how to find the hidden beauty of
the world - whether in the Holocaust Seminar classroom, the streets
of bustling Munich, Prague or Krakow, or in the hearts of all those
around me. It was difficult to ‘bear witness’ to such atrocities, but I
am forever grateful for the lessons I have learned, the unparalleled
experiences I have had, and the remarkable people I have come to
know.”
The Bearing Witness Institute will expand the Peace by Piece
initiative, created in partnership with Marist School, The Weber
School, and Mohammed Schools of Atlanta, to unite students
from Christian, Jewish and Muslim communities in fostering
friendship and understanding. The program’s successful model
will be replicated in schools and communities nationwide. Peace
by Piece affirms that there is great power in equipping people of
different faiths to build solidarity and to speak up for one another,
especially in challenging times. For this reason, Bearing Witness
Institute programs center on sharing knowledge, developing skills
and providing experiences that can build an individual’s capacity for
empathy.
Marist School President J. D. Childs has emphasized the Bearing
Witness Institute’s connection with the Marist mission as well as its
Catholic identity, stating: “The Bearing Witness Institute promotes
respect and collaboration among different faith communities. This
new initiative, with Brendan Murphy’s sage leadership, will offer
Marist School the opportunity to be a more compelling participant
in efforts to combat prejudice through education, dialogue and
friendship. We are committed and deeply encouraged by this
journey.”
Additionally, the Bearing Witness Institute will continue Murphy’s
established lecture series on antisemitism that began as part of
the Marist Evening Series for adults and has since evolved through
16 Today’s Marists Magazine

Grace Maloney, Marist graduate, class of 2024, looking at photographs at
Auschwitz II-Birkenau in March 2022 during Bearing Witness XIII trip.
Lauren Polli, Marist School, class of
2025, at the Dachau Concentration
Camp Memorial in June 2023 on
Bearing Witness XVIII.
community-wide and nationwide engagements. Murphy’s popular
lecture series - “From Ancient Prejudices to Modern Challenges:
Understanding the Long and Tragic History of Antisemitism” - has
consistently drawn large audiences and has been praised for igniting
meaningful conversations about faith, history and social justice. This
insightful series delves into the deep-rooted and sorrowful history
of Christian antisemitism, tracing its origins from the first century to
the Nostra Aetate declaration of 1965, in which the Second Vatican
Council formalized an expanded attitude of respect and dialogue
with non-Christian religions. The popularity and impact of these
programs highlight the community’s need for this initiative and
align with Marist School’s mission of forming global-ready servant
leaders who are encouraged to develop the skills to dialogue across
differences. Endorsed by Jewish, Catholic and Protestant leaders, this
lecture series addresses the importance of education, dialogue and
advocacy in combating antisemitism and fostering tolerance and
understanding among diverse communities.
The Bearing Witness Institute’s Advisory Council is a distinguished
group of leaders from the three Abrahamic faith traditions - Judaism,
Christianity, and Islam - who bring a wealth of expertise in theology,
religious studies, sociology and anthropology. Tasked with guiding
the Institute’s mission, strategy and activities, the Advisory Council
plays a pivotal role in shaping the initiatives of the Bearing Witness
Institute. Bishop Joel Konzen, SM, Marist School President J. D.
Childs and Marist School Director of the Marist Way Mike Coveny ’81
are among those who serve on the Advisory Council.
Recently, the Bearing Witness Institute was accepted into the
Council of Centers on Jewish-Christian Relations (CCJR), the first
secondary school center or institute to be so recognized. The CCJR
is an association of centers and institutes in the United States,
Canada, Europe and Middle East devoted to enhancing mutual
understanding between Jews and Christians. It is dedicated to
research, publication, educational programming and interreligious
dialogue that respect the religious integrity and self-understanding
of the various strands of the Jewish and Christian traditions. The
Council is also the national member organization for the United
States of the International Council of Christians and Jews.
A member of the Society of Mary’s Interreligious Dialogue
Commission since 2018, Murphy has taught history at Marist
since 1994 and is widely recognized for his dedication to fostering
interreligious dialogue. His “History and the Holocaust” seminar
and cocurricular field trips have been central to his educational
approach. Murphy’s efforts to combat antisemitism and promote
religious understanding have earned him numerous accolades and
honors, including the Outstanding Educator Award from the Anne
Frank Center and the Anti-Defamation League’s Abe Goldstein
Human Relations and Unsung Hero Award, the Teacher of the Year
Award from the University of Notre Dame and twice as the Educator
of the Year from the Georgia Commission on the Holocaust.
“At Marist School, we believe in the power of education to transform
lives and build bridges between communities,” said Brendan
Murphy, inaugural director of the Bearing Witness Institute. “The
launch of the Bearing Witness Institute is a significant step forward
in our mission to promote understanding and peace among people
of all faiths. Through this work, we aim to build a community of
conscience, united by a commitment to justice and compassion.”
Marist School invites all interested individuals and organizations
to take part in this important work of building a more just and
compassionate world.
Learn how to get involved at bearingwitness.marist.com.
Volume 9 | Issue 1 17

Instruments of Healing:
The Marist Lourdes Ministry
Finds a Home at Marist School
by Marianne Ravry McDevitt, Marist School ’89, Atlanta, Georgia; Ministry Leader for Our Lady of Lourdes Comes Home to You
My father, Dr. Mario J. R. Ravry, was a man
of great faith and strong devotion to Our
Blessed Mother. As a physician for 51 years,
my father saw many patients who needed
more than physical healing. They yearned for
emotional and spiritual healing.
When thinking about how best to help his
patients and others, he thought of Our Lady
of Lourdes and the many people who seek
her out for intercessory prayers of healing
and peace. Since not everyone can travel
to Lourdes, France, because of health and
finances, Dad wanted to bring to the sick
and those in need in Atlanta, the hope, faith,
strength and comfort which Our Lady of
Lourdes can bring and has brought to so
many people all over the world.
In May 2019, my father met with Mike
Coveny, Marist Way director at Marist School
in Atlanta, to discuss partnering up with
Marist School and the Society of Mary on this
ministry. This partnership seemed perfect
because the Society of Mary has run the
Lourdes Center in Boston, Massachusetts,
the official dispensary of Lourdes Water in
the United States since 1950.
This partnership was approved, and the
Our Lady of Lourdes Comes Home to You
ministry began. My father’s hope was that he
would bring a statue of Our Lady of Lourdes
enshrined in a simple vessel along with a
prayer booklet, prayer card and a bottle of
Lourdes Water to anyone who requested to
host her in the Atlanta area. He wanted the
recipients to know they were being prayed
for — by our family, by the Marist priests and
by Our Blessed Mother. Their intentions and
prayers were not forgotten.
However, as it so often happens, God had a
different plan. Five weeks later, my father was
diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, an
aggressive type of brain cancer. Dad quickly
realized that he would be the first recipient of
his ministry, and his illness would allow him
to be a living example of faith, hope and trust
for future recipients. My father passed away
14 months after his diagnosis.
Between the coronavirus and my father’s
passing, we paused the Our Lady of Lourdes
Comes Home to You. Since September 2021,
when it resumed, over 100 families in the
Atlanta area have welcomed the statue of
Our Lady for two weeks in their homes. To
keep up with the demand and better handle
urgent requests, we purchased a second
statue. We have sent Lourdes Water and
prayer booklets to individuals all over the
world who expressed interest but to whom
we were unable to send the statue due to her
delicate nature.
The response has been incredibly humbling
for our family. To witness the impact Our
Lady has had on so many individuals, their
genuine excitement to spend quiet time with
Our Lady, to hear how much peace she has
brought to their homes, the prayers she has
answered, the faith in God she has reignited
or strengthened and the gratitude for her
intercessions and this ministry, has been
transformative and humbling for us. Some
have even purchased their own statues of
Our Lady so they may continue on their new
faith journeys.
There are so many people in this world
seeking healing, love and peace. To be able to
offer them hope for even one of these things
by bringing Our Lady of Lourdes to them and
into their homes, is service to our Lord and to
our neighbors in need.
My father exemplified faith, love,
compassion and service every day. He taught
us how to use our feet to share our faith and
to remember that little things - a smile, a hug,
a brief visit - could make a huge difference in
someone’s life because you never know what
someone is going through.
Since we became a part of the Marist
community over 45 years ago as students
at Marist School, we have been blessed
to have the Marist priests reinforce these
core principles to the ten children and
grandchildren who attended Marist School.
In gratitude to my late father and to these
wonderful men who all had such a profound
impact on our lives and helped us grow
in faith, my extended family and I hope to
honor their legacies by growing the Lourdes
Ministry at Marist School and beyond.
The Our Lady of Lourdes Statue in
a home of one of the recipients
In a special way, my dad’s hope connects
today with Pope Francis’ grace-filled call to
the wider Church during this Jubilee year.
In his letter calling for the Jubilee, Pope
Francis points to the “signs of hope” that
develop in visiting “the sick, at home or in the
hospital. Their sufferings can be allayed by
the closeness and affection of those who visit
them.” (Spes Non Confundit – Bull of Indiction
of the Ordinary Jubilee of the Year 2025,
#11) Also, the Our Lady of Lourdes Comes
Home to You ministry is grounded in the
hope provided by our Blessed Mother and
echoes the Pope’s recognition of the Blessed
Mother, “Hope finds its supreme witness in
the Mother of God. In the Blessed Virgin, we
see that hope is not naive optimism but a gift
of grace amid the realities of life.” (Spes Non
Confundit – Bull of Indiction of the Ordinary
Jubilee of the Year 2025, #24)
These affirmations in this Jubilee year
inspire us to continue sharing the Marist
spirit through this ministry, as we hope we
can share the spirit and work of Mary in our
community to foster a deeper understanding
of and trust in our Lord Jesus Christ. To learn
more about the Our Lady of Lourdes Comes
Home ministry, visit bit.ly/4bYUEPh.
18 Today’s Marists Magazine

A Jubilee Year for
Turning Debt into Hope
by Ted Keating, SM
It is very pleasing to see that Pope Francis, for the Jubilee Year, has
called for strong attention to the debt crisis in our contemporary
global world. “Crisis” is not too strong a word for the present crushing
reality of international debt that becomes impossible to repay. It is
having a strongly destabilizing effect in the most challenging issues
facing our world today: economic justice and development issues
across the North and South of our planet; the unbalanced dramatic
effect of the climate crisis (“ecological debt” according to Pope
Francis); and strong pressures on increasing refugee flows at this
time.
The New York Times (NYT) in a monthly newsletter has been raising
consciousness about the debt crisis through extensive reporting
over the last few years. The reports always relate this crisis to the
challenges of the necessity of development in these nations, the
growing climate issues and the growing refugee flows forming
around the world. And after all that, there is the painful reality that
the nations cannot possibly find a way to repay the debts.
This past month the NYT reported that more than 17 of these nations
have defaulted on debt in the last three years. They range broadly
across Africa and Oceania, interestingly at the heart of the Society
of Mary’s contemporary mission commitments and the homes from
which significant numbers of our youngest Marists come.
As she was leaving office, the former U.S. Secretary of Commerce,
Janet Yellin, of the previous U.S. Biden Administration, called out not
only the growing debt crisis but the new force of geopolitical efforts
to burden these distressed nations for geo-political purposes making
the crisis worse. The nation with the most loans to the distressed
nations now appears to be making these loans for global-political
power agendas.
A recent worldwide effort of Catholic social justice entities led by Pax
Christi International and Caritas are inviting other groups to sign
a petition and commit themselves to put their energy into this debt
crisis. Here is how they express their effort:
In his invitation letter to mark the 2025 Jubilee, Spes Non
Confundit (“Hope does not disappoint”, Rom 5:5), Pope
Francis reminds us that “hope should be granted to the
billions of the poor who often lack the essentials of life”
and that “the goods of the Earth are not destined for a
privileged few but for everyone.
Inspired by this profound call to justice, Pax Christi International
joins Caritas Internationalis, together with a number of other faithbased
and civil society organizations, in the campaign to Turn
Debt into Hope (turndebtintohope.caritas.org). Together, they urge
decision-makers to prioritize people and planet over mere profit:
Unsustainable and unjust public debts strip nations of the
resources needed to invest in health, education, climate
action and the futures of their young people, locking
entire generations into cycles of poverty and inequality.
This compels us to demand debt justice for communities
crushed by unjust and unpayable debts.
The Holy Father writes, “if we really wish to prepare a path to peace
in our world, we must commit ourselves to remedying the remote
causes of injustice, settling unjust and unpayable debts” (Spes Non
Confundit, #16).”
The campaign asks:
1. Stop the debt crisis now by cancelling and remedying unjust and
unsustainable debts, without economic policy conditions.
2. Prevent debt crises from happening again by addressing their
root causes, reforming the global financial system to prioritizing
people and the planet.
3. Establish a permanent, transparent, binding and comprehensive
debt framework within the United Nations.
When visiting the campaign site (turndebtintohope.caritas.org),
you will find the petition and a great deal of material to join this
significant effort so close to Pope Francs’ heart in this Jubilee Year.
Both the World Bank and the IMF, the traditional institutions that
help with these matters, are at a standstill in their outreach to these
continues on page 21
Volume 9 | Issue 1 19

The “Work of Mary” Living Hope
by Karen Kotara, Focolare member; Secretary to Pastor at Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church, Brookhaven, Georgia
Editorial Note: Focolare is a large lay Marian group in the Church with a similar mission as the Marists — both in the Work of Mary — and
in how they are recognizing the Jubilee Year of Hope.
The Society of Mary (Marists) wish to carry out the “Work of
Mary.” making her love and concern for the Church their own. The
Focolare Movement, of which I am a consecrated member, was
officially approved in the Church as the “Work of Mary” striving to
bring Jesus to the world, as Mary did. Both of our communities are
called to be and live like Mary.
The Focolare Movement, it is an international ecclesial movement
that began in the Catholic Church in 1943. Its goal is to fulfill Jesus’
prayer, “That they may all be one” (John 17:21) living a spirituality
of communion. Chiara Lubich, the foundress of Focolare, often
encouraged us to “Be a Family.” Its members/adherents from
many cultures, vocations and roles in society, and from a variety
of religious and ethnic backgrounds, are mostly laypeople (adults,
families, youth, children), but there are also consecrated men and
women, priests and even bishops.
It has been a blessing for me to work in the office at Our Lady of
the Assumption Church (OLA) in Brookhaven, Georgia with the
Marists, knowing that together we can help each other to strive to
live out our vocations, with Mary as our example.
Since I was a young child, I felt I was called to live as a missionary
somewhere where there is a great need. What attracted me to the
Focolare Movement was its charism of unity and a way to live
“mission” together with others, “going to God together” in the present
moment wherever we find ourselves, and how living its charism is
really a “lifestyle” that permeates all the aspects of our life.
What does it mean to live this Jubilee Year of Hope? In today’s world
where there is so much suffering, we see many reasons not to have
hope, but love is also alive in the silence of Mary who changed the
course of history with her ‘yes.’ We are called to live the concrete
aspects of the gospel.
Just last Christmas, Pope Francis invited everyone, in the turmoil
of our time, to see and live love...mutual love that opens the door to
fraternity.
In her writings, Chiara Lubich said,
We don’t only find this lack of hope outside of ourselves,
but also within us. Jesus is the key to hope. Jesus died
asking the question, ‘My God, my God, why have you
Christian/Muslim Focolare event in Atlanta, GA
20 Today’s Marists Magazine

forsaken me?’ Jesus loved so much in his life, but he died
asking this question. Jesus is present in our sufferings of
today, in our crosses of all types. I want to go throughout
the world and embrace each person that I meet. In that
embrace of those who suffer, I also want to embrace God.
Everything we personally suffered, appeared to us as an
aspect of Jesus crucified and forsaken to be loved and
desired. We wanted to be like Him so as to give life to
ourselves and many other people.
Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, Italy, the Church of the Focolare in Rome.
This year Focolare has chosen to focus on “closeness” which is
another way to live hope. Focolare president, Margaret Karram,
mentioned that in this world of loneliness, indifference, escalations
of violence and technology that has connected us yet made us more
individualistic, she thinks “closeness” could be an antidote, an aid
to overcoming these obstacles and curing these “ills” that make us
distant from one another. She said,
It seems to me that we need to re-learn how to approach
people, re-learn how to look at and treat everyone as
brothers and sisters. Closeness is dynamic. It requires
that we be completely open, that is, welcoming people
without reservation, entering into their way of seeing
things. We must allow ourselves to be challenged, being
open to questions to which we have no answers; being
willing to show that we are vulnerable. Closeness is not
only a religious or spiritual attitude, but also a civil and
social one. It is possible to live it in any environment.
To bring more unity to the human family and build bridges of
fraternal relationships, Focolare has opened up dialogues with
many people and organizations including those of different
religions, and among people of various professions, cultures and
areas in society. Locally and internationally, besides being present
to each person we meet and especially to those who are suffering
or are vulnerable, Focolare partners with other Christian and
non-Christian communities to go out together to the peripheries
to help migrants, the homeless, the poor, those living in war or
impoverished places, etc.
In addition, 2025 also marks the 1700th anniversary of the Council
of Nicaea and the 60th anniversary of the abolition of the mutual
excommunications between the Church of Rome and the Church
of Constantinople. The Focolare Movement took the opportunity
to celebrate these anniversaries with an international ecumenical
conference in Rome entitled “Called to hope – key players of
dialogue” that was held in March. In these tumultuous times, we
are called as Christians to give witness together to the hope that the
Gospel brings and to be key players of dialogue and unity, committed
to living for peace, building fraternity and spreading hope.
At the end of June 2025, those of us at OLA parish will be embracing
a new will of God as we lose the company of our dear Marists who
will be leaving the parish. We ask for the guidance of Mary as
together we carry ahead her work wherever God takes us.
Turning Debt into Hope, continued from page 19
nations saddled with debt and for others heading to default. Added
to their work is also the impact of the viruses in these nations, and all
the regional economies in the developing nations.
In the Global South, governments spend 12.5 times more on debt
payments than on climate action, increasing their risk of disasters
and stalling growth. Over the past 12 years, wealthy nations have
spent six times more on fossil fuel subsidies than on international
climate finance. In the words of Cardinal Tarcisius Kikuchi, President
of Caritas Internationalis:
Debt is not just an economic burden – it is a moral crisis.
The Jubilee tradition calls us to act with compassion,
restoring hope to those oppressed by debt. As we enter the
Jubilee Year, we must transform debt into opportunities for
justice and renewal.
In Spes Non Confundit (#16), Pope Francis states:
Another heartfelt appeal that I would make in light of the
coming Jubilee is directed to the more affluent nations.
I ask that they accept the gravity of so many of their past
decisions and determine to forgive the debts of countries
that will never be able to repay them.
Central to Pope Francis’ Encyclical are deeper and systemic issues of
poverty around the world in nations being crushed by debt. Sacred
Scripture teaches that the earth is the Lord’s and all of us dwell in it
as “aliens and tenants” (Lev 25:23). As declared by Pope Paul VI in
his 1972 Message for the Celebration of the Day of Peace, “If you want
peace, work for justice.”
Volume 9 | Issue 1 21

Marist Spiritualtiy in Today’s
Chaotic World
by Jan Hulshof, SM, Hulst, Netherlands
“If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Ps 11:3)
People always thought they lived in a chaotic world, but now we are
dealing with chaos squared. While people have always been greedy,
now the top 1% of the world’s elite owns 95% of our wealth, leaving
5% to the rest of humanity combined. Power-hungry people always
had weapons to kill others, but now the most publicly discussed
fear of the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is that it will take the
decision to use nuclear weapons out of the hands of humans. There
were always people who sold lies for truth and fakes for reality, but
now fake news and conspiracy theories have penetrated deep into
the pores of our digital network society. People have always feared
earthquakes and floods, but now it is the future of the planet itself
that is at stake. In this chaos, dictators, mobsters and oligarchs are
given a free hand and billions of people feel that they are at the
mercy of a few. Greed, pride and lust for power are disrupting the
foundations of society.
Marists do not live outside or above this world, anymore than their
founder was an other-worldly person. Cardinal Castracane, who
met Jean-Claude Colin, the founder of the Society of Mary, in Rome,
declared, “Fr. Colin is a saint. He has understood his era.” Colin’s
holiness consisted in understanding the world and not turning away
from it, looking for means to heal it and to convert it. The world Fr.
Colin lived in was a chaotic world like ours, different from today,
yet with similarities. Fr. Colin was not a man of sociological or
philosophical analyses, but he was an astute observer. He saw that
greed makes people blind. The poor in the workhouses and asylums
at Puylata, the home of the Marists in Lyon, France were dear to his
heart. “The poor are all around us,” he said, “but in our time people
don’t want to see them. That is why the poor are hidden.” He saw
the career-driven and ambitious people in church and society and
the make-believe world of publicity. He noted the link between the
pursuit of material prosperity and indifference in religious matters.
Human society was in dire straits. It couldn’t get any worse, Colin
thought, and that’s why he often talked about the end times. “The
human race appears to me today to be like an old stump, one whose
roots have been eaten by a worm. That worm is the unbelief, the
indifference which has made the world pagan for a second time.”
When I got to know Fr. Colin long ago, I found his ideas about our
world rather pessimistic. I believed – and I still do – that there are
too many good people and too many good initiatives to give in to
pessimism. The end of the ages, I thought, is something for Seventhday
Adventists, Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses. In the meantime,
there are now many people for whom the end, perhaps not the end
of time, but that of our planet, is a conceivable scenario. Apocalyptic
films attract millions of viewers. Did Fr. Colin perhaps see something
that many people, in their elation over the blessings of modernity,
have not seen? He repeatedly said that the end was near. The chaos
was simply too great. Yet I now know that he was not pessimistic. I do
not say he was optimistic, but he was full of hope and hope is not the
same as optimism. His vision of the end-times was not shrouded in
gloomy, dark colors. He saw human history as a great movement that
had taken a decisive turn for the better with the coming of Jesus and
the young church. That movement would culminate in the gathering
of all believers – believers in the broadest sense of the word – the
completion of the work that God has begun in this world.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a key figure for Fr. Colin in this whole
thing. Already during his years as a curate in Cerdon, he discovered
that Mary was the providential woman needed in the chaotic time
after the Revolution. That time, which is still ours, is the age of Mary.
Asked to become the mother of the Messiah, she says “Yes!” That is
exactly why she says “No!” to the greed, pride and lust for power that
thwart the work of Jesus. In her Magnificat she sings of the Merciful
One who cherishes life like a mother and at the same time of the
mighty LORD who scatters the proud, overthrows rulers from their
thrones and sends the rich away empty-handed. That is what God
calls Marists to do in chaotic times: Say “Yes!” to life and say “No!” to
the greed, pride and lust for power that threaten life.
Our founder attaches great importance to education, catechesis and
mission. Yet for him, it is not what we do that is central, but first and
foremost how we live and work. He is primarily concerned with the
work underground, on the foundations, “as it were unknown and
hidden.” Because we often measure success only by what is easily
seen, we forget that some of the most critical work happens beneath
the surface, laying the groundwork. Even impressive buildings
collapse when the foundations are damaged. The grain germinates
in silence and the farmer needs patience. If you forcefully pull up
a seedling growing underground, you will destroy everything. Fr.
Colin saw that the Church was in no position to lecture others. “It is
only by being unassuming that we can achieve success nowadays.
We must win souls by submitting ourselves to them,” he said.
This work on the foundations begins on the level of prayer and
personal honesty. In the light of God’s countenance, I rid myself
step by step of the desire to dominate others, of the desire to appear
continued on bottom of page 23
22 Today’s Marists Magazine

A Reflection of a Marist Experience
at the U.S. Southern Border
by Joseph McLaughlin, SM, Las Cruces, New Mexico
It is a 41.1 mile drive from my home in Las
Cruces, New Mexico, to the Holy Family
Refugee Center in El Paso, Texas. In 2
½ years some 40,000 immigrants have
been welcomed, sheltered and assisted in
their journey to different parts of the U.S.
How often I have said “Bienvenidos a los
Estados Unidos. Tengo mucho alegria que
esta aqui.” (“Welcome to the U.S. I am very
happy you are here.”)
I was often overwhelmed and touched
by the courage, hope and faith which
accompanied these “tired, poor and
huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
Maria and her 15-year-old daughter came
from El Salvador. They were assaulted and
held captive for twelve days in Mexico
until a ransom of $10,000 was paid for
their release. Juan sustained beatings because he defended
his wife from a gang attack. For 3 months Roberto and Lupita
carried their 13-year-old disabled daughter from Columbia - 6
days through the jungle and 5 days on the top of box cars hoping
people would throw food and water to them. These good people
(mostly women and children) and thousands more embraced
and thanked us because we gave them God’s love and peace after
harrowing journeys. After many months of fear, bitter cold and
burning heat, hunger and thirst, they were now free.
Here in Las Cruces fear has taken over the immigrant community:
A Walmart is invaded by U.S. Immigration and Customs
Enforcement (ICE); three families live in one small apartment
and only one adult goes out each day for necessities; children do
not go to school out of fear; parents are taken from a home and a
17-year-old daughter is left to care for her siblings; in a trailer park,
immigration officers keep knocking on a door until the woman
finally opens it and she is taken.
Here in Las Cruces, I don’t see the great crime and social
problems these millions have purportedly caused us over the past
30 or 40 years. I do not accept the argument that these people are
draining our resources and taking jobs from good Americans.
They are supposedly here only to get a free ride. I read that the
immigrants make up 4.7% of our work force. They pay billions in
federal, state and local taxes but do not receive the many benefits.
But something troubles me. If our leaders speak the truth (many
millions believe and approve this truth) that these immigrants
are destroying our country, then we must change the inscription
on the Statue of Liberty to read: Don’t send us and take back your
tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free. The
people I see here on the border are “the poor, the huddled masses
yearning to be free.” They look more to me like what Jesus said in
Matthew: “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty
and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me.” This is
the truth that I see here on the border.
(Editorial credit: rblfmr / Shutterstock.com)
Marist Spirituality, continued from page 22
more than I am, and of the desire to have more than I need. In
education and catechesis we try to form ourselves and the young
people entrusted to us, in these basic attitudes. How to learn to resist
the power of money and realize that what we are is more important
than what we have? How to learn to resist the power of the media and
realize that who we really are is more important than the image that
others have of us. How to remain ourselves when dealing with media,
websites, vlogs, blogs and YouTube videos?
In a chaotic world where everyone is trying to become bigger, or at
least appear bigger, than others, I am struck by the way Fr. Colin
cherishes the word “small.” He says to the Marists in Puylata: “This
is the only way to do good, being small. The Society is called to do an
enormous amount of good. It must be faithful to its vocation. To be
small, ignoti et occulti (“unknown and hidden”). The times call for
that…” In his Constitutions he called the Marist Society “the smallest
of congregations.” (1872 Constitutions, #1) The word “small” had
for him a spiritual, rather than numerical meaning. Marists today
are more sensitive than ever to this spiritual meaning of smallness,
which of course has ecological implications. Yes, small is beautiful.
Fr. Colin helps us to become smaller, to take up less space. First of
all, to give God the place he deserves, but also to give space to all the
inhabitants of the house of our planet. In Fr. Colin’s eyes, being small
has a wonderful power. “The more self-effacing you are, the more
marvels you will work.” (A Founder Speaks, 188:17) So, the ideal is
not being hidden, but proclaiming the wonderful deeds of God and
participating in Mary’s work.
Volume 9 | Issue 1 23

(Credit: Renata Sedmakova / Shutterstock.com)
Mary’s Faith and Ours
by Jack Ridout, Today’s Marists Editorial Board Member
We have heard the story of the wedding feast at Cana many times,
but one aspect was not always obvious, Mary’s faith. Jesus and
his disciples along with Mary were at the wedding when the head
steward came to Mary to say that the wine was running low. When
Mary told Jesus about the problem, He simply told her “My hour
has not yet come” (John 2:4). In a few moments, Mary told the head
steward to do whatever He (Jesus) tells you to do, and we are familiar
with the rest of the story and how Jesus’ ministry began.
Why did Jesus wait so long to begin his ministry? What took place?
Mary knew that her Son would do the right thing and maybe for the
first time realized that her faith in Jesus was growing in a new way.
Mary could have insisted He do something to “save the day” but she
stayed in the background, and did not hesitate to intercede on behalf
of the newlyweds and their guests.
This first miracle highlights Mary’s profound faith in her son, Jesus.
While Jesus at first ignored the situation by saying “Woman, how
does your concern affect me?” (John 2:4), He then ordered jars to
be filled with water which were then presented to the head steward
who tasted the water turned into wine. What can be learned from this
story? One thing is Mary’s faith, the other is following what Jesus says,
a somewhat simple premise, but with profound results.
While on the lookout for the next book to read, I spotted a book title
that intrigued me “What would Jesus do?” I am sure the author is
trying to strengthen his case by referring to what Jesus might say or
do for a controversial situation about which he is writing. It simply
places words and actions that Jesus never said or performed. What
the wedding story tells us is what Jesus did say and does; no wild
imagination involved. So, the wedding feast shows us Mary’s faith
and Jesus’ words and actions in response to that faith.
Marists and others can imitate that same faith first revealed at
Cana in how they live and work, by following a Marist “virtue” to
meet people where they are and not where they want them to be. It is
this underlying drive for those following Mary to go to the ends of
the known world to spread the good news of the gospel, establish
schools, help the poor and by the founding of religious orders of men
and women, to live out that faith.
Marists have kept “in mind that they belong by gracious choice to
the family of blessed Mary….and have chosen her as their model….
and to think as Mary, judge as Mary, and feel and act as Mary in all
things.” (Marist Community Prayers)
Does your faith, like Mary’s, lead you to Jesus?
24 Today’s Marists Magazine

News Briefs
Marists Leaving OLA June 2025
In October 2024, Our Lady of Assumption Parish (OLA)
and School Community learned that the Marists will be
transferring leadership of OLA to the Archdiocese of
Atlanta in July 2025 because there are no Marist priests
to continue to staff the parish. Since 1965, OLA Parish has
been entrusted to the pastoral care of the Society of Mary.
The Marist Fathers and Brothers consider it an important
ministry and have been pleased to work with the people
of the parish and the schools in the Archdiocese of
Atlanta.
It is difficult for the Marists to give up the pastoral
responsibilities of OLA and the Marists are grateful to
the people of the parish and school for the real privilege
and blessing of working with such a faith community for
almost 60 wonderful years. The parish and school have
a rich history and the Society of Mary is pleased to have
been a part of it. The Marists hope that they are leaving
strong Marist values and traditions which will endure into
the future. They are grateful to the Archbishop and his
predecessors for entrusting the pastoral care of the parish
and schools to the Society of Mary. A farewell Mass and
celebration is scheduled in May.
An Evening with the Notre Dame
Prep Board
by Linda Sevcik, SM, Executive Director,
Manresa Jesuit Retreat House, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan
In December 2024, I was invited to the board meeting for
Notre Dame Prep, a Marist-sponsored school in Pontiac,
Michigan, and asked to lead a prayerful reflection on
Marist Spirituality. It is customary for this group to receive
some Marist formation every time it meets. The only
person I was previously acquainted with there was Fr.
Leon Olszamowski, SM, corporate president.
The meeting content was wide-ranging, from financial
matters to reports from various staff members on groups
in the school, to efforts to convey values, especially Marist
values, to the pre-K though grade 12 students and their
families.
Silver Anniversary of Today’s Marists
Publication
by Susan J. Illis, Archivist,
Archives of the Society of Mary, U.S. Province
With this issue, Today’s Marists marks the 25th
anniversary of its publication. Today’s Marists launched
in Spring 2000 as the new journal for a new province.
The Washington, D.C. and San Francisco Provinces of the
Society of Mary had joined to form the San Francisco-
Washington, D.C. Province - later renamed the Atlanta
Province. When the Atlanta and Boston Provinces united
to create the United States Province in 2009, Today’s
Marists continued as the official newsletter of the
province.
The innovative four-page color newspaper-style
newsletter differed from previous newsletters both
in appearance and audience. Not only did it look
much different, but it also appealed to lay Marists and
benefactors as well as the Marists. The first issue included
a feature article on longtime Marist priest Lawrence
Schmuhl, “Letter from the Provincial,” by then-provincial
Rev. Bill Rowland, SM, and an article on Marist Laity that
included a photograph of Sarah Hendricks, longtime
(more than 60 years!) Marist employee in Atlanta.
The newsletter, published three times per
year, continued in that format until 2007
when it reverted to a standard 8 ½ x 11
size with eight pages. A standout issue
from that design era is the Lent 2013
issue celebrating the 150th anniversary
of the Society of Mary in America
(https://bit.ly/4hNfdiR).
A year later, the Spring/Summer 2014 issue of Today’s
Marists introduced the current format of the magazine.
Over the years, Marist provinces worldwide have
published a myriad of newsletters and journals. Rev.
Alois Greiler, SM, of the European province, researched
the history of these publications. Additional information
on Marist publications can be obtained through the U.S.
Provincial Archives (provincialarchives@marist.com).
It was a hope-filled experience for me to be present at the
meeting.
One thing that struck me about both staff members
and board members was their familiarity with Marist
spirituality and values. It permeated the presentation and
discussions that took place. I certainly knew I was in a
Marist group!
Volume 9 | Issue 1 25

MARIST LIVES
REV. ELPHEGE GODIN, SM
Pioneer Priest of the Northeast
by Susan J. Illis, Archivist, Archives of the Society of Mary, U.S. Province
The accomplishments of Fr. Elphege Godin,
SM, a priest for 60 years, is a laundry list
of firsts: first Canadian Marist, first pastor
of St. Anne’s (Lawrence, Massachusetts),
first pastor of Our Lady of Pity (Cambridge,
Massachusetts), first Marist pastor of St.
Joseph’s (Haverhill, Massachusetts) and first
Marist pastor of Mt. Carmel Parish (Grand
Isle, Maine).
Born on August 21, 1847 in Trois-Rivieres,
Quebec, Canada on the Saint Lawrence River,
Elphege Godin was ordained on September
24, 1871 in the diocese of Trois-Rivieres. He
spent his first years after ordination teaching
Chemistry, English and commercial courses
at the minor seminary in his hometown.
His devotion to Mary led him to the Society
of Mary’s Third Order of Mary. In 1876 he
wrote to the Marists on behalf of himself and
a fellow Canadian: “We have often asked
Mary to bless our friendship and we would
be happy to work together to extend her
worship.” He continued, “I have just read the
manual of the Third Order of Mary and I dare
to request the necessary powers to admit into
this admirable association those persons who
would like to strengthen in this way the ties
that unite them to the Queen of Heaven and
to participate in the merits of good Marist
religious.” So eager was Fr. Godin to become better acquainted with
the Society of Mary that he sailed for France before he was certain
that the Marists would welcome him.
The Marists did welcome him and rather than becoming a member
of the Third Order of Mary, Godin joined the Marist novitiate. After
completing the French novitiate, Godin professed as a Marist on
May 12, 1878 at Fourviere, where in 1816 the original twelve Marists
pledged to devote themselves to Mary by forming the Society of Mary.
Godin wrote of his profession date: “The twelfth of May will be one
of the most beautiful days of my life and will be the third anniversary
whose memory is very dear to my heart. July 31, 1858, the day of my
First Communion, September 24, 1871, the day of my ordination, and
May 12, 1878, will never be erased from my memory.”
In addition to his devotion to Mary, Godin’s bilingualism in French
and English made him ideal for the new Marist American missions.
He returned to North America after his profession, but to the deep
south of the United States rather than his native Canada. He taught at
Jefferson College in Convent, Louisiana while also acting as chaplain
at the Convent of the Sacred Heart until 1880. At that time, French-
Canadians were flooding New England to work in the mills, creating
a need for French-speaking priests in that region. From 1880 until
This photograph collage from 1919 shows the mother church of St. Anne’s surrounded by Marist priests who
served there as well as the schools it sponsored. Fr. Godin is to the far left.
1882, Godin was a mission priest in Maine and New Hampshire. The
Society of Mary was invited to Lawrence, Massachusetts to serve
French-speaking Catholics, and Godin became the founding pastor
of St. Anne’s in 1882. St. Anne’s would become the mother church
for several Marist churches in Massachusetts. During his six-year
tenure in Lawrence, Godin was called to Our Lady of Victories (OLV)
Church in Boston to serve as interim pastor while the founding
priest was away on a fundraising trip. Although Godin was never
formally the pastor of OLV, he oversaw the church’s transfer to Marist
administration and managed its finances for two years while still at
St. Anne’s.
Godin briefly left New England in 1888 for St. Louis King of France
in St. Paul, Minnesota; however, his tenure there was brief due to
conflicts with Archbishop John Ireland. He returned to New England
and missionary work.
In 1892, he became the founding pastor of Our Lady of Pity in
Cambridge, Massachusetts, another area that was inundated with
French-speaking laborers. During the year he was there, he built
the original church on Harvey Street. As the inaugural Marist pastor
at St. Joseph’s in Haverhill, Massachusetts (1893-1903), his major
achievements included the addition of classrooms for religious
education and the establishment of a school for boys.
continues on page 27
26 Today’s Marists Magazine

Obituary
Will your legacy be the
momentum that continues
our Marist ministries?
Father Philip S. Gage, III, SM
1942-2024
Father Philip (Phil) S. Gage, III, SM entered
eternal life on November 25, 2024. He was born
on October 30, 1942, to Philip S. and Elizabeth
Gage, Jr. in Fort Bragg, North Carolina, Military
Ordinariate. He attended Christ the King School,
Atlanta, GA (1948-56); Marist School, Atlanta,
Georgia, (1956-60); and St. Joseph’s Manor,
Bettendorf, Iowa, (1960-62). He entered the
Marist Novitiate at Colinwood, Rhinebeck, New
York and made his first profession with the
Marists on September 12, 1963.
Fr. Gage completed studies in philosophy at The Catholic University
of America, Washington, DC (1963-1965); theology at Université
Saint-Paul, Ottawa, Canada (1966-67); and at Pontificio Ateneo di
Sant’Anselmo, Rome, Italy (1967-70).
He was ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral of Christ the King,
Atlanta, Georgia, on July 5, 1969 by Archbishop Thomas A. Donnellan,
D.D.
Following his ordination, Fr. Gage served the Society of Mary in a
variety of capacities: education ministry, parish ministry, translation
work and province administration. He served in Washington, DC
as Novice Master at the Marist Novitiate and in Rome, Italy doing
specialized research in Marist Studies. He did administrative work for
the Marists in Washington DC and in various educational institutions.
Fr. Gage is survived by his sister, Virginia (Ginger) Cashin of Atlanta,
Georgia; his brother, James Gage of Atlanta, Georgia; his sister-in-law,
Kathy Gage of Austin, Texas; and numerous cousins, nieces, nephews
and many great-nieces and nephews. Memorial donations may be
made to the Society of Mary (Marists) online at societyofmaryusa.org.
Marist Lives, continued from page 26
After a decade in Haverhill, Godin again went to Maine in 1903 as the first Marist to serve
at Mt. Carmel in Grand Isle, a town on the border with Canada. His next assignment in
1913 was at another Mt. Carmel, this one in Methuen, Massachusetts, where he spent
another decade. He then revisited Cambridge for a short time before going to Chelsea,
Massachusetts as a curate from 1925-1929. That would be his last assignment in the
United States.
When Godin began at St. Anne’s in 1882, it was the only Marist church in the
Northeastern United States. By the time he returned to Canada in 1929, the American
Province had grown so large that it was split into the Boston and Washington, D.C.
Provinces. The Boston Province, where he served most of his career, boasted at the time
of his departure ten churches, a high school, two minor seminaries and Our Lady of the
Elms, the novitiate on Staten Island. Godin, once called “that indefatigable founder of
parishes,” had a major role in the establishment of several of these churches, some of
which continue until this day. He taught for a year in Sillery, Quebec and retired in 1930.
He died on September 9, 1931 and is buried at St. Columban’s in Sillery.
Like many people, you may want
to leave a legacy. Be the cause of
something great. A bequest through the
Marist Development Office is an easy
way to create a lasting memory of things
you care most deeply about.
Our ministries are rooted in mercy and
a deep sense of compassion, inspired by
the way of Mary.
Planned gifts, in particular, allow
you to fulfill personal, financial and
philanthropic goals while establishing a
legacy of support that will echo in Marist
ministries in the locally and globally.
Our ministries include parishes, schools,
community projects, foreign missions,
care for our senior Marists and recruiting
and educating new Marists.
To learn more about Planned Giving
with the Marists contact:
Marist Development Office
617-451-3237
development@maristsociety.org
Volume 9 | Issue 1 27

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28 Today’s Marists Magazine