Today, we continue in the venture to renew the spirit and mission of the Church as a place of collaboration and true spiritual enrichment.

We invite you to discover that true strength is found in gentleness. Marist spirituality invites us to embrace this liberating truth, which comes to us from the heart of God, by following Mary, the Mother of Jesus. Like Mary, we too can hear the gentle rhythms of the grace of God in our lives by making our own her manner of thinking, judging, feeling, and acting.

    Mary's way is a direct path to the divine heart of mercy.

Monday, May 21 • Memorial of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church

Pope Francis has decreed that "the Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church," should be inscribed in the Roman Calendar on the Monday after Pentecost (May 21st in 2018) and be celebrated every year in churches throughout the world.

A MARIAN CHURCH By François Març, SM
I would like to plead for a Marian Church; not for a church which multiplies processions and blesses huge statues…. rather a Church which "lives the Gospel after the manner of Mary."

Read "A Marian Church" Reflection>

Read the full Decree on the celebration
of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mother of the Church>

Temporary Protected Status (TPS) News

TPS is a temporary, renewable, and statutorily authorized humanitarian migration program that permits individuals to remain and work lawfully in the U.S. during a period in which it is deemed unsafe for nationals of that country to return home. TPS currently protects thousands of people from deportation. They are our fellow parishioners, sisters, brothers, community leaders and colleagues. Some have been here for decades.

Save TPS for Nepal and Honduras!

The Department of Homeland Security must will decide whether to extend or end TPS for Honduras and Nepal near the end of April 2018.

Nepal has not yet recovered from the earthquake that devastated the country in 2015, while Honduras is not stable enough to reabsorb the 57,000 people who have been in the U.S. since 1999. TPS holders use their work permits to open businesses, integrate into their new communities, and help rebuild their native countries by sending money to their families. Ending TPS for either of these countries would harm communities both here and abroad.

Read "The Human Impact of Terminating
Temporary Protected Status for Nepal">

Read "Know Your Immigration Options and Risks">

Migration Chairman Deeply Disappointed by Termination of Temporary Protected Status for El Salvador; Calls for Congress to Find a Legislative Solution

WASHINGTON — On January 8th, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that it is terminating Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for El Salvador.

Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin, Texas, Chairman of the Committee on Migration (USCCB/COM), issued the following statement:

"The decision to terminate TPS for
El Salvador is heartbreaking...

Our nation must not turn its back on
TPS recipients and their families;
they too are children of God."

Migration Chairman Responds to Troubling Termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haiti; Calls on Congress to Find a Solution

WASHINGTON – On November 20, the Department of Homeland Security announced termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haiti. There are an estimated 50,000 Haitian TPS recipients living in the U.S.

Bishop Joe S. Vásquez of Austin, Texas, Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration (USCCB/COM), issued the following statement in response:

"Yesterday's decision to terminate TPS for Haiti is deeply troubling. As discussed in our recent delegation trip report, Haiti is not yet in a position where it can safely accept return of the estimated 50,000 Haitian nationals who have received TPS. This decision will devastate many families with TPS members, including those with U.S. citizen children.

Pope Francis: The Mission of the Laity
That the lay faithful may fulfill their specific mission, by responding with creativity to the challenges that face the world today.  Pope Francis - May 2018

"Lay people are on the front line of the life of the Church.

We need their testimony regarding the truth of the Gospel and their example of expressing their faith by practicing solidarity.

Let us give thanks for the lay people who take risks,
who are not afraid and who offer reasons for hope
to the poorest, to the excluded, to the marginalized.

Let us pray together this month that the
lay faithful may fulfill their specific mission,
the mission that they received in Baptism,
putting their creativity at the service
of the challenges of today's world."

Video by Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network – Apostleship of Prayer

Seasonal Reflections

Read Our Seasonal Reflections>

Marist Thoughts

Marists often speak of a Marian Church as a church with its doors wide open. It is a Church that welcomes, that bids others to enter and to know Jesus Christ and all the joy, love and peace that he offers.

But the doors of a Marian Church
are open for another reason.
They are open to enable the Church,
the people of God, to go outward.

In going outward, the Church touches the lives of those who some may regard as "the least." They include among them the homeless and the hungry, the alcoholic and those whose bodies and hearts have been torn apart by addiction to drugs.

But often, they are people whose lives have been shattered by broken dreams, broken relationships (sometimes with the Church itself), and a feeling of abandonment. They are suffering and seeking at the same time, wondering if anyone cares and hoping that something better awaits them.

A Marian Church does not have all the answers for them. It is itself a people of God who are in struggle. But Marists believe that the model of Church they offer can make some difference in the lives of those who are in groaning.

At the very least it is willing to listen to their groaning, to speak to them of a Christ who cares, and to journey with them on their Calvary. It is a Church willing to go beyond doctrine and to feel deeply for others.

Read More Marist Thoughts on A Marian Church>

Read about A Marian People in action>

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