Doing the Work of Mary
Marists are men and women who strive to live the Gospel the way Mary lived it. We are scattered to the four corners of the world but united in one heart and one mind under the patronage of Mary, the mother of Jesus. We gather into religious congregations and lay movements: The Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary, the Marist Sisters, the Marist Brothers, the Priests and Brothers of the Society of Mary, and many lay groups of Marist inspiration.

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.

A Reflection on Earth Day (Sunday, April 22, 2018)

Video by Catholic Health Association

A Prayer For Our Earth

All-powerful God, you are present in the whole universe and in the smallest of your creatures.

You embrace with your tenderness all that exists.

Pour out upon us the power of your love, that we may protect life and beauty. Fill us with peace, that we may live as brothers and sisters, harming no one.

O God of the poor, help us to rescue the abandoned and forgotten of this earth, so precious in your eyes.

Bring healing to our lives, that we may protect the world and not prey on it, that we may sow beauty, not pollution and destruction.

Touch the hearts of those who look only for gain at the expense of the poor and the earth.

Teach us to discover the worth of each thing, to be filled with awe and contemplation, to recognize that we are profoundly united with every creature as we journey towards your infinite light.

We thank you for being with us each day. Encourage us, we pray, in our struggle for justice, love and peace.

Given in Rome at Saint Peter's on 24 May,
the Solemnity of Pentecost, in the year 2015, the third of my Pontificate.

More resources for celebrating Earth Day 2018>

Bishop Joel M. Konzen, S.M. April 5, 2018 -The Episcopal Ordination of Marist Joel Konzen took place this week at the Cathedral of Christ the King in the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Georgia. The Monday evening Solemn Vespers and Tuesday afternoon Ordination were attended by his family, Marist confreres and many others who gathered to support this significantly new chapter in his ministerial life. Bishop Joel's chosen motto, "Miserere Gaudens" was translated in the Solemn Vespers program: "Be Merciful and with a Cheerful Heart." Videos of both events are available for viewing at www.livestream.com/archatl Read Full Story>

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.

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: For Those who have Responsibility in Economic Matters
That economists may have the courage to reject any economy of exclusion and know how to open new paths.  Pope Francis - April 2018

"The economy cannot attempt only to increase profits
by reducing the work force and thereby adding
to the ranks of the excluded.

It must follow the path marked out by business leaders, politicians, thinkers, and leaders in society who place the human person in first place, and do everything possible to ensure that there are opportunities of dignified work.

Let us raise our voices together, asking that economists
may have the courage to reject an economy of exclusion
and know how to open new paths.

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

Seasonal Reflections

Read Our Seasonal Reflections>

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.

Our Lady by Laura James

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>

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