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.

Every stranger who knocks at our door is an opportunity for an encounter with Jesus Christ, who identifies with the welcomed and rejected strangers of every age (See Matthew 25:35-43).
Pope Francis, from his 2018 World Day of Migrants and Refugees Message

Read Pope Francis' 2018 World Day of
Migrants and Refugees Message>

The Marists of the U.S. Province came to the United States to minister to immigrants on the move who speak other languages, and it has been part of our history since our arrival here in the United States in 1863.

We follow the lead of the U.S. Bishops in seeking a humane and consistent immigration policy for the United States but cannot be blind to the painful human needs and social situations of our immigrant brothers and sisters.

Read more about this issue>

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: Social Media
That social networks may work towards that inclusiveness which respects others for their differences.  Pope Francis - June 2018

"The Internet is a gift of God, but it is also a great responsibility.

Communication technology, its places, its instruments have brought with it a lengthening of horizons, a widening,
for so many people.

It can offer immense possibilities for encounter and solidarity.

May the digital network not be a place of alienation.
May it be a concrete place, a place rich in humanity.

Let us pray together that social networks may work towards that inclusiveness which respects others for their differences."

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>

Read about A Marian People in action>

 

 

 

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