Today's Marists

Marist events and stories about parishes, Marist School and Marist personalities are shared regularly in the print edition of our newsletter, Today’s Marists. We invite to read about our ministries, missions, history, schools, donors and more.

Download Lent 2012 Today's Marist Newsletter
(updated Feb. 21, 2012)

From Today's Marists Newsletter

Marists in Retirement Find Opportunities to Live and Serve in New Ways
By Revs. Paul Frechette and Tom Ellerman, S.M.

Marist priests and brothers share many common traits, including the fact that none of us ever retires fully. All Marists in retirement carry with them one special quality that brought them into Marist life in the first place: their shared desires to serve God in the quiet way of Mary. It is not uncommon to see a Marist stay in active ministry until well beyond the traditional retirement years — until it becomes a physical impossibility to do so.

When one moves beyond active ministry and graduates to the status of senior religious in retirement, an entirely new and familiar job awaits him: the active apostolate of prayer. While many aspects of our retirements mirror those of the general population, we often carry through qualities of our earlier ministries (jobs) and, of course, our circumstances change as we age.

From the East . . .

Journey with us across the U.S., from East to West, and meet some of our senior Marist fathers and brothers.

When Fr. Gerry Demers, S.M., retired from active ministry as pastor and superior at Our Lady of Victories Shrine (OLV) in Boston, he found a new way of living that suited him well. While still in residence at OLV, he enjoys his daily walks, quiet times of meditation, and he loves living in Boston. “There are just enough ‘interruptions’ here to make it so there is always something to do,” says Fr. Gerry. While he continues to celebrate Mass and hear confessions, Fr. Gerry says he never feels burdened. He has begun helping out by celebrating weekend Mass at a local diocesan church. In the past year, he has had open-heart surgery and has seen new levels in his appreciation for the gift of life.

Fr. Robert Champagne, S.M. retired from active ministry several years ago, but remained busy and available to celebrate Masses at a variety of locations in and near Framingham, MA, where he lived at Marist House until last summer when the house was closed. In this past year, Fr. Bob saw many changes in his life in addition to the move from Marist House to a new Marist residence in of his failing eyesight. While he can no longer celebrate Waltham, including the loss of his driver’s license because public Masses, he is happy to be able to offer the Sacrament of Reconciliation to several groups.

Twenty years of missionary life and a ministry as a building contractor in the Pacific islands helped Br. Roland Bernier, S.M. fashion his ability to live anywhere with anyone. The five Marists with whom he now lives in Waltham, MA appreciate this quality of adaptability in Br. Roland. His spiritual and prayer life is full and the natural setting surrounding his new home engenders peaceful days.

While technically a senior priest at age 79, Fr. Roger Bourgea, S.M. continues to work part-time as a chaplain for Boston Medical Center. His 20-hours per week, covering three days, brings him into situations where he is able to help out by using his French- and Spanish-language says Fr. Roger, who is often called upon to give sacraments skills. “It is a very Marist ministry,” to people who are very needy, vulnerable and sick. If a patient tells him she wants communion, he gives it to her without inquiring about her Catholic background. “I don’t ask all kinds of questions,” he says, “and I train the Eucharistic ministers to do the same. We offer communion and offer the patient another option: or do you want me to come back?”

If you would care to conjure an image of a quintessential senior Marist priest in retirement, consider Fr. Robert Graham, S.M., who, at the age of 90, ministers quietly to his fellow residents of the Catholic nursing home in Framingham, MA. Some residents come to him for confession, and he has even been asked to conduct a few anointings of the sick. Fr. Bob is glad to have the Blessed Sacrament in the chapel, where he prays daily.

...to the West

On the edge of Chinatown, in the heart of San Francisco, located close to each other, are three Marist institutions—the Church of Notre Dame des Victoires, Notre Dame des Victoires Elementary School, and the Marist Center of the West, located in the former convent of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange. The Marist Center is the spiritual powerhouse of the California Region of the USA Province. The source of its spiritual power is the membership of the community—Fathers Edward Blee, Patrick Coyle, Philip d'Auby, Robert Fahey, Francis Springer, and Brother John Hunt. These Marists, with many years of service to the People of God in California, Arizona, Idaho, Hawaii, Oceania, Florida, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia, are well prepared for their present ministry of prayerful presence, wisdom, sharing, gracious hospitality, and silent sacrifice.

Marists from all over the world, a variety of other priests and religious, and members of the laity are warmly received at the Center and made to feel at home. The above-mentioned Marists are insightful and generous with their hard-won wisdom not only by their active participation in Marist Regional meetings, but in their numerous personal and pastoral encounters with many persons near and far. Especially in their prayer before the Most Blessed Sacrament and in their prayers to Mary do these Marists intercede for the world, the Church, and the Society of Mary. They pray with special fervor for an increase of new members in the Society. God alone knows the number of silent sacrifices they continue to make everyday for all of us who rely on their spiritual support.

Brothers Patrick Souza and Joseph Grima, along with five Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart and Our Lady of Guadalupe, generously spend their time and energy in supporting the spiritual ministry of these senior Marists. To these Brothers and Sisters, the USA Province owes more than it can ever repay.

All our Senior Marists, wherever they may be, remain an inspiration and a challenge to us all. May we, as they, faithfully entrust ourselves to God's loving Providence and reflect Mary, our model and inspiration, given over entirely to a quiet life of service, at all stages of our lives.

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