Thanksgiving Blessings

As Thanksgiving approaches, the Marists thank you for your support and prayers this year. Certainly, over the last year, we have appreciated these gifts more deeply than ever.

We’re so grateful! May you have a Thanksgiving full of blessings.

“May your unfailing love be with us, Lord, as we put our hope in you.” (Psalm 33:22)

November 30, 2021 is Giving Tuesday. The Society of Mary (Marists) invite you to join the celebration of Giving Tuesday by coming together with millions around the world who will participate in this global generosity movement. There’s a fundamental truth that gives us hope – that together we can do extraordinary things.

The Society of Mary (Marists) is honored to participate in this year’s Giving Tuesday with a one-day fundraising goal of $5,000 on November 30, 2021. We generally go about our work as our founder, Fr, Jean-Claude Colin, SM, prescribed, as if “hidden and unknown.” We are not invisible; rather, we are often somewhat conspicuous inside our ministries serving quietly in the way of Mary, who laid aside her own vision, plans and dreams in favor of God’s plan for her. In fact, this is what it means to be a Marist – discerning and accepting God’s plan. And like Jesus and Mary, we strive to embody the presence of a Creator rich in mercy.

Our appeal this Giving Tuesday acknowledges the lives and work of all our members in the United States – active in parishes, schools, campus ministries, hospitals, prisons, and special ministerial programs. Of course, many of us are now too senior in age to be working full-time, and a good number of our senior members remain in ministry through the practice of contemplative and intercessory prayer. 

Our financial needs are focused on today and the future. On Giving Tuesday, we ask you to consider:

– Contributing towards ministries that seek to bring peace, justice, and pastoral care

– Supporting to help recruit and educate seminarians, priests, and brothers especially with the recent launch of our Marist Vocation Year – a year dedicated to reflecting, praying and promoting vocations for the Church and to the Marist Society.

– Contributing to provide health care and financial support for our aging membership

– Supporting to help maintain our operations toward a viable future

Never underestimate the power of your giving to the Society of Mary (Marists). Please consider sharing your blessings with us on Giving Tuesday, November 30, 2021. Click HERE to donate online. We encourage our Facebook users to donate through our Facebook page on Giving Tuesday when Facebook will be joining in this global day of giving by matching donations made to non-profit organizations.

Some of you are already generously contributing to the Society but we thought it important to share with all of you this opportunity of this day dedicated to generosity around the world.

With gratitude for all of your support for us now and in the past, may God bless you!

For the four Sundays of Advent and Christmas day, the Society of Mary (Marists) invite you to participate in reflections by the Racial Justice Ministry Team at Our Lady of Assumption Parish, a Marist ministry in Atlanta, Georgia.

This year’s meditations reflect on Pope Francis’s encyclical, Fratelli Tutti and Brothers and Sisters To Us (USCCB).

The reflections, beginning on Sunday, November 28th, will be available on our website, Facebook page and Instagram page.

Wishing you a blessed Advent season!

As we celebrate the Feast of Christ the King, the Marists invite you to reflect on the Words of Pope Francis.

“And so our King went to the ends of the universe in order to embrace and save every living being.

He did not condemn us, nor did he conquer us, and he never disregarded our freedom, but he paved the way with a humble love that forgives all things, hopes all things, sustains all things (cf. 1 Cor13:7)

This love alone overcame and continues to overcome our worst enemies: sin, death, fear. …

We joyfully share the splendor of having Jesus as our King: his rule of love transforms sin into grace, death into resurrection, fear into trust.

It would mean very little, however, if we believed Jesus was King of the universe, but did not make him Lord of our lives: all this is empty if we do not personally accept Jesus and if we do not also accept his way of being King.” (- Pope Francis)

Lord, open our hearts and transform them. Help us to welcome the gift of your Kingdom in our lives so that everyday we can repeat: Thy Kingdom Come!