Fr Richard Rohr OFM, presents on the Centre for Action and Contemplation , 4 key issues that call for us to be engaged in this year, 2024: He draws on Brian McLaren's work: Everything must Change .  McLaren presents 4 Crises: Planet, Poverty, Peace, and Religion.  McLaren Writes Way back in 2007, I wrote a book called Everything Must Change. I wanted to understand what our greatest challenges and threats and problems were here on Earth as a global civilization. I spent a year researching the literature of global crises, and I came away with an understanding of four deep problems that we face. First, we face a crisis with our planet. We are literally destroying our life su...

The three Magi from the East brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to those gathered around the new-born child in Bethlehem, Mary and Joseph among them. (Matt. 2) However, the beautiful story of the Epiphany suggests that these same travelers from the East bring other gifts, too, both to those in Bethlehem and also to us. These other gifts of the wise, then and now, are channels of peace and reconciliation within a very violent world. The Epiphany speaks to hearts in every age that long for peace and reconciliation in the midst of war, injustice and violence. We are so familiar with the Christmas scene that the magi seem to fit in there very naturally. In reality, they were strangers...

A Broader View of the Impacts of Climate Change on the World's Poor by Ted Keating, SM                                                                                                 Traduction française - voir ci-dessous When our Editorial Committee met to plan this issue of Today's Marists, we were embedded in the tragic news of a world on fire (western part of the United States, Canada, Greece, along with several other nations); massive, deadly flo...

COP28 is the first COP to have a Faith Pavilion, found at  https://faithatcop28.com/ La COP28 est la première COP à disposer d'un pavillon de la foi à  https://faithatcop28.com/ GLOBAL FAITH LEADERS UNITE TO DECLARE SUPPORT      Traduction française - voir ci-dessous – 28 high-level faith leaders from over 19 faiths and denominations unite to sign a statement seeking urgent climate action ahead of COP28. – The document, signed at the Global Faith Leaders' Summit on 6/7 November in Abu Dhabi, shows commitment from faith groups across the world to take swift and decisive action to address the climate emergency. – At COP28, the first-ever Faith Pavilion will b...

Recently I gave a retreat for the clergy of the Sydney Archdiocese. The theme was the Eucharist. I wish to share with you some extracts from the final conference of the retreat: A Eucharistic Life. For us religious and priests an integral part in our lives is the regular celebration the Eucharist. Within the rite of ordination of priests, at the time of the preparation of the gifts, the bishop hands over the bread and wine and says: receive the oblation of the holy people, to be offered to God. Understand what you do and imitate what you celebrate, and conform your life to the mystery of Christ's cross. This instruction can be taken on board by all of us. The Eucharist can give form to our l...

Concluding the fall semester:   [Traduction française - voir ci-dessous] As the fall semester comes to an end at Centro Hispano Marista, Marist School Atlanta - Georgia, there is a palpable sense of accomplishment and growth among the students. The soon-to-be graduates echo their hard work and determination as learners and reflect on the challenges they've overcome and the knowledge they've gained. Teachers and students alike take pride in the progress made during these few months, celebrating not only academic achievements but also personal victories. We look forward to celebrating many GEDs passed and our upcoming 2023 Graduation Ceremony this December. For those students returni...

MARIST MISSION STUDIES 5 – 29 September 2023 Ranong, Thailand Report from Fr. Hermes Sabud, SM The aim of the Marist Mission Studies (MMS) 2023 was to "Inflame the passion for Marist mission" among the participants. The specific objectives are as follows: 1.Bring together younger Marists from different parts of the world of the Society of Mary. 2.Engage in creative reflection and study what it means to be a Marist missionary in today's context. 3.Create a space to learn from the Marist mission experiences of the participants. 4.Provide Marists with opportunities to deepen and nourish their passion for the mission of the Trinity. The participants of MMS 2023 were: 1.Fr. George Baruk...

Source: Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice:https://www.jcfj.ie/2023/10/04/laudate-deum-summary/ Posted on October 4, 2023 by Kevin Hargaden - Economic Justice, Environmental Justice, News, Poverty & Inequality News, Theology The Origin Story Eight years ago, Pope Francis published one of the most important works of environmental thinking in history, Laudato Si'. Praised by religious and secular figures alike, it had an immediate and lasting impact. It was written to engage the scientific, political, and religious communities – addressed really to "every living person on this planet" (§3) – and to summon us all to a renewed commitment to "care for our common home". Laudato Si' are the op...

Seeking God: Buddhist Meditation and Christian Mysticism I recently entered into a 10-day Buddhist Vipassana Retreat. A few Marists had shared with me that they had completed a Vipassana Buddhist Retreat and I thought I would try and enter such an experience. I was curious about the Buddhist psychology of meditation and I wanted to learn some more about Buddhist beliefs as most of the Myanmar and Thai people in Ranong, Thailand are Buddhist. I was also curious if I could make any connections between Buddhist meditation and the Christian contemplative tradition of St John of the Cross. John of the Cross has both haunted and inspired me since my Renewal experience at Le Neyliere in 2019. His S...

The Perfect Exemplar of Communion: Mary, Mother of the Eschatological New Creation 1. Introduction Laudato Si' invites us to reimagine our mission so that it may be inclusive of creation. As Mary stands at the centre of our spirituality, we are invited to develop an understanding of her in connection with the ecological crisis. The 2017 General Chapter specifically invites us to contemplate the theme of Mary Mother of the New Creation to help us in responding in an authentic Marist way to the call to live ecologically sustainable lifestyles. The theme of Mary Mother of the New Creation does not explicitly appear in the writings of either the fathers of the Church or of the medieval theologia...

Given the fact that our youngest Marist Units, who have the most vocations, are in countries most affected by Global Debt – I would like to present this article [from Aljazeera] for our awareness. Extract: "In Africa, the amount spent on interest payments is higher than spending on either education or health. Developing countries in Asia and Oceania [excluding China] are allocating more funds to interest payments than to health,"  "Similarly in Latin America".  Almost half of humanity lives in countries that spend more servicing interest on debt than health or education, UN says. Approximately 3.3 billion people – almost half of humanity – now live in countries that spend more mone...

Fr Yean-Yves Denize sm writes from Marist Provincial House Paris:  Le P. Yean-Yves Denizel sm écrit de la Maison provinciale mariste de Paris :  voir ci-dessous Historical: Created in 1945, the "Secours populaire français" = "French Peoples Aid" is the heir of popular movements whose values it has, throughout these decades, preserved while evolving considerably. Its orientation, its missions, its independence make it possible today to bring together people of heart regardless of their personal commitments, their political, philosophical or religious sympathies, without any distinction of sex, age or social level. Day after day, here as elsewhere, the "Secours populaire", an as...

JUSTIFYING AN INTEGRAL CAPABILITIES APPROACH TO SUSTAINABLE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT   [Abstract: John Guo SM]   The idea that development should be sustainable has been refined and widely accepted. It is no longer a new discussion topic, but is part of the concern of human development already. The concern for the well-being and quality of life must be sustainable. The Brundtland Commission Report Our Common Future described sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." People is the only end of sustainable human development. The Brundtland Commission's definition ...

Jeudi 23 mars : pour la mi‐carême, le site de Meyzieu a accueilli des étudiants en STAPS et des jeunes en situation de handicap pour vivre une journée festive à l'occasion de la Journée Nationale du Sport et du Handicap (JNSH). Cette journée a pour objet de sensibiliser au handicap et de promouvoir le sport adapté, qui permet d'intégrer les personnes en situation de handicap. L'accessibilité brise les barrières sociales et lutte contre l'isolement. Thursday 23 March: for mid-Lent, the Meyzieu site welcomed STAPS students and young people with disabilities for a festive day on the occasion of the National Day for Sport and Disability (JNSH). The aim of this day is to raise awareness of disabi...

Share the Journey Pilgrimage Unites Community in Solidarity with Refugees and Immigrants  /  Partageons le chemin Le pèlerinage unit la communauté en solidarité avec les réfugiés et les immigrants  [ voir ci-dessous ] On Saturday, April 29, Marist School's chapter of Share the Journey organized and embarked on a pilgrimage to foster unity and offer prayers for refugees and immigrants. Students, faculty, and representatives from Marist, Cristo Rey Atlanta Jesuit High School, and St. Pius X Catholic High School were joined by representatives from the Clarkston Community Center and the Archdiocese of Atlanta's Office of Justice and Peace Ministries. The group set out on a five-mi...

Sr. Gladys Enanoria, smsm - Chulucanas, Piura, Peru – writes:   /   Sr Gladys Enanoria, smsm - Chulucanas, Piura, Pérou - écrit  [ voir ci-dessous] A powerful cyclone called "Yaku" - March 2023 - unleashed torrential rains, battering hundreds of homes causing major disruptions and devastations and has generated a lot of pain and suffering to the lives of the people in the north of Peru. Cyclone Yaku is an unusual phenomenon that has caused the rains to intensify in the north of the country. Officials say, the havoc can be traced to unseasonably warm ocean temperatures off the Peruvian coast that generate intense rainstorms and has caused Peru to receive 10 times...

This week's post was sent to us by Fr Francois Grossin SM, New Caledonia, from NZ Catholic, 6th March 2023. It is an address from Cardinal Soane Patita Paini Mafi who is the first ever cardinal from Tonga and the youngest member of the College of Cardinals. He is also the President of Caritas Oceania and represents the region on key issues, especially climate change.    Traduction française : voir ci-dessous : Across the Pacific, people are picking up the bones of their ancestors like shells on the beach. Burial grounds are being washed away by rising tides. Communities are shoring up seawalls with old tyres. I was raised on the beautiful island of Tonga. When I was a child, my par...

Extrait du "Rameau de Pâques", bulletin de la maison de formation mariste Saint-Pierre Chanel de Yaoundé (Cameroun). Un article de Luigi Salvodelli sm See below for English Translation: From "Le Rameau de Pâques", a bulletin published by the Marist Formation House Saint-Pierre Chanel at Yaoundé (Cameroon). A contribution by Luigi Salvodelli sm.   THE ENCYCLICAL "LAUDATO SI" TO DATE LA RÉALISATION À CE JOUR DE L'ENCYCLIQUE "LAUDATO SI" Ces derniers jours, le Pape François est revenu une fois de plus sur le contenu de l'encyclique "Laudato Si", en soulignant son sens le plus profond, qui nous encourage à revenir à l'essentiel et à la terre, selon la pensée de saint François d'As...