A group of 5th graders were asked to list what they thought were the present "Seven Wonders of the World." Though there were some disagreements, the following received the most votes: 1. Egypt's Great Pyramids 2. Niagra Falls 3. Grand Canyon 4. Panama Canal 5. Empire State Building 6. St. Peter's Basilica 7. China's Great Wall While gathering the votes, the teacher noted that one student had not finished her paper yet. So, she asked the girl if she was having trouble with her list. The girl replied, "Yes, a little. I couldn't quite make up my mind because there were so many." The teacher said, "Well, tell us what you have, and maybe we can help." The girl hesitated, then read, "I think the '...

This week's post comes from Yaoundé, Cameroon. In "Le rameau de Noël" (the Christmas Twig) the students at St Peter Chanel House explain their everyday life, share in their reflections and feelings as they are in progress and discernment on their way with Christ, following the Marist inspiration. It was kindly communicated by Fr Yvan Carré sm, the Superior of the community. L'article de cette semaine nous vient de Yaoundé, au Cameroun. Dans leur journal intitulé "Le Rameau de Noël", les étudiants de la Maison Saint Pierre Chanel rendent compte de leur cheminement, pour un discernement vocationnel, en suivant l'inspiration mariste. Ce texte a été aimablement communiqué par Yvan Carré sm, le s...

Over the Christmas / New Year Period we may have missed this good news:  "30-by-30": Key takeaways from the COP15 biodiversity summit MONTREAL, Dec 19 (Reuters) - A United Nations nature summit culminated on Monday with a global deal to protect the ecosystems that prop up half the world economy, and prevent the further loss of already ravaged plant and animal populations. Here are some of the key areas agreed on after two weeks of negotiations hosted in Montreal, Canada. CONSERVATION, PROTECTION AND RESTORATION Delegates committed to protecting 30% of land and 30% of coastal and marine areas by 2030, fulfilling the deal's highest-profile goal, known as 30-by-30. Indigenous and tradition...

'Praise be to you my Lord through our Sister, Mother Earth, who sustains and governs us' [St Francis of Assisi – Canticle of the creatures]. As we follow COP27 we can be encouraged by the practical things others are doing.  Fr Donato Kivi sm, Chair of our Marist Ecology Commission, sends us news of what he has done with and for his people in Fiji.  The people of Tokou village on the island of Ovalau in the Fiji Islands got together to build an earth-bag grotto for the Blessed Virgin Mary. The building is made out of compressed earth following earthbag architecture. The grotto project is pioneering for motivating and training the villagers in building safe, durable, low cost and eco...

Fr Joseph McLaughlin SM, Notre Dame des Victoires, San Francisco, California writes: It is 9:15 am and I begin my 20-minute walk to St. Anthony's dining room in the tenderloin district of San Francisco. In October 1950, Father Alfred Boeddeker opened the doors of St. Anthony's dining room to men and women in need of meals. Since then, services offered here have grown to include a medical clinic, free clothing program, technology lab and more. However, its mission remains the same: to care for those in need and create a society in which all persons flourish. As I draw closer to Golden Gate Avenue I meet Anna who could be 35 or 55; a dear lady who seldom speaks to me. "Hi Anna, it is Joe....

 Marist Father - John Bolduc SM, Parochial Vicar, St. Patrick Parish, Roxbury, Massachusetts writes about his Prison Ministry, and its Marist dimension:  I think of the icon, Our Lady of Tenderness. What strikes me is that she is not looking at us. She does not look for our attention; it is Jesus who is important and He seems to be looking to his Father and He is not a little baby. Marists learn to love that woman, but never without her Son. Her Son was sometimes a hard man, calling others names – Herod was a fox; Pharisees were whitened sepulchers (Matthew 23:27), decomposing, putrid dead corpses. Her Son never shamed those who were shamed by others: lepers, criminals, c...

Fr. Luigi Savoldelli sm sent this news to us on 24 May the 7th Anniversary of Laudato Si:  For those who believe it is a planet shaped by the hands of God, for others it is an environment rich in resources, which are good for the eyes, which make us feel good in the depths of our being and which can be used for human needs.We call it Earth and all of us, believers or not, are its inhabitants, its custodians and we have it on loan for free use, on loan from our children and grandchildren, from those who will come after us and inhabit it. Earth. Space. What we tell you are not "the journeys of the spaceship Enterprise, whose mission is to explore strange and new worlds in search of n...

Gerald A. Arbuckle, sm, Marist Father and distinguished cultural anthropologist writes:  The world is flooded with conspiracy theories, the beliefs, contrary to reality, that individuals or groups are secretly acting to accomplish some malevolent purpose. Once COVID-19 was identified, conspiracy theories emerged. Some said it was a hoax or a campaign to disrupt the presidential re-election of Donald Trump; others the pharmaceutical industry spreads the disease. Conspiracy beliefs may satisfy people's needs for certainty, security, and a positive self-image in a world they feel is disintegrating. When the comforting securities of cultures crumble, paranoia makes sense. An inability ...

Hope is not immediately evident at the moment. The Invasion of Ukraine - with its catastrophic and ongoing consequences; and the release of the recent IPCC Report on climate impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability give us little comfort, and much to worry about. However, our Faith assures us that all history and time belong to God, who has pitched his tent among us, and has given us reason to 'hope against hope' [R.4:18].One significant sign of the Spirit of God being at work in the world came through last week when in Kenya, on 01st of March, 175 countries agreed to a legally binding global treaty to end the plastic pollution crisis.  Countries agree to end plastic pollution in ambitiou...

Australian Marist, Gerard Hall sm, recently presented his Journey in Interreligious Dialogue to our Marist IRD Commission.     His full presentation can be found here:  This blog begins at the end, where Gerard writes his SUMMARY STATEMENT I feel in many ways that my ecumenical and interreligious journey is just beginning if for no other reason than that my knowledge of other religious traditions is so minimal. Even though I was drawn to Panikkar's inter- & intra-religious dialogue with Hinduism & Buddhism and then, through circumstance, found myself involved in dialogue with Islam, in many ways, like Panikkar, I have been increasingly focused on th...

Elisabeth S. Golding. Friend of the Marists in Norway, delivered the address below in the Cathedral of Hope, Oslow, on World's Environment Day Friday 5 June 2020  Five years ago, Pope Francis asked us all to take care of the Earth. Have we listened? After Pope Francis, five years ago, published his "Laudato Si" Encyclical (circular document) to the Catholic Church, to other Christians and to world leaders, as well as to all people of goodwill, many around the world became aware of the environmental challenges facing us all. The Holy Father said "The environmental challenge we are undergoing - and its human roots - is worrying and affects us all… As Christians inspired by this ...

Jim Carty, sm, Aus, sends this Pentecost reflection:    Following the death of George Floyd, an African American, while being arrested by four Police officers last Thursday,angry mobs took to the streets in protest. Below, a picture of the arrest graphically shows one of the officers kneeling with force on the neck of a prone and handcuffed man for at least nine minutes - for a while Mr Floyd pleaded with the officer to let him breath until he no longer could. Soon after, he died in the hands of Medics.    At a press conference, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey said the protests stemmed from built-up anger and sadness "ingrained in our black community not just because of...

God of Deep Time, God of the ever-expanding universe, God of Light of the Supernovas, and of the Darkness of the Black holes of our Universe, God who Resurrected Life after 5 mass extinctions of earth, God who knew us before we were born, and gave us our name and our place in this Universe, You know our predicament at this point in time, You gave us a mind to discern the signs of the times: The disruption in climate, The loss of biodiversity, and the fragility of our future, The fear of the stranger and the protection of borders to keep out our brothers and sisters. Darkness is not dark for You, and night is as clear as the day. In you we place our trust. Show us how to think, and what to do...

A reflection by Br Paul S Murphy fms       The eight-lane, north-bearing mirage of motorway leapfrogs the struggling world below. I fly like a bird soaring above the reality and melee. This speedway could take me to charming, exotic and even reverenced places like the old Siam Kingdom's Capital Ayutthaya sacked in the 14th century by the Burmese but never rebuilt, or to the tourist mecca of Chiang Mai or much further on to the new attraction at Chiang Rai made famous by the exploits of the cave boys (the 'Moo Pa - Wild Boars') football team and the heroism of those called upon to save them. But none of these interests me today. I am heading to the province of Pathumthani ...