Updates

The seven commitments of the Global Compact on Education (GCE), the seven action areas of the Laudato Si' Action Platform (LSAP), and the Characteristics of Marianist Education (CMEs) form the bases for our five Marianist Encounters' goals . Pope Leo XIV wrote about the Global Compact on Education in his Apostolic Letter, Drawing New Maps of Hope, and added three priorities to its seven commitments. Promulgated by the Second Vatican Council in 1965 under Pope Paul VI, Graviss

Pope Leo XIV has announced 2026 as a special Jubilee Year to commemorate the eight hundredth anniversary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi. The Franciscan Jubilee Year, running from January 10, 2026, to January 10, 2027, invites all believers and communities to adopt the simple and fraternal lifestyle of St. Francis of Assisi. Building on the momentum of the 2025 Ordinary Jubilee, this period focuses on spiritual renewal through peace, fraternity, and a profound respect

The Marianist Family Encounters Project (MFEP) is promoting the Marianist Family’s call to action on climate change. Marianist Social Justice Collaborative (MSJC) and Marianist Environmental Education Center (MEEC) released a joint statement that outlines four key areas, along with steps for contemplation, ongoing education, and action. Link: Marianist Family’s Call to Courageous Action on the Climate Crisis The Marianist Family is deeply concerned about the impacts of the cl

St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, TX, is offering a scholarship program to educate and train future STEM teachers with a focus on environmental themes. Please see the NSF Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program at St. Mary’s University.   St. Mary’s University was awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant in 2025 for the education of future STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) teachers. The Noyce Teacher Scholarship Program at St. Mary’s University is seeki

This Christmas season, Marianist Schools turned faith into action through works of charity and love. St. John Vianney in St. Louis, MO, combined fun and charity by hosting a pajama day bake sale and raised funds for a local children’s hospital. The class of 2031 at Colegio San José in Puerto Rico volunteered at the island’s only children’s hospital and shared their joy with the patients. Purcell Marian in Cincinnati, OH, hosted a coats-and-gloves drive for free concession tre

The Marianist Magnificat, December 2025, highlights Marianists' works of justice for the poor and marginalized in Lima, Peru, especially during this Christmas season. More than 30 years ago, Father Eduardo Arens, SM, began the incredible work of providing breakfast to many people living in shantytowns on the outskirts of Lima, Peru. These people are very poor and live in an area with harsh winters.   In the context of food insecurity in Peru, in 2025, the CLM youth of Lima co

St. Mary’s South Side Catholic High School, St. Louis, MO, and its Dragon LIFE group honored Our Lady of Guadalupe. The school also celebrated its Latino students, providing an opportunity for cultural learning and enrichment.  Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe December 12, 2025   Our Lady of Guadalupe’s feast day this year allowed us to have a guest speaker at St. Mary’s to share about Our Lady of Guadalupe. Niko Lignore, a friend of St. Mary South Side’s Campus Minister, came

Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory (CMCP), Hollywood, FL, English department, promoted Goal 4 of the Marianist Encounters through the Global Compact on Education’s commitment to finding new ways of understanding the economy, politics, growth, and progress that can truly stand at the service of the human person and the entire human family, within the context of an integral ecology. Many CMCP faculty members would ask me how they can incorporate the Goals of the Marianist Fa

Twelfth-grade Social Justice students from Chaminade College Preparatory High School, CA, read the Laudato Si’ encyclical and created posters with quotes from the encyclical for three proposals: Team Sea, Save the Bees, and Solar Energy.      I have my 12th-grade Social Justice students interact with Laudato Si, the encyclical, after watching a video about Saint Francis and his beautiful writings about how we are to care for creation. The groups interact with Laudato Si’ and

The I Go To College program, begun in 2023 at Chaminade University, has been successful in creating a positive experience for young fifth-graders to get a taste of life at a College and University, thus instilling the desire to study beyond school.  During Spring 2025, Chaminade University of Honolulu, HI, hosted 200 fifth-grade students from the Catholic schools of Hawaii to experience college life. This experience was part of the “I Go To College” program. Marianist Brother

Chaminade-Madonna College Preparatory (CMCP), Hollywood, FL, gathered for its second Annual Thanksgiving Prayer Service, giving thanks to God through the prayer service. At the end of the service, the CMCP Girls Volleyball team presented the proceeds from the 16th Annual Cares Volleyball Invitational, held on September 19 and 20, 2025, to Holy Cross Hospital in support of breast cancer research and care.     Goal #3 of the Marianist Family Encounters Project states that we w

Chaminade College Preparatory (CCP) in CA raised funds this year to support campus upgrades that enhance student experiences. Watch the video below. Chaminade College Preparatory’s Native Plant Nursery initiative has grown over 1000 plants and plans to give away around 400 plants for conservation efforts. The school also plans to give an additional 500 plants in the coming year for various lawn-to-habitat projects.   Watch a video about Chaminade College Preparatory , CA, cam

A notable event at the National Catholic Youth Conference, Indianapolis, was a live digital conversation with Pope Leo XIV on Friday, November 21, 2025, during which he engaged in dialogue with a group of five high school students, one of whom was a Marianist student from Saint Louis School in Honolulu, HI.   Micah Alcisto, a senior at Saint Louis School  in Honolulu, was among the five high school students chosen to participate and interact with Pope Leo XIV in a digital con

We are organizing a Conversation Series for all participants in the MFEP Conference, held in Dayton, OH, in October 2024. This 45-minute Conversation Series is also open to Ministry Leads and Marianist Religious. Further, read our inaugural Marianist Encounters Newsletter, August-October 2025 . We are organizing the MFEP Conference 2024: Follow-up Conversation Series for Participants . This Conversation Series will be held in January and February 2026. The Conversation Series

Students from all three Marianist Universities shared their personal stories and experiences, which led them to their Marianist University and the values they plan to carry forward upon graduation. Read their reflections from the Association of Marianist Universities Newsletter (AMU) Fall 2025 . Reflection from Briana Saenz at St. Mary’s University I work as a tour guide at St. Mary’s and during my tours, I walk past the characteristics of a Marianist education hung in St. L

This year, St. Mary South Side Catholic High School in St. Louis, MO, partnered with 14 local area organizations to participate in a day of service. St. Mary’s students prepared a vacant property for rehabilitation through the St. Joseph Initiative, sorted and prepared groceries for those in need, and cleaned up the Mississippi River and the local streets. The students shared their positive experiences and felt empowered as a community through their participation in this day

A Beaver Moon is the name given to a full moon that occurs in November. This year’s Beaver Moon was also a supermoon. A supermoon occurs during a full moon when the Moon is at its closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit. View some pictures of the Beaver Moon taken by Central Catholic’s students. We recently had a Super Beaver Moon on November 5, 2025. It gets the name “Beaver Moon” because this is typically the time of the year when beavers are most active at building

FamilyOnline - October issue featured two articles on Marianist Education, among other stories. The first article shares two personal stories about an inclusive Catholic and Marianist Education for children with special needs at our Marianist schools, and the second article highlights the new nursing program at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio. St. Mary’s South Side and Our Lady of Pillar School are part of the One Classroom  initiative. This initiative is part of a netw

Over the summer of 2025, Bergamo Center hosted two local groups from Dayton: The Noble Circle Project, which supports women through a cancer diagnosis by empowering them to help one another, and Women Affirming Women, which supports single mothers and kinship caregivers. Other groups, such as the Kairos Retreat, Marianist LIFE, and the UD Callings Program, for students from Marianist Schools and Universities, also gathered at Bergamo for a time of reflection, prayer, and lear

Fr. James Heft, SM, was presented with the Marianist Award by the University of Dayton (UD) on Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025. The Marianist Award is presented annually to a Roman Catholic whose work has made a significant contribution to intellectual life. A leader in Catholic higher education for more than 30 years, Fr. Jim spent many years at UD, serving as chair of the Religious Studies Department for six years, Provost of the university for eight years, and Chancellor for 10 y