Updates

St. Francis de Sales School and Parish collaborated to implement reusable trays and flatware in the school’s lunchroom. In recent years, lunch at Cincinnati’s St. Francis de Sales School sent about 220 styrofoam trays to the dumpster. Hoping to “green” the lunchroom, St. Francis de Sales Parish Green Team set its sights on the disposable trays. We met with Principal Joanne Browarsky, and she agreed that the cost savings and environmental benefits of reusable trays were exciti

We had a reflective conversation on February 12, 2026, focusing on various themes. A synopsis of the Conversation is shared below. Further, we have shared this year’s   Prayer and Reflection Guide  for the Annunciation of the Lord, March 25, 2026, the Patronal Feast of the Marianist Family. Our February 12, 2026, Conversation Series was attended by five Marianist Encounters Committee members: Sr. Leanne Jablonski, FMI, Bro. Steve O’Neil, SM, Tara Poling, Tony Garascia, and Ha

Read Pope Leo XIV’s Lenten message  for 2026, which is a call for conversion and bringing God back into the center of our lives. This year, Pope Leo emphasizes a time of listening, fasting, and journeying together. Further, we have shared Lenten resources, including reflections, prayers, and calendars. Dear brothers and sisters,   Lent is a time in which the Church, guided by a sense of maternal care, invites us to place the mystery of God back in the center of our lives, in

In the Marianist Encounters Newsletter, November 2025 - January 2026 issue, we honor Our Lady of Lourdes on her feast day, February 11, also the World Day of the Sick. This issue also provides updates from Marianist Institutions around the US and highlights the teachings of Pope Leo XIV, including the Apostolic Exhortation Dilexi Te and the Apostolic Letter, Drawing New Maps of Hope. The final section features extensive quotes from Blessed Adèle de Batz de Trenquelléon on pre

Our MFEP Conference 2024: Follow-up Conversations Series for Participants resulted in fruitful exchanges of experiences, ideas, and opportunities. Given below is a brief synopsis of the two days of Conversations on Jan 12 and Jan 20. Jan 12, 2026 Conversation We had a 45-minute conversation that included a welcome, prayer, introductions, and sharing. We had three Marianist Encounters Committee members, including our co-chair Sr. Leanne Jablonski, FMI, and   three MFEP Confere

Our Marianist Schools, Universities, Parishes, and Institutions in the US and internationally celebrated Marianist Heritage Week this January. Whether it is called Founders Week, Chaminade Week, Marianist Heritage Week, or—for some—Marianist Heritage Month, every January, Marianist institutions pause to celebrate the humble yet bold beginnings of the Society of Mary. Across schools, parishes, libraries, and ministries, the Marianist Family once again made visible a living cha

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

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

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

This year, the Marianist Family will celebrate St. Francis of Assisi’s feast on October 4 with a Pilgrimage of Hope for Creation...

The Laudato Si Movement is celebrating the tenth anniversary of the Laudato Si encyclical with the Raising Hope Conference. Pope Leo XIV...

Every year, the Marianist World Day of Prayer is often celebrated on or around October 12, the feast day of Our Lady of the Pillar in a...

Pope Leo’s prayer intention for September: For our relationship with creation. Let us ask for grace to deepen our relationship with our...

Let us pray in this Season of Creation in solidarity with all who are grieving and suffering. From Laudato Si Movement: In Christ, we too...