Updates

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

Marianist Family Retreat Center community members worked to plant trees and shrubs on the sand dunes along the coastline of Cape May Point, New Jersey. Sand dune erosion along Cape May Point is a significant and ongoing issue, primarily driven by coastal storms like Nor'easters and hurricanes, wave action, and sea-level rise. Some of the key effects of sand dune erosion are the loss of coastal protection to act as a natural barrier against storm surge and coastal flooding, an

This year, on International Peace Day, Chaminade Julienne Catholic High School installed a Peace Pole in a garden dedicated to Sister Dorothy Stang, SNDdN. CJ became the first Catholic secondary school in Ohio to have a Peace Pole, joining with the University of Dayton's Peace Pole, which was installed in 2013. On the afternoon of Friday, September 19, Chaminade Julienne’s Peace Ambassadors Student Group commemorated International Peace Day with a peace pole dedication ceremo

Chaminade College Preparatory Middle School’s Peace Garden is dedicated to the school’s beloved Marianist Educator, Joseph Norton, who passed away in 2024. The Peace Garden is a space of reflection, peace, and inspiration for all who seek to find these values amongst the beauty of creation. The Joseph Norton Memorial Peace Garden stands as a living tribute to a beloved Marianist educator whose faith, kindness, and dedication deeply shaped our Chaminade family. Designed by o

Marianist Brothers Stan Zubek, Richard Schrader, and Esteban Reyes from the Marianist Family Retreat Center, Cape May Point, NJ, created the Milkweed garden to care for the Monarch butterflies. They also tag these butterflies during their amazing migration journey from North America to Mexico. At the Marianist Family Retreat Center – Mary’s House, we believe that caring for the environment is part of our mission. Brothers Stan Zubek, Richard Schrader, and Esteban Reyes bega

Bergamo Center, Dayton, OH, is committed to Laudato Si initiatives, such as adopting sustainable practices for all its retreats and programs. In collaboration with the rest of the Mount Saint John campus, the Bergamo Center takes seriously its commitment to caring for the local and global environment. Since 2023, Mount Saint John has had 1,900 solar panels on its campus, which means that nearly 100% of the electrical energy used on the property has been solar! The best way fo

This summer, the Marianist Family Retreat Center in Cape May Point, NJ, held a summer family retreat themed "God’s Amazing Race." The retreat focused on Marianist topics and explored the Arctic region, thus creating ecological awareness in the light of the Marianist charism. It might’ve been hazy, hot, and humid down in Cape May Point, NJ this summer, but at the Marianist Family Retreat Center, it was as cool as the North Pole! Our summer family retreat theme was “God’s Ama

University of Dayton’s Hanley Sustainability Institute was awarded a grant through the Ohio EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) to...

This academic year, 25 students from CMCP will attend Together for Tomorrow, a High School Summit held at Barry University through the Archdiocese of Miami. There are five goals to the Marianist Family Encounters Project. There are also seven Action Steps to the Laudato Si' Platform. It is a unique experience when a program is implemented that incorporates all these goals and action steps. On Thursday, October 9, 2025, 25 of our students will attend a High School Summit title

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...

Central Catholic’s Ecology club worked at parks around San Antonio, TX, performed landscaping and cleanup, focusing on planting native species and removing invasive ones. The Ecology Club at Central Catholic has been busy this quarter. They have been involved in three projects where they picked up trash, cleared out invasive plants, worked on landscaping, fixed up a dog park, and planted native plants at parks around San Antonio, TX. The most recent project they worked on wa

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...