Updates

For the Marianist Family, September 14 holds profound dual significance: it is the universal feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and the anniversary of the death of Venerable Marie Thérèse de Lamourous, who passed away on this day in 1836. Marie Thérèse was a foundational figure in Marianist history and a close, lifelong collaborator of Blessed William Joseph Chaminade. During the French Revolution, she served bravely in the underground Church in Bordeaux, helping to ho

St. Mary's University is expanding its Marianist mission by committing to 10,000 hours of community service across San Antonio during the 2026-27 academic year to honor Pope Leo XIV. The initiative was launched on August 22, 2026, with the annual Continuing the Heritage Day of Service bringing together more than 500 students, faculty, and alumni to support local nonprofits through hands-on projects. This aspirational pledge builds on St. Mary University's deep-rooted tradit

As a Marianist school that values hospitality, St. Mary’s South Side Catholic High School has discovered innovative ways that support its recycling efforts for single-use plastics. At St. Mary’s South Side Catholic High School, we have one small indulgence: brewing our coffee with K-Cups. We are certainly aware of the ecological concerns surrounding single-use plastics, but we make this exception for a good reason. With a small staff of daily coffee drinkers and a steady stre

We have highlighted several faith-based ecological events for the Season of Creation 2026, ranging from an opening papal Mass at Castel Gandolfo to interactive dialogues and the 40th anniversary celebration of Marianist Brother Don Geiger Eastern Tallgrass Prairie for the Marianist Family from September through early October. The Season of Creation, also known as Creationtide, is a global ecumenical observance that unites Christians in prayer and action for environmental prot

Pope Leo XIV's message for the 2026 World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation is to actively care for creation and work towards peace. The University of Dayton’s Flyer Farm puts these Catholic environmental and social teachings into practice by sustainably growing fresh produce to feed its local community. The University of Dayton's Flyer Farm was highlighted in an article by the National Catholic Reporter (NCR). UD’s Flyer Farm is a three-acre urban agriculture and compos

Guided by the school’s Marianist values, Chaminade College Preparatory in West Hills, CA, is championing environmental stewardship and community engagement through extensive native plant distributions, sustainable campus upgrades, and active service initiatives for its students and staff. Chaminade College Preparatory (CCP), West Hills, CA, began the 2026-27 academic year by emphasizing the Characteristics of Marianist Education of Service, Justice, Peace, and Integrity of Cr

Our Marianist Universities are actively expanding their community impact through an award-winning open-air gathering space at Chaminade University of Honolulu, a pioneering on-campus dual-credit program for high schoolers at St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, and a sustainable urban farm fostering multicultural connections connected with the University of Dayton. The newly completed Mystical Rose Oratory Pavilion at Chaminade University of Honolulu recently earned an Award o

Students in the forensic science lab at Chaminade University of Honolulu have uncovered all three ecclesiastical classes of relics of Hawaiian Saint Marianne Cope while examining soil from her original gravesite on Moloka‘i. A team of forensic science students at Chaminade University of Honolulu was tasked with analyzing soil from the original gravesite of Hawaiian Saint Marianne Cope. Through their examination, the students successfully recovered all three classes of relics.

At the University of Dayton, waste heat is now being converted into carbon-free electricity for the campus in a first-of-its-kind initiative. Through a landmark 15-year partnership with AES Ohio, Tallgrass, and Kanin Energy, the University of Dayton (UD) is now fulfilling 100% of its campus electricity needs with carbon-free power generated from industrial waste heat. Completed in early 2026, this first-of-its-kind initiative captures otherwise wasted thermal energy from a na

Managed by the Marianist Family of Valencia, Spain, on land granted by the Archdiocese, Casa de María is a missionary community that serves the neighborhood and city through social, educational, and celebratory activities rooted in the Marianist charism of solidarity, dialogue, and Christian development. Casa de María is an initiative of the Marianist Family of Valencia (most associates are members of the Marianist Lay Communities, and the Marianist religious community of the

Our Marianist Encounters team will present a workshop titled Marianist Family Encounters Project: The Journey Thus Far and the Path Ahead at the MLC-NA Assembly held in Louisville, KY. The workshop will highlight the ongoing initiatives of the Marianist Family Encounters Project (MFEP) across our Marianist ministries—schools, universities, retreat centers, organizations, and both lay and religious communities—since the project’s launch in 2022. Marianist Encounters advances t

FamilyOnline’s June 2026 issue offers a glimpse into the Marianist Province Assembly where the Society of Mary’s new Provincial Council, led by Brother Ed Violett, SM, was installed. The 2026 Marianist Province Assembly in Dayton, Ohio, gathered over 170 members of the Marianist Family under the theme “Embracing Our Roots, Forging Our Future” to explore how to carry the Marianist legacy forward while responding to the needs of a new generation. Throughout the four-day event,

Pope Leo XIV’s inaugural encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas, defends human dignity and authentic relationships amid the challenges of an AI-dominated culture by framing human vulnerability as essential to depth and solidarity, and presents the Virgin Mary as the ultimate spiritual model for achieving genuine communion. Read Magnifica Humanitas, Link: Encyclical Letter of His Holiness Leo XIV Magnifica Humanitas (15 May 2026) and share your reflection on our Marianist Encounters’

Brother Tom Giardino, SM, received the Cathedral Latin School Alumni Association 2026 Merit Award as Man of the Year. This award recognizes an individual whose outstanding achievements in their field bring distinction to Cathedral Latin School. Bro. Tom Giardino’s lifelong dedication to the Marianist charism began at Cleveland's Cathedral Latin School, where the 1960 Salutatorian and student leader excelled in academics, journalism, and the school community. Following his d

Originating from the sodalities founded by Father Chaminade and Mother Adèle de Batz de Trenquelléon, the Marian Alliance (Alliance Mariale in French) is a contemporary Marianist branch comprising consecrated lay women who live independently in the world under private vows and who meet regularly to share their faith and support one another; the branch is currently seeking official recognition as a Secular Institute. In the June issue of Magnificat, the Marian Alliance (Allian

Guided by Art teacher Mrs. Goldberg, Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School’s 3D design students blended mathematics, teamwork, and recycled materials to construct themed vessels for a successful and spirited Second Annual Viking Regatta on Lake Erie. Mrs. Goldberg’s 3D classes ended the school year by creating a vessel to compete in the annual regatta. Students in each class had to determine who would be the riders in their boat. Then came the use of their math skills to determ

FamilyOnline’s May 2026 issue features several articles highlighting our Marianist Education and care for creation through environmental cleanups by our Marianist Schools, such as St. Mary's South Side Catholic High School and Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School. Inspired by the Marianist Family Encounters Project, students, faculty, and families from St. Mary’s South Side Catholic High School in St. Louis and Villa Angela-St. Joseph High School in Cleveland recently put its

Led by seniors Joaquin Tanjuatco and Nico Contreras, the Guardian Angels at Central Catholic High School in San Antonio, TX, concluded a highly successful school year, completing 42 diverse volunteer projects totaling over 2,000 hours of community service. The Guardian Angels finished the school year with a flurry of service projects. We recently got to work with horses at the Saddle Light Center. These horses are used for therapy for children with special needs. We also par

St. Mary South Side’s service club joyfully assembled blessing bags filled with essential supplies and personalized notes of God's love to support and uplift its unhoused neighbors. A few weeks ago, our service club took in donations and assembled bags of food and toiletries for the unhoused. Our AV (Audio Visual) club put together this little video about it. Click on the link to watch the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NH-0cTUKdE The following is a summary of the

On May 8th, 2026, the St. Mary’s South Side school community honored Mary by dedicating a day to diverse charitable, environmental, and educational projects that put the values of the Marianist Family Encounters Project into action, supporting the poor and caring for the Earth. On May 8th, St. Mary’s South Side school-wide dedicated a period to promoting the goals and values of the Marianist Family Encounters Project (MFEP). Rather than participating in our usual monthly ac