Sharing Our Marianist Stories

After spending time in aspirancy and the last two years at the Novitiate in Dayton, OH, Chicago Joseph Schuller, nSM, Memo Pena Contreras, nSM, and Joseph Choi, nSM will each profess their first vows with the Society of Mary this summer (2024). We’ve sat down with each of them to learn more about their discernment to become a Marianist Brother and what their formation process has entailed. Chicago Joseph Schuller, nSM will be the first of the three to profess his first vows.In this episode, Chicago shares about what attracted him to vowed religious life, how his experiences of aspirancy and novitiate shaped him, and the role intentional community has in his call to be a brother.Please join us in praying for Chicago as he anticipates professing first vows on Saturday, May 18th at 4:00pm eastern time. To join the livestream of his profession at that time, visit www.marianist.com/live.Follow the North American Center for Marianist Studies on Instagram and Facebook - @ThisIsNACMS.Visit our website for access to all our resources, including e-publications, our bookstore, programming and more.Recorded on 12 March 2024. Hosted and edited by Mike Bennett, Media Administrator for the North American Center for Marianist Studies (NACMS).Music: “Travel Light” by Jason Shaw (used with permission via Creative Commons License; see more of his work at http://audionautix.com/)

Susan Buckley is a Lay Marianist living in Dublin, Ireland where the Marianist Family has had a presence since 1967. She stopped by NACMS while visiting Dayton in September 2023 and sat down with us for an interview. In this episode, Susan shares about her engagement in a virtual Lay Marianist Community with others in the United States and her experience at the 2023 International Lay Marianist Assembly in Madrid. She also sheds light on what it is like to be a Lay Marianist in Ireland amid the current context of the Catholic Church there.See a transcript of this episode here.Follow the North American Center for Marianist Studies on Instagram and Facebook - @ThisIsNACMS.Visit our website for access to all our resources, including e-publications, our bookstore, programming and more.Recorded on 14 Sept 2023. Hosted and edited by Mike Bennett, Media Administrator for the North American Center for Marianist Studies (NACMS).Music: “Travel Light” by Jason Shaw (used with permission via Creative Commons License; see more of his work at http://audionautix.com/)

In June 2024 Tom Mengler will conclude twelve years of serving as the President of St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, Texas and Winston Erevelles will begin his tenure as the University’s President. This episode provides a brief inside look into their lives. They each share how they came to the Marianist Family, how the Charism has impacted their lives, how they have seen the Charism at work through their work and leadership at St. Mary’s and the significance of Marianist Universities amid Catholic Higher Education.Resources mentioned in this episode include:Characteristics of Marianist EducationCharacteristics of Marianist UniversitiesCharacteristics of Marianist AdministrationSee a transcript of this podcast episode here.Follow the North American Center for Marianist Studies on Instagram and Facebook - @ThisIsNACMS.Visit our website for access to all our resources, including e-publications, our bookstore, programming and more.Recorded on 1 March 2024. Hosted and edited by Mike Bennett, Media Administrator for the North American Center for Marianist Studies (NACMS).Music: “Travel Light” by Jason Shaw (used with permission via Creative Commons License; see more of his work at http://audionautix.com/)

Meghann Naveau and Nancy Woeste are Lay Marianists serving on the Dayton Marianist Family Council and have been part of the Queen of Apostles Community (or QAC) which transitioned from a non-territorial Marianist parish to a Lay Community on January 1, 2024. They share about their experiences of serving on the temporalities committee of the Dayton Marianist Family Council and how that engagement positioned them to help the Marianist Family respond to needs within the City of Dayton. They also share about the impact the Marianist Family has had on their lives and some upcoming steps for the Dayton Marianist Family to enhance their engagement in solidarity initiatives in the Dayton area. Tune in and be inspired to think about how the Marianist Family is calling you to be a catalyst for solidarity and the common good in your local context.Learn more about the Dayton Marianist Family Council.Learn more about the Mission of Mary Cooperative and the Dakota Center, two of the Dayton Marianist Family’s Solidarity Initiatives that are briefly mentioned in this episode.See a transcript of this episode here.Follow the North American Center for Marianist Studies on Instagram and Facebook - @ThisIsNACMS.Visit our website for access to all our resources, including e-publications, our bookstore, programming and more.Recorded on 6 Dec 2023. Hosted and edited by Mike Bennett, Media Administrator for the North American Center for Marianist Studies (NACMS).Music: “Travel Light” by Jason Shaw (used with permission via Creative Commons License; see more of his work at http://audionautix.com/)

Sr. Nicole Trahan, FMI professed first vows of June of 2008 and serves as the Vocation Director for the Daughters of Mary Immaculate amongst many other professional roles. In this episode of Sharing Our Marianist Stories, Sr. Nicole shares about her experience in Nairobi, Kenya as a participant in the Nazareth Program, a formation program for emerging formators within the Marianist Family. After giving a brief framework of the program itself, Sr. Nicole describes the dynamic of community that developed amongst the program’s participants, how that sense of community was impacted by the diversity within the group, and how this experience fuels her ministry and her hopes for the Marianist Family.Follow the North American Center for Marianist Studies on Instagram and Facebook - @ThisIsNACMS.Visit our website for access to all our resources, including e-publications, our bookstore, programming and more.See a transcript of this episode here.Recorded on 6 Nov 2023. Hosted and edited by Mike Bennett, Media Administrator for the North American Center for Marianist Studies (NACMS).Music: “Travel Light” by Jason Shaw (used with permission via Creative Commons License; see more of his work at http://audionautix.com/)

Laura Koonce and Jon Watase are two staff members at Saint Louis School in Hawaii, a Marianist school serving boys in kindergarten through twelfth grade. In this episode of Sharing Our Marianist Stories they share about the impact of the agricultural program that Jon helped establish, how their lives have been impacted by the Marianist Family, and their experience of the 2023 Lay Marianist Assembly in St. Louis. Their insights about 'Āina-Based Learning in relation with the agricultural program at Saint Louis School are substantive reminders of the responsibility we all have to be good stewards of the Earth.Learn more about Saint Louis School.See a transcript of this episode here.Follow the North American Center for Marianist Studies on Instagram and Facebook - @ThisIsNACMS.Visit our website for access to all our resources, including e-publications, our bookstore, programming and more.Recorded on 17 July 2023. Hosted and edited by Mike Bennett, Media Administrator for the North American Center for Marianist Studies (NACMS).Music: “Travel Light” by Jason Shaw (used with permission via Creative Commons License; see more of his work at http://audionautix.com/)

Ann Mueller has been connected to the Marianist Family since 1988 when she began working for the Society of Mary’s Province of St. Louis. In this episode of Sharing Our Marianist Stories, Ann gives an insider’s view of what it’s like to work for the Society of Mary. She shares how her work with the Society of Mary impacted her spiritual life and reflects on the experience of working for the Marianists before and after the merger of provinces in 2002, which resulted in the inauguration of the Society of Mary’s US Province.In this episode Bro. Tim Phillips, SM, NACMS’ Marianist Scholar in Residence, provides some background on the significance of a Province and how the Society of Mary’s provincial structure in America has evolved over time.See a transcript of this episode here.Follow the North American Center for Marianist Studies on Instagram and Facebook - @ThisIsNACMS.Visit our website for access to all our resources, including e-publications, our bookstore, programming and more.Recorded on 15 July 2023. Hosted and edited by Mike Bennett, Media Administrator for the North American Center for Marianist Studies (NACMS).Music: “Travel Light” by Jason Shaw (used with permission via Creative Commons License; see more of his work at http://audionautix.com/)

Marianist PULSE, a postgraduate year of professional non-profit service rooted in the Marianist Charism, has had an impact on numerous individuals and communities. In this episode, Abby Shahady, Ani Artero, and Dominic Sanfilippo share their stories of discerning, engaging in and completing a year of service with Marianist PULSE. Each of these PULSE alums share the impact the program had on their engagement with the Marianist Family, their sense of their vocation, and their personal growth. They conclude this episode with their own wisdom and encouragement for those who are discerning applying to PULSE.To learn more about Marianist PULSE visit: https://www.marianist.com/PULSE and e-mail PULSE@marianist.us.See a transcript of this episode here.Follow the North American Center for Marianist Studies on Instagram and Facebook - @ThisIsNACMS.Visit our website for access to all our resources, including e-publications, our bookstore, programming and more.Recorded on 30 Oct 2023. Hosted and edited by Mike Bennett, Media Administrator for the North American Center for Marianist Studies (NACMS).Music: “Travel Light” by Jason Shaw (used with permission via Creative Commons License; see more of his work at http://audionautix.com/)