Sharing Our Call

Province of the United States

The evolution of Call Sharing Our in the United States

 Previous joint programs of the Province of Poughkeepsie and the Province of Esopus (now the Province of the United States) included:    Champagnat Youth Spirituality (1991) Champagnat Institute (1993) Champagnat Movement of the Marist Family

1997 Needs Assessment

 “Needs Assessment and Plan” conducted in 1997 for the future of:    Champagnat Youth Spirituality (1991) Champagnat Institute (1993) Champagnat Movement of the Marist Family  School administrators and campus ministers were asked: “What are the needs in your Marist school?”  Response: “Charism formation!”

1997: The changing reality of US Marist schools

   Declining number of Marist Brothers in the schools Increasing number of lay administrators in the schools Faculty 75 to 90% lay women and men

Creation of “Marist

Evangelization”

 The 1997 “Needs Assessment and Plan” concluded a new initiative was needed to respond to the needs of adults and young people in US Marist schools.  The Office of Marist Evangelization was created to develop programs that would meet these needs.

 Office of Marist Evangelization has three areas: Marist Adults, Marist Young Adults, and Marist Youth.

1998: Introduciton of Our Call Sharing

 Sharing Our Call was the first program developed by the new Office of Marist Evangelization.

  Preview phase of Sharing Our Call consisted of in-service presentations in province owned schools to provide a context for Sharing Our Call.

In-service presentations introduced faculty and staff to Marcellin Champagnat and Marist Education.

 Original Sharing Our Call program in the US is based on: Sharing Our Call (Sydney Province) Sharing Champagnat’s Vision (Melbourne Province)

Goals of Sharing Our Call

 To provide an opportunity for us to deepen our appreciation of our personal call to the ministry of Marist Education.

 To enrich our appreciation of the life, charism, and vision of St. Marcellin Champagnat.

 To help us identify, affirm, and own those values we share with St. Marcellin.

Sharing Our Call content

 Champagnat: the man of history : How his life, his times, and his experiences shaped his call and vision  Champagnat: the wounded healer: What made Marcellin who he was? What qualities do we share with him?

 Spirituality: What is it in a Christian context?

 Marist Spirituality: What are the unique characteristics that make me “Marist”?

Sharing Our Call content

 What does a Marist school “look like”? Translating words and ideas into day to day actions and responses  Understanding my work as ministry and vocation and religious share different but complimentary vocations Lay  American Catholic Youth Culture do they need? What do we need to be doing with them and for them?

Who are they? What

US Marist Schools 2006-2007

     7 province owned schools 6 province administered and/or staffed schools 11,000 students 800 faculty (83 Marist Brothers) (Other Brothers are working in colleges, universities, diocesan schools, and diocesan offices of education)

Sharing Our Call

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statistics

20 Sharing Our Call sessions held between December 1998 and March 2007       521 total participants 446 of the 521 still in a US Marist school 457 lay women and men 49 Marist Brothers 10 Sisters 5 Priests

Signs of success

 Emergence and articulation (by faculty and students) of a Marist language (“ our schools” “our Founder” “the least favored” “the good and not yet good”)  Emergence of a Marist culture to relate Marcellin’s own educational experience to contemporary youth, development of programs for (Ability academically challenged students (Marcellin Program: Marist High School – Chicago), use of “In the Footsteps” as the blueprint for school reform and development, abundant use of Marist symbols and images

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Challenges

Turnover of lay faculty who are attracted to public schools because of higher salaries.

No government aid to Catholic schools.

Need to develop follow-up program to Sharing Our Call.

Follow up and follow through on the local school level: no specific person identified in each of the schools to coordinate follow up/follow through.

Creating means of interaction between Sharing Our Call faculty participants and Marist Youth.

Outgrowth of Sharing Our Call

 Sharing Our Mission at particular areas/departments of the schools in light of their role in the Marist educational mission.

: a program that looks

Sharing Our Mission

   September 2007: Sharing Our Mission: Will Our Faith Have Children?

A program for campus ministers and department chairpersons run in conjunction with the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry.

Discussion focused on the National Study of Youth and Religion and its implications for the future direction of campus ministry and religious education programs in US Marist schools. This group will meet annually for the foreseeable future.

Sharing Our Mission

   April 2007: Sharing Our Mission: The Coaching Mission A program for athletic directors and head coaches run in conjunction with the National Center for Catholic Youth Sports.

Discussion focused on seeing sports as a part of the mission of a Marist school, not apart from it.

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Looking ahead

May 25-28: Marist Youth 2007 Gathering of Marist Youth from US, Mexico, and Canada at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, NY     July 22-27: Marist Leadership Institute Gathering of US Marist school leaders for on Champagnat’s educational vision.

September 16-18: Sharing Our Mission Gathering of campus ministry and religion department chairpersons  November 11-13: Sharing Our Call #21  March 2008: Sharing Our Call #22     April 2008: Sharing Our Mission Gathering of guidance department personnel May 2008: Marist Youth Leadership Initiative Jesus and Marcellin as “servant leaders”  July 2008: Marist Leadership Institute

Hearts that know no bounds

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Sharing Our Call

: in the spirit of Marcellin, trying to become people whose hearts know no bounds.