About

To transform our church and world by continually re-thinking and re-designing curricular and institutional reform in the spirit of an integral ecology that promotes the value and dignity of the human person within our common community of Creation. Within these institutional reforms, further promote the education and empowerment of minoritized populations, especially including women and girls as well as victims of poverty. Sources: LSAP 5: Ecological education GCE 3: Promote full participation of girls and young women in education GCE 1: Place the value and dignity of the human person at the center of every formal and informal education process CME 2: Provide an integral, quality education

To educate and form persons of faith through the profound conversion of discovering God in all things, especially in the beauty of Creation, the sighs of the sick and the groans of the afflicted. Ground each educational and formative endeavor in a process of authentic listening to the voices of children and young people in order to co-create these endeavors in light of the particular needs, insights, and movement of the Spirit always already active in younger generations. Sources: LSAP 6: Ecological spirituality GCE 2: Listen to the voices of children, teenagers, and the young CME 1: Educate for formation in faith

The Project has a set of five broad goals endorsed in order to guide a 7-year journey of each of the branches, institutions, organizations, and communities of the Marianist Family in two initiatives endorsed by Pope Francis: the Laudato Si Action Platform (LSAP) and the Global Compact on Education (GCE). These Goal themes combine the many stated goals of both papal initiatives within a framework that is more concise and also approached from the distinctive language and viewpoint of the Marianist charism. Both papal initiatives (i.e. the LSAP and GCE) are proposed as multi-year journeys that entail a process of reflection, action, and evaluation towards their stated goals. By synthesizing the goals of these initiatives within a Marianist framework, the Goals help to combine these various initiatives into a single journey in which each committed branch or institution initiates a process of reflection, action, and evaluation in order to make a substantive improvement to its overall contribution towards the five Goals. In order to help frame the stated goals of each papal initiative, the Marianist Family Encounters Project has made intentional use of the Characteristics of Marianist Education (CMEs), which are used by Marianist-sponsored schools and universities and applicable to all of us as nonformal educators. The Goals neither add nor subtract any concepts or commitments from the seven goals of the LSAP, the seven goals of the GCE, or the five CMEs. Any branch, institution, or community that has already committed to one or more of the LSAP, GCE, or CMEs should not view the Marianist Familly Encounters Project Goals as an additional commitment. On the contrary, the intention is to provide greater clarity by synthesizing these 19 various goals and characteristics into a more manageable set of five goals. Therefore, although the richness of each of these Goals can and should be unpacked by studying the various sources to which they refer, Marianist branches and institutions may use the framework of the Goals to focus conversations and transformative actions in a more manageable way. In other words, Marianist branches or institutions that have already committed to the LSAP, GCE, and/or CMEs are invited to view a commitment to the Marianist Family Encounters Project Goals as a recommitment to the goals and characteristics to which they have already dedicated themselves in an intentional, renewed, and potentially more holistic manner. In short: Use these Marianist Family Encounters Project (MFEP) Goals to help consolidate and focus conversation around the commitments your branch or institution has already made to the Laudato Si Action Platform (LSAP), Global Compact on Education (GCE), Characteristics of Marianist Education (CME), or other mission-related goals and characteristics to which you are committed.

To be a catalyst for the adaptation and change of our human family by fostering a new ecological economics and the adoption of sustainable lifestyles. Sources: LSAP 3: Ecological economics LSAP 4: Adoption of sustainable lifestyles GCE 6: To be committed to finding new ways of understanding the economy, politics, growth, and progress that can truly stand at the service of the human person and the entire human family, within the context of an integral ecology. CME 5: Educate for adaptation and change

To better care for our common home by responding to the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor in our Marianist ministries and communities. Sources: LSAP 1: Respond to the Cry of the Earth LSAP 2: Respond to the Cry of the Poor GCE 7: Safeguard and care for our common home GCE 5: To educate and be educated on the need for acceptance and in particular, openness to the most vulnerable and marginalized. CME 4: Educate for service, justice, peace and the integrity of creation. Acronyms: LSAP: Laudato Si' Action Platform GCE: Global Compact on Education CME: Characteristics of Marianist Education

To empower resilient, local communities through the promotion of family spirit and regional solidarity within both the Marianist Family and society at large. Sources: LSAP 7: Community resilience and empowerment GCE 4: To empower the family CME 3: Educate in family spirit

The Marianist Family Encounters Project is envisioned as a multi-year journey – to begin with, seven years. To facilitate a sense of common purpose across our diverse communities and institutions across the country, you are invited to become a member at www.marianistencounters.org and actively participate on this online platform, which has been built specially to ensure communication and foster collaboration across the Marianist Family. ​ YEAR 1 (April 2022 to April 2023): Head administrators of all Marianist institutions will be invited to publicly make an Institutional Pledge to Pope Francis’ calls to action around the seven commitments of the Global Compact on Education and the seven goals of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform. Subsequently, pledged Marianist institutions will engage their constituents in a process of collective discernment and articulation of the specific Institutional Goals and Group Projects they will work on during the next six years. A Ministry Lead and Team will be appointed to animate these efforts locally, share stories of progress on our website, and celebrate successes along the way. Ministry Leads will work closely with their respective Liaisons appointed for their Marianist Branch or Ministry type (Marianist lay communities, sisters, brothers, high schools, universities, retreat centers, parishes, and provincial organizations). Guiding documents and templates will be provided to address emerging needs and local subsidiarity and empowerment will always be emphasized. This is your project – yours personally, your local community's, and your institution's. So, allow the Holy Spirit to lead you! And reach out for support (and provide support) across the Marianist family as you journey along. ​ YEARS 2 through 6: Each pledged institution will engage in an annual cycle (April – April) of (i) planning, (ii) execution, (iii) evaluation, and (iv) storytelling – always keeping in focus and making progress on the Institutional Goals and Group Projects they committed to during Year 1. YEAR 7: We will slow down and reflect as a Marianist Family, articulating collective lessons learned and recognizing significant individual, group, and institutional contributions. As this seven-year journey comes to a close, we will begin praying and discerning how the Holy Spirit may be leading us towards the next seven-year journey – and so on!

Click on the "Support" tab (towards the top-right corner on this page) and connect directly with your Liaison or use the "Send us a message" tool. You may also write to support@marianistencounters.org.

We’re all aboard! Anyone affiliated with the Marianists is invited: - all Marianist laypersons, sisters, and brothers - all Marianist branches, ministries, and communities - all Marianist high schools, universities, retreat centers, parishes, and provincial organizations - all Marianist students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni, community partners, and well-wishers Trusting in the active guidance of the Spirit, we say as one Marianist Family – none of us has to do everything; however, all of us have to do something!

The purpose of the Marianist Family Encounters Project is to animate the efforts of all Marianist persons, communities, and institutions in the United States in a manner that manifests our commitment to the Global Compact on Education and contributes to the action areas of the Laudato Si’ Action Platform.

Pope Francis’ encyclicals and other communications inspired the formation of the Global Compact on Education and the Laudato Si’ Action Platform. Consequently, the international and national leadership teams of the Marianist Brothers, Sisters, and Lay Communities have responded to the call to take action motivated by our shared commitments. Our deepest gratitude to the Marianist Social Justice Collaborative, the General Administrations of the Society of Mary (Marianist Brothers), Daughters of Mary Immaculate (Marianist Sisters), and the Marianist Lay Community of North America for their visionary work in laying the foundation for the Project.

Everyone affiliated with the Marianists is invited to become a member and participate. Members can interact in several ways across the website. They can reach out to those doing similar work, connect with experts, and provide their encouragement, support, and expertise to others. You should definitely become a member if you are interested in or involved with any initiatives that relate closely to one or more of the seven commitments and seven action areas emphasized by the Project.