RecentEventNOV07MeetingATLBOS

by Mary Ann Adkins

Historic Meeting of Lay Marists
On Saturday, November 10, 2007, a historic meeting of lay Marists from the Boston and Atlanta Provinces was
held at our Lady of Victories Rectory in Boston, This was in view of the fact that by January of 2009 the Boston
and Atlanta provinces of the Marist Fathers will merge into one United States province.
Mary Ann Adkins and Rosemary Kean, lay Marists of the Atlanta province and members of the Atlanta Lay
Marist Service Committee, co-chaired the meeting with the assistance of Fr. Albert DiIanni, Promoter of Marist
Laity in the Boston Province. Ten lay Marists had a lively session that began with prayer and introductions and
continued with many vibrant discussions.
Mary Ann Adkins began the meeting by bringing a message and an invitation to the laity of the Boston
province. She explained that at a June meeting in Atlanta, Very Rev. Rafaele Qalovi, s.m., Assistant to the
Superior General of the Marist Fathers and Brothers had brought greetings and best wishes to the Marist laity
from the Superior General, Fr. Jan Hulshof, s.m. Father Qalovi also brought a request. He asked the Marist
laity of the United States “to attend to the possibilities for the laity” in view of the planned merger of the Marist
Fathers and Brothers of the Boston and Atlanta provinces.
After explaining the messages received from Fr. Qalovi, Mary Ann then extended an invitation. She said that
the Atlanta Marist Laity Service Committee invites the laity of the Boston province to join them in forming one
service committee for all the lay groups associated with the Marist Fathers and Brothers in the U.S. The next
meeting of this Committee will be held in Washington DC on the weekend of April 4-6. The Boston province lay
Marists will strive to send up to four representatives to participate in this meeting.
Obviously, Marists in the U.S. face many unknowns until the administration of the new province is in place in
January 2009. Nevertheless, those present agreed that much work can continue to be done to strengthen the
Marist Laity/Third Order of Mary movement.
A decision was made at this meeting to develop one unified database including all lay Marists in the United
States. Fr. DiIanni will be writing to the directors of each Boston Province laity group to provide updated
information concerning membership.
Attendees to this Boston meeting also reviewed formation materials and will encourage groups to use the most
updated formation materials available.
The Marist Laity Website was viewed by all who had not seen it and the groups were invited to send information
to Christine Colomban, who manages the website. This site is a way to reach out to all Marists, especially in
areas where there are no Marist priests, brothers or sisters. The address of this website is maristlaity.org.
Rosemary Kean also distributed a brochure designed to revive the devotion of consecrating children to Our
Lady of Good Hope. The brochure contains an explanation of the devotion as well as prayers for children, born
and unborn. It has been used with great success in Church services at which parents are invited to dedicate
their children to Our Lady of Good Hope. It will be printed in the very near future and samples will be made
available to all Marists, lay and religious throughout the United States. The brochure was received with great
enthusiasm by all present and many ideas came forth on how to further promote this devotion.
The meeting ended with prayer – three Hail Mary’s and the Sub Tuum (We fly to thy patronage) - and as usual
for Marist gatherings, with laughter and blessings and hugs.
Those in attendance were Helen Comeau and Patricia Kinsella, Lawrence; Marie King, Diane Hackett and
Catherine McManus, Braintree; Dianne Romano. Methuen: Barbara Smith, Waltham; Kathryn Jenkins, Boston,
as well as Mary Ann Adkins and Rosemary Kean, members of the Atlanta Committee, and Fr. DiIanni.
We offer special thanks to Fr. Gerard Demers, s.m., superior of the Our Lady of Victories Community for his
hospitality and to the Mexican Sisters (Missionaries of the Sacred Heart) for preparing wonderful brunches and
meals.