Embracing Our Roots, Forging Our Future: Marianist Gatherings in 2026

This year, 2026, is an abundant year for the Marianist Family. Across the United States and reaching as far as Bogotá, Colombia, the three branches of the Marianist Family in North America are gathering to pray, plan, and "forge the future." In this special preview episode, we hear from leaders from across the Family about the upcoming Marianist Family Congress, a Common Bond Reunion, the Society of Mary’s US Province Assembly, the Marianist Lay Community of North America’s Assembly, and the International Organization of Marianist Lay Communities’ Assembly, which are set to envision the next years of Marianist life.From Marianist Sister Laura Leming’s vision of a "meeting of the minds" to Matt Dunn’s insights into how the Vatican is looking to Marianists as a model for the modern Church, this episode captures the "burning heart" of a community in motion. We explore the deep history of the Society of Mary in Dayton, Ohio, with Fr. John Thompson, SM; the joyful "family reunion" atmosphere of the MLC-NA with Rob Brodrick; and the enduring bonds of former members of the SM with Jim Martin.What you’ll learn:How the Marianist Family Congress is creating a "synodal" space for lay and vowed members to envision the future together.The significance of the Society of Mary Assembly returning to its roots in Dayton for the first time.Why Natalia Imperatori-Lee’s perspective on Mary is a "game-changer" for how we understand community today.The unique "independent but equal" relationship the International Lay Community shares with the Vatican.A transcript of this podcast episode is available here.Links for further information:MLC-NA 2026 Assembly: https://www.mlcna.org/assembly/aboutSociety of Mary: https://www.marianist.com/Common Bond: https://smcommonbond.org/x/staticPage.asp?postNo=31791International Organization of Marianist Lay Communities (IO-MLC): https://www.clm-mlc.org/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 March 2026. Edited by Mike Bennett, Media Administrator for the North American Center for Marianist Studies (NACMS).Theme song: “Travel Light” by Jason Shaw (used with permission via Creative Commons License; see more of his work at http://audionautix.com/)Other ambient music from freesound.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.