m
aris s
all
ISSUE# 60
February 2001
NEW PROVINCIAL FOR ESOPUS PROVINCE
Brother Robert Clark ('75) has been elected Provincial of the Province of
Esopus. He is presently serving as Vice-Provincial. Brother Robert is a native of
Brooklyn and a graduate of St. Mary's High School in Manhasset. He entered the
Marist Brothers' formation program in Esopus in 1970, began his novitiate in
1975, and made final profession in 1982. He received his undergraduate degree
from Marist College, an MA in counseling from Seton Hall, and an MAS in
Applied Spirituality from the University of San Francisco. He also has a D.Min
in Pastoral Counseling from the Graduate Theological Foundation.
Brother Robert has served as a teacher and counselor at Union Catholic High
School in Scotch Plains, New Jersey, and at St. Joseph Academy in Brownsville,
Texas. He also served as an administrator at Marist High School in Bayonne,
New Jersey.
Brother Robert was Vocation Director for both provinces from 1985 to 1988. He
worked as a Campus Minister at Rutgers University from 1988 to 1997, when he
was named Director of Marist Evangelization. He became Vice Provincial in
1998. Brother Robert will assume his duties as Provincial at the Esopus
Provincial Chapter in November of 2001. Congratulations, best wishes, and
prayer, Brother Robert.(Marist Brother, 153 Avenue C, Bayonne, NJ 07002;
rscfms@aol.com)
Re: Marists All WEB SITE
Our web site is being updated at regular intervals. We have not only made
changes as needed and/or requested, but we have acquired a few added postal
addresses and many more e-mail addresses. These may be found at the
"Membership" page of the web site. We trust that these directories will make for
easy contact with friends and will strengthen us in our Marist heritage.
www.ecommerce.marist.edu/foy/maristsall
To those who have e-mail we will send a notice when each new issue of the
newsletter is in place at the web site; these people will not receive a hard copy of
the newsletter unless they request it. We will continue to mail the printed edition
to those with no access to the internet.
Although we have had many short positive responses to the announcement of
our new web site, we have not had our usual number of extended articles for
publication. Though we are pleased with our new technology and its ready
access to detailed listings, we want to continue to draw articles that stir human
interest and Marist spirit. Please don't feel that you have nothing to say!
Gus Nolan
gysnolan@aol.com
Richard Foy
foY-@TelUto12ia.com
1/11
]





David Kammer kammer@mpinet.net
FROM
BR. DENIS HEVER
('64) in LIBERIA: Over the past few days the
house has been full to beyond capacity: 11 people. Two visitors from Cape
Palmas were in for a workshop and supplies and needed hospitality, two
aspirants who come every other weekend as part of their and our discernment
process, the six Brothers, and the cook. When I told one of the visitors that his
bed would be needed on the weekend, he volunteered to share a bed with his
compatriot from Cape Palmas. It is not unusual for a family to have one mattress
for several people - if they have a mattress. Yet I know that insisting that
someone needs his own bed is to impose a standard that is seen as totally foreign
to the experience of people in this country, including that of the Brothers as they
were growing up in their families.
The telephone lines were down for a while and unpredictable even now from
time to time. Less than one in a hundred people have a telephone, so it doesn't
affect life for the ordinary person.
Brother Augustine Martin left Friday for a Christmas family visit, the first since I
am here. Brother Washington Tekay leaves today (if the truck leaves, truck - not
bus). Tekay's trip may take him five days before he arrives at his village,
possibly two days of driving, three days of walking, all in a country no bigger
than Pennsylvania. I hope to stop work Friday before Christmas and eventually
find a way of making the season seem real. I look forward to some moment
where I can treasure you in quiet reflection. Remember to look at the big picture,
God is with us. May our faith be a light to all that would cloud our vision.
We are looking for-ward to the arrival of Brothers Leo Shea and David Cooney
on the 29th of January, Brother Luis Sobrado on the 30th from the General
Council in Rome, and Brothers Manuel Jorques (Provincial of Levante, Spain)
and Jose Ruiz (District Superior of West Africa). You can call it a summit of
sorts! It will be good for all to see the realities of Liberia, as we contemplate this
mission joining the Marist District of West Africa in the future. We may be
facing a longer gestation period than most in being born.
As we contemplate the reality here, it has many good points. Much can be done
for the Gospel. Our Marist reality is limited. We are a young group (with one
exception!), young in the country, and young in establishing a history of
reliability. We need to be here for a while so that people will come to know who
we are and what we stand for. That does not come about easily or quickly. Many
people see us through the lens of their needs and their wants, their desires. We
also must be clear in our own minds about why we are here and who we are.
Thanks to all of you who took the time to write. Thanks for your support.
(% Catholic Archdiocese of Monrovia, P.O. Box 2078, Monrovia, Liberia)
FROM
JOE McGRATH
('52): I am one of those folks who have the residence
routine backwards. We like our Christmas up here in Vermont, but we will bail
out for Florida around the middle of the month of January. Then we'll head back
up here in the middle of May. You would think that after those long winters in
Tyngsboro I'd have had enough of snow. Not yet. The Marists All web site is
wonderful. Many thanks for keeping us together. I appreciate - greatly - all that
you have done for us who are with the Marists in spirit and in prayerful
remembrance. Guess it's time for me to put some words on paper for the Marists
All missive. Not that I have anything transfixing to report, but it is immensely
important to me to maintain a link with what was a very happy and rewarding
2/11





formative life. Cheers. (5916 Chesapeake Park, Orlando FL 32819; 407-909-
8021; joemfl@earthlink.net)
FROM
THOMAS NG
('62): I am so glad and excited to have received your
note! It brings back such wonderful memories! Memories of the good old days at
Tyngsboro and Poughkeepsie. Even at my "old" age I still relish those happy,
growing years in the States. It's been such a long time, in fact 34 years, since I
left the States. I am afraid I might have forgotten some of those years, but I am
duty bound to give you just a little outline of those 34 years. When I left the
States in October of 1966, I was posted to Ipoh in Malaysia. There I worked for
eight years as a science teacher. I developed quite a satisfaction working with the
youth ofmy school and the youth of neighboring convent schools in the Young
Christian Student movement (YCS). In 1974 I was posted to Catholic High
School in Kuala Lumpur as principal. It was a challenging task; somehow I
managed to bring some changes to the school.
In 1979 I went for the Second Novitiate in Switzerland with Br. Luke Driscoll as
Director and Father Jim as Spiritual advisor. Back in KL, I returned to Catholic
High for another year, after which I was asked to be in charge of postulants for a
year. During all these days of heavy responsibility I became quite acutely lonely
and felt a certain emotional vacuum in my life. I prayed over this and tried to
discern the will of God. But the emptiness continued. In the end I decided to
leave the Brotherhood. I took a leave of absence in 1981 and was granted a
dispensation the next year.
During my one year leave of absence I worked as a teacher at Catholic High
School in Bentong (not Marist). In 1983 I was lucky enough to be accepted at
Maris Stella High School, Singapore, with the kind help of Brother John Lek
who was then the principal of that school. There I worked first as a teacher of
science, and then as the head of the science department. Today I am only one
year from my optional retirement in 2002. However, at age 60, I will be able to
work for two more years if I choose, as the mandatory retirement age here is 62.
This much about my career history. What about my own life? Well, somehow
God arranged for me to meet my sweetheart Mary Chee from Malacca. We were
married in 1984. Starting in 1985 my Ng family grew in number each year or
two: Bernard, Adeline, Jonathan. In 1990 we thought we had the last member in
Christopher, but in 1995 God sent Winnie, another angel. My home was bursting
with all sorts of activities. There were moments of pain and frustration, but there
were also moments of joy and satisfaction. Overall there was more satisfaction
than frustration. In Singapore few families have five kids. But both Mary and I
have never doubted God's providence, and our faith has not been in vain.
Bernard is in his last year of high school, Adeline is a junior, and Jonathan and
Christopher are in Primary 6 and 5. Winnie is in Kindergarten 2. She is now 5+,
and will be in Primary One next year.
I must say God has been quite good to me all these years. I have not regretted
my decision about leaving the Brothers, neither have I regretted my spiritually
fruitful years as a Marist Brother. Without my years of spiritual, intellectual and
social training at Tyngsboro and Poughkeepsie, I would not have achieved my
present state of faith and close relation with God. I am privileged to have been a
Marist Brother, and am still a staunch Marist supporter today. I have lived all the
days of my adolescent and adult life in the family of our Lady.
3/11





I would like to be in touch with many good old pals and classmates like John
Allen, Duke, Joe Scanlon, and others whom I cannot recall at this moment. So
long, may God bless you all.(Blk 564, #13-428, Hougang Street 51, Singapore,
530564; ngsoonlee@hotmailcom)
FROM
JOSEPH KUNG
('63): My days in Tynsboro and Poughkeepsie have
had a most significant influence in my life. The training received at Marist led
me to have a good profession and a successful life. I have often dreamed about
living those good old days in Tyngsboro. In the city of Hong Kong, I have
missed milking cows, picking potatoes, harvesting com, canning spinach and
repairing barns!
In July of 1967 I returned to Hong Kong for a visit to my home and then was
assigned to teach at Sarawah in East Malaysia. I left the Brothers in 1969 and
went back to Hong Kong and in February of that year I joined the Hong Kong
International School, the oldest school following an American educational
system, operated by the Lutheran Church of the Missouri Synod. For the first 10
years I taught science and math, developed the audio-visual program, and ran the
media center in the school. In 1980 I started to learn computers and helped in
equipping devices for the computer courses offered for interested groups. This
led to working with computers in the school. Since February of '85 I have been
working full time in the development of computer-use in the school. At present
all of our school's 1200 stations are networked with 50% fiber and 50% UTP
cables.
I have attached a recently taken family picture. The old man is me. My wife
Grace is standing behind me. My daughter Patricia - 27 - is sitting beside me.
My son Louis - 30 - is standing behind his girl friend Dorothy.
Occasionally I have had contact with the Marist Brothers in Hong Kong, but I
have not had any contact with Marist College graduates who are not with the
Brothers. I am pleased to be remembered. I hope to read more about my Marist
classmates in the future.(Lai Sing Court, Flat 4B, 15 Tai Hang Rd., Hong Kong,
852-25770094; jkung@hkis.edu.hk)
FROM
BR. NORBERT RODRIGUE
('40): Earlier I was Brother Norbert
Justin. I am also known as Norby and Pancho! I just celebrated my 60th year as
a Marist Brother. Sorry that I am not a writer, but I do love to read Marists All.
On and off I have received the newsletter. At times it has not reached me through
no fault of yours; I have changed my address frequently. I was nineteen years in
Eugene, Oregon. In 1994 I left for a Miami retirement house. After a year there I
went to teach in Tijuana, Mexico. I returned to Miami for a year after two years
in Mexico. Then I went to Brownsville, Texas, for a year and a half. Last
February I was in Liberia, Africa, for a month. Due to illnesses I had to leave
Liberia to come back to the States. I have been going to Guadalajara, Mexico,
for the past 27 summers to teach school teachers. I will be going back this
coming summer. For now I am in Miami, this time at a new residence of the
Brothers in Miami Lakes. I have read about the new web site. I would like you to
add my e-mail address to the list. Every now and then I will look at the site to
see and read about the news you put there. I enjoy it very much.(16520 N.W.
77th Place, Miami Lakes, Florida 33016)
FROM
BR. GERRY BRERETON
('59) in ROME: Thank you for the Marists
All sent along by e-mail. I printed it out, no need to send a copy. I was happy to
see Brother Femand Dostie's piece in this issue. There are three other Brothers
4/11






here in Rome who studied at Marist College in the 1950's: Franciso Castellanos
from Spain, Andrew (Real) Fournier from Canada, and Jose Contreras from
Mexico. Include me on the web.
FROM
BR. BILL LAVIGNE
('50): Thanks for all you do to promote and
maintain supportive relationships and communication among US MARIS TS!
Ministry at "Marists All" keeps expanding. Congratulations on the new web site,
a great idea. Please add my addresses to the listings.
Phil Robert, Luke Reddington and I are in our third year ofMarist ministry here
in "Almost Heaven." We pastor three rural parishes with Father Mario Claro
from the Diocese of Wheeling. As with any change, there was for us an initial
adjustment from living in the Northeast, but now we are involved in all aspects
of pastoring the three parishes and in the ecumenical and community activities of
the three towns.
We just finished celebrating the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
There is a tradition here of having services for eight straight nights, rotating host
churches and preachers. We're getting to learn some of the Christian hymns from
the Protestant tradition while sharing some of our contemporary folk hymns
when it was our turn to host. With Lent on the horizon we're busy preparing for
that liturgical season. Each of our three towns has Lenten luncheons or suppers
so we'll also be sharing those events with our associates in the three Ministerial
Associations.
We're looking forward to hosting a group of men from my former parish in
Westfield, New Jersey. They are coming down in mid-February to offer a
"Comerstone"-type retreat to the men of our Vicariate at one of our Diocesan
Pastoral Centers. It will be a new experience for most of our men as they don't
have a tradition of retreats in these parishes.
We hope to be able to bring some of our young people to that special Marist
Youth Conference at Marist College in May. We are also looking forward to the
bi-province Jubilee celebration in June when Luke will be joining the rest of his
group for their Golden Anniversary.
This January we joined our Marist communities and friends in the special
novena to Brother Francois for a cure for Leonard Voegtle. Len continues to
inspire us with his faith, courage and humor in facing his illness. Our prayers
also include Pat Tyrrell and Bart.(5 Pierpont Street, Petersburg WV 26847; 304-
257-1057; wvfms@access.mountain.net)
FROM
JIM FRIEL
('52): I had the pleasure of going to Mt. St. Michael for the
Metro Mac gathering several months ago. It was a delight. Gil Levesque and I
went over to the laundry area and had a nice chat with Brother Vinnie, who, I
take it, is in charge of the laundry and many other chores at the Mount these
days. Vinnie and I were stationed at the Mount in 1956, and in 1962 we were
together in Lawrence. And I was at the Memorial Service in Esopus in early
November, too. I went with the Callahans. That was a delight also. The only
strange thing was that after the service many of the Brothers who live there went
back to their rooms and everyone else went to a delightful lunch. I wanted to
chat with a couple of the residents; oh well, another time. I took some pictures at
Esopus. Now I just have to fi
gur
e out who will publish them. Is Marists All
going visual, too?
5/11





My wife Kate and I live in Northport, Long Island. I'm still teaching at SUNY,
Farmingdale. One of the courses that I start next week is "Philosophy, the Law,
and the Citizen." I originated it under a grant from the state. I have managed to
get a two-day week, full time. Seniority has its privileges. My wife is Assistant
Director at the Northport Museum, where she teaches photo shop. Keep up the
good work! Cheers.
(20 Vail Street, Northport NY 11768-3038; 516-757-7506; frielkelly@aol.com)
SOME of the MANY
REACTIONS
to our WEB SITE
Thanks for the greetings and good news about "Marists All." We await your e­
mail editions in the new millennium. I'm fine, just back from studies at
St.George's College, Jerusalem, and awaiting the Second Novitiate in Manziana,
Italy. God is most good! Hope the season is bright with goodness for you and
your families. Br. Patrick McNamara
Peace and love be to all. Everything is well over here in Spain. Thanks for the
work that you are putting into the creation of the web site. Ernie Belanger
From the Land of the Rising Sun: Delighted to hear from MARISTS ALL
through e-mail, just as much as we have enjoyed getting news through regular
mail. Gus Landry, Ramon Bereicua and Joe Yoshida send their best wishes. God
bless you all. Marist Brothers Kobe
Yep, you've honed in on the correct e-mail address for one Brendan Haggerty.
Thank you for the update, and very special "thank you" for keeping the Marist
family together. Your "circulars" far surpass any other reading material AND
every word is read! Best wishes. Brendan Haggerty
We shall be pleased to have our e-mail and snail-mail addresses posted in
MARIS TS ALL. We are delighted with the prospect of e-Marists All. Best
wishes for you to experience in a special way the joy of Christmas. I shall be
trying out a Tourtiere recipe soon as I associate it with this season. Wish me
luck. Barbara joins me in these wishes. J. Richard La Pietra
Thank you for the Christmas issue of Marists All. I was inspired by the entries,
especially Rene Roy's. I must write to him. Please pass on my wishes to all the
Brothers - both those in and out of the Brotherhood. Raph Martin
Yes, email works well even in wild and wonderful West Virginia. In fact, it's
especially helpful here in the hinterlands to communicate with the world we all
came from. Please include my name and email address. Thanks, Br. Luke
Reddington
I took a look at the new web site and it's really great! Congratulations. I was just
on the phone today with Leo Shea. I still keep close FMS connections. Hope to
get a chance to write soon, it's been a long time. My email is:
wjfadrowski@home.com Msgr. Bill Fadrowski
Thank you for your continued publication of Marists All. Perusing the pages of
the publication and reading of the good work being done by so many former
monks is inspiring. I liken it to a form of spiritual reading. Best wishes for a
blessed New Year. Br. Kevin Moran
6/11






Checked out the new web site, and found it to be great! The list of names
brought back a flood of memories. There were a lot of names from the class of
'55
that had slipped my mind. I had the "faces", but not the names. Thanks and
God bless. Fred Hom.
Thanks for your mighty effort keeping communication flowing among us
Marists All; it is very MUCH appreciated. I'm happy to have my addresses
printed for the new web site. I am now in my 7th year in Rome, running our
Second Novitiate, Third Age, and Marist Family programs. God continues to
spoil me rotten, and I love it! Br. John McDonnell
FROM
MARIA TERESA NARGANES:
It is wonderful that you will now be
able to send the publication Marists All by e-mail. I would like to take this
opportunity of responding to your notice to thank you once again. I would also
like to thank all of those members who took the time to write to me privately on
behalf of my husband, Francisco Narganes. The letters were reactions to the
article which appeared in one of the latest issues of your newsletter (#58). It is a
wonderful feeling to know that some of you remember my husband, even
studied or taught with him, and that you shared your memories of that time with
me. Some of you even offered to assist our children who are attending Catholic
schools, and you work in those schools. Thank you again from the bottom of my
heart for your goodness and for your good will toward our family and for
making us feel that we are still members of the kind "Marists All" family.
(8 Cleveland Street, Lawrence MA 01843; Narganes10@aol.com)
FROM
RONALD "REGGIE" DISS
('60): Thanks always for keeping Marists
All alive and circulating; it means a lot to me and to countless others. I'm glad to
see Rene Roy back in Wheeling. We've kept in touch; he's visited here in Rural
Retreat. We are attempting to enroll some of his students from Rwanda (Roy's
Boys) here at Emroy & Henry College, where I teach. I was in Wheeling for the
celebration of the Founder's canonization, had dinner with the monks and
renewed many relationships and memorable times; it was wonderful seeing
many former teachers and colleagues. And I was in Esopus August '99 for Tim
Dooley's memorial service. And yes, I spent some time with Brother Edmund
Jude. This time I did all the talking! (511 No. Main St., Rural Retreat VA 24368;
rediss@ehc.edu)
FROM
DAVID HEALY
('64): Since October of 1999 I have been living and
working in New York, but my home is still in Perth, Western Australia. With
wages for IT personnel in the states being what they are, and given the relative
strength of the U.S. dollar vs the Aussie dollar, I may be in the U.S. for a while.
My wife Kay has been here for the past month; two of our four children are still
in college in Perth. We drove up to Kingston to see Len Voegtle before
Christmas. He looked and sounded a whole lot better than we thought he might.
We also dropped in on Esopus and Poughkeepsie. Kay had never seen Marist
College. I'm glad we had the chance to look around. Keep up the great work with
Marists All.(233-07 Seward Ave., Queens Village NY 11427; 718-776-9146;
healydj@hotmail.com)
FROM
ALLAN PERRONE
('61): Thanks to all working on the web site.
Terrific work! Help me with the year that is posted with our names. My year is
listed as '61, but I don't know exactly what that means - year of first vows, year
of finishing Marist College, or what. I finished at Esopus in 1960 and went to
Tyngsboro that same year, and I went on to Poughkeepsie in 1962. I took part at
graduation at Marist College in 1965. Help with the meaning of that listed year
7/11





will be welcome. Thanks much.(11185 Howells Ferry Road, Semmes AL 36575-
6611; 334-645-2476; allanp@ccai.net)
(Editor's note: Yes, Al, after a scholastic year as a postulant 1960-61, you took
the habit (your investiture) on August 15th 1961. That makes you a member of
the group of '61; such has been the customary way of identifying the monks.
Marist College classifies your graduates as the class of '65. In the newsletter we
stick to the investiture date to identify our people.
THE MARIST FAMILY INSTITUTE OF SPIRITUALITY
The coordinators of The Marist Family Institute of Spirituality have announced
the dates and the theme of the seventh annual gathering of the event. It will be
held at Marist College -- from Thursday, July 5th (4:30 p.m. registration) to
Sunday, July 8th (lunch around noon). This year the theme is "Pray always"
based on scripture's "Be joyful always, pray at all times, be thankful in all
circumstances. This is what God wants of you in your life in Christ Jesus." I
Thess. 5, 16. Br. Charles Marcellin is the primary coordinator this year. He tells
us that more information about this Institute will be available for the next issue
of the newsletter.
Meanwhile, Brother Charles informs us that, as a spin-off of the summer
Institute, a group of people in the New York area meets for a type of
"recollection" every October and March. This March 3rd at noon the group will
gather at Molloy for prayer, a presentation (Barney Sheridan this time),
discussion, coffee, and a pot-luck lunch. All are welcomed to join this event.
Information about any of these events may be obtained by calling 718-441-2100
or writing to Brother Charles at Molloy High School, 83-53 Manton Street,
Jamaica, N. Y.
BRIEF
MARIST NEWS NOTES
... taken from province publications
> In January a novena through the intercession of Venerable Brother Francois,
first superior general, was promoted by the provinces for the cure of Brother
Leonard Voegtle. It was set to end with the feast of Brother Francois. Most of
Leonard's many correspondents are quite aware of his illness, and pray for him
regularly. A reminder to all of us to be especially conscious and concerned at all
times about the needs of all of our Marist-related friends.
> Recently papers were given to Pope John Paul detailing the lives of people
who witnessed to the faith by martyrdom since January 1, 1900. The list includes
almost 200 Marist Brothers.
> Each December a representation of lay faculty members from most of the
Marist schools in the U.S. go to Esopus for a weekend program entitled,
"Sharing our Call." The sessions are designed to share the Marist spirit of
evangelization with lay colleagues.
> Among the young people who helped with the summer camps in Esopus this
past summer were thirty current and former students from Bishop Donohue High
School in West Virginia. They traveled some 500 miles to be of service to
disadvantaged people.
> An editorial in the Lawrence Eagle gave high praise to CCHS for its plan to
build a 45,000 square foot addition and to admit a larger, more diverse student
8/11





body, offering more financial aid to minority and low-income students. Many
aspects of the addition will take care of other needs as well. Plans call for a new
student center, expanded locker rooms, studios and galleries for fine arts, a
science and technology center, and a campus ministry center with a new chapel.
>Michael Martin, the new speaker of Britain's House of Commons, is grateful to
the Marist Brothers for his early education at St. Patrick's School in Glasgow,
Scotland. Martin is the first Catholic to be elected speaker since the
Reformation. He said, "My admiration for the Marist Brothers stems from my
early days; I have the highest regard for them."
FROM
LEONARD VOEGTLE
('50): Thanks to the prolonged sub-freezing
weather we were having here in Esopus, the "stump-pullers" have finally been
able to bring in their heavy equipment to remove the final major evidence oflast
May's tornadoes. As for the many fallen trees still in the woods, I think they will
be there for a long time to come!
I'm convinced that much of the present improvement in my physical condition is
related to the novena to Venerable Brother Francois on my behalf that the Marist
Brothers in the U.S. and in Rome have just finished. From my point of view
Francois was a very holy man -- and a fellow gardener! I'm sure that he's been
listening and lending a hand. I keep reminding him it's time he emerged from
Marcellin's shadow and started working on his own halo!
I'm supposed to stay off my feet and keep my left leg elevated, so my recliner
has become my office, reading room and chapel ... an interesting vantage point
from which to view my world and my life. One of the blessings of this illness -­
and I've learned in many ways what a blessing it can be -- is the outpouring of
concern and affection and prayer from so many. Bears out what I've said before,
repeating one of our retreat masters many years ago: "We need more taffy during
life and less epitaph-y after death." I'm getting lots of taffy these days.
And there's much witness to be given, just by being where and how I am at the
moment, making that my ministry of patience, good humor, faith and
acceptance. I made it to Bellport for Thanksgiving, and had a quiet, peaceful
weekend with Jogues, Eddie and Charlie Marcellin. Had hoped to do it again
over New Year's, but by then I was just out of hospital, and not exactly kicking
up my heels, except to keep the leg elevated!
I still go to the archives each day -- partly to get out of the house, partly to do my
e-mail, but I haven't done any real archiving in months. I've left that to my
assistant, Kevin Coffey, who's computer-wise and archives-savvy. Br. Frank
Farrell popped in one day to lend a hand, found out he loved the work, and spent
hours classifying and filing all the documents that had piled up since I got sick. I
checked out the new web site; great! It should help to draw us all closer together,
formally and informally.(Box 197, Esopus NY 12429; lenarchive@aol.com)
FROM
JOHN ROGENER
('67): My last entry was ten years ago. We had just
returned from a trip to Camp Marist where our son John spent his first summer
away from home. He is now 20 and a sophomore at Villanova University. Our
second child Elizabeth is 18 and a senior in high school. Mary Kate, who wasn't
in the picture the last time I wrote, is 9 and in the third grade. My wife Shelly
teaches preschool. After 19 years managing a host of Training and
Organizational Development Departments at Citicorp, I decided to move to
Pricewaterhouse-Cooper to head up their Leaming Education and Change
9/11





Management Organization. I now spend my days with auditors, attorneys, and
accountants ... oh my! Yet I still enjoy the classroom, so I maintain ties with
NYU's Management Institute where I teach a variety of management
development courses. This venture also enables me to keep current in my field of
training, organizational development and change management.
I too read the newsletter immediately from cover to cover when it arrives,
relishing the stories and experiences of people from my past. I am reminded of
those present and former Marist Brothers who by their example inspired me to
join their ranks almost 35 years ago. I am also reminded of the deep friendships I
made during my eleven-year journey as a Marist Brother.(5 Old Bridle Path,
Lawrenceville NJ 08648; 609-895-6980; LawSoc77@aol.com)
FROM
MSGR. JOSEPH ROTH,
D.D. (Patrick Kieran '56): At present I am the
pastor of St. Andrew Catholic Church in Myrtle Beach, SC, and have just been
named the Vicar General of the Diocese of Charleston, which consists in the
entire state of South Carolina. Due to the size of the diocese, there are two Vicars
General. I am the new one!
I am one of four tribunal judges in the entire state, which takes a lot of time. I am
responsible for deacons and their formation. Other duties include membership in
the curia, the personnel board, presbyterial and pastoral councils, building and
renovation committee, and the investment and finance councils. I am also
involved in many aspects of religious education: schools, RCIA, pre-Cana,
marriage encounter, Cursillo, ... Many of these things run themselves, but there
is still liaison work to do. I can't imagine where I got the love for Catholic
Education, but it is there. In my office on one of the walls is a nice picture of St.
Marcellin Champagnat. (YES! One for our team!)
In addition to this, I lead a Pilgrimage to Rome each year. This year's will be my
10th or 11th. We stay in the same Hotel all the time (Visconti Palace near the
Vatican) and have our own bus to take us around. I usually limit the group to 36
so that I can give them individual attention. In addition to celebrating Mass for
them daily in one of the major basilicas, I am with them all day for a tour of each
basilica and other important religious and historic places in Rome and the
Vatican. We have our Wednesday audience and on Sunday Holy Mass at the altar
of the Chair in St. Peter's. This is usually concelebrated by about 50 to 60 priests.
We have a private tour of the Sistine Chapel and a tour of the "Scavi"
excavations under St. Peter's, not the lower church but the archeological
diggings! Two day trips include a trip to Assisi and another to Monte Casino,
near Naples. From there we go on to a tour of the ruins of Pompeii. We have two
additional days free for people to go where they want, to re-visit, etc. Filled up
this year; leaving February 5th, coming home the 16th. Next year's trip is already
sold out (2002), but some may drop off the list. I never count anything as fact
until the money comes in! We are also booking for 2003!
The South is blossoming with people. 40,000 new homes are being built in my
present parish alone! We need priests! HELP! The place is growing like TOPSY!
New parishes are being built and new schools are being built. Yet, in the entire
state we have only 60 active diocesan priests.
Well! God bless you all and thank you for the news. It is a pleasure to read
Marists All and to hear about the Marist Brothers. You are doing great work. You
are in my thoughts and prayers and all Marists have a remembrance in my
10/11




Masses. Best to everyone.(503 37thAvenue N, Myrtle Beach SC 29577; 843-
448-5930; padremb@aol.com)
EDITORS' NOTE: If you have received this issue ofMarists All by postal mail,
it is likely hat we do not have an e-mail address for you, or that an intermediary
server is not sending our messages on to you. The latter situation is noted on the
e-mail page of the Marists All web site by a (?) next to some e-mail addresses.
We are pleased to continue mailing copies of the newsletter to anyone who
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persons who would be satisfied to have future issues over the internet, please
send us your e-mail address; we will notify you by e-mail when a new issue of
the newsletter is in place on the web. The postal and e-mail addresses of the
editors appear on page one of this issue. Of course, we continue to clamor for
correspondence. We do need you!
11/11