Servire quam sentire – Serivce over sentiment
A Short History of the Province of Meribah
In the early 20th century, the Brothers of Mary, as the Marianists were known in those days, staffed several parish schools in the Diocese of Brooklyn. In 1915 the Brothers opened Most Holy Trinity High School in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, part of a sprawling German-American parish complex that included a cathedral-like church, two schools, an orphanage, a cemetery and a host of organizations meeting the spiritual and social needs of the parishioners.
During the late 1920s, Bro. Alexander Ott, SM, the principal of Most Holy Trinity HS, anticipated the eastward expansion of the Catholic population and began to search for a suitable location for a high school in the “country-side” of Nassau County. One of the necessary conditions for this new Marianist venture was that the school be located within walking distance of a railroad station. With the encouragement of the pastor of Corpus Christi parish in Mineola, Bro. Alexander purchased a 5.37acre lot on the south side of Jericho Turnpike.
From the Marianist Superior General and the General Council:
Dear Brothers of the Province of Meribah,
The General Council wishes you a beautiful golden jubilee. We address them to you, brothers and members of the Province, and to all those who participate with you in the
Marianist project of life and mission on Long Island.
As your message of invitation to the celebration of this event evokes, it is a magnificent opportunity to look at the past with gratitude, to live the present with enthusiasm and to look to the future with hope.
The reasons for our gratitude are certainly multiple. One of the most important is the vocation of the brothers who have constituted the Province during these fifty years: their
human talents, but above all the gift of their vocation. God– and the Virgin Mary –always call out of love for those they choose and to be a sign of it. They also call us to form a
united body, made harmonious because of this call that brings us together. “Each one of us has received from the Blessed Virgin a commission to work at the salvation of his
brothers in the world” (08/24/1839). If we can “multiply Christians”, to use the expression dear to our Founder, it is because of this call but also because of our union and our
personal and collective fervor.
Another reason for thanksgiving is the remarkable achievement of the educational works for which you have worked with perseverance throughout these years. It is a source of
pride for the Society of Mary to note the current vitality of the three main works on which you are working and that of the many activities that have their source there. Education
has always been the work of our hearts, the one in which we work with the most energy and generosity, because we know that it is necessary to guide the life of the new
generation that is called to build the Church and society of today and tomorrow. Prevention rather than cure; to form hearts, minds, wills nourished and influenced by
faith; encourage commitment and service and fidelity to what has been promised; choosing the narrow path of realizing a high ideal of life rather than the easy path of
worldly success; to associate with naturalness, on a day-to-day basis, academic excellence and human and religious excellence; strengthen the sense of community and
the common good; … These are all challenges that you have worked on with ardor, creativity and great unanimity over these fifty years…
Fr. André Fétis, SM and the members of the General Council
The Marianist Community:
A Community of Faith
A Community in Mission
Mary, the Mother of Jesus, shows us the way of true Christian life. Following her example of faith, poverty of spirit, and attentiveness to the Lord, we hope to reflect to those around us Mary’s warmth of welcome to God and to others. Like her, we wholly commit ourselves to the mystery of our vocation. – Marianist Rule of Life 8
The Province of Meribah has always tried to embody the missionary spirit of Mary by creating a strong community life and witness in mission. Our vocation is first to the spiritual life that we nurture in community, striving to live our vocation as brothers walking together on the journey toward salvation in Christ. As such, we support, encourage and witness to each other through prayer, community service and common mission. We are grateful for the blessings that our Lord has given us through community life.
More photos are available in this GALLERY:
Celebrating Five Decades of Faith and Leadership In Mission
Explore the Province of Meribah’s commitment to nurturing Christian values and empowering youth through education and faith formation, shaping a hopeful future for thousands of Long Island youth and their families.
+ Our Mission is the Education and Faith-Formation of Young People (more…)
+ Read about our ministries and retreat houses (more…)
+ Our schools are welcoming communities of faith and formation for excellence through relationships.
- Chaminade High School (1930, Mineola)
- Kellenberg Memorial and the Joseph C. Fox Latin School (1987, Uniondale)
- St. Martin de Porres Marianist School (2004, Uniondale)
As we thank God for the countless blessings received over these last 50 years, we also beg the Lord to send us new vocations, so that this life and work may continue to bear fruit for many years to come! – Please join us in praying for vocations
