Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

We are a province within the Society of Mary (Marianists), a Catholic religious congregation of Pontifical Right. The Province covers all the territory of Long Island, New York, USA, although we also have a retreat house located in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York.

There are Marianist communities and works located in 30 countries throughout Africa, Asia, Europe, North America and South America. They are organized in provinces or regions, with each of these units having their own administration. The world headquarters, the General Administration of the Society of Mary, is located in Rome More Info…

The Marianist Charism allows us to be open to many different types of works (schools, universities, retreat houses, parishes, health care, charitable works with the poor, etc.). So, we are engaged in a variety of works around the world. The Province of Meribah has chosen to focus on the education of youth as its apostolic calling. This is manifest in the fullest sense, whereby the works of the Province not only engage in the education of the mind, but also of the heart and soul. This work is extended to the families of our students, as we see ourselves as a wide, unified family or spiritual community. For this reason, we sponsor many extra and co-curricular activities, as well as retreats and other opportunities for growth and service.

One of the greatest gifts that we received from our Founder’s Charism is what we call “Mixed Composition.” This refers to the fact that within the Congregation, while we share the same vocation as Marianists, we realize that the living out of that vocation could be done in various ways. We are all called to live as brothers. For those who come to be part of our communities, we expect that they will give themselves to the life and work in that “fraternal” spirit. In addition, during the period of initial formation, some of our brothers discern a call to ordination as a priest in the Society. That person, then, consults the community to see if they also see signs of that particular calling. If so, that brother may enter into studies leading to ordination as a Marianist priest. We see this mixed composition a profound gift. It is a way to live together as religious, yet at the same time be a model of the “Church,” where lay and ordained religious collaborate, as equals, for the good of our mission and the salvation of souls. For much more information on this topic, click HERE…

Family Spirit is an essential characteristic of the Marianist vocation. We endeavor to maintain this familial disposition in all of our activities, be they in our works or in our homes. For this reason, we live together as brothers (both priests and lay religious) in communities. As members of the Society of Mary we take the vows of religious (poverty, chastity and obedience) as well as a fourth vow, that of “stability” (that we will remain faithful to our calling as Marianists). The community, therefore, like a family, is the setting in which we grow as persons and in our vocation. In addition, the community serves as the inspiration and a point of reference for all our apostolic works. In our communities, we value the individual gifts that each person brings, and at the same time collaborate to work together using those gifts for the common mission. In doing all this, we truly live in “family spirit” as the early Church of the apostles did.

The Marianist Family has several “branches.” Within this Family, persons live their calling in different states of life: laypersons, religious and consecrated laypersons:
– Marianist Religious: the male branch of the Marianist religious is called the Society of Mary (of which the Province of Meribah is a part). The female branch is the Daughters of Mary Immaculate (Marianist Sisters).
– Marianist Lay Communities: lay persons who feel called by the Marianist Charism may form small communities either in a particular location, or online. They live many of the characteristics of the Marianist vocation, as lay Marianists, but remain in their families and live completely as lay persons. They come together periodically, either in person or virtually, to pray and share as Marianists. In the Province of Meribah, much of the same activities carried out in lay communities can be found in the numerous Sodalities which are very active in our works. In Sodality, both religious and lay persons are fully engaged with young people.
–Consecrated Virgins: Another branch of the Marianist Family is the Marian Alliance (Alliance Mariale). These are women who, while remaining in the lay state and living and working as individuals, consecrate themselves to living the Marianist Charism as celibate laypeople. It is what is called a secular institute, recognized by the Catholic Church.
– Collaborators: Although not an “official” branch of the Marianist Family, those who collaborate in our many works are an essential element of living and sharing the Marianist Charism. In fact, without the dedicated collaboration of thousands of these lay persons and religious of other congregations, we would not be able to support so many vital and dynamic endeavors. Working side-by-side with the vowed Marianist religious, we certainly consider our collaborators as essential members of our family.

More info on the Marianist Family can be found HERE…