E-Publications

NACMS has classified our publications by level to aid you in finding material most helpful to you:

Basic for those new to the Marianist world and having little or no prior knowledge of Marianist history or the Marianist charism
Intermediate for those who have some knowledge and understanding of things Marianist
Advanced for those who have significant knowledge and understanding of things Marianist and want to go deeper
Resource materials, including prayers, activities, and reflections for individuals and groups
Reference materials, including source documents and compendia

You can filter or search our publications below using the Keyword Search function or the "Explore Our Resources" function on the left.

Basic	Podcast: "We are All Missionaries:" Reading Chaminade's Letter of 1839 In this episode, Patti Gehred and Sr. Gabby Bibeau discuss the most famous and most important letter in Marianist history: Father Chaminade's Letter to the Retreat Masters of 1839. In this letter, Chaminade lays out exactly what it means to be Marianist, especially the importance of Mary and her power to defeat evil, as well as our call to be missionaries. You don't want to miss this one!
Basic	Podcast: "Does Your Cow Give Milk?": A Deep Dive into One of Adèle's Letters In an episode that is a bit of a departure from the usual format, Patti and Sr. Gabby discuss one of Blessed Adele's letters, which was written to a Marianist sister who was the director of one of the community's houses in 1825. This letter is a great window into the final years of Adele's life and the strength of her leadership. Patti and Sr. Gabby discuss the challenges the Marianist Sisters faced at this time, the tensions that existed between the Sisters and Father Chaminade, and the humor that is part of daily life in community. It's an interesting conversation that is sure to be informative whether you know a little or a lot about Adele!
Basic	Podcast: We're All in This Together (The Marianist Sisters Vocation Fund) In this episode, Lay Marianists Matt Meyers and Linda Zappacosta share the story of how they helped start the Marianist Sisters Vocation Fund, which is a group of Marianist brothers, sisters, and laity who raise funds to offset the college debt of women entering the Marianist Sisters. They share about how they came to know that student debt was an obstacle to women discerning with the Sisters, how they were able to put their heads together to find a solution to the problem, and they also reflect on the beauty of the three branches working together for the future of the entire Marianist Family.
Basic	Podcast: Beatification Memories (Interviews Commemorating the 20th Anniversary of Chaminade's Beatification) On September 3rd, 2000, Father Chaminade was Beatified along with five other holy people during a Mass in St. Peter's Square. Pope St. John Paul II was the presider, and he noted that Blessed Chaminade was an "apostle of the laity." In this podcast, we interviewed six different people who were at the Beatification and the events surrounding it. Each of them provides their own perspective on that experience, as well as the legacy of Chaminade officially being named "Blessed."
Basic	Podcast: Commitment to Community (Ann Hirt and Carol Ramey) Lay Marianists Carol Ramey and Ann Hirt originally met as undergraduate students at the University of Dayton in the 1960s, where they both became involved in the UD Sodality. After graduating, both of them joined the Marianist Visitation State Community, where they have been members for over 50 years. In this podcast, they reflect on how their friendship, their Marianist commitment, and relationship with Mary has sustained them for the past 50 years. Carol Ramey was also the previous director of NACMS, where she served the Marianist Family for many years before her retirement in 2016.
Basic	Podcast: Once a Missionary, Always a Missionary (Sr. Columba Yu, FMI) Sister Columba is a Marianist Sister from South Korea who has spent the last 13 years of her life as a missionary in India. She was among the original 4 Marianist Sisters who went to India in 2006 to begin a community of Marianist Sisters there. The Sisters live in Ranchi in the northern part of India where they do a variety of ministries including healthcare work and job training for women. Sr. Gabby interviewed Sr. Columba in December while she was visiting the United States. In this podcast, Sr. Columba shares her story of being a missionary, becoming a Marianist Sister, and what her reaction was when she was first asked by the Sisters to go to India 13 years ago.
Basic	Podcast: Wisdom from Our Founders for this Time of Pandemic In this "socially distanced" episode of the podcast, Patti Gehred interviews Sister Gabby Bibeau about an article she wrote for the NACMS website on the parallels between the current COVID crisis and the Founders' own experiences of crisis during the French Revolution and experiences of illness. In particular, the focus is what we can learn from our Marianist Founders about how to approach the current pandemic by growing in the virtues of faith, hope, and love.
Basic	Lenten Meditation #1: Praying with Jesus in the Desert This is the first in a series of podcasts that are meditations for Lent.
Basic	Lenten Meditation #2: The Transfiguration This is our second episode of our Lenten series of meditations.
Basic	Lenten Meditation #3: Confidence in God This is the third episode of our Lenten series of meditations.
Basic	Lenten Meditation #4: Three O'Clock Prayer Guided Meditation This last Lenten Meditation is a guided meditation on the Three O'Clock Prayer that transports you to the foot of the Cross with Mary.
Basic	Podcast: Responding to God's Invitation (Bro. Tom Redmond, SM on Spiritual Direction) Marianist Brother Tom Redmond is a staff member at NACMS. He has been working for the past several years to adapt the Spirit of Saragossa Retreat--which has traditionally been a 30 day retreat centered on Marianist spirituality, Mary, and the Founders--into a retreat that people can do in their daily life. A major component of the retreat is meeting with a spiritual director. In this podcast, Patti Gehred talks to Bro. Tom about spiritual direction. What is it? Why is it important? How is it different from counseling or confession? Throughout the course of the interview, Bro. Tom shares insights into how we can respond to God's invitation to growth and deeper relationship.
Basic	Podcast: Embracing Marianist Life and Service (Maureen O'Rourke) Lay Marianist Maureen O'Rourke reflects on how she embraced her Marianist identity and call to serve her neighborhood. She talks about the Marianist PULSE volunteer program that she directs, how the Marianist Family has become part of her marriage, and she shares about the various Marianists who have played an important role in her life.
Basic	Podcast: Finding Family Far from Home (Jessica González Uhlig) Lay Marianist Jessica González Uhlig is originally from Puerto Rico. She grew up knowing members of the Marianist Family but didn't fully know what it meant to be Marianist until she attended the University of Dayton. Now she helps with the formation of Marianist Educational Associates at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, TX. Listen to this episode to hear Jessica share some reflections about what the Marianist Family has meant to her in her personal, professional, and spiritual life. Originally recorded at the 2017 Lay Marianist Assembly in Dayton.
Basic	Podcast: The Five Silences and Marianist Mindfulness (MSP 2.0 Participants) Some of the people who participated in the MSP 2.0 program in the summer of 2018 share their reflections about Father Chaminade's Five Silences and how they relate to mindfulness in the 21st century. Hear a project that interests you?
Basic	Podcast: Marianist Lessons from Rough Patches (Linda Zappacosta and Brad Leger) Linda Zappacosta and Brad Leger are good friends. Linda has been a lay Marianist for over 50 years; Brad is a "new kid," as he says, in the Marianist Family. Listen to Brad interview Linda about her life as a Marianist and some things she learned about God, herself, and Marianist community after her struggle with illness.
Basic	Podcast: The Gift of Relationship (Fr. Norbert Burns, SM) Father Norbert Burns, S.M. is a 95 year old Marianist priest who just celebrated his 75th anniversary of first vows. Father Norb is well known for his teaching and work on the vocation of marriage. He is especially well known for teaching classes on Christian Marriage for several decades at the University of Dayton. His last class that he taught, in 2007, had 125 students in just one class. In this podcast, Fr. Norb talks about his life, reflects on his vocation, and talks about the greatest gift of his life: relationships.
Basic	Podcast: Go to Europe, Become a Sister (Sr. Marie Abmayr, FMI) In this episode of the podcast, Sister Marie Abmayr, FMI reflects on how she became a Marianist Sister, particularly about going to Spain in 1950 for her novitiate.
Basic	Podcast: Mary as Mother and Friend (Maureen Hoock) Lay Marianist Maureen Hoock shares about her Marianist journey in St. Louis, Missouri and about her deep friendship with Mary, as well as how being Marianist has impacted her vocation as a mother.
Basic	Podcast: Building a Hearth for the World (Abby Lisjak and Elizabeth Abrams) Lay Marianists Abby Lisjak and Elizabeth Abrams offer their perspective on the Marianist Family as young lay Marianists. Abby is graduating from the University of Dayton in May, and Elizabeth graduated last year. Listen to their reflections on how their community--the Hearth Community--plans to live out their commitment past graduation, as well as their thoughts on Mary. Recorded during the Marianist Lay Assembly in July 2017.