Faith and Service

Mona Mengler leads St. Mary’s #HarveyHelp efforts

Days after Hurricane Harvey hit Texas, Mona Mengler opened a box containing a tube of toothpaste, a toothbrush and a bar of soap. She thought, “Why bother?” when Hurricane victims needed so much more.

St. Mary’s community aids Puerto Rico’s slow Hurricane Maria recovery

Hurricane Maria swept over Puerto Rico with nearly Category-5 force on Sept. 20, 2017, a mere two weeks after Hurricane Irma made a damaging pass over the U.S. territory.

St. Mary’s trustee supports Catholic Intellectual Tradition

Martin Beirne (J.D. ’69), Chairman of the St. Mary’s Board of Trustees, has significantly impacted the future of St. Mary’s University and the School of Law — twice.

Irreducibly Human

For 12 weeks this spring, James Greenaway, Ph.D., heard the sound of prison doors lock solidly behind him as he walked past the stern-faced guards controlling access to the Ruben M. Torres Unit, a men’s state prison in Hondo.

Staring History in the Face

Sight unseen and armed with faith, Anthony Selvanathan traveled more than 3,600 miles from his home in Hawaii after graduating from Chaminade University to pursue a Master of Arts in Theology at St. Mary’s University.

Breakfast with a Saint

A brief stop in Calcutta, India, while serving Marianist communities in the region in 1997 gave the Rev. Jim Tobin, S.M., now the Greehey School of Business chaplain, the chance to experience the holiness of Mother Teresa in person — a memory he cherished as she was canonized Sept. 4.

Breaking for Service

Spring break is not often synonymous with volunteerism and sacrifice, but since 1999 groups of St. Mary’s University students have spent the week giving to others, through a transformational experience called Alternative Spring Break.

A World of Good: Alum is opening minds and doors for a new generation of service-oriented students

Amir Samandi didn’t plan to start a nonprofit that takes young people on life-changing trips around the world. It just happened. A classroom conversation provided the spark.

The New Guard

The numbers are stark: The 313 Marianist brothers and priests in the United States have an average age of 74, and only about 25 of them are under age 50.

Methodist Minister, Marianist Twist

As a teenager, Jason Valendy (B.A. ’04) considered pursuing a career in ministry. His only stumbling block was a doozy: He didn’t particularly like “church.”

A Nun for Our Times

Nicole Trahan’s path to becoming a member of the Daughters of Mary Immaculate — the Marianist sisters — wasn’t direct. “Religious life was never even a thought in my mind. The sisters I knew seemed so perfect. I wasn’t.”

Lessons in Peace

Aaron Tyler grew up in the Baptist religious tradition, the son of an Air Force chaplain. It was a childhood that uniquely prepared him for a life dedicated to the study of faith-based peace building.

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