Marist Sponsorship
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Limited openings are available for the 2011-2012 school year. Please contact the Admissions Office at (678) 387-9385 for specific information.

Marist Sponsorship

Notre Dame Academy is a Marist-sponsored School

Father Joel Konzen, Principal of Marist School, and his Marist brethren provide Notre Dame Academy with a priest part-time. Father David Musso serves the Notre Dame family by saying masses, offering reconciliation and facilitating the spiritual direction of the school. Father Konzen also has provided the 17 principles of a Marist education, which Notre Dame Academy incorporates in its programs.

The Marist Values

The Marist Order began in the early 1800’s in France as the Society of Mary. Marist priests strive to reflect the spirit of Mary by being gentle, loving, humble, inclusive, and merciful. Following Mary’s example, the Marists list the traits and goals they pursue as being: to say yes to God, to be present and guide gently, to be a humble and merciful servant, to support the Church, and to unify God’s people. These attributes work hand in hand with Notre Dame Academy’s service program and with its international curriculum.

The Marist Presence

The Marists work in parishes, schools and college campuses, prisons, hospitals, and missions in the United States and around the world. They organize their priests and brothers into 14 geographical provinces and four missionary districts. In the United States there are two provinces with centers in Boston and Atlanta. The Boston Province covers the Northeast; the Atlanta Province covers the rest of the country. The Atlanta Province has priests and brothers in 16 states and the District of Columbia. In addition, they minister in Italy, the Philippines, Brazil, and the South Pacific. For more information about the Marists, visit their website at www.maristsociety.org.

The Elements of Marist Education

Guided by the Gospel, the doctrine of the Catholic Church, and the insights of Father Jean-Claude Colin, the Society of Mary devotes itself to all forms of education, especially among the young (Const. 1988, nos. 11 and 13). Attentive solely to the Lord, and aided by the prayer and example of Mary, educators in Marist schools take up “the work of Mary” and become ever more effective “instruments of divine mercy.” (Const. 1872, no. 118)

Three Central Objectives

  1. Formation of students into strong and faithful disciples of Christ, according to the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1872: 453, 451)
  2. Formation of character so that students become honest, upright, and useful citizens in society, strong and committed in virtue. (1872: 456,453)
  3. Furthering students’ progress in letters and sciences through competent knowledge, the most suitable methods, and motivation to excellence and achievement. (1872: 457)

Objectives to be Met Through Cultivation of Attitudes and Behaviors

  1. Imitating Jesus Christ in his actions.(1872: 458)
  2. Seeking to act in the manner of Mary, the mother of Jesus—thinking, judging, feeling, and acting as Mary would. (1872:49, 459; A Certain Way: 160; 1988 Constitutions:8-10,15)  (NOTE: A Certain Way by Craig Larkin, SM. Placed on line 2010 by the Marist Internet Project, New Zealand)  
  3. Acting always as instruments of mercy and reconciliation, counseling and consoling those who have lost their way.  (CW: 50; 1988:11-12)
  4. Striving intently to create Christian community that exhibits the Spirit-filled passion of the earliest days of the Church and the hope that looks forward to its final days. (CW: 90, 92, 98, 161)
  5. Avoiding greed, pride, and power. (CW: 54)
  6. Manifesting a genuine concern for the least-favored and those on the margins of society. (CW: 138-141; 142-143; 1988:12,14)
  7. Maintaining a spirit of openness to all, avoiding exclusivity, exhibiting a welcoming acceptance and inclusion, and seeking mutual cooperation.  (1988:134; CW, 92)
  8. Ministering to one another and to those in need from a desire to connect others to their God and to build up their spirits. (1872: 4, 212)
  9. Using every opportunity to evangelize, i.e., to witness the impact of the Good News of Jesus Christ to all.
  10. Keeping humor as an integral element of our dealings with one another. (Drouilly, 106-110)
  11. Finding opportunities for “tasting God”: reflection, prayer, solitude.

For Those on School Staffs

  1. Taking time and care for regular renewal in the mission of Marist education and for one’s own spiritual development.
  2. Exercising constant respect for the dignity of students as persons and seeking to draw out all of their potential for human growth.
  3. Exercising a ministry to graduates as members of the community of a Marist school who seek nourishment and attention in their spiritual and personal development.

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