As Notre Dame gears up for its April Grand Anniversary Dinner, the Marist Fathers and Brothers are reflecting on the end of the official "Colin Year."
In November of 2012, Fr. John Hannan, s.m., superior general of the Marists, initiated the Colin Year, a full year in which the Marists and their communities at large could celebrate and better familiarize themselves with founder Jean-Claude Colin, who Hannan says "led an exemplary life of faith and gave the Church an abounding treasure through his spiritual writings and unique mission encapsulated in the purposes of the Society of Mary where the focus is on Mary leading humanity to her Son wherever Marists are on mission."
Notre Dame and other Marist ministries celebrated Fr. Colin in many ways throughout 2013. In the NDPMA community, two major celebratory events were held on the Pontiac campus in October that also celebrated the 150-year anniversary of the Marists in the United States as well as a number of other anniversaries, including the 20-year anniversary of the founding of Notre Dame Prep.
As bit more formal in tone, the Grand Anniversary Dinner is planned for Saturday, April 12, at the San Marino Club in Troy. It will include cocktails, dinner, music and dancing, and more details will be released in the coming weeks.
The Marists celebrated the official end of Colin Year in November 2013 at their General House in Rome. The video below, set to original music by Marist Fr. Kevin Bates, is a montage of images from that celebration. Enjoy!
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.