Chaminade Julienne High School held a prayer rally Monday, October 2 to celebrate the Society of Mary’s bicentennial.

“The Marianist Bicentennial celebration has been going on for the last two years,” said Jama Badinghaus, a counselor at the Dayton Marianist school. CJ’s Mission Team was asked to schedule an event at 2 p.m. Eastern Time that day, a time set aside for all Marianst communities to pray together around the country.

“Our faith is only made richer when we celebrate and value the history and diversity of our members,” she said. “The 200th celebration of the Society of Mary’s Foundation is a beautiful reminder of the many people who have worked to keep the charism alive and have continued the mission of making Christ known in the world, no matter the time or place. ”

Students, faculty and staff decorated prayer flags within their sodality groups.

“I think it’s cool how they’re all going to be different,” said Terry Slaybaugh ’21, as the groups worked on their flags. “There will be a lot of different prayers on each one.”

Jessica Brunner, ’21 agreed. “It’s amazing knowing there will be so many. I like the idea of having so many people come together and pray.”

“Prayer flags were a way to help us represent our interconnectedness,” Badinghaus said. “We borrow from the Tibetan tradition the idea that prayer flags carry messages of good will through the wind. We thought that symbolism embodied our hopes for trying to send out prayers of intention, peace, and gratitude in solidarity with our Marianist sisters and brothers around the world, and visually represents our energy when we gather together with and for one another.”

Following the prayer rally, the CJ community gathered for fellowship.

“We are guided each day by the gift of both the Marianist and Notre Dame charisms,” Badinghouse said, “and it is important to stop sometimes to recognize the role all who have been inspired by Mary’s call to bring her Son into the world – and to remember that all of us is called to be animators of that charism as members of the Chaminade Julienne community.”