The new province sponsors three universities (University of Dayton in Dayton, Ohio; St. Mary´s University in San Antonio, Texas; and Chaminade University in Honolulu, Hawaii) as well as 14 high schools, 12 parishes and several retreat centers. It also sponsors several high schools and parishes in mission countries.
There are about 550 Marianists in the United States, with an additional 140 priests and brothers serving in Korea, Mexico, India and eastern Africa.
The order has had a presence in the United States since 1849, when the Marianists arrived in Dayton. Father William Joseph Chaminade founded the Society of Mary in France in 1817.
«This merger will help us move forward in a common direction, to rethink our priorities for this culture and this time,» said Brother Stephen Glodek, the newly named provincial. Among the province´s priorities are community, solidarity with the poor or marginalized, and vocations.
The four provinces that are merging are the Cincinnati Province, based in Dayton; the St. Louis Province, based here; the Pacific Province, based in Cupertino, California; and the New York Province, based in Baltimore, Maryland.
