Br. Francis, M.I.C.M.
Br. Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M., held a Bachelor’s Degree in mathematics and a Master’s and a Doctorate in philosophy. After teaching mathematics and science at Holy Cross College in Worcester, Massachusetts, he taught philosophy, theology, and mathematics at Boston College from 1945 to 1949. He gave weekly lectures at Saint Benedict Center from 1943 until a few years before his death. Even in his 90’s, he continued to give weekly lectures on various topics, teach high school, head the Saint Augustine Institute of Catholic Studies, oversee the publishing apostolate of Saint Benedict Center, and be a wonderful father to the Brothers and Sisters.Brother Francis went to his eternal reward on September 5, 2009. Resquiecat in pace!
With eighty years of teaching experience, this educator par excellence can reach students at any level. His joy and enthusiam are contagious!
Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M. took final vows as a Slave of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on March 25, 1998, and is now the sub-prioress of the Sisters of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
With over 20,000 teaching hours in various grades, she has taught almost all of the high school level subjects – plus earned much experience in her 10 years as vice-principal at IHM. She has authored a number of articles and has been a speaker at the annual SBC Conference. She earned her SAI degree in 1998 and continued to amass over 200 credit hours through SAI until her appointment as director in November 2013. Her current assignment has included a restructuring of the diploma and the creation of the four-year program
For recreation, Sister enjoys photography, music, and reading good historical fiction. This past May, Sister had multiple surgeries for stage three melanoma. She is healing well – and all her scans are currently clear, but she is continuing various holistic treatments and is grateful for your prayers.
Sister Maria Philomena, M.I.C.M.
Brother Andre Marie, M.I.C.M.
Brother Andre Marie, M.I.C.M., is a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, and a 1988 graduate of Holy Cross School. He went on to study at Louisiana State University (LSU) on full scholarship as a music major. After three years, he transferred to Holy Apostles College and Seminary, in Cromwell, Connecticut, where he took a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spring of 1993 (major in Humanities with a minor in Philosophy). In September of 2007, he received the degree of Master of Arts in Theology, Summa cum Laude, also from Holy Apostles. Since 1993, he was mentored in philosophy and theology by Brother Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M.
A professed religious since Epiphany of 1996, his apostolic work has included various facets of the publishing apostolate of the congregation. For ten years, he was also part of the community's small "mission band" of brothers who traveled to different cities distributing literature to interested persons in an effort to spread the Catholic Faith and bring wayward Catholics back to a sacramental life. He has edited three of the Congregation's books, published dozens of articles, and presented numerous lectures in apologetics, the history of doctrine, the Church's ecumenical councils, ecclesiology, and devotional topics. He has been published in From the Housetops, Christian Order, Apropos Magazine, The Remnant , Rorate Caeli, and Catholic Online. Since 2002, he has been Prior of St. Benedict Center.
Sister Marie Therese, M.I.C.M., was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. During her high school years, she studied violin under Vadim Mazo at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. An alumna of Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula, California, she joined the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in 1987 and made her final profession in 1990. For some twenty years, she studied various philosophical and theological disciplines under Brother Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M., Ph.D., the founder and father of Saint Benedict Center, Richmond.
Having worked in Saint Benedict Center’s various educational and missionary apostolates for 14 years, Sister became sub-prioress in 2001, then Prioress in 2004. For twelve years, Sister Marie Thérèse was also the principal of IHM School. She has a regular column, the Convent Corner, in our newsletter – Mancipia – and she writes a monthly newsletter for members of the Sursum Corda society. She has studied Gregorian Chant extensively, taught the Brothers and Sisters, and is now teaching it at IHM School.
For recreation, Sister enjoys picking up new instruments, binding books, and playing with the Sisters' dog, Cani.
Sister Marie Therese, M.I.C.M.
Brian Kelly (Brother Michael, M.I.C.M. Tert.)
Brian Kelly (Brother Michael, M.I.C.M. Tert.) was the editor-in-chief of From the Housetops magazine and, since 2006, the Mancipia. (From 1999-2005, he was also editor-in-chief of Loreto Publications.) You will see his name in many places on Catholicism.org.
Brian was born in 1952 in West Orange, New Jersey. He received his primary education from the Sisters of Charity at Our Lady of Lourdes school and graduated in 1970 from the Irish Christian Brothers' Essex Catholic High School in Newark. He spent one year at Kilgore Jr. College in Texas, transferring to Saddleback Jr. College in Mission Viejo, California, in 1972. The following year, Brian spent two semesters studying philosophy at the Pontifical University of the Angelicum in Rome.
Prompted by his valiant mother’s insistence, he first visited Saint Benedict Center in Still River, Massachusetts, in the summer of 1973, where he met Father Feeney and the philosopher who was to be his mentor ever since, Brother Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M.
With years of experience in teaching catechetics, including a full course on the Gospels of St. Mark and St. Matthew given to interested adults. Mr. Kelly has been a student/teacher of the Faith for most of his adult life.