UD's 86-year-old Marianist priest Father Norbert Burns is in love.

His love for the Blessed Mother and the mission of spirit-community gets him out of bed each morning. It sends him all over the UD campus to give talks and converse with students and faculty.

After teaching Christian Marriage at UD for 60 years, Burns' charming personality and clear focus enables him to serve as a catalyst for a campus renewal of spirit-community.

Since coming out of retirement, Burns has given over 70 talks to different organizations and groups on campus, including faculty. This past Thursday he spoke with the Upper Board of the dean's office in the College of Arts and Sciences, and he is scheduled to speak with the Student Government Association in the upcoming weeks.

Burns' message is simple, yet in line with what many UD students have faith in: the Virgin Mary.

"We are all called in Jesus Christ and Mary to embrace one another in spirit-community," Burns said. "We invite others into who we are with the Marianist charism of community."

Burns suggests doing this by listening to one another and allowing ourselves to take a walk in each others' shoes.

The founder of the Marianists, Blessed Father Chaminade, believed that the future of the Church was sodalities, which are small faith sharing and formation groups. Burns hopes to continue inspiring an uprising of sodalities on campus. Through his talks, Burns is working to bring about a deep sense of togetherness through the common purpose of spirit-community.

"The students attending UD today are different from those who attended UD in the 1980s," Burns said. "In the 80s, students were very grade conscience. Today, students are ready to respond to Mary's call to service. They have an idealistic vision."

Another reason Burns decided to come back to the UD community was UD's president, Dr. Dan Curran, who specifically asked Burns to step out of retirement and come back to campus, according to a University of Dayton press release. Curran saw how much Burns' passion toward combining community and faith helped the campus for the 60 years he was here and hoped to bring that back to campus.

His Christian Marriage class was one of UD's most popular classes during the six decades he taught it. According to the UD press release, over one third of UD alumni have taken this class.

But outside of the classroom is where Burns sees himself making his mark on campus. Engaging the community in faith matters is a major reason he became a Marianist priest, according to the press release.

"My spirituality is bound up in relationships with other people," he said in a recent press release. "Anyone who meets me is invited into the Marianist charism. I joined the Marianists because of the way they come together. It's belongingness. The spirit of Mary is the spirit of community."

Burns would like to invite any group to host him for a talk on spirit-community, belongingness and relationship. He can be contacted through his e-mail Norbert.Burns@notes.udayton.edu or by phone at (937) 222-1137.