Seán Sammon

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Brother Seán Sammon (born November 26, 1947) is the Superior General of the Marist Brothers order (also known as Fratres Maristae a Scolis or the Marist Brothers of the Schools), a role he has held since October 3, 2001. As Superior General, he leads the approximately 4500 Marist Brothers working around the world in their mission to "make Jesus known and loved", as per the maxim of their founder, Saint Marcellin Champagnat.

Brother Seán was born in Manhattan, New York, into a migrant family: his father was Irish and his mother English. He attended the Marist run St. Agnes Boys High School, and continued on to the juniorate in Esopus. He made his noviciate in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts and pronounced his first vows in 1967.

He graduated from Marist College in Poughkeepsie in 1970. He taught at his alma mater while pursuing studies at The New School] where he earned a Master’s degree in 1973. He received a doctorate in clinical psychology from Fordham University in 1982. In 1978 he had been invited to be a member of the staff at the House of Affirmation (a paedophilia rehabilitation centre) in Massachusetts and in 1982 was named its International Clinical Director, a position he held until 1987.

He has published ten books and a great number of articles and audio tapes on topics of psychology and religious life. In 1987 he was named provincial of the Poughkeepsie Province. During his term he was elected president of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men Religious of the United States. Since 1993 he has been Vicar General of the Marist Brothers. On October 3, 2001 he was elected Superior General.