First Day of the Meeting of Provincials and District Superiors with the General Council
The meeting of the General Council with the Provincials and District Superiors began on Monday, March 6. All the superiors of the 25 Administrative Units of the Institute, two Districts and 23 Provinces, are present. Brother Ernesto Sanchez, Superior General, welcomed all the participants and Brother Luis Carlos Gutierrez, Vicar General, presented the program for the week. For Brother Ernesto, this is a privileged moment of fraternal dialogue among the leaders, who encourage each other in the leadership of the Institute.
The meeting has as its priority the reflection on the 5 intuitions for the future that the superiors listed last year during the General Conference: spirituality, Marist vocation and co-responsibility, emerging needs, global Marist family and reconfiguration (see here the objectives in detail).
Day One – Monday, March 6
The first day began with a dialogue on the Marist vocation. The participants, divided into tables, were invited to share how the Year of Marist Vocations is impacting the life of the Administrative Units. In the plenary session the reflection of the tables was shared and it was clear that there is a crisis, but illuminated by evident signs of hope. Brother Ernesto recalled the historic moment the Institute experienced in 1822 when, five years after its foundation, there were no vocations. St. Marcellin’s confidence in Mary at that time is something that should animate the Institute, said the Superior General: “In spite of everything, as leaders, we must have hopeâ. He also stressed that it is necessary to dare and “motivate ourselves so that the charism remains alive in today’s context, even if we cannot change it”. Finally, Brother Ernesto recalled how the reality of the lay Marist vocation is a gift for the Institute and questioned the superiors, “How are we welcoming and embracing this gift?”
That same day there was a time to deal with canonical questions linked to particular situations. Brothers Juan Miguel Anaya and JesĂșs Alberto RodrĂguez Delgado advised the group.
In the afternoon, Br. Ernesto introduced the theme of spirituality, conceived as a cross-cutting theme that will be present throughout the week. The participants will live a personal and community process that will help to actualize spirituality as a fundamental element of the animation of Marist life. The Superior General, recalling the leader’s role as community animator, underlined that “a deep relationship is motivated by a life of interiority”. And he asked the leaders to question themselves, “What sustains you as a leader? What moves you?”
Br. Ernesto gave the participants a selection of texts on spirituality taken from the Constitutions and the Rule of Life and asked each one to meditate during this week and identify the elements that challenge them personally, in their own Administrative Unit and in their mission as leaders. He also asked them to come to a concrete conclusion: “What do you think you should promote in your Province or District regarding Marist spirituality?
The discernment process will take place in three large groups during the week, in moments of prayer in the chapels of the General House. At the end, on Saturday, the participants will share their conclusions in plenary session.
