6th Assembly of the America Sur Region – First day
42 members of the Provincial Councils, the Regional Council and guests of the General Administration of the Marist Institute are meeting in Cochabamba, Bolivia, from 20 to 23 March, to review the journey of the South America Region and agree on the next steps.
The first official day of the Sixth Regional Assembly of the América Sur Region began with a sung prayer led by the Province of Brasil Centro-Sul, which was followed by a moment of reflection and interiorisation.
Then the Executive Secretary of the Region, Leonardo Soares, gave a general presentation of the Region, with an account of the progress of recent years, making a comparison in numbers between 2016 and 2022. He also took a moment to explain how the regional initiatives are currently progressing, all of which are in line with the regional Strategic Planning.
Continuing the day, the Vicar General of the Marist Institute, Brother Luis Carlos Gutiérrez, presented the current context of changes in the Marist Institute, highlighting three aspects within the calls of the last chapter: the impetus of life in the year of vocations, issues related to Marist identity, among them the decrease of brothers, the growth of the Institute and the transformation that requires a different response of how to live religious life in the contemporary world.
Brother Luis Carlos invited everyone to reflect on the regionalization strategy defined by the General Government so that the Provinces can help each other. Regionalization is based on a charismatic Family that responds to its regional reality, inviting its evolution, calling for the creation of a community of life and dialogue with a culture of vocation.
Then, Brother Patricio Pino led a moment of integration, in which the participants were invited to dialogue and learn more about the reality of the Region and the Provinces that compose it (Brasil Centro-Norte, Brasil Centro-Sul, Brasil Sul-AmazĂ´nia, Cruz del Sur and Santa MarĂa de los Andes).
After lunch, and in line with what was presented by the Vicar General, Brother Ă“scar MartĂn, General Councillor of the Institute, asked a series of questions about the regionalisation of AmĂ©rica Sur. In his presentation, he spoke about the statutes, the principles, and reviewed the Region’s Vision 2022, asking those present how it has progressed, highlighting Charism, Leadership, Integration and Cooperation as the main values.
He also discussed the priorities and challenges facing the region and the priorities of each of the five Provinces. Br. Ă“scar stressed that people must be placed at the center and that the next Strategic Plan must allow the region to reach them. He invited everyone to keep in mind four areas of regional development: formation, educational networks, economy, and communities.
Following the program, Br Gregorio Linacero of the General Administration spoke about the interconnection of the region with the initiatives of the Institute, reviewing the existing Marist Secretariats and Networks. Br. Gregorio emphasized that the regionalization process is aligned with the Strategic Plan of the General Administration and the importance of new leadership for its success. The AmĂ©rica Sur region has representatives in almost all of the Institute’s initiatives, generating links of collaboration and availability.
In the afternoon, the thematic sessions began, where participants were divided into seven working groups to discuss and listen to the different topics. Br. Isidro Azpeleta, invited those present to reflect on the main challenge of each province in this area and what priority the region should have in the next 5 years. The second topic was Regional Spirituality, animated by Gustavo Balbinot.
The first day ended with a Eucharist.