A great opportunity

We needed super-man and super-women for our Vocation Ministry and finally during this weekend, we have found them. For the first time we have called together the Local Delegates of our Vocation Ministry from the Mediterranean Province for a meeting in Granada (Spain). During the weekend of November 7-8 we shared the feelings of joy that we have as members of this project, whose objective it that the Vocation Promotion be ALIVE. We have reflected, sung, laughed, danced, played and prayed. We have fraternally united in a common mission: To convert this difficult challenge into a passionate OPPORTUNITY.

It has been an intense day and a half in which we have combined the dynamics of presentation, catechesis (The miracle of the daughter of Jairus), sharing, moments of reflection, celebrations and time for prayer. From among the themes which we discussed, very interesting reflections surfaced:
? Are our young people ?dead? or ?sleeping?? (Like the daughter of Jairus)
? Are we taking care of our own vocation?
? Do we feel that what we are offering is a ?pearl of great price??
? Are we so busy with other things that we forget to take care of our own spirituality?
? Do we nurture vocations in our students from an early age?

Many of the questions which we formulated found their answer in the project which the Vocation Animation Team of the Province is carrying out in three areas (the culture of a vocation/ the CALL, vocation promotion, and the call to the Marist vocation):
? To introduce in our action plans teaching sessions about what vocation means.
? To present Marcellin Champagnat as a model of one who followed the CALL.
? To offer to young people ?experiences? in which the seed of a vocation may be planted in them: volunteer opportunities, encounters, retreats, coming together and experiencing community life.
? To make use of the group process of faith enrichment as a way to develop and cultivate both the Christian and Marist vocation (suitable activities, gatherings, encounters?).
? To offer specific vocation promotion activities: vocation discernment process, gatherings specifically aimed at the vocation of a Brother.

We have listened to the Word of God in the Gospel of Saint Luke: ?The Spirit of the Lord is upon me (4:18). Thus, we have realized that we are ?supermen?, because the Spirit of the Lord is also always over us. After two intense days, the super-man and super-women of the Vocation Team left convinced that we were truly SUPER for God, He has given us limitless gifts which we are able to put at service of others and help them discover their vocation. At the end of the meeting our conclusion was clear: TO COME TO LIFE AGAIN? the work of the Marist vocational ministry that we are working together in, is, without a doubt, A VALUABLE PEARL.

Gema Pomares Alemany
Provincial Vocation Animation Team