About 457 youths in the world prepare to become Marist Brothers
According to data presented by the Secretariat of Brothers Today, there are currently more than 457 youths in formation to become Marist Brothers. This number is based on the data provided by the formators, formation coordinators, reference persons in the regions, and, in some cases, by the leaders of the Administrative Units.
According to the records, there are 126 postulants, 35 first-year novices, and 34 second-year novices (bringing the total number of novices to 69). Additionally, there are 141 young brothers in the first stage of post-novitiate (commonly called the scholasticate) and 121 young brothers in the second stage of post-novitiate. The mentioned data does not include aspirants, as not all Administrative Units have aspirant houses, and in some cases, young men are welcomed into the communities.
According to the report shared by the Secretariat of Brothers Today – in contact with the various formation houses – the number of young men in formation in the Marist regions, as of September 2024, is as follows:
Africa Region: postulancy (87), novitiate (44), first stage of post-novitiate (84), and second stage of post-novitiate (42).
América sur Region: postulancy (7), novitiate (8), first stage of post-novitiate (10), and second stage of post-novitiate (9).
Arco Norte Region: postulantado (14), noviciado (7), posnoviciado primera etapa (33) y posnoviciado segunda etapa (23).
Europe Region: postulancy (14), novitiate (7), first stage of post-novitiate (33), and second stage of post-novitiate (24).
Oceania Region (Star of the Sea Province): postulancy (12) and second stage of post-novitiate (18).
Asia and Oceania: novitiate (9) and first stage of post-novitiate (15).
“The novitiate program allows the novice to learn to develop and integrate human, Christian, and Marist virtues into their life. The novitiate takes place under the direction of the Master of Novices, in a house established by written decree of the Superior General” (Constitutions 68 – 70).