2020-12-15 GENERAL HOUSE

Appointments to the Secretariat of Laity

The Secretariat of Laity is a body of the General Administration of the Marist Institute which encourages the Marist lay vocation in line with the Administrative Units. It is composed of the Director, RaĂşl Amaya (Santa MarĂ­a de los Andes), and two Assistant Directors, Manu (Mediterránea) and Agnes (East Asia). The Secretariat is supported by a larger team, called the “Extended Secretariat of Laity”, currently made up of JoĂŁo Luis Fedel (Brasil Centro-Sul), Carole Wark (Australia), Ana SaborĂ­o (Central America) and Br. Elias Iwu (Nigeria).

The Superior General and his Council have recently made new appointments to this team. The director of the Bureau, Raul, begins his second three-year term in January 2021. On the same date, Anna and Br. Elias begin their second term of service at the Extended Bureau. Marcos José Broc, from the Province of Brasil Sul-Amazônia, will begin his first term in the Extended Bureau to replace João Luis Fedel. Manu and Agnes continue their mission as Deputy Directors and Carole will continue as a member of the Enlarged Bureau.

Secretariat of Laity

Raul Amaya Rivera – Director

He was born in Santiago de Chile in 1967. He belongs to the Province of Santa MarĂ­a de los Andes. He is married to Lourdes Marcet and has two children: Montserrat (22) and Ignacio (20). For two years he studied a Master’s degree in Psycho-spiritual Accompaniment and also a Master’s degree in School Management. In addition, he completed the Specialisation in Marist Charism and Educational Principles at the Pontifical Catholic University of Paraná (PUCPR). He worked as a teacher of Spanish language in the Marist College of Santiago and General Coordinator of Orientation and Psychology. He worked in the College Pastoral and in the Vocational Pastoral. From 2010 he took on the coordination of the Spirituality and Laity Team in Chile, a role he held until 2018. He was a member of the Chilean Mission Council, the Extended Bureau for the Laity and the American Sub-Commission for the Laity. His tasks in the Chilean Sector have been related to personalised spiritual accompaniment, human and spiritual formation, the animation of days and retreats for educators, the vocational animation of the Marist laity, the charismatic induction of new educators and the formation in the charism of the management teams. Together with his wife, he is part of a community of lay Marists in his Province. For him, being a Marist is a gift from the Lord “which encourages me to live for others and to walk together with others in following Jesus, like Mary and Champagnat”.

Enlarged Secretariat of Laity

Marcos José Broc

It belongs to the province of Brasil Sul-AmazĂ´nia. He was born on November 25th, 1975. He is the son of Elsa Kovalcykoski Broc and Claudino Broc (in memory), small farmers from the municipality of Frederico Westphalen / RS. He studied philosophy at PUCRS and theology at the Superior School of Franciscan Theology and Spirituality – ESTEF, both of which were studied when he was a religious and a priest of the Religious Order of two Oblates of SĂŁo Francisco de Sales (1996 – 2008). He specialized in Marist spiritual accompaniment (2019-2020) at PUCRS with emphasis on education for interiority. Since 2004 she is part of the practical review group at the Institute of Humanization / Popular University Paulo Freire – IDH / POA. He has experience in amateur theatre, advice on religious and faith issues, housing orientation, retreats and voluntary administrative coordination in popular housing cooperatives – COOHPNORTE (2008 to 2016).

He began his Christian journey in the family, and developed leadership characteristics in Youth Ministry groups in the Diocese of Frederico Westphalen and through consultancies in other dioceses in the state. He began his work in the Marist Network as Coordinator of Human Formation in CESMAR, in Porto Alegre (2008 – 2010. Later he worked as Pastoral Advisor accompanying the Marist Social Units, as a member of the provincial team of the MYM, reference advisor for the Marist Volunteer Programme of PMBSA and pastoral accompaniment of the SĂŁo Lucas Hospital (2010 – 2017). As a lay Christian, he currently supervises the Marist laity in the Province of Brasil Sul-AmazĂ´nia. He lives in ViamĂŁo / RS, he is married to Andressa A. Jaguszewski with whom he shares the paternity/maternity of Giovana (3 years) and Isabela (2 months) – three people who are his reason for living every day”.

Ana Saborio Jenkins

She is 55 years old and married to Alonso MartĂ©n. She has a 28 year old son, Sergio MartĂ©n. Ana has lived the Marist experience almost all her life, since her years as a student. She has 12 years’ experience as a teacher in the Marist School of Alajuela, 4 years as Academic Coordinator of Secondary Education and 10 years in the mission of the Management of the Educational Centre. She is part of the Fraternity Virgen del Pilar, a path she has followed for 14 years.  She has participated in the Laity and Education Commissions of the Marist Province of Central America.  She has coordinated the Synchronous Virtual Master’s Degree in Leadership and Educational Management of the Marist Province of Central America in agreement with the Marist University of Guadalajara and has been a member of the Institute’s Extended Bureau of the Laity (first period). For her, the Marist life “is a style of life for which I have made a choice and a particular spirituality from which I drink daily”.

Br. Elias Odinaka

Brother Elias, from the province of Nigeria, was born into a Catholic family with six children, five boys and one girl. As a fifth child, he likes to share and exchange new ideas with others. His first contact with the Marist Brothers was in 1998 when he made his postulancy in Orlu, Nigeria. He made his first religious profession on 16th June 2001, after his Novitiate Programme in Ghana. After four years of scholasticate in Nairobi, Kenya in 2005, he was appointed secretary of the Laity and Identity Commission. After his perpetual vows in 2008, he was appointed formator at the Marist Formation Centre, Orlu, Imo State, Nigeria from 2008 to 2011. In 2011, he took up the post of Coordinator of Marist Laity in the Province of Nigeria, a position he still holds. A service and an apostolate that he values highly because it has given him many blessings and the opportunity to share the charism of Marcellin Champagnat through imitation of the Good Mother Mary which has manifested itself in Humility, Simplicity, sharing with the less privileged, teaching catechism and moral instruction. Currently, he works as Coordinator of the African Commission of Brothers and Laity, is Director of Marist Comprehensive College, Onunweke, Ezzagu, Ebonyi State, Nigeria, member of the Provincial Council of the Province, Coordinator of Marist Spiritual Patrimony, Secretary of the Marist Alumni Association of Nigeria, Member of the Extended Bureau of Laity and also Coordinator of the Marist Laity of the Province. He studied Marist Spiritual Heritage in Rome in 2008, has a Masters degree in Geography and Meteorology, with a specialisation in Environmental Management. For him, the Marist lay vocation is a personal commitment with God and a way of salvation, therefore, it is a gift for the Church.

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