Assembly of Brothers and laity in preparation for the 22nd General Chapter
Brothers and lay Marists, who participated in the preparatory stages of the General Chapter, gathered from Aug. 11 – 12 at the Marist Memorial in Curitiba to gather, confirm, share and celebrate the whole journey in preparation for the Chapter to be held in September in Rionegro (Colombia).
The participants of the Assembly, coming from different units and communities of the Province, were divided into roundtable groups to discuss the proposal and the creation of consensus on priority themes, which are urgent for the life and mission of the Marist Institute.
The event contributed greatly to generate a reflection on the provocations of the preparatory process and to indicate the main propositions and priorities of the Marist Province of Brasil Centro-Sur for the next eight years of the general government of the Marist Institute, as agreed in the following themes: 1 ) Spirituality and Mysticism; 2) Fraternal Relations and Communion; 3) Marist identity; 4) Mission in the peripheries; 5) Attention to the signs of a pluralistic world; 6) Education as a means of social transformation and 7) Effective structures at the service of people and the evangelizing mission.
Reflections on different issues led Brothers and Lay people to reaffirm Marist identity, commitment to the charism and the permanence of the mission.
“The Assembly also rekindled our commitment to deepening who we are, what we want, where we are going and what we live to serve others,” said Brother João Carlos do Prado, Provincial Superior elected for the 2018-2020 mandate.
According to him, the diversity, specificities and contributions made in the Assembly will be very important for the General Chapter. “We’ve had a lot of looks and insights on every issue we’ve debated. All the notes are relevant to the Marist Institute”, he says.
The end of the Assembly was marked by the celebration of sending the representatives of the Province that will be in Rionegro: Brother Joaquim Sperandio, Brother Juan Carlos do Prado and Jimena Grignani, a lay guest, as well as Priscila Staniski and Laércio de la Cruz Loureiro, who will provide IT support during the General Chapter.