Beyond geographic and existential walls and borders
The Institute of the Marist Brothers, through the Department of Cmi (Collaboration for Mission, International), offers people with some connection to Marists to spend time as an International Volunteer.
In volunteering, we promote the culture of encounter, go beyond geographic and existential borders, and seek to be beacons of hope for the children and young people who are living on the margins of society. Our desire is to build and live as a charismatic global family.
As Marists, we open our minds and hearts to build up a culture of solidarity in all our ministries. Volunteering is a concrete way of collaborating in Marist mission through sharing hope and life on a global stage. Marist volunteers are invited to embody the Marist charism in their own lives. Their action and witness gives new life and expression to the solidarity aspect of the dream of Marcellin Champagnat, “all the dioceses of the world figure in our plans.”
For us, volunteers are all the Marists who freely offer their presence and service in one of the eighty countries of the world where the Institute is present, devoting a period of their lives and sharing their skills. Volunteering is an effective way of building constructive relationships and making connections between nations and cultures; it is a powerful tool for sharing knowledge, skills and values, and making a difference in situations of poverty. The Common Good, more than the individual, is the badge of volunteering. Volunteers go out from their home context to go to other places and collaborate in activities for human dignity and the respect of human rights.
Through volunteering, you can have a life-changing experience in cultural contexts different to your own. You can work with and have an impact on the life and reality of other people, whether through educational activities for planetary citizenship or advocating respect for life in complex and diverse contexts. You get to know people personally and their circumstances in life. Becoming a volunteer demands responsibility, openness, availability and a capacity to serve. In encountering other people, the one who gains the most is yourself.
If you have some connection with the Marists of Champagnat, as Brother, layperson, student, ex-student, member of the Champagnat Movement of the Marist Family, … you can be a Marist International Volunteer. You must be over 18 years old and be ready to offer some period of your life to serve in other Marist contexts. For more information and orientation, get in touch with the Volunteer Coordinator of the Province you belong to and see what is required for taking part.
Have you ever thought, as Brother, layperson, student, ex-student, of becoming a Marist volunteer? Listen to your inner voice. God may be touching your heart and inviting you to be His hands in the service of others, along with the most needy children and young people.
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Department of Cmi (Collaboration for Mission, International) – [email protected]