Br. Francisco García appointed as Superior of the MDA
In a letter sent to the Brothers on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, December 8, Brother Ernesto Sánchez, Superior General, informed the Marist District of Asia (MDA) “that after studying the results of the consultation for District superior carried out in MDA, the General Council has decided to appoint Br. Francisco García Ruiz, as MDA superior for the first mandate of three years.” Br. Francisco will replace Br. Canísio José Willrich, who has been Superior of the District since August 2019. Br. Francisco will begin his mandate during the District Chapter that will be held at Bankok, Thailand, on 24th and 25th of July, 2025.
In his letter, Br. Ernesto said thanks to Br. Francisco for accepting generously to render this important service of leadership. And added: “Your devotedness as a Brother serving the Marist District of Asia and the Institute, your service as formator for several years, your capacity of listening, all this will help you to accompany, with energy and closeness, the Brothers and Lay People in the MDA”. At the same time, the Superior General expressed his gratitude and that of the General Council to Bro. Canisio for the service of leadership he is doing to the MDA for six years.
The Marist District of Aisa (MAD) consists of communities in 6 countries: Thailand, Bangladesh, India, Cambodia, China and Vietnam.
Br. Francisco García Ruiz (Br. Paco)
Br. Paco was born in the Province of Granada, Spain in 1960. Currently serving in the Marist District of Asia, he belongs to the Marist Province of Mediterránea.
At the age of 13, Br. Paco encountered the Marists, with whom he followed all the stages of his formation. He made his first profession in 1982 and perpetual vows in 1990. After finishing his studies to become a teacher of Primary and Secondary Education he served as a teacher in different schools in the Province of Mediterránea. He was director of the Marist School of Sanlúcar la Mayor, Seville, from 1990 to 1995.
After studying in Rome, at the Gregorian University and the Pius X University (Madrid), where he obtained a degree in Religious Sciences, he worked in the Pastoral Team of the Province, mainly in the field of vocation ministry and formation in the Postulancy from 1999 to 2007.
During his life there were many experiences that helped him to discern his missionary call: from the simple family life during his childhood, rich in values, to the contact with the poor people in the slums of Seville; from the experience in the “Service Camps” with young university students, where they got to know the reality of very vulnerable people, to the experience of the “Bolivia Project”, in the mission fields of that country.
But it was the shared reading of the Gospel and of the Constitutions and Marist documents that most motivated Brother Paco to work in the Mission Ad Gentes Project of the Institute andnow the Marist District of Asia. And so it was that in 2007, he responded to the call of Br. Seán Sammon and volunteered for the Mission Ad Gentes Project.
From 2008 to 2014 he lived in India, serving in the Project for the children of the Santal tribe in Burdwan (near Calcutta).
From 2014 to 2020 he was formator and Master of Postulants in Davao, Philippines. Then, he transferred to Sri Lanka, where he is currently Novice Master in Tudella.