Brasil Sul-Amazônia Province

The third edition of the Retreat of Brothers and Laity – deepening experience brought together 36 participants to share for six days.

The meeting of the Brazil Sul-Amazonia Province took place in Veranópolis from Oct. 22 – 28 and had as its theme The Art of digging new wells. The initiative seeks to deepen and cultivate the charism and, especially, Marist spirituality.

The theme was inspired by readings based on the biblical text of Genesis 26: 12-33, where Isaac, the son of Abraham, achieved the survival of his people and their animals through the art of digging wells.

The activities were led by Brother Javier Espinosa, director of the Secretariat of the Laity of the Marist Institute, and included moments of prayer, reflection and celebration.

During the motivations, Brother Javier invited those present to think about how the theme of the meeting unfolds in various situations, such as in daily experiences, in the Marist mission, in human relationships, in institutional relationships and in the vocation of Brothers and lay people.

The Coordinator of the Coordination of Consecrated Life and Laity of the province, Brother Genuino Benini, says that this relationship was very present from the beginning to the end of the retreat.

“In the same way that, the more we dig a well, the more we find purer water and in greater quantity, the more deeply we seek God, the more we perceive him in our lives,” he explains.

Other points that stood out at the event were the sharing of life in ‘small communities,’ the cultivation of silence and the exercise of contemplation.