Chapter of the Compostela Province
With the theme “Rivers of Life”, the Compostela Province held its VIII Provincial Chapter from December 27 to 30, 2024 in Valladolid, Spain. During the meeting, Brother Máximo Blanco began his second term as provincial. The government of the Institute was represented by Brothers Ernesto Sánchez, Superior General, and Ben Consigli, General Councillor.
Brother Máximo will be accompanied for the next three years by a new council, elected during the Chapter, made up of Brothers Eduardo Montenegro, José Luis Predrinho, Lisardo García, Román Álvarez, Salvador Hidalgo and Tomás Briongos.
Marist identity, youth and vocations ministry, responding to emerging needs and the commitment to open communities that live fraternity in a visible and credible way are some of the keys to the Rivers of Life that emerged from the VIII Chapter.
December 27th
The first day of the meeting coincided with the celebration of “Province Day”. The day was marked by the beginning of Brother Máximo’s second term as Provincial and by two other very significant moments: the commitment to the Marist charism of 12 lay men and women and the homage to the jubilarians.
12 lay men and women publicly assumed their Marist commitment: Ángel, Araceli, Carolina, Eduardo, Eladio, Felicísimo, Inmaculada, Marina, Manuel, Noelia, Patricia and Rita. What they made was a promise of fidelity to the Marist charism, after a process of discernment of their Christian vocation, lived with the charism of Marcellin Champagnat. With this promisse, for a period of three years, they commit themselves to caring for and cultivating their relationship with God through Marian spirituality; to sharing their life in community and to promoting communion with other Marists; to welcome the calls of the Marist charism and mission and to live them in the following of Jesus, like Mary, starting from their reality as lay Marists; to take care of their own process of personal growth and that of their communities; to contribute to generating a new Marist life with the witness of their vocation; and to live their daily lives with simplicity and fraternity.
With this celebration, the Province of Compostela welcomes and gives public recognition to these lay Marists, through the figure of Brother Provincial, who signed this commitment with each one of them at the Eucharist, accompanied by the Superior General of the Institute and the Director of the Secretariat of Laity, Manuel Gómez, since their bond and personal process have also taken place within the framework of lay Marist movements at an international level.
Another significant moment of the day was the tribute to the Brothers who are celebrating their golden and diamond jubilees of religious life. “They are the backbone of the Marist Institute,” said Brother Ernesto in his words. He thanked them for their journey and dedication and said that “we continue to walk together”. Brother Máximo presented them as “agents of life and fraternity”, thanking them for their life witness of dedication and generosity.
Representing the Brothers celebrating their Diamond Jubilee, two testimonies were presented, one from Thailand, Brother José Luis Grande, and the other from El Salvador, Brother Gregorio Alonso. Then the three Brothers celebrating their Golden Jubilee, Brothers Carlos H. Naveira, Felipe Moreno and Carlos Hernández, recalled various aspects of their Marist vocation.
This first day also marked the inauguration of Brother Máximo as Provincial of Compostela for a second three-year term, which he faces with “gratitude, trust and hope”. Br. Ernesto thanked him for his commitment and availability and presented him with an image of the Annunciation, as a reminder that Provincials are like Mary, always saying “yes to whatever comes”. In his words, Brother Máximo highlighted the variety of the Marist mission in Compostela, with educational and social works, its own educational model and a constant effort to grow in a safe environment. And at the head of these structures, the Provincial stressed, servant leaders are needed, people who are experts in personnel management, who guarantee care, formation and accompaniment. “We need participatory and co-responsible structures.”
Looking to the future, Brother Máximo highlighted the “journey of confluence and reconfiguration” begun by the provinces of Compostela, Ibérica and Mediterránea, with the aim of uniting in 2028. In this way, he said, “we will move from a province consolidated and felt as Compostela to a new province in whose construction we will responsibly put our own contribution”.
December 28th
Dreaming of rivers of life for Compostela was the work of the capitulants on the second day of the Chapter, which was opened by Brother Ernesto with a motivating talk in which he analyzed the current situation of the Marist Institute and focused on looking beyond it to “have a future”, walking together, brothers and laypeople. The General Superior invited the Marists of the Province to develop a “visible and credible fraternity, lived from our spirituality and with a mission of service”. Br. Ernesto also stressed the importance of “opening the door” to other formulas, taking care of the Marist vocation and the co-responsibility of brothers and laypeople through a “deeper and more real spirituality”. At the same time, he said, it is necessary to “reflect on and deepen the role and mission of the brothers”, who must continue to give witness to life with a “visible and credible fraternity”, remembering that the charism “is not a question of numbers”, but of continuing to live Champagnat’s mission with passion.
Following the Superior General’s words, the capitulants began to work in table groups to dream together of the rivers of Life that the Province will travel over the next three years and which will lead, among other things, to the union of the three provinces of Compostela, Ibérica and Mediterránea.
The teamwork resulted in six visual maps and 30 ideas that were analyzed and debated together so that these Rivers of Life would illuminate the future of the Compostela Province.
Several issues were indicated, such as spirituality, presence and a meaningful Marist vocation; the river becoming a visible and reliable source of fraternity and co-responsible sustainability. Inspired by the Spirit, the participants also mentioned the creation of bonds, vocation ministry and the strengthening of social works to respond to emerging needs.
December 29th
On this day, the Provincial Chapter focused on the next three years, in which it will continue to move forward through organizational structures, such as the foundations, which on December 29 presented their report on activities and forecasts for the future, with a view to the confluence of the three provinces.
Lisardo García presented the keys to the reconfiguration process and the path mapped out for the coming years. A “historic moment” which the Superior General invited us to live as a “challenge and an opportunity”.
Brothers Rui Rua and Antonio Sánchez presented the Champagnat Foundation and the Montagne Foundation, which bring together the works and social projects of Portugal and Spain, respectively, where work is also underway to open new presences to respond to emerging needs.
Brother Román Álvarez presented the Compostela Marist Foundation, which began operating in 2024, bringing together the 14 schools in the Spanish zone, and Eurico Santos explained the steps taken to create the Portugal Marist Foundation.
In addition, Brother Salvador Higaldo presented the report of CONTIGO, the Province’s child protection team, which works every day for the well-being of children, adolescents and young people in Marist schools, so that they can grow up in safe environments.
This was the last day for the 10 guests, brothers and laypeople. For Brother Máximo, “the presence of the laity is like a transfusion that gives life to the body and, when it is finished, there is no longer any difference between the blood of one and the other”. On behalf of the guests, Eurico Santos thanked them for the invitation, “the quality and the sense of family” experienced during these days.
December 30th
After the election of the new Provincial Council, whose names are mentioned at the beginning of the article, Brother Provincial closed the VIII Compostela Chapter by thanking everyone for their work and encouraging them to continue walking “and to dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to being Rivers of Life” wherever they find themselves, a journey to which the Chapter has contributed with a series of guidelines that will be “perfected” by the new Provincial Council.
Br. Ernesto, the Superior General, said that if all the capitulants take on board everything that has been proposed, “they will truly be rivers of life” that will have a “transforming effect” on the whole province. The Superior General highlighted the “beautiful fraternal atmosphere” experienced during these days between brothers and laypeople, the work, the debate and the reports presented and the conclusions reached which, in his opinion, “will serve to continue giving life”.
