Charismatic connection of lay Marists
On April 30th, there took place in Cali (Colombia), the ceremony of formalising the commitment to the Marist charism of ten lay Marists who have been preparing for this for just over a year.
Brother César Rojas, Provincial, took part in the celebration, together with other Brothers and a large group of lay Marists from the province. This celebration was presided over by Wilson Durán, of the Blessed Sacrament Fathers.
The ten lay Marists pronounced the formula of their commitment together. The Brother Provincial honoured those to be consecrated with the Marist cross of Champagnat designed for use by the lay Marists who publicly show their connectionto the charism and which has a deep meaning; accompanying this symbol Brother Caesar gave each a warm congratulatory embrace, accompanied by some words to each one as a symbol of his or her charismatic connection.
The lay Marists expressed their commitment in the following way: We commit ourselves to revitalising and sharing the Marist charism, as a form of expressing the Marian face of the Church."
The ten lay Marists of "Grupo Semillero 2" choosing the Marist charism as a life option are: Luis Ernesto Jojoa and Alfredo Mora, from Sibundoy; Eduardo Obando, from Ipiales; Jenny Narváez and Mildred Baena, from Pasto; Ruth Calvache and Mario Trujillo, Popayán; Ingrid Arteaga, from Cali; Gloria Ríos, from Manizales; and Rocío López, from Villavicencio. Two more lay Marists have been following the complete formation process and will make the commitment with "Grupo Semillero 3" which is in preparation.
The extensive formula of commitment makes reference to the three dimensions mentioned, with special emphasis on the Marist, as can be seen in the following: "We commit to revitalising and to spreading the Marist charism, as a form of expressing the Marian face of the Church. We give thanks to God for allowing us to make the Marist charism our own, as a life option."
The Grupo de Semillero 1, consisting of fourteen lay Marists who made their consecration one year ago in Venezuela, during the VIth Provincial Chapter, also renewed their connection using their own formula.
The whole preparation was done by the Commission of the Marist Laity of Colombia, led by Claudia A. Rojas Carvajal.
Lay Bonding in Norandina
For the Norandina province, the discernment processes and lay connection can be experienced in two ways. The Marist laity which continues experiencing the formation stages and which are explicit in the document "to be a lay Marist ", develop their discernment through the stages of Fourvière and La Valla for the discernment and lay charismatic connection.
The Marist laity which has already had certain experiences through formation and proximity with the charism and which fulfils a series of criteria are denominated vocational groups; in these groups the preparation for connection is accomplished in the course of about one year, and ten records are developed with the accompaniment of a Brother or lay mentor. The records correspond to three wide aspects: human, christian, Marist; and each aspect is made up of 3 or 4 topics.