ChMMF Lay Marists Live an Experience of Solidarity in Mexico City
The members of the Champagnat Movement of the Marist Family (MChFM) are laypeople who help to spread the Marist way of being in the communities. This is the case of Sandro Liech, from the Province of Brasil Centro-Sul, and his family, whose participation went beyond borders and who, with their Marist spirit, are helping to transform an outlying suburb of the Mexican capital through a musical project. They arrived in the country in July 2019, and will spend a year there.
Here is the testimony given by Sandro, his wife Jocimare, and their son Otto, about this experience:
“For ten years now, we have been members of the Champagnat Movement of the Marist Family. And when your heart tells you, ‘Go and do not look back, go and help those in need, be a light, be a beacon and be a bridge’, you cannot remain indifferent. For this reason, we decided to donate a year of our lives and, as a family, we immersed ourselves body and soul in the mission.
Our field of action is in one of the most marginalized areas of Mexico City. The challenges? There are many. But what encourages and motivates our dedication is the desire to offer other alternatives that that might help the people.
Since our arrival, we have been working at the Calmecac Cultural Center. Calmecac was the name of the school for the children of the Aztec nobility. Hence the meaning of a Calmecac, here on the margins— that education for the nobility is also available to the less fortunate. We serve children, young people and adults Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Our work consists of administering this cultural center and taking care of the children, youth, women and the elderly. We offer music classes, with eight types of instruments. And for those who do not have their own instrument we offer practice schedules. Every week we serve approximately 130 students.
In Calmecac we also offer classes in zumba, yoga, aerostep, capoeira, boxing, dressmaking, Arabic dance, crafts and first aid. It is important to mention that we have the support of the people in the community. An average of 300 people come to the cultural center each week.
Living the charism of Champagnat in an environment that is not Marist is a challenge, since we have the obligation to follow Champagnat even more and to show it with our lives and our dedication. Solidarity has no frontiers and the richness of the Marist charism is for everyone, for the whole world! To be Marist means to have a heart that knows no bounds.
In our hearts, we carry infinite gratitude for this opportunity that we have been given and allowed to live.