East Asia Province
With the theme, “New Marists in Mission: Keeping the Fire Burning,” the 11th Marist Mission Congress of the East Asia Province was hosted by the Notre Dame of Marbel University (NDMU) from May 22 – 24 in Koronadal City, the Philippines.
In his video message to the participants, Superior General Brother Emili Turú invited them to reflect about the main events that the Church and the Institute is celebrating at the same time: the Jubilee Year of Mercy and the Fourvière Year.
“You talk about ‘keeping the fire burning,’ what is this fire?” Br Emili asked them, referring to the mission. “I think that this fire is mainly the fire of our passion for the mission”, he affirmed.
A hundred and six delegates from both school and non-school ministries of the Marist Brothers participated in the Congress.
The Congress was the continuity of the II Marist International Mission Assembly, held in Nairobi in 2014.
Topics included the mission’s challenges and opportunities, the collaboration between the Brothers and the mission partners, and Pope Francis’ Encyclical Laudato Si.
The participants represented different works throughout the Province with missions in Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong, Korea, Philippines and Japan.
At the end of the three days, participants formed a ‘Congress Statement,’ a set of recommendations that each ministry will respond to during the next two years.
Members of the Asian Marist Mission Commission, gathered in a separate meeting, also took part in the Congress.