Econome General: I hope to add my little grain of sand
The Econome General said he hopes he can help the Institute of the Marist Brothers reflect on how to best use its resources and make his bit of contribution to its finances during his three year period in office.
“I hope I can help the Institute in the path that is being proposed and add my little grain of sand in the field of economy,” said Br Libardo Garzón on May 8 in Rome.
“In doing this, I hope to make feasable what (Superior General) Emili proposes in this new dawn of the Institute,” he added in an interview with the General House press office. “If I can do this, I will be, all in all, content.”
Br Libardo, who began his term as Econome General in January, met with the International Council for Economic Affairs from May 4-6 in Rome.
The Council, which includes seven members who meet twice a year to advise the Econome General on how to best manage the Institute’s finances, is hoping to hold its next meeting from Nov. 3-6 in either Johannesburg, South Africa, or Curitiba, Brazil.
Br Libardo, who was Provincial Superior of Norandina (Colombia, Ecuador and Venezuela) before being appointed as Econome General, also reflected on his term in office so far.
“It has been a time in which I have received a lot of information but I have also received a lot of support from the previous Econome General, Br Víctor Preciado, and of the whole General Council,” he said. “It is a very suitable space to open up to the reality of the Institute.”
Br Libardo coordinates the Council, or the CIAE, which now has three other new members aside from himself. They are Bernard Kenna from Australia, Adrienne Egbers from South Africa and Br Jorge Gaio from Brasil Centro-Sul Province.
“The main purpose of our meeting was to update the new members and give them a global vision of the Institute’s different projects and plan the future of the Council until the next General Chapter,” Br Libardo stated.
He underscored that their biggest challenge is “to help the Institute reflect on how our financial resources are being used and to support the Institute’s sustainability.”
The other members include Br Alfonso Fernández from the Ibérica Province, Paolo Roberto Franco from Rio Grande do Sul Province and Br Mario Meuti from the Marist International Solidarity Foundation (FMSI).