Growing openness to the laity

In early 1993 Br Charles Howard affirmed the Institute’s need for ‘growing openness to the laity.’ He said that lay people will bring new facets of the Marist charism ‘as they go about living it more fully.’

An experience of Marists living the charism together took place in Brisbane, Australia, from 1 – 5 November.  21 Marists from Oceania, including representatives from New Zealand, Fiji, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, Bougainville and Australia, chosen for their roles as leaders and animators of faith in their community, gathered and lived together for 4 days to share wisdom and insights on how to grow Marist life into the future.

The Oceania Marist Animator’s Course gave participants an opportunity to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the Marist charism, the current theology of the discipleship, and the role and responsibility Marists have in the Church. We were challenged in our perceptions of what it means to be Marist apostles, mystics and prophets for our time. We journeyed further into the true meaning of vocation and ways to grow within it. Time was also spent analysing frameworks of formation and effective vocational processes for growing Marist life.

In the peaceful and beautiful surrounds of the Santa Teresa Spirituality Centre we lived together, danced and sang together, prayed together and opened our hearts to our own and each others’ realities across the region of Oceania.