?Hello ? Goodbye? at El Escorial
In 1967, the famous British band, The Beatles had a song called ‘Hello, Goodbye’. This was the case of saying welcome and farewell at the Marist Formation House at El Escorial, Spain, on Jan. 12 and 13. This was a moment when Marist Ongoing Formation team from El Escorial and Manziana gathered to plan the various programmes of 2018 with the presence of the Brothers Today Secretariat and a new general councillor.
It was goodbye to Br Hipólito Pérez as he attended his last meeting in his role with Brothers Today before he departs to take on his new role as provincial of America Central. At the same time, it was welcome to the new general councillor, Br Óscar Martin, a Marist who has had rich experiences as a formator in Europe and Africa.
In the meantime, both Br Antonio Peralta and Br Teofilo Mingha of the El Escorial and Manziana team, await for the arrival of their fellow formation team members. Indeed, this was a truly liminal moment as we move into the new ongoing formation teams, secretariat and general council.
During this gathering, the group focussed mainly on two programs:
- Current Formators: (15 May – 12 July, in Rome)
- Horizons:(17 August – 17 October, in El Escorial) a programme for brothers from 35 – 45 years.
The designs of these programmes have special references to the calls of the XXII General Chapter, the revised Constitution, Rule of Life.
In 2018, this band of brother formators will also sing a new version of ‘Hello – Goodbye’ as they welcome the participants to the various programs and bid farewell to ways that do not suit the third century of the Marist institute.
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Br Tony Leon – Brothers Today Secretariat