Identity, formation, accompaniment, bonding with the charism and structures for lay Marists

Photos in FaceBook

From July 7-12, a group of about 25 lay Marists and Brothers met at the General House to continue the process of the International Forum on the Lay Marist Vocation, which is in its 4th phase. Based on the conclusions of the face-to-face meeting in Rome last November, the group appointed by the General Council was charged with working on the following thematic areas: Identity, formation, accompaniment, bonding with the charism, and civil and canonical structures.

In order to continue the work on the lay Marist vocation, the General Council appointed some representatives of the group who participated in the face-to-face meeting of the third phase in November 2022. These representatives from different realities of the Institute were divided into working groups and the meeting in Rome served as a moment to define the guidelines that will guide the journey of reflection until July 2024. This group will then present to the other representatives of the Marist world the proposals that will culminate in the document that will be sent to the General Government.

“We are very happy and excited because we feel that the Spirit is with us, challenging us and making us move towards what he wants for us,” said Raúl Amaya, director of the Secretariat of Laity.

Brother Luis Carlos Gutiérrez, Vicar General, who also attended the meeting, underlined the role of the Holy Spirit in this process: “We have felt the Spirit. Perhaps in small, humble proportion, but we have felt the emotion of the Spirit of God, as He creates and recreates things, in His generous and constant cycle of creation and life.”

The working groups are divided as follows:

• Lay Marist identity: Ana Saborio (América Central), Br. Damiano Forlani, Mediterránea), Elma Rafil (East Asia), Josmari Pauzer (Brasil Centro-Sul), Marcos Broc (Brasil Sul-Amazônia).
• Formation and accompaniment: Alida Bodomanitra (Madagascar), Ana Gómez (Mediterránea), Br. Jaime Comabella (Ibérica), Nathan Ahearne (Star of the Sea) and Pedro Martí (EUA).
• Bonding to the Marist charism: Ana Sarrate (Ibérica), Christine Dispa-Lenertz (West Central Europe), Br. Isidro Azpeleta (Santa María de los Andes), Raúl Amaya (Santa María de los Andes) and Rita Silva (Compostela).
• Civil structures: Danai Anagnostopoulou (L’Hermitage), Br. Lisardo García (Compostela), Mark O’Farrell (Star of the Sea) and Nohemy Pinto (América Central).
• Canonical structures: Claudia Aida Rojas Carvajal (Norandina), Br. John Bwanali (África Austral), Manu Gómez (Mediterránea), Pep Buetas (L’Hermitage) and Sara Sánchez (Santa María de los Andes).

The General Council also accompanied the work of the group during the days of the meeting in Rome. Brothers Luis Carlos Gutiérrez, Vicar General, and Councilors João Carlos do Prado, Josep Maria Soteras and Ben Consigli were present.

Br. Luis Carlos, Vicar General – Commissioning Mass

On behalf of Brother Ernesto Sanchez and the General Council, I reiterate our gratitude for all the effort and dedication offered during these days and for all the passion you put into your different services in the Provinces and local communities. Your presence here has been an oxygen of life and an encouragement of a present and future full of possibilities, in fidelity to the Spirit, to contemporary history, to an emerging Church and to a diverse and visionary Marist world. This gratitude is particularly important for the Secretariat of the Laity, the Extended Secretariat and its link Brother João Carlos, who were involved in the organization of these days. I also take this opportunity to thank the significant presence of Brothers Ben and Josep Maria who have accompanied us during this time.

We have lived these days a special time of meeting and reflection, of fraternity and prayer. It has also been a time of poetry and creativity for what will be the Marist lay house, for what will be the new Hermitage of an Institute that grows and advances in history with hope, communion, daring and commitment.

At the end of these days, we have confirmed and clarified a project that is born from a wide echo throughout the Institute, gathering the life and vitality of the multiple experiences of the Marist laity.

We have felt the Spirit. Perhaps in small, humble proportion, but we have felt the emotion of the Spirit of God, as He creates and recreates things, in His generous and constant cycle of creation and life. During these days we have walked between ideas and possibility, life and reality, dreams and concrete matters.

Perhaps there are three words that can resonate in us at this Mass of sending forth, and they could also be three whispers of the Spirit for this new shared journey:

• Communion. In every conversation, we have always tried, almost like a mantra, to find the space for everyone to feel good in this new house that we are building. Communion to make a common path. Communion to integrate the diverse experiences of Marist life. Communion to insist always on communion as the way to reach our dreams and make our decisions concrete.
• Daring. Daring, to venture on a new path for all of us. Daring to overcome uncertainties, insecurities, pitfalls, fears and doubts. Daring to lay the foundations of a more consolidated charismatic family. Daring to discern and to do it in depth. Daring to concretize dreams into real possibilities. Daring to attend to the Spirit in his movements in the midst of our brothers and sisters. Daring to dream and to serve.
• Commitment. Commitment to make Jesus Christ the center of our lives. Commitment to decenter ourselves from ourselves and place at the center the God of life, the agent of all transformation. Commitment to care for others, particularly in their vocational journey. Commitment to continue searching for ways, forms and processes that build bridges. Commitment to each lay Marist vocation to find a nurturing space, a space of care so that it may grow and germinate.

We are grateful for what we have lived and for us, the words of the Rule of Life have a special meaning, which gently indicate to us:

[95] God always faithful,
we thank you in a special way for the charisma we have received through Marcellin Champagnat.

With him, you have enriched the life of the Church. and so many Marists today.

Thank you for the growing number of lay Marists, women and men called by the Holy Spirit
to live their Christian vocation and share the same mission, in communion with the brothers.

Thank you, Holy Spirit, …
because you never cease to amaze us opening new horizons in the Institute.

Today, brothers and sisters, we are sent back to our Provinces and places of life and mission to be Marists in Communion, Daring and Commitment. May the good God and the good Mother help us to communicate, reflect and advance in all the aspects that we have glimpsed in these days. May we be a beacon of hope in the Marist lay journey. May we transmit the strength and illusion that the Spirit has made us feel, when He moved us, as in Genesis, from chaos to creation, from confusion to realization, from disorder to the experience of generating life, generating possibility, agreeing on ideas, visualizing forms and structures, and communicating passion.

We also accept the challenge of an unfinished road, of dialogue that will follow, of proposals that need to be matured.

I close with an excerpt from Mario Benedetti’s poem: No te rindas

Don’t give up, that’s what life is all about, Continue the journey,
Pursue your dreams, Unlock the time, Run the debris,
And uncover the sky.

Open the doors, Remove the locks,
Abandon the walls that protected you, To live life and accept the challenge, Recover laughter,
To rehearse a song,
Let your guard down and stretch out your hands Spread your wings
And try again,
Celebrate life and retake the skies.

With Mary of Nazareth, mother of new paths and unexplored life experiences, we place our trust and proclaim:

Maria, woman of action,
make our hands and feet move ‘in haste’ toward others, as you did, to bring to them the charity and love of your Son Jesus
and bring the light of the Gospel to the world. Amen.

I wish you all a happy return and a blessed time. God bless you.