International meeting of Marist Bursars – Day 2: Sustainability of Mission
The second day of the International Meeting of Marist Bursars at L’Hermitage, October 10th, was opened with a prayer led by Br. José Sánchez, the Director of the Secretariat for Education and Evangelisation. After the prayer, the participants reviewed the events of Day 1 and were given the opportunity to share the strongest impressions they experienced. The final step in the introduction to Day 2 was again to examine “The Beginnings” and the resourcing issues and solutions of the early Brothers.
Br. Jorge Gaio, Econome General, made a presentation that focused on a series of videos of changes in the global market situation, with different groups being asked to discuss the experiences in different parts of the world as presented in the videos. From the examples used the participants were asked to identify key issues which supported the sustainability of the enterprises. The message was, “learn from the context in which we are living”.
The Resources and Mission Matrix formed the basis of the presentation of Br Gregorio Linacero, assistant of the General Econome. The axes of Vitality (Mission) and Viability (Resources) produced four quadrants into which participants were invited to place their Administrative Unit.
As a final activity for the morning, each group was asked to identify three elements which they believe would help them achieve sustainability, and three elements which would hinder such a development. The combined submissions were then narrowed down by participants to a manageable list.
The afternoon was focused on the topic “Good Practices”. The participants were divided in groups to listen to different experiences in areas related to the economy. The best practice topics covered: Financial Vehicles, Governance & Management, Strategic Planning, Civil & Canonical structures, Real Estate Management & Crisis Management.