2021-04-23 MADAGASCAR

Launch of the International Forum on the Lay Marist Vocation at Ampahidrano Fianarantsoa

The launch of the International Forum on Lay Vocation in Madagascar was held at Ampahidrano Fianarantsoa on Thursday, 8 April 2021. The pastoral team of the Province, Brother Ernest, Mrs. Alida and Miss Elia, led this event. The coordinators in the southern cities where there are groups of Lay Marists participated: Julio from Betroka, Symphorose from Ihosy, and also from Fianarantsoa, Nelly, Amélie, Stephanya, Jean Baptiste, Br Jean Juste and Br Léonide.

First of all, the group watched the video of Brother Ernesto Sánchez, Superior General, and Raúl Amaya, Director of the Lay Secretariat. Brother Sylvain Ramandimbiarisoa, General Councillor, translated it into Malagasy for us to understand better. They explained the main reasons for the Forum which was inaugurated across the Institute on 19 March 2021, the feast of St Joseph.

The participants were surprised because they thought that it is only Mary who is close to the Marists, whereas St. Joseph also has an important place. They appreciated the slogan: welcome, nourish, live and share our vocation. They are motivated to live in this way. They discovered the value of the objectives of the Forum:

– To deepen our understanding of the Marist vocation with particular emphasis on the lay Marist vocation

– To review and offer processes and approaches to formation and accompaniment of the lay vocation.

– To reflect on and propose possible forms of commitment to the Marist charism.

– To know, reflect on, explore and propose possible juridical structures (civil and canonical) for the Marist laity.

We have been thinking about these ideas already, and now their importance has been confirmed.

We also talked about the steps to be followed during the 4 years of the Forum. The participants are ready to lead their groups to follow the guidelines and send reports.

In addition to sharing about the Forum, we also took advantage of this meeting to listen to news from each city. It is clear that the situation of Covid-19 is a great challenge for us.

To end the morning, we enjoyed a meal together. We thank the Brothers’ community in Ampahidrano for their attention to us.

In the afternoon, we took time to share with the young people in the Postulancy about the wider Marist family, and especially about the Lay Marist Vocation. They were surprised to learn that Brothers and Laypeople live the same charism! They were very interested and asked many questions.

Finally, we would like to thank the Province of Madagascar, represented by the Brother Provincial and his Council, who helped us to organise this event for the south of the country. Because of the pandemic context, we are yet to see how to reach those who are in the centre and the north. If it is not possible to travel, we will be in touch online.

__________________________

Alida Bodomanitra

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