Lay Marist Formation
From the 1st to the 15th August, 20 people attended the FORMARME 11 Marist life experience at the “Casa Nazaret” in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. This formation programme is an initiative of the province of Mexico Central, with an invitation to participants from Mexico Occidental, for lay Marists along with some Brothers and a “Base Community” team co-ordinated by Brother Roberto Carrillo GarcĂa.
FORMARME is organised across two summers, so divided into two blocks. For the 11th programme, the first block was from 11 to 24 July 2019, and the second block from 1 to 14 August 2022. It is an invitation to know the Marist charism at greater depth and how to live it. Lay people from the various Marist works of both provinces in Mexico have been participants.
The participants in this most recent session lived a life of prayer and reflection, and studied the biography of Father Champagnat, his letters, Marist pedagogy, the spirituality and charism of the Founder…. Such an experience constitutes a solid formation activity for lay people who are about to follow a process of vocational discernment regarding the lay Marist vocation.
FORMARME 11 had the peculiarity of taking place over four years, due to the COVID pandemic. The 20 lay people who completed the experience left committed to continue their commitment by signing a public promise in front of Br. Luis Felipe González, Provincial of Central Mexico, representing the two Mexican provinces.
The formation programme is followed up with annual three-day “reunions”. The whole process is a great hope for Marist Mexico today, echoing the calls of the XXII General Chapter, to form a Marist charismatic family among Brothers and laypeople.
In the 11 sessions of the formation programme, more than 400 Lay Marists and Marist Brothers have lived through this experience. The team is now happy to begin the process for the 12th session of FORMARME, to be held in 2023.
_______________
Dr. Antonio Buenfil Guillermo – Base Community, FORMARME