Marist Family at Manziana

The annual meeting of the four Marist General Councils has become an established tradition. There is a sense of engagement, and also the satisfaction of being together in a simple and fraternal setting, to celebrate and share what is common and the differences emerging from the same original intuition.This year, the meeting took place from 13 to 15 January, in Manziana. We were warmly welcomed by Brothers Barry Burns and Antoine Kasindu. Those taking part from the four Councils numbered 19, including the Superior Generals: Sisters Georgeanne Marie Donovan smsm and Jane O?Carroll sm, Father John Hannan sm and Brother Emili Turú fms. The topic for reflection was « The Marial face of the Church », inspired by a presentation of Br. Emili. The group had the opportunity to review two important reference texts of 2001, on the occasion of the simultaneous holding of the four Marist General Chapters in Rome: the talk of Pope John-Paul during the audience with the Institutes of the Marist Family, and the conference of Father Craig Larkin sm given to the assembly of the capitulants of the four branches on the theme « How can the intuition of the first Marists be a source of vitality for all of us today? »The richness of the reflection led the participants to exchange about their specific contributions to the service of the Church and also the forms of collaboration among the four Institutes. After a welcome evening of relaxation, there was a good time on the last day for information on the progress of each of the congregations and on certain specific points: the inter-Marist spirituality session held in 2010, the use of our web sites and the Marist Spiritual Patrimony, the World Youth Day of 2011 and the Marist programming for this event.The plan and the dynamic of the meeting were assured by a team of four: Sisters Pauline Gresham smsm and Rita Raikuna sm, Father Lote Raiwalui sm, and Brother Antonio Ramalho fms. Another team will soon be appointed for the next meeting, set for January 2012.