Pam Paton-Mills and Mike Greeff welcomed lay leaders from South Africa who met from Aug. 27 – 30 in Johannesburg for a formation programme in which 13 laity took part. They gathered for intensive work, prayer and to share their life and spiritual growth. 

 

The main objective of the programme was to provide formation to the group to enable them to return to their respective schools better equipped to lead the Marist Lay groups in each school. The format of the experience was a deep exploration of the three themes of spirituality, community and mission in a Marist context coupled with personal experiences of each. Each morning began with centering prayer as a lead into contemplative prayer.

 

Superior General Brother Emili Turu also took part and offered the participants a description of the Marist identity.

 

We finished the four days with a commissioning ceremony of prayer, song and dance that gave each person their own Water from the Rock, water brought from significant sources at each school and mingled with water from the River Gier. 

 

Each person also took home their own parcel of seeds, seeds with a sprinkling of the seeds brought back from Rome by Pam and Mike. 

 

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