Marist Youth from Brasil Sul-Amazônia met in Canela
More than 1,000 students from 27 Marist units of the Province of Brasil Sul-Amazônia met on November 26 at the Marist College Maria Imaculada, in Canela, to take part in the Marist Youth Meeting organized by the Provincial Team for Marist Youth Ministry together with the College.
The theme of the meeting, “Metamorphosis: cultivating new versions”, included workshops, moments of celebration and fraternisation among the participants.
At the opening of the meeting, Brother Deivis Fischer, Provincial of Brasil Sul-Amazônia, emphasized that the theme of the meeting is an invitation to young people to reflect on the positive transformations they can bring to the world. “Transform is a capacity that was given to us. To transform is a possibility that we have. Let us be capable of seeking the civilization of love in our lives, in our relationships, and in the human community”, he emphasized.
The workshops held during the program of the event dealt with life projects, vocation, integral development of the person, empathy, social transformation, among other topics. In addition, the Marist Brothers and postulants present in the meeting gave a workshop on the Year of Marist Vocations which is being celebrated throughout the Institute until June 2023.
For José Jair Ribeiro, coordinator of Pastoral Ministry of “Grupo Marista”, to bring the reflections on life project and integral development of the person in harmony with the Year of Marist Vocations is important to demonstrate how each one can hear the call of God in his or her life. “It is an opportunity for adolescents and young people to think about the meaning of their life, about their vocation, and also to contribute to demystifying this understanding of vocation. I like the statement that ‘I am a vocation’ and not ‘I have a vocation’. Every person has a vocation. What I need is to discover what gives and makes sense to my life. The workshops were this opportunity to stop and think about living with meaning,” Ribeiro says.
The next meeting, in 2023, will be held in Colégio Marista Ipanema, in Porto Alegre.