Marist youth ?row into the deep?

On Feb. 24, young Marists of ten cities of Colombia celebrated the fortieth anniversary of REMAR, a movement that aims to evangelise youth and help them grow to be good Christian leaders.

The movement’s members of Bogotá, Ibagué, Manizales, Armenia, Cali, Pasto, Popayán, Ipiales, Medellín and Villavicencio recalled the birth of the movement, which was created by Colombian Brother Nestor Quiceno.

Another highlight of the fortieth anniversary will take place in Ibagué, Colombia, from April 12 – 16, during which 450 members will celebrate Easter under the theme Duc in Altum “Rema a lo Profundo” (Row into the deep).

REMAR, which means ‘to row’ in Spanish but which also stands for ‘Renovación Marista’ (Marist Renewal), uses marine terms in its activities. Its members are divided into groups to form a ‘caravel,’ which has to pass through different ‘ports.’ Another term it uses is to ‘board’ (el ‘Embarque’), which means to start a group.

REMAR works with youths in a parallel way to the psychology of their age. In earlier years, the focus is on friendships and teamwork, while later it is on serving society and helping the needy. It also teaches the youths to speak in public, to study together, to be organized and to analyse society’s different realities.

The members join in their teenage years and can continue in the movement for years after they have finished university. 

Throughout the years, the youths pass through different ‘travesías’ (crossings). The red crossing, which focuses on communication, the blue crossing, which focuses on internalisation and the yellow crossing, which focuses on commitment.

REMAR is present in 13 countries in Latin America – Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina and Paraguay – as well as in Australia.