Marists, Laity, Brothers and Fathers meet to celebrate unity

The communities of the Marist Family of Leon met on Nov. 28 in the community of Champagnat to celebrate a Marist day motivated by the current Fourvière year.

There are four Marist communities in Leon: Champagnat, post novitiate, Saint Joseph and Marist Fathers.

At noon, 21 Brothers of Champagnat, five of the post novitiate, 10 of Saint Joseph, one of Ponferrada and five Marist Fathers, initiated the Marist Fourvière day in Leon, presided by the image of the Black Virgin that the Brother Superior General presented to each Marist Province. To further highlight the meeting, some lay people were invited.

There have been video memories of Brother Emili Turú on the Fourvière year and another video on the vocation of a German Marist Father who chose the Society of Mary whereby the Virgin represents for Marists, for her simplicity and family spirit.

In small groups they discussed what Fourvière means to them and the steps taken in their Marist vocation.

In the Eucharist, Father Ismael, superior of the Marist Fathers of Leon, did a tour of key moments of the promise at Fourvière and what it meant for all signatories and, later, for the future of the four Marist Congregations.

A meal and songs in Galician, Portuguese and Castilian were the culmination of an endearing Marist day where Fourvière was the reason that brought us together and where simplicity and fraternal spirit helped develop everything with joy.

And in everyone’s mind was the commitment that this meeting was not an isolated event but the beginning of a series of meetings bringing together the Marist family of Leon.Surely, that Champagnat and Father Colin would have said, “What good is seeing the Marists together!”