Marists of Brasil Sul-Amazônia take part in a meeting with the National Council of the Laity of Brazil
More than 25 lay people from the Champagnat Movement of the Marist Family (MCFM) and the Farol Movement – accompanied by the Brothers advisors of the MCFM – took part in an on-line formation meeting the first week of July, with the aim of strengthening the relationship of the laity of the Province of Brasil Sul-Amazônia with the National Council of the Laity of Brazil (CNLB), a canonical organisation that brings together lay people, pastoral ministries and movements in order to reflect on aspects of the Christian vocation and the construction of a more just and humane society.
During the meeting, the Marist lay leaders spoke with the coordinator of the CNLB, Waldir Bohn Gas (Regional Sul 3), and with the representative of the Marist laity in the CNLB, Edison Oliveira. They also spoke about their organisation, their projects, their objectives of action and the main challenges.
During the meeting, it was announced that an affiliation of Brasil Marista to the CNLB is underway, through the initiative of the Marist Life Commission of UMBRASIL. This affiliation should become effective in October with the validation of the letter sent by UMBRASIL to the National Assembly of the CNLB.
Referring to the meeting, Marcos Broc, of the Enlarged Secretariat of Lay Marists, said that “moments like these strengthen our organic journey as a Catholic Church and encourage greater inclusion in ecclesial bodies that can contribute to the promotion of the lay Marist vocation. It is also an opportunity for us to witness and make known, to other leaders of Christian communities, the characteristics of the Marian face of the Church that we are.
At present, the Marist laity is represented in the CNLB (Regional Sul 3) by the layman Edison Oliveira, as first secretary, and the laywoman Silvana Nazário, as second secretary.
With the aim of continuing the process of bringing the Brasil Sul-Amazônia Province closer to other lay organisations of the Church, another meeting has been scheduled, possibly for the month of August or September.