Meeting of Provincial Bursars of Africa

The Provincial Bursars from Africa Region gathered in Nairobi, Kenya, from the 25th to the 27th of January 2023. The aim of the meeting was to share on how the management of temporal goods can lead to sustainability of Marist life and mission.

Br. Ernesto Sánchez, Superior General, was present in the opening session and reminded all present that networking either at regional or international level is very important for the effective management of our resources. He harped on the need for transparency and responsibility and prayed that the sessions will lead to a change in mindsets which was already being experienced.

Br. Jorge Gaio, General Econome, Br. Gregorio Linacero, Assistant to the Econome General and Br. José Augusto Junior, from the Province of Brasil Centro-Norte, accompanied the regional bursars leading different sessions with very important information and activities that will enhance their work.

Br Junior facilitated the sessions on sustainability project pointing out the work that has been done so far. He emphatically noted that an evaluation of the risks and opportunities, feedback to provinces, and development guide were crucial to effective implementation of the sustainability plan. He stressed the need for all the local teams to collaborate with the technical sustainability teams to work on strategic plans with strong KPIs.

Bearing in mind that statistics are pivotal in financial decision-making, the Econome General, Br. Jorge, encouraged the bursars present to provide the required data into the three online platforms. He informed Bursars of GIER and FRATERS – juridical bodies charged with assisting the General administration in handling legal issues.

Br Gregorio’s presentation was mainly on the guidelines on the management of our temporal goods as spelled out in the constitutions, vademecum, canon law and in the policies and procedures. He insisted on the need of competent professionals in council of economic affairs to assist in decision making.

The participants shared about statistics, stories about Marist mission and financial data from the administrative units of the region. This was used to benchmark and learn from each others in running affair of the Provinces. It was also an opportunity to map forward areas of collaboration.

The Administrator for MIC – Br Innocent Iloabueke highlighted initiatives that can strengthen collaboration and networking like ensuring effective supervision and supervision of country bursars to ensure accountability and transparency. On assets, good practices like having Marist Schools in our property, owning MIC as a projects and intensification of the formation of young Brothers on basic accounting principles.

In a joint session with Conference of Superiors of African Continent (CSAC) the Bursars made some suggestions to the Superiors to ensure follow up and implementation of decision taken, and consequently transformation in the management of temporal goods.

The Jan 2023 session is over, but the sharing of experiences, reflections, and recommendations must be owned, thus leading to finding new pathways and new horizons for the sustainability of life and mission in an organization that has a mission – sustainably making Jesus Known and loved.