Meeting of the Extended General Council

First day – 8 March | 10-11 March

The second day  (9 March) of encounter of the Extended General Council with the Region Arco Norte, in Quito, Ecuador, began with a moment of prayer based on some texts of the document on the identity and mission of the Brother religious.   Immediately after the dynamic begun on the previous afternoon was continued, sharing at the tables the significant experiences in the Province, both of joy as of pain and suffering, as well as the training and learning received from these experiences.   

The reflection continued around the theme of the mission, stressing how the new models of animation management and governance can help us to generate a more specialized management, allowing us greater awareness of our reality as a global body, where we all feel co-responsible of the Marist life and mission. This session ended reflecting on what this project can contribute to the future of the Marist mission in the Region. Brothers Carlos Alberto Rojas and Gregorio Linacero, presented the methodology used for the work that has been carried out in the mission groups, in economy and with the persons in the Region. 

The afternoon session began with the prayer to Our Lady of Fourvière and the presentation of some paragraphs of the document on the identity and mission of the Brother religious in the Church in which Communion is presented: fraternity, a gift which we share.  Beginning with these texts there was a dynamic carried out in the groups in which were shared the gifts that we consciously contribute to our communities, the gifts which we are told that we contribute and of which we are not so aware, as well as the gifts that we still have not developed.  Beginning with this dynamic Brother Emili invited us to reflect regarding the manner in which we can serve communion from our leadership.  What are we capable of creating collectively that will allow us to attain an authentic transformation?    

Finally, Brother Joe McKee presented the journey covered up to the present moment in the preparation of the XXII General Chapter.  We ended our day with the Eucharistic celebration prepared by the Provinces of the United States and Western Mexico.