Meeting of the International Commission of Brothers Today

A meeting of the International Commission of Brothers Today (ICBT) took place on Zoom on November 14. Present were Brothers Alphonse Tiamaro, Fabricio Alves, Juan Carlos Bolaños, Anselmo Kim, Óscar Martín, João Carlos do Prado, Lindley Sionosa and Ángel Medina.

The opening prayer was motivated by the recently held International Forum of the Lay Marist Vocation, followed by the singing of the song, Ruah.

The Plan for Ongoing Formation for 2023-25 was presented along with some pictures of the groups who participated in the different programs held this year in Rome and the Hermitage.

The topic of the Regional Programs was also taken up, especially that for Vocational Animators. Only the South America Region was able to do it this year. Meanwhile, the African provincials are thinking to conduct it in July 2023. Along this line, the members of the ICBT were invited to take an active part in the planning and organizing of the regional programs.

An update on the Year of Marist Vocations was also made, highlighting the different activities that has been done so far in the level of the Institute.

Finally, the dates for the meeting in 2023 were set. The ICBT will meet on February 15-19 in Rome to talk about the Year of Marist Vocations, the Ongoing Formation Plan, the Regional Programs and the Formation Guide, among others.

Another meeting is planned for August 27 to September 2, the venue of which will still be decided. It will be carried out simultaneously with the Extended Secretariat of the Laity, which forms the Marist Life Area with the ICBT. As the usual practice, one or two days will be a meeting of the two secretariats/commissions together.

The other members of the ICBT are Brothers Ebel Muteveri, Matthew Green and Antonio Leal. Meanwhile, Flaminia Filanci provided the simultaneous translation service.