Meeting of the International Commission on Marist Spiritual Patrimony
After three years and several virtual meetings, the International Commission on Marist Spiritual Patrimony met together again in Rome from 20-24 June with the participation of all its members, including Dorotea Cinanni, the new General Archivist.
Being around the same table for several days allowed us to deepen our understanding of the current situation of our Spiritual Patrimony in the different Provinces and Regions of the Institute in terms of structures, formation initiatives, memory centres, available and competent resource persons, researchers, writers, etc. The importance of encouraging and supporting decisions in this regard in all units of the Institute was seen. There was also a morning of in-service, led by Brother André Lanfrey, on the topic of the legal approval of the Institute. This will be the content of the next volume of the FMS Studia series, to be published in early 2023.
Brothers Óscar Martín and João Carlos do Prado, our link General Councillors, presented reflections and orientations from the General Government to the group, based on the last General Conference and on important projects currently underway for enhancing the vitality of our Marist way of life.
Dorotea Cinanni explained the organisation and resources of our Archives and shared some insights from the international congress held recently in the Vatican on “Charism and Creativity” on the care and preservation of the cultural heritage of religious congregations, in which she had participated.
The project to hold a Patrimony course for the Institute took up much of the meeting, as there was consensus on the urgency of motivating and training people in this area. After discussing various possibilities and faced with a number of challenges and time constraints between now and the next General Chapter, it was proposed to hold a symposium rather than a course as such. This would bring together a group of specialists as well as brothers and lay people of a new generation for a week, preferably in October 2023. A working team has been appointed, pending the agreement of the General Council.
As for the Marist Notebooks, the group appreciated the innovations introduced in Issue 40, recently published and circulated in our Marist circles. The aim has been to encourage the participation of as many people as possible in the research undertaken on the subject, in order to make the most of the richness that this publication represents. Preliminary work was also done on the organisation of Issue 41.
On the final day, Brother Ernesto Sánchez, Superior General, spent some time in dialogue with the Commission, learning about and supporting the progress we have made. He insisted on the challenge of research and study of our Patrimony as a way of updating and shedding light on the Institute’s journey today.
The Commission will conclude its work this year with a virtual meeting on 26 October. The next ordinary meeting will be held in Rome from 19 to 23 June 2023.