Mission Ad Gentes Advisory Council

On November 1 ? 2, 2007, the mission Advisory Council met again. Even though we are at this stage half way through the groups who will go through Davao, there are still many issues that the Advisory Council has to discuss and help us in the planning for our new missions and mission countries.

So far, we have sent Brothers to six Asian countries, among them Bangladesh, Cambodia, (northeast) India, and Thailand, as well as other countries outside of Asia such as Haiti, Algiers and Canada. As this group finishing in Davao goes to mission, we will have sent 42 Brothers out on mission.

So one of the topics discussed at this recent meeting was the projected number of countries to which we will send people, and more importantly, ensuring that there will be a significant number of Brothers in each country as a support for one another and for the continued presence of the Brothers in those countries.

We also discussed how to ensure that our new missions are marked with Marist simplicity, living not only among the poor, but like the poor, with the poor. One of the important things for Bro. Mike DeWaas, Sector Superior of MAG Asia to do is to see that the vision for creating ?something new? in these presences is not lost.

In that same light, we discussed at length the goals of the Orientation Program in Davao and suggested some points to be submitted to the consideration of the Orientation Team

There are many more issues that need to be discussed. As the number of Brothers going to mission grows, so will the need to develop policies and guidelines as well.

The Advisory Council consists of five Marist Brothers: Brothers Luis Garcia Sobrado, Tom Chin, Mike DeWaas, Michael Flanigan, and Peter Rodney. And in addition we have Jesuit Father Joseph Nguyen Cong Doan and Franciscan Missionary of Mary Sr. Helen Mendonça.

For Brother Tom Chin, this was the last meeting in the Advisory Council. Tom will soon be joining the Mission Ad Gentes program, preventing him from attending future meetings. Brother Seán thanked him with a gift and inspired words at the end of our meeting.