
New General Council
On 10th October, members of the XXII General Chapter elected a new General Council for the Institute. This Council will accompany the Superior General, Br. Ernesto Sánchez, and the Vicar General, Br. Luis Carlos Gutiérrez, in the leadership and animation of the Institute over the next 8 years (2017-2025).
The six Brothers elected as General Councilors are: Ben Consigli (United States), João Carlos do Prado (Brasil Centro-Sul), Josep Maria Soteras (L’Hermitage), Kenneth Charles McDonald (Australia), Óscar Martín Vicario (Compostela) and Sylvain Ramandimbiarisoa (Madagascar).
Ben Consigli
He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in History and Humanities from Queens College of New York City University, a Master of Arts degree in teaching history from Rutgers University in New Jersey, and a Graduate Diploma in Educational Administration from Saint John’s University in New York. Ben was a teacher, even during his initial formation at Molloy High School in New York and Roselle Catholic in New Jersey. In 2000 he was appointed Principal of the Saint Joseph Academy in Brownsville, Texas. In 2001, he was appointed Vice-Provincial for the former Esopus Province, USA. Since 1995 Ben has been involved Province administration, first in the Esopus Province and after in the new Province of the United States as Provincial Councilor, member of the Finance Commission, Vice-Provincial, Provincial Assistant and Director of Education. In 2009 he was appointed Provincial, a position he held until 2015. Ben’s present ministry has been serving as a guidance counselor at Christopher Columbus High School in Miami, Florida. |
João Carlos do Prado
He has a Masters in Education from PUC of Paraná and a Baccalaureate in Religious Sciences. He also has degrees in Literature and has specialized in Human Development Psychology. From 1995 to 2002 João Carlos worked at the Frei Rogério College in Joaçaba, coordinating Religious Orientation and later coordinating the Vocation and Youth Animation Center. From 2003 to 2008 he was Coordinator of the Pastoral Sector of the Marist Province of Brasil Centro-Sul. He was a member of the Provincial Council from 2002 to 2008. From 2006 to 2008, he was the Mission Coordinator for the Brazilian Marist Union (UMBRASIL). In 2009 to 2010 he served as Executive Secretary of UMBRASIL. From 2011 to 2016 he was the Director of the Institute's Secretariat of Mission. He was appointed Provincial of Brasil Centro-Sul in May 2017. He was due to take up this office in December. |
Josep Maria Soteras
His early years in Marist ministry were as a teacher in Catalonia. He was a Director of a Marist College in Barcelona from 1984 to 1986, and Mataró from 1991 to 1994. He has had various roles Provincial teams and administration since 1992. In the Province of L'Hermitage he also assumed various tasks related to coordination, animation, government and biblical formation, especially for teachers of religion. Josep Maria was elected General Counsellor on 3rd October, 2009. |
Kenneth Charles McDonald
He made his first profession in 1980 at Mittagong. He made his perpetual profession five years later in Papua New Guinea. Ken has degrees in history and Master's degrees in Religious Studies and Counseling. Ken served the Marist mission in Melanesia from 1984 to 2015. He taught and was principal in various schools in Papua New Guinea for 30 years. Ken also did very important work for some years, assisting traumatized children and young people affected by the civil war in Bougainville. Ken was Superior of the District of Melanesia from 2006 to 2015. After returning to Australia in 2015, he has served the Province of Australia as Vice Provincial. |
Óscar Martín Vicario
In his first years of Marist ministry Oscar was engaged in the pastoral formation and animation of young people in Segovia, Salamanca and Valladolid. He was a teacher and responsible for the Scouts. He has been Provincial Delegate for solidarity and SED and responsible for Province pastoral animation. In 2005 he was Coordinator of the Animation Team for 20 Marist Educational Centers for the Province of Compostela. He also served for a time as Vice-Provincial. Oscar was Provincial of Compostella from 2010 to 2016. For some of this time he was also President of the European Conference of Provincials. Since 2016, Oscar has served the Marist mission in Mozambique, where he was a member of the formation team at the Marist Novitiate in Matola. |
Sylvain Ramandimbiarisoa
After studying Religious Psychology at the Gregorian University in Rome in 1994, he was a formator at the Marist International Centre in Nairobi for 7 years, after which he was appointed Provincial of the Province of Madagascar. He served as Provincial from 2002 to 2007. After being Provincial, Sylvain was responsible for the Province’s Vocations Ministry from 2008 to 2012. He was then appointed as Director of a school in the north of Madagascar. Sylvain was again appointed Provincial in January 2014. He was due to complete his mandate in December 2017. |