Prophets of hope

The meeting began with the methodologies referred to previously on 13 March 2011, after breakfast. Br. Emilì Turu, Superior General, welcomed everyone and explained the reasons for the absence of Brs, Michael Schmalzl, Víctor Preciado, Councillor General, owing to urgent surgery in Rome, and P.J. McGowan, who had left to attend the funeral of his recently deceased mother.

The Superior General indicated that the meeting was an initiative of the previous General Council which had been assumed by the General Chapter. In the documents emerging from the chapter hall, mention was twice made of the Extended General Council as a « means by which the General Council in plenary meets the Councils of a Region to accompany and animate the leadership of the Provinces… to learn about the actual situation of the Region and to exercise co-responsibility in the animation and government of the Institute. »

Br. Emili insisted on the fact that it was necessary to try to attain the objectives as an exercise of discernment, that is to say that « between two goods, one should choose the better » by « the attentive listening » to what God is saying to us through the brother. He recalled that the « Letter from Europe » which the Region had sent to the Chapter was rich in content and merited further study. He also indicated that it would be good to open up the assembly and listen to other voices which had something to say.

Gathered around the tables, the Brothers shared what was going on at present in each Province and indicated three hopes for the years ahead.

The work finished, the Brothers proceeded to the dining room, where they were joined by the Brothers of the communities of La Valla and Fonsala.

After the Marial prayer which marked the beginning of the afternoon’s work, the hopes arrived at by the groups in the morning were shared in common: « to dream together », to better know Marist Europe, define clearly the Marist mission for Europe, consolidate the lay movement, come close to European young people with their perspectives on them, assure the follow-up to the conclusions emanating from the meeting, etc.

Another notable moment of sharing at the tables consisted in a reflection on the following question: What do the Provinces consecrate their best efforts on? The conclusions showed that the Provinces put their best efforts into making up the communities, the formation of the laity, accompaniment of sick and aged Brothers, the leadership of the animation of the Regions at the centre of a same Province, in attending to processes already underway, the improvement of the Province and care of persons, etc.

At the end of this, Br. Emili Turú took a moment to inspire the afternoon reflection on hope. Starting with a text of Tonino Bello where Mary is asked to « walk beside us in an age of transition », he invited the Brothers not to fall into the extremes of nostalgia or despair. To prove oneself a man of hope, this must be translated into « a work for a future that no one would know how to guarantee us ». Brother Emilì affirmed that a new Church is possible. « We, Marists of Europe, we can contribute to the birth of a new Church. » The Superior General underlined the numerous times when the XXI General Chapter spoke about newness: new age, new land, new way of being… The basic invitation was a call to ‘being prophets’: « We are born for being prophetic, for being on the frontiers… Can we do this by ourselves? » he asked, by way of conclusion. Then he invited all present to spend a long time in personal reflection here at the Hermitage, where the Institute was born, in order to seek the response God is asking from us today.

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Read more:

1. March 12th: Those responsible for Marist Europe give the region a push
2. March 13th: Prophets of hope
3. March 14th: Marist Europe today – Realities and challenges
4. March 15th: In search of a future for Marist Europe
5. March 16th: Closure of the Meeting of the Extended General Council around the reliquary of Champagnat

Photos: L'hermitage 1 | L'Hermitage 2 | March 13th | March 14th | March 15th | Group

Participants
General Council
Antonio Ramalho	Emili Turú	Ernesto Sánchez Barba	Eugène Kabanguka	John Klein
Josep María Soteras	Joe Mc Kee	Michael De Waas
Compostela
Antonio Leal	Eduardo Montenegro	Máximo Blanco	Nicolás García	Oscar Martín Vicario
Raúl Figuera	Tomás Briongos
L'Hermitage
André Deculty	Gabriel Villa-Real	Jean Pierre Destombes	Jean Ronzon	Jaume Parés
Maurice Berquet	Miquel Cubeles	Pere Ferré	Xavi Giné
Ibérica
Ambrosio Alonso Díez	Alberto Oribe	Alfonso Fernández García	Carlos Martín	Ernesto Tendero
Moisés Alonso	José Abel Muñoz	Samuel Holguín
Mediterránea
Antonio Gimé- nez de Bagüés	Aureliano García	Damiano Forlani	Fernando Alés	Juan Carlos Fuertes
Juan Ignacio Poyatos	Onorino Rota
West-Central Europe
Brendan Geary	Maurice Taildeman	Robert Thunus
Translators and comunications
Alain Delorme Translator	Antonio Aragón Translator	Jack González Translator	Salomon Neville Translator	Antonio Estaún Comunications