Provincial Assembly of West Central Europe

From November 18-20, a total of 19 brothers and lay Marists from the Province of West Central Europe, as well as 4 brothers and lay Marists invited from the Province of L’Hermitage, gathered in Furth, Germany, to share a Provincial Assembly.

On August 15, Brother Ernesto Sánchez, Superior General, communicated to the two Provinces that the present Province of West Central Europe will become a district dependent on the Province of L’Hermitage for canonical purposes as of October 2023.

Following the first meeting of the Provincial Councils of the two Marist Provinces, which took place in Dublin in September, this assembly marks a new stage in the journey that was opened in common.

During this Assembly, the participants were able to learn more about the lived realities of the two provinces, with their challenges and priorities for the future. The first step of that new stage consists in fostering relationships and mutual knowledge in order to consolidate trust, with a view to developing a collaboration which, in the long term, should allow the development and continuity of Marist life and mission in the countries with Marist presence, with fewer brothers and more lay people in positions of responsibility.

The second part of the meeting allowed the participants to deepen the themes that will be worked on in the coming months: communication, continuity of dialogue, priorities regarding the mission, the elaboration of the Statutes of the future District, etc.