FINANCE AND MISSION IN THE CONSECRATED LIFE TODAY
Brother Seán Sammon addresses the 60th General Assdembly of the USG

The Union of Superiors General, USG, held its 60th semi-annual assembly May 22-25 at Rome?s Salesian University. The theme for the gathering was ?Finance and mission in the consecrated life today.? Br. Seán Sammon gave a conference on ?Challenges and hopes concerning the evangelical use of material goods in today?s world.? During the subsequent discussion period, Br. Luis García Sobrado joined Seán in responding to questions from the audience.
Br. Seán based his talk on Br. Benito?s circular On the evangelical use of our material goods, noting that the Marist Institute finds itself in a time of transition. He outlined his convictions, affirming that ?an evangelical use of our resources has to be one of the central elements in any genuine transformation of religious life today. Be it a desire for greater vitality in mission, or among the membership in general, the evangelical use of our goods must be addressed in the process of conversion?The prophetic witness of religious life today is inversely proportional to the attachment of its members to power and riches.? Focusing on specific risks and hopes concerning the use of material goods, which find their value in terms of service, Seán went on to propose lines of action, including the following: ?to move our memberships and resources more and more toward efficient and low-cost programs of education and evangelization aimed at those in the lower middle class?; to take up projects for which we are not the proprietors, a model that will enhance our ability to move on, and also reduce the amount of personnel involved in administration?; to explore and develop more fully ecumenical and intercongregational cooperation in ministry?; to foster evangelical transparency in the administration of our resources?; to use a system of ?evangelical auditing? for our accounts?; (and) to work to insure that annual budgets, at the level of communities and administrative units become more realistic while also committed to solidarity projects for the poor and with the poor??
The program included three other conferences: ?Finance in service to mission? (José María Arnáiz, SM), ?A layman?s view of finance and mission in the consecrated life today,? (Francisco J. Palom), and ?Challenges of globalization for a believer: components for a new economy? (Stefano Zamagni). The audience entered into spirited discussions after each presentation.
Note: For more on the USG assembly, go to www.vidimusdominum.org

Taking over from Br. Yvon Bédard
BR. ANTONIO MARTÍNEZ NEW ECONOME GENERAL
Brother Antonio Martínez has been named to succeed Brother Yvon Bédard as Econome General. Yvon finishes his term at the end of this year.
Antonio was born in Lodosa, Spain in 1941. He earned his teaching degree from the Scholasticate in Bilbao in 1961, and a Masters in Mathematics in Zaragoza in 1968. His early years in the apostolate were spent as a teacher and later as principal of two Marist schools in Logroño: Valvanera and San José. In 1980, he was appointed assistant Econome for his Province of Norte, and four years later, Econome. In 1985 he was elected Provincial and served two three-year terms. Immediately after that he was appointed Director of Editorial Luis Vives, the Brothers? publishing center in Spain, remaining in that position until being elected Provincial again in 1998. Antonio has served on the International Finance Commission, and been a delegate at four General Chapters.

Council announces another appointment
BROTHER ROQUE SALET, FIRST
PROVINCIAL OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL, BRAZIL
Brother Roque Ari Salet, Director of the General Administration community in Rome, has been named Provincial of the new Province of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, which is bringing together the Provinces of Porto Alegre and Santa María. The new Province will come into existence in July of this year.
A complete listing of new appointments will appear in our next edition.

USG launches new commission
BROTHER SEÁN SAMMON A MEMBER
The Union of Superiors General has formed a commission to study the problem of the sexual abuse of children. Brother Seán, a clinical psychologist, is a member of this new commission. In the October 1987 issue of Priest magazine, Seán published an article entitled ?A pastoral response to child sexual abuse?

Province of León, Spain
FINAL CHAPTER IN A GLORIOUS HISTORY
On May 5th, ending the second session of its 12th Provincial Chapter, the last one before restructuring takes place, the Province of León turned a page in its history.
The 27 delegates, together with Brother Emili Turú from the General Council and seven lay people, approved a list of 17 proposals, covering four major areas: brothers and communities, brothers and the laity, educative works, and provincial animation.
Clearly evident during the Chapter was a desire to continue to Choose life and make restructuring a life-giving experience. The gathering, held at the Encounter Center of Roxos-Santiago, was marked by simplicity and a warm family spirit.

Latest from Marist Publications Service
– 20th GENERAL CHAPTER, DAY BY DAY
FMS MESSAGE magazine #30 is devoted exclusively to chronicling the events of our 20th General Chapter as it unfolded day by day. This edition contains a wealth of photos as well as candid impressions ? given at special times during the Chapter ? by the brothers and lay men and women who participated in it.
– CONVERGENCES
Convergences, an 86-page booklet, brings together letters that Brothers Basilio Rueda and Henri Vergès sent to one another beginning in 1971. Brother Alain Delorme compiled this collection, published on May 8th, the 8th anniversary of Henri?s death in Algeria.
– SUPERIOR GENERAL?S PHOTO
A supply of two different enlarged photos of Brother Seán Sammon, Superior General, have been sent to each Province and district.

On the anniversary of Marcellin?s birth
MARIST LIFE IS BORN
On May 20th, during Mass in a parish near the novitiate in Tamontaka, Philippines, Brothers Ramon G. Pastera, Ernie G. Sentina, Cristino Octavio Ireneo, and Fredric A. Ton made their first vows. Now, together with six brothers from Papua New Guinea, three from India, and one each from Samoa and Korea, they will begin studies in Manila at the Marist Asia-Pacific Center (MAPAC),
A few days before the profession ceremony, five postulants began their two-year novitiate in Tamontaka.

NEWS IN BRIEF
– On May 17th, the Marist International Centre (MIC) in Nairobi, Kenya, the post-novitiate formation center for brothers from Africa and Madagascar, was formally recognized as a Constituent College of the Catholic University of East Africa.
– The March 23rd edition of the French magazine ?Dauphiné Libéré? devoted several articles to Brother Theóphane Durand, Superior General of our Institute from 1883 to 1907. In one article, ?An illustrious unknown: Adrien Durand, Brother Théophane,? Gérard Prat begins by stating that: ?Adrien Durand was born in Saint-Oriest, near Privas. The only trace of him that survives there is a plaque, placed in the house where he was born to commemorate the centennial of his birth. On the other hand, in Brazil, at the beginning of each school year, 50 million texts, dictionaries, and other books are produced by the publishing house FTD (from the French initials for Frère Théophane Durand), established in 1902. Just who is this man, more famous in the rest of the world than in the town where he was born??
– On May 11th a meeting was held in Vouzela, Portugal, with lay people playing a prominent role in relaunching the Champagnat Movement of the Marist Family.
– Our Sri Lankan Brothers gathered for a Province convocation at the end of April to study key areas of Marist life: spirituality, community, and mission.
– The Marist International School in Kobe, Japan celebrated its Golden Jubilee on April 20th. The event received extensive coverage in The Japan Times.
– 17 young men interested in Marist life met for three days in Lololima, Vanuatu to continue discerning about their vocational choices.
– A residence for senior brothers has just been established in Netley, in southern Australia.
– May 29th is the 47th anniversary of the beatification of Marcellin Champagnat, presided over by Pope Pius XII.

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