SHARING OUR CALL AS MARIST EDUCATORS
South Africa
At the beginning of May, fifty laypersons and six Brothers took part in a three-day workshop with the theme SHARING OUR CALL AS MARIST EDUCATORS. The Sizanani Conference Centre proved to be an ideal venue in every way, providing pleasant accommodation in a rural environment and enabling the participants to come into contact with the most needy in the spirit of our Founder. Apart from Conference facilities, Sizanani is also the seat of a hospice for persons dying of AIDS and a home for children with severe physical disabilities. We were blessed by mild weather throughout the long weekend ? the first cold snap of winter reaching the highveld on the very next day!
The participants included forty-eight teachers serving the young people in our five South African Marist schools. Five Brothers from other countries in the Province were also invited to attend: Vincent Chunga and Henry Dziko from Malawi, Geraldo Medida from Mozambique, Stephen Phiri from Zambia and Réginald Racine from the Novitiate in Kutama.
Animated by Neil Mitchell and Brother Mario Colussi, the participants were led to reflect on their calling and that of Marcellin Champagnat. On this basis they explored the aspects of Marist education outlined in our publication, In the Footsteps of Marcellin Champagnat: family spirit (combined with solidarity); Mary?s way; simplicity; presence; and love of work. These sessions took up the bulk of the weekend. The programme was enriched by several additional presentations.
The concluding Eucharistic liturgy was led by Dave Dryden SJ (who has served at three of the five Marist schools in RSA) and ended with a missioning ceremony. ?I was emotionally touched by the beautiful Mass,? wrote one teacher, ?especially the anointing of the hands. I felt that this ceremony reinforced my calling as a teacher.?
The enthusiastic feedback is an encouragement to organize more such workshops for as many of our Marist Educators as possible:
?I know that each one of us has been enriched by the spirit of St Marcellin and I have no doubt that this will make us better members of the Marist Family.?
?Some of the highlights of the weekend for me were meeting and sharing experiences with so many interesting people. The Brothers from our neighbouring countries made a special impact on me? Their charismatic approach to their teaching against all the hardship they experience is both refreshing and enlightening.?
?What a wonderful man St Marcellin was. If only all the staff could have the insight that I was exposed to this weekend.?

Institute of the Marist Brothers – Rome
BULLETIN OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL
Appointed Brother Buenaventura Pérez Martín as Provincial of the Province of Betica for a second three-year term.
Appointed Brother José María Ferre, Province of Madrid, as Director of the 2002 Third Age Renewal Session for Spanish and Portuguese-speaking Brothers.
Appointed Brother Amabile Gentile Biazus, Province of Porto Alegre, as Associate Director for the 2002 Span/Port Third Age Renewal Session
Appointed Brother Roque Ari Salet, Province of Santa María, as Director of the General House community in Rome.
Appointed Brother Wenceslao Calimpon, Province of the Philippines, as Director of the International College in Rome to a first term of three years.
Appointed Brother Manuel Jorques Bru as Provincial of the Province of Levante for a second term until the Province is restructured in September 2003.
Appointed Brother Samuel Holguín as Provincial of the Norte Province in Spain to a first term until the Province is restructured in November 2003.
Appointed Brother Joseph Udeajah as Provincial of the Province of Nigeria for a second three year term.
Appointed Brother Maurice Goutagny as Provincial of the MCO-ND l?Hermitage Province for a second term until the Province is restructured in July 2003.
Appointed Brother Jesús Pérez Valdajos as Provincial of the Province of Chile for a first term until the Province is restructured in August 2002.
Appointed Brother Primitivo Mendoza as Provincial of the Province of Leon for a first term until the province is restructured in December 2003.
Appointed Brother Xavier Barceló Maset as Provincial of the Province of Catalunya for a first term until the Province is restructured in July 2003.
Appointed Brother Réal Cloutier as Provincial of the restructured Province of Canada for a first term of three years.
Appointed Brother Jude Pieterse as Provincial of the Province of Southern Africa for a second three-year term beginning in April 2002.
Appointed Brother Tercilio Sevegnani as Provincial of the Brazil Centro Sul Province for a first term of three years.
Appointed Brother Pedro Marcos as Provincial of the new Province of Santa María de los Andes for a first term of three years.
Appointed Brother Tom Chin as Provincial of the Province of China for a third three-year term.
Extended the contract of Brother Mariano Medina, Province of Betica, as Assistant Econome General until July 31, 2003.
Extended the contract of Brother Joseph Frassy, Province of MCO-ND Hermitage, as a member of the General Administration community in Rome until December 31, 2002.
Appointed Brother Roque Ari Salet as Provincial of the new Province of Rio Grande do Sul for a first three-year term.
Appointed Brother Antonio Martínez Fernández, Province of Norte, Spain as Econome General for a first term of three years beginning on January 1, 2003.
Appointed Brother Juan Miguel Anaya Torres, Province of Betica, as Secretary for the Government Commission for a first term of three years beginning October 1, 2002.
Appointed Brother Roberto Clark, Province of Central America, as Secretary of the Superior General for a first three-year term, beginning on December 1, 2001.
Appointed Brother Lucien Labelle, Province of Canada, as Secretary-Translator for French at the general House for a first three-year term.
Appointed Brother Gaudencio González, Province of Catalunya, as Bursar of the General House for a first three year term beginning on September 12, 2002.

A sharing of joy at the General House
FEAST DAY OF ST MARCELLIN
The feast of St Marcellin on June 6th brought together the four religious branches of our Marist family: the Marist Missionary Sisters, Sisters, Brothers and Fathers. Brother Seán welcomed everyone at the beginning of Mass. The main celebrant was Father Craig Larkin, Vicar General of the Marist Fathers. Mass was followed by refreshments and dinner.

Durban, South Africa
ST MARCELLIN CHAMPAGNAT
For the past three years, St Henrys Marist Brothers College has had the good fortune to have the services of Mr Cameron Upchurch in forming a schola cantorum from among the high school boys. They have become highly proficient, and are now much in demand to perform at special occasions in the city and further afield.
On Wednesday 5 June, some 60 teachers, parents and friends of the Marist Brothers in Durban gathered in the citys oldest parish (founded in 1852, 150 years ago) for a unique celebration in honour of the Founder. A space was found for a reflection on the Founder between the scripture reading and the Magnificat. For this moment, one of the Brothers read several of the most moving paragraphs from the Spiritual Testament of our Founder.

New shelter in Quevedo, Ecuador
MARIST COMMUNITY OPENS ITS DOORS
Under the patronage of St Joseph, a shelter run by our brothers in Quevedo, Ecuador has opened it doors to abandoned children and those caught up in domestic strife. The brothers took in four boys and a girl in May, and recently another girl has joined the group. Both the community and the children are in the process of developing this new program.

Vatican document on Consecrated Life
STARTING AFRESH FROM CHRIST
On May 19th, the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life published an Instruction entitled ?Starting afresh from Christ: a renewed commitment to Consecrated Life in the third millennium.? The document is in line with what has come out of Chapters and can help us to courageously deal with the trials and challenges coming from today?s world. Highly recommended reading.

NEWS IN BRIEF
– The World Food Summit ? 5 years on took place in Rome June 10-13, convened by the UN?s Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO).
– Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General, stated that ?every day, more than 800 million people in the world, 300 million of them children, suffer the excruciating pain of hunger and the sicknesses and disabilities caused by malnutrition. As a result of this situation, according to some estimates, about 24,000 people die every day.

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