Recreating Marist life together?
In Quito, we are living an international experience on processes of combined formation for brothers and lay people of the Hispanic- Portuguese linguistic area which will last throughout the whole month of July. We are 21 Marists belonging to 14 administrative units: 10 brothers and 11 lay people; of which, 7 are women:
Amazonia: Valdir Gobatto, brother.
America Central: Luis Carlos Gutiérrez, brother, and Sergio Pérez, lay person.
Brasil Centro Norte: Wagner Cruz, brother, and Rita Rocha, lay person.
Brasil Centro Sul: Anacleto Peruzzo, brother, and LĂșcia Coelho, lay person.
Compostela: Carlos HernĂĄndez, brother.
Cruz del Sur: Marcos Denevi, lay person.
Ibérica: Ernesto Tendero, brother.
LHermitage: Jaume Parés, brother.
MediterrĂĄnea: Juan GarcĂa, lay person.
MĂ©xico Occidental: Cecilia Cortez, lay person.
Norandina: Cristina Ăngel and Claudia Rojas, lay persons.
Paraguay: Francisco Romero, brother.
RĂo Grande do Sul: SĂ©rgio Schons, lay person.
Santa MarĂa de los Andes: MĂłnica Aguirre, lay person.
Enlarged Bureau of the Laity: Pau Fornells, brother, and Ana Sarrate, lay person.
Centro de Espiritualidad El Escorial: Javier Espinosa, brother.
The main objective of this experience is to prepare a group of brothers and lay people to promote processes of combined formation in the different administrative units of the Institute.
This first week was dedicated to the integration and motivation of those taking part, pointing out the main axes of these formative processes, alternating the personal and the community: personal faith and shared spirituality, specific and Marist vocation, relationship with others and community life, personal mission and shared mission, personal, specific and common formation.
The first day was one of welcoming and organization, remembering the objectives of the experience and motivating the basic attitudes necessary to live it fully. Brother. SeĂĄn sent a letter of support, in which he encouraged us to dream, to question ourselves and to unleash our imagination.
The second day was devoted to different dynamics of personal presentation and getting to know the historical reality of the beautiful Ecuadorian capital, Quito, visiting the colonial centre, proclaimed by UNESCO as the Patrimony of Humanity.
On the following day points of view were shared with those who had come to this experience, and what we wanted to experience in the course of these days and our readiness for it. In the afternoon we would look at the reality of each of the provinces and districts concerning their achievements and the difficulties of, brothers and lay people walking together. Brother Pau Fornells then set out his global vision on the situation of the Institute regarding this topic.
The fourth day, Friday 4, was devoted entirely to basing all of this combined formative experience on the Marist Mission. The final objective of all combined Marist formation is still the same Mission. We divided ourselves into groups to take part, for a day, in four missionary experiences that have been developed in the city of Quito and its surroundings: A Marist School which is inserted in a very poor neighbourhood, a centre for young people with special needs, another centre for girls and young people at risk, and a Marist community situated in a working class neighbourhood, supporting the parochial youth pastoral and other educational activities for the working class children.
Saturday 5 was devoted to sharing the lived missionary experiences of the previous day and connecting them to the personal and group formative process: how mission affects faith, vocation, vital attitudes and community living. We ended the day by organizing little communities or life groups to strengthen the experience and by having the Eucharist at the end of this first part of the integration process.
We dedicated Sunday to making a personal and group summary of the week. The evaluation was very positive and highlighted the great community atmosphere and the depth of the first exchanges. In the afternoon, we devoted some time to tourism, visiting la Mitad del Mundo, also called Punto Cero: a place some 14 km. from Quito, where it crosses the equatorial line and where in the XVIII century there was taken the first measurement of the terrestrial meridian. We were all able to take the classic picture of ourselves with one foot in the northern hemisphere and the other in the southern hemisphere.
We will continue to keep you informed of this beautiful Marist experience of combined formation.