Reflection on the Marist mission
On 2, 3 and 4 February, the directors and co-ordinators of the ministry of the Marist Educational Works of France, Greece, Hungary and Catalonia came together at N.D. de l’Hermitage for a meeting of reflection and to strengthen our mutual bonds.
The meeting brought together, for the first time in this form, the directors and co-ordinators of ministry in the school establishments, but also the directors of thesocial works.
The principal objectives of the meeting were to :
-Promote reflection on the Marist mission in order to integrate the dimensions of education, evangelisation and solidarity in harmony with the guidelines of the General and Provincial Chapters and the Mission Assembly.
-Promote the common reflection of those responsible for the works of the Province and collect the proposals coming from the situations of the different countries.
-Foster mutual acquaintance and the creation of bonds between the various educational realities of the Province in order to deepen the sense of belonging to the Marist network.
The meeting commenced on the afternoon of 2 February with the presentations of the secretariats of provincial animation, as well as those of the diverse Educational Works of each country (France, Greece, Hungary and Catalonia). All this allowed the participants to become aware of the diversity and richness of the different situations of the Province.
The 3rd of Februarywas the occasion for various workshops :
– Pastoral initiatives around work on the year’s theme.
-Minimum common framework for the whole Province in the area of ministry.
-International exchanges.
-Today’s poverties in our works : how to spot them? What responses to make to them ?
-Testimony of the experience of the members of the community of l’Hermitage.
-Champagnat the catechist.
-The social networks: how to make use of them in an educational way ?
-The pastoral orientation of inter-religious and inter-confessional components in our works.
The high point of the morning of the last day was the novelty of this kind of meeting, with the presentation of the Marist Social Works of Catalonia, alternatinginformation and dialogue.
To these main work topics were added various items of information, the celebration of the Eucharist and convivial evening gatherings, the sampling of typical products of the countries represented. Special mention must be made of the youth choir « Les Maristes » of Bourg-de-Péage, who offered a quality show on one of the evenings. All this experienced in the incomparable surroundings of the renovated house of l’Hermitage and the warm welcome of its community.
To bring the meeting to a close, Brother Maurice, Provincial Superior, underlining the involvement of the participants, delivered a message of encouragement to carry on the task of education and evangelisation in each of the realities of our Marist works.
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Albert Salazar