Rereading your own history in order to discover the signs of God?s love
The actively involved members of La Valla, their supporters and members of the parish community participated in this day of recollection with the theme ?Shared Mission?. About forty people, young people and adults, took part in this day of recollection.
During the morning in his first talk, Brother Maurice BERQUET, General Councillor, situated the spiritual foundations of the mission:
* the discovery or the rediscovery of the love that God has for us, that God has for each one of us personally,
* God speaks through his Word but also through signs that he gives us. But the signs speak to those who are attentive.
During some personal time, Brother Maurice invited the participants to reread their own history to discover the signs of God?s love.
In a second talk, he presented the shared mission, brothers-laity, in the Institute. Brothers and laypeople together are trying today, throughout the world, to live the charism of Marcellin Champagnat and to manifest the love of God for children and young people, especially those in most need. A projection of photos helped us to discover some experiences in the field of mission. Then a few Marist values were highlighted: presence, simplicity, family spirit, love of work, and gentleness as a Marial attitude.
After lunch, Jean-Marie ROMANN, layperson and animator of the pastoral zone of Mulhouse, presented the shared mission in the Church at the heart of the Mulhouse zone: a Church on the move, ministry, myself and the Church ? my place as a baptised member, new ways ? places of experimentation, adaptation, place and mission of La Valla in the local Church.
This rich day ended with the parish Eucharist celebrated by the canon Rodolphe VIGNERON, former Episcopal Vicar of the Mulhouse zone.
It was a joy to welcome, for this first recollection day, Brother Maurice BERQUET and the canon Rodolphe VIGNERON who have both accompanied the Community since its foundation in 1996, a true symbol at a time when La Valla-Mulhouse starts on a new stage, the recognition by Archbishop Doré, archbishop of Strasbourg, as a private Association of the faithful.