Retreat on Water from the Rock

For four days during the last week of December, twenty-five Brothers of Province Cruz del Sur Province reflected, prayed and deepened our Marist Spirituality. It was the time of our annual retreat. Though necessarily a short period of time, the retreat was experienced in quite an intense way, based as it was upon WATER FROM THE ROCK, the new document that deals with our spirituality.

Wisely planned and presented by the retreat director, the four days unfolded in a dynamic manner. The director?s enthusiasm, evident in both word and action, made us conscious that certain valuable ideas that he wished to share with us went beyond the inevitable limitations of ?Portuñal? (mixture of Portuguese and Spanish).

The retreat was held amidst the beautiful mountains of Córdoba (Argentina), in the town of Alta Gracia, a very significant name for the Argentinians.

Thirty-nine to ninety-one years of age, the Brothers making the retreat came from fourteen communities, representing not only the wide range of ages but a vast amount of experience as well. And all of us, young and old, recognized that the retreat was a very special and spiritual grace for us.

We had the chance to make the retreat during the liturgical time of the Christmas Octave during which we celebrated the Feast of the Holy Family. This feast was an excellent and timely reminder to our minds and our hearts of an important pillar of our Marcellinian spirituality and our community life: family spirit.

Over the four days, we quite explicitly reflected and prayed over each of the document?s four chapters. In addition, we were given very precise and significant information regarding the evolution of the versions which eventually led to the final text.

The following were some important factors that helped us to benefit from the retreat, enjoyable and fruitful as it was: (a) the worksheets and the prayers prepared by the EAM network, particularly by Brother Horacio Bustos, the Provincial Team?s representative in this network, (b) the technologies and other resources, (c) the different posters that were on display, (d) various teaching devices and activities used by the retreat director, and (e) the Power Points. The time passed very quickly and almost without our being aware of it.

Brother José Diez Villacorta