Sharing. The Lay Marist Vocation (Lay Marist Newsletter)

America Sur Region the experience of being a global family

“We are so different and the same, we are the one who feels and the one who is not. We are so different and the same, we are all one with the others” – the fragment of the song “Somos Uno“, performed by the singer Axel, represents the plural reality of the Laity of the “America Sur” Region. A charisma shared among seven countries and different cultures. In different ways, lay men and women walk in harmony continuing the legacy of Saint Marcellin Champagnat through solidarity actions, prayer groups and sharing of Marist life. Last year, the Administrative Units of Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Chile, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Peru began a path of reflection and growth around the lay Marist vocation.

International Forum in the Region

Interculturality of the lay Marist vocation

A first step

In March 2021, when the Marist Institute announced the creation of the International Forum on the Lay Marist Vocation, the groups of lay men and women from the seven regional countries were invited to project their objectives and strategies with the purpose of attending to the greatest premise of being a global family, based on the theme “welcome, care for, live and sharing our lay Marist vocation”.

For Sara Sánchez, coordinator of the Regional Laity Network, the beginning of this work has been like a blessing for the Marist Laity. “The richness of the reflections based on the proposed themes lead us to deepen the meaning of our vocation as lay Marists of Champagnat and the importance of living processes of growth and maturation of our own vocation”, said Sara.

With the development of the formative sheets prepared by the Secretariat for the Laity, the groups of lay expressions present in the Provinces (Cruz del Sur, Santa María de Los Andes, Brasil Sul-Amazônia, Brasil Centro-Sul and Brasil Centro-Norte) began a path that will offer indications of the possible paths for the action of the Marist Laity. In this sense, the experience already carried out in the regional space shows the challenges and the richness of developing projects collaboratively, with different teams, taking care of the local and glimpsing the global.

For more information on America Sur Region, click here

Welcoming, Nurturing, Living and Sharing Our Vocation

“Your sons and daughters will prophesy” – Joel 3,1

The International Forum will be a beautiful four-year journey (2021-2024) of reflection and shared discernment among laypeople, laywomen and brothers. The themes of the Forum are pertinent current and future issues related to the vitality of the charism and our journey of communion as a Global Charismatic Family. In this link you will find resources for the Forum

International Forum on the Lay Marist Vocation is important in the Provinces of America Sur Region

Training itineraries will be scheduled until 2024

Since the opening of the Forum, in March 2021, the Provinces were encouraged to follow their plans in a micro way in their spaces, following the same guide – the training sheets – but with the freedom to adapt their agendas according to the local reality. Thus, in the same Region, we can find training itineraries in different stages. Look at the experiences:

Province of Brazil Centro-Sul

In the Marist Province of Brazil Centro-Sul, the Forum was officially launched in November 2021, with a live broadcast with more than 300 views, available here. On the occasion, were presented the objectives of the forums and the dynamics of the activities until 2024. Starting in January, group meetings began to be held based on the sheets of the activities proposed by the Institute to promote debates. To subsidize the group meetings, a course was created on the Farol 1817 portal, with different support materials, so that the conversations can generate more in-depth perceptions.

Province of Santa María de los Andes

In the Santa María de los Andes Province, the Forum was announced in April 2021, and since then, it has followed the itinerary of the worksheets. For 2022, the development of sheets 3 and 4 and the completion of the Provincial stage of the Forum are planned.

Province of Brazil Sul-Amazônia

In the Marist Province of Brazil Sul-Amazônia, the forum was officially announced in September 2021, together with the lay groups. The cards are being developed in recent months and, in May 2022, the Provincial stage of the Forum will be held. On the other hand, together with the subsidies made, the province created and made available for the Institute songs and thematic mantra of the event. They are available here

Province of Brazil Centro-Norte

In the Marist Province of Brazil Centro-Norte, the forum was officially launched in August 2021, on the vocation month. From that moment on, the lay groups and the socio-educational units began their program to deepen the cards. For 2022, the provincial stage of the Forum is planned, as well as the organization of the ideas that will be presented in the sheets for the lay provincial itinerary.

Province of Cruz del Sur

Finally, the Cruz del Sur Province held the provincial launch of the Forum in August 2021 – with the three countries – in a virtual meeting broadcast via Zoom and YouTube, with approximately 540 participants. Likewise, the Cruz del Sur Province works on the theme “Dreams of the Marist laity”. This 2022 sheet 3 will be developed and the stages of the Forum will be carried out by country. To see some resources produced by the province. Some resources

The path of the five Provinces of the South America Region shows the different faces of the Marist Laity. This year, 2022, will be focused on local work and the preparation of summaries, which will be used in the international stage of the Forum, scheduled for November, in Rome.