
South Asia Province
From May 11 to 22, Mr. Peter McNamara (Australia), and Brother João Carlos do Prado (Secretariat for Mission) visited the Marist Province of South Asia to become acquainted with its ministries and organization, as part of the diagnosis stage of the New Models of Animation, Governance and Management Project, an initiative from the General Council aimed at helping the Institute respond to the present challenges of Marist life and mission. So far we have held two Regional Gatherings, carried out visits to several Provinces, and organized a meeting with all Provincial and District Councils of the Americas. The visits, meetings, and Regional Gathering with the District and Provinces of Africa will take place in July.
Besides working on the New Models Project during the visit to the South Asia Province, we also developed the agenda of the Secretariat for Mission. A seminar on Marist Youth Ministry (MYM) was conducted on May 17th with a group of 25 students from St. Joseph’s Boys College (Nugegoda) and Maris Stella College (Negombo). We shared about the MYM process in the Province, discussed the reference document Evangelizers in the Midst of Youth, and the reflection guide on Inspiring MYM.
The visit concentrated on Sri Lanka, where we met with the Provincial Council, the leaders of the Province, a group of lay Marists, and visited several communities and ministries. We will visit India and Pakistan another time.
The warm welcome and hospitality of the Province and communities was highly appreciated, as well as the great opportunity of experiencing the rich cultural and religious diversity of the country.