The Global Marist Family Fund for Humanitarian Emergencies
Receive fraternal greetings from us here in the General House, Rome. We write from the Secretariat of Solidarity, as coordinators, to recommend and encourage you to adopt “The Global Marist Family Fund for Humanitarian Emergencies” project of the General Administration. The General Council approved it, during its June 2020 plenary session, to respond to emerging humanitarian needs in the Marist world.
Through this project, the General Administration is answering to the call of the of the XXII General Chapter by asking us, Marists of Champagnat:
- to grow in solidarity awareness as a Global Family, and
- to be involved in humanitarian projects, by means of fundraising for humanitarian emergencies of our time for basic needs including food, potable water, health/sanitation, and shelter.
We are invited at individual, community, educational work, and family levels etc., to do something in this regard. For necessary and practical information and materials for your participation in this humanitarian project, contact your Provincial and District leaders as well as the web page of the Institute.
We know that many projects are already being carried out to respond to various emergency needs including those from wars, natural disasters and now from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The XXII General Chapter, celebrated in Colombia in 2017, in the first call, encouraged us to grow as a “global charismatic family,” with a specific invitation to “act as a global body”. Also, the last call invites us to participate and to respond “boldly to emerging needs. This is an initiative that each one of us can develop in a creative way, as the Message of the Chapter reminds us. From the Secretariat of Solidarity, we encourage you to be concrete in your participation wherever you are; situations differ greatly. Things to do will range from awareness raising, fundraising to distribution of basic human needs including food, potable water, health/sanitation, and shelter; whatever the case, we are encouraging creativity as we participate in this project of the General Administration.
Thank you all, Marists of Champagnat, in advance for welcoming this project designed to respond to the humanitarian emergencies that are arising in our world. Thank you for being there for those in need. “We bend our shoulders to the task and play our part to the best of our ability in serving others”, Brother Ernesto told us in Homes of Light.
Receive our fraternal greetings in Jesus, Mary and Champagnat.
Fraternally,
Brothers Francis Lukong and Angel Diego GarcĂa Otaola – Directors Secretariat of Solidarity
