The Marists of Madagascar celebrated their annual retreat
The Marist Brothers of Madagascar held their annual retreat from August 4 to 10, in Mahatamana, with the motto: “If you knew the gift of God”, phrase that resonated throughout the Provincial Chapter last January. This year, the brothers’ retreat was special, since among the nineteen participants were two Marist laymen.
Brother Provincial, Alphonse Tiamaro, welcomed everyone and introduced the two retreat facilitators: Brother Alexandre Ramarosandratana and Brother Thomas Randrianantenaina, who had just completed their training on “Spirituality of the Heart” in Nairobi, Kenya.
For his part, Brother Thomas explained the program and dynamics of the retreat to the participants. And he also invited them to meditate and remain silent during these moments dedicated to the search for God and the Holy Spirit. The participants meditated on the following topics: “The Spirituality of the Heart, a new way of living life according to the will of God; Sensium Divina; Lectio Divina and Visio Divina”.
According to the schedule, the participants met every morning in the chapel to pray the lauds. Afterwards, they began the sessions in the conference room. The rest of the morning the Marists dedicated themselves to meditation and prayer. Next, the brothers and lay people celebrated the Eucharist in the chapel. In the afternoon, they continued with the Marian prayer: this prayer was performed in the chapel or in the grotto of the Holy Virgin.
During his homily, Father HervĂ© Martin Rafalimananirina, Vicar General, spoke about holiness and divinity. He also insisted that today’s society needs religious and priests who prioritize consecrated life, self-denial and availability for others.
In the sessions, the participants also discussed the different obstacles that harm the relationship with God: bad habits and the seven deadly sins. Fortunately, solutions were proposed to remedy them. Likewise, issues related to the rights and protection of children were addressed.
This first retreat in Mahatamana was beneficial for all participants because it strengthened their faith in God and motivated them to carry out their mission in their new community. Everyone thanked the Holy Trinity: “the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, for these moments full of the grace of God. The participants especially thanked the provincial, Brother Alphonse Tiamaro, the facilitators and all the participants of this first retreat.