The Superiors of the Administrative Units meet with the General Council

March 2-7, the General Council and the Superiors of Administrative Units of the Institute met at the General House. The meeting covered a range of matters and the participants heard from the Marists leaders and their collaborators, both Brothers and Marist lay. The overall theme was “A Leadership That Cares for Life” and each day there was an elaboration on a specific aspect of the theme. Everything was presented within the context of the Institute’s Strategic Plan 2018-2025, which was introduced to the Superiors at last year’s meeting.

• We Care for New Marist Life, focussed on nurturing Marist Vocations: specifically, to the Brothers (the Institute currently has 119 Novices in various parts of the world) and also to Marist Lay life. There was sharing on different approaches and forms.
• We Care for People, was centred on the quality of care offered to the Brothers at various stages of life – youth, middle age, later age. A significant part of this was the issue of self- care: health, emotional, social and spiritual; issues which apply to Leaders and all Brothers.
• We Take Care of the Common Home, was presented by the newly appointed Director of Solidarity, Br Ángel Diego Otaola. He outlined a new project on ecology and invited comments about activities in Marist ministries and communities. In many parts of the Marist world it is an issue that has received significant attention.
• We Care for Minors, covered the area of child protection and rights, and Brothers Ken McDonald, Ben Consigli and Óscar Martin led the Provincials in reviewing the latest learnings and the developing processes and protocols.
• We Care for the Mission, outlined a variety of projects related to Education and Evangelisation of the young. Br Carlos Alberto Rojas and Mark Omede (Secretariaty of Education and Evangelization) introduced the participants to the work being undertaken in developing an international network of Marist Schools. Also included in this was an update from Brothers Valdícer Fachi (Cmi) and Jeff Crowe on the Lavalla200> Project. A review conducted over the last year indicated significant success but also some issues. The project will continue and identified deficiencies will be addressed.
• We Care for our Regions, addressed the particular needs of the Institute’s six Regions. The Link Councillors and the Leaders of the Regions met to workshop these issues.

Some of the other issues covered and news items presented include:

• Br Antonio Estaún, Postulator General, updated the participants on the Marists causes of canonisation. Br. Antonio is currently focussing on Br Francois and has expended enormous time preparing the documents on Br Basilio’s cause.
• Raul Anaya (Director of the Secretariat of the Laity) and Brothers Ángel Medina and Lindley Sionosa (Secretariat of Brothers Today) outlined various formation programmes. This year there is to be a shared formation programme (Brothers and Lay) on Spirituality and it will be held in the Regions. Participants, venue and details are to be finalised.
• Councillor General, Br Josep Maria Soteras, gave to the Provincials an update on the Rule of Life and revised Constitutions. The Vatican’s review of the Constitutions has been a slow process, and recently the General Council have needed to respond to a list of 71 queries. Hopefully the revised Constitutions will be approved by the end of the year. After that, both Rule and Constitutions will be published and distributed to Brothers.

The Superiors of the Administrative Units also enjoyed a morning of silence and reflection, dialogue in smaller Fraternity groups, thoughtful and creative prayers and Eucharists, and social occasions.

On the last day, Archbishop Jorge Patrón, who works in the Roman Curia as Secretary for Seminaries of the Congregation for the Clergy, was with the provincials and presided over the Eucharistic celebration.

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