Visit of the Solidarity Secretariat to UMBRASIL and the Provinces of Brasil Centro-Norte and Brasil Sul-Amazonia

Brothers Francis Lukong and Ángel Diego, Directors of the Secretariat of Solidarity of the General Administation have visited part of the Marist provinces of Brazil Centro Norte and Brazil Sul-Amazonia. From the 25th of April to the 2nd of May 2022, we had the opportunity to meet some of the people and Marist works that are directly related to solidarity. After two years of the Covid 19 pandemic, we were able to begin visiting to get to know the Marist reality.

The richness of the personal encounter has been the dominant note during all the days of the visit. We had the opportunity to meet and interact with many Marists and their collaborators, and with many children and young people who they minister to.

We had the opportunity to get to know the realities of Brasilia and Porto Alegre, as well as some nearby cities. We were also able to meet with UMBRASIL, as the organization that organizes the collaboration between the three Marist Provinces of Brazil. We had meetings with provincial coordinators, social educators and children and young people who are the beneficiaries of our solidarity action as a Marist Institute. These meetings gave us the opportunity to transmit the way of understanding and organizing solidarity in the General Administration. We were able to learn from each other and to discover how to continue to collaborate and network in the coming months. Solidarity is all-embracing and not just one way direction of feeling sympathy. As Marists, children and young people unite us, and give us a common understanding of relationships and mission.

We want to thank all the Marists of Champagnat who welcomed us and accompanied us. We thank them for their availability, closeness, and sense of family. We are especially grateful to Leonardo, Paulo and Brothers Iranilson and José. We thank them for their fraternal and Marist welcome in the provincial communities of Brasilia and Porto Alegre.

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Br. Ángel Diego – Director of the Secretariat of Solidarity