Visiting Rome to have a better awareness of the services of the General Administration
The brothers of the General Council organise a meeting every two years for the Provincials and District Superiors who are starting their first mandate in order to share with them the policies of the Institute and procedures of government. For this reason, Brothers Provincial Lauro Hochscheidt, (RĂo Grande do Sul), Joseph McKee, (Europe Centre-Ouest/West Central Europe), Ndawala Lawrence, (Ăfrica Austral/Southern Africa), Christian Mban, (Nigeria), Robert Teoh, (China) and the District Superiors Sylvain Yao, (Ăfrica del Oeste/Afrique de l?Ouest/West Africa) et Kenneth McDonald, (Melanesia) gathered at Rome from the 21st to the 28 June.
They made contact with those responsible for the various services of the General Administration to have a better awareness of their functioning. Brother Juan Miguel Anaya, Procurator General, informed them on the canonical aspects of their task as Provincial or District Superior, on the procedures for admission to vows and the solutions of special cases.
The Religious Life Commission presented the new Bureau for Vocations and the priorities set by the Provinces and Districts during the Marist Vocation Year. This Commission also looks after initial formation, community life and spirituality, as well as the writing of a document on Marist apostolic spirituality.
Brother Jean Ronson, Secretary General, gave the orientations and procedures of the General Secretariat and the archives while Brother Giovanni Bigotto spoke about the causes of the saints.
The Mission Commission explained the preparation of the first Marist International Mission Assembly and the activities that the new Bureau for the Laity is planning. BIS presented its way of working to encourage solidarity and its project of the promotion of the rights of the child at Geneva. The implications of the Project ad gentes for the Institute and its perspectives were also presented to the new Provincials and District Superiors.
The Commission on the Evangelical Use of Goods gave an exposé of the philosophy of the General Administration on this subject and the creation of a new Bureau. Then, the Econome General gave some information concerning the finances of the Institute and the Solidarity Funds proposed by the 20th General Chapter.
The Director of Communications gave a résumé of the written publications, printed or computerised, sent to all the houses of the Institute, specifying their numbers and their cost.
Brother SeĂĄn Sammon offered a reflection on the pastoral role of the Provincial.
The intensity of the programme had to cope with hot and humid temperatures of Rome, from which we were able to escape on the Sunday 25th June to visit Subiaco.