Workshop for lay formation facilitators in General Santos City
Responding to the Calls of the 22nd General Chapter and concretizing the thrust of the Asia Laity Commission in providing formation opportunities for the laity, the Philippines convened 18 lay leaders for a workshop from Sept. 21 – 23 at the Province Center in General Santos City.
The team who guided the workshop process was formed by Agnes Reyes, Elma Rafil and Brother Lindley Sionosa.
The gathering provided orientation on the newly published document Being a Lay Marist: Guidelines for accompanying people on their vocational journey and for formation pathways.
This document, along with the documents Water from the Rock, Gathered Around the Same Table, Church documents on laity and Scripture texts, are considered as key references in the formation processes of participants.
The group also received varied and practical resource materials which are useful in the process of animating and deepening Marist life.
The formative processing experience in the workshop allowed participants not only to know key texts to study but also to have moments of prayerful silence and reflections.
For most of them, these moments were helpful in trying to encounter and experience a deep spiritual union with God, giving them privileged spaces of communion.
The participants, who came from different mission areas and schools, shared practices and personal testimonies of living the Marist way of life.
They received affirmation and the joy of mutual support as they drew inspiration from each other.
During the activities, the group experienced the strength of a family spirit, a reflection of the family spirit that Mary lived at home with Jesus and Joseph in Nazareth and Saint Marcellin Champagnat with his brothers in La Valla and the Hermitage.
The workshop for lay formation facilitators ended with expressions of commitment to be “beacons of hope” as lay Marist evangelizers, partaking in God’s mission in the Church and in our global family today.
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Marjorie Veronica Rañeses