World youth day 2011
From the information provided in our site, you already know what are the objectives of this International Meeting and what is being looked for in future Youth Days: that it be consolidated and be able to be celebrated, in coincidence with the WYD, in such a way that it can help the young people of all the Marist Provinces and Districts. With this purpose, Madrid 2011 offers two different meetings in the preliminary stage with strictly Marist characteristics.
A. First stage: Marist (from 10 to 15 August 2011, prior to the WYD)
Buitrago de Lozoya (about 70 km. from Madrid)
Runs from 10 to 14 August. International Meeting of Marist Youth. Offers 5 places for young people from between 18 and 25 years of age, plus an accompanier, for each Province and District. We would like to count on representatives from all of them. It will be a meeting in the style of an assembly. So that no one has to decline for economic reasons, we will, of course, set up a system of assistance appealing to the criteria of solidarity. We impose the condition that the youth selected have followed a process of preparation, by responding to the encounters we post on the Web.
Welcome from the Marist Provinces with works in Spain
This will take place from 10 to 14 August. The Provinces of Compostela, LHermitage, Ibérica and Mediterránea will welcome the rest of the youth from all over the world who come organized by their respective Provinces, have taken part in the preparation process and are approved by the corresponding provincial delegate. We will not admit individuals or groups who are not organized or authorized by the corresponding Province or District.
Day of 15 August. Great Marist Celebration
On this day all the participants come together in Madrid (in the college of San José del Parque) and hold a great Marist celebration before the beginning of the WYD, which starts the following day, 16 August, and goes until the 21st.
B. Second stage. WYD. Madrid 2011 (from 16 to 21 August)
From the 16th of August we take part in the WYD Madrid 2011 and all its activities. All the Marist groups will be accommodated in our colleges in Madrid and will take part freely in all the activities offered in the city: catechetics, concerts, exhibitions, etc. We will also, as Marists, offer activities to other youth who are interested. Here we invite all the Provinces to offer possible activities for the WYD. The Central Commission has already planned various initiatives, but we are open to any new ones.
Preparation for the International meeting of Marist youth
Independently of whether the Marist youth are taking part in Madrid 2011 or not, we hope that the process of preparation and reflection will be followed by the largest number of them throughout the world. To this end, the Commission has drafted material for reflection for six sessions, although each Province may add something more. We have used the Marist slogan chosen for the event, «belivin» («believing»), which fits perfectly with the theme of the World Youth Day: Rooted in Christ, firm in the faith.
These materials are being posted on the official Marist Web created for the event, and which can be accessed, depending on the language, at the following addresses: www.maristyouth.com (English), www.jovenesmaristas.es or www.juventudmarista.com (Spanish), www.jeunesmaristes.com (French), www.jovensmaristas.com (Portuguese). The page will be opened, in Spanish, on 31 March; in the other languages, on 15 April. The various materials will be introduced by a letter from the Bro. Superior General.
We want the Web to be interactive and young people, at the end of each of the meetings, to be able to post their conclusions in the desired format: VĂdeo, Pdf, Word, Presentations… and also to be able to communicate through the main social communication networks: Facebook, tuenti…
As has already been indicated, the preparation process is a fundamental prerequisite for being able to take part in the International Meeting of Marist Youth, and the same limitation applies to the reference to age. Although the organizers of the WYD admit young people from 16 years of age, we, as Marists, do not accept anyone younger than 18, because of legal complications, in particular, and the civil responsibility entailed.
Registrations, prices and documentation
At present, we cannot give you much information, since the Organization of the WYD still has many matters to be clarified and made concrete. Hopefully, in October or November we will be in a position to provide new data. If you wish to know more details, there is the official Website of WYD: www.jmj2011madrid.com where you will find, for example, the prices for the corresponding weeks and the categories of countries that we will also take into account. (These prices are only for the second week; for the first, we have not yet worked them out). For the moment, no one should register, either as an individual or a group, since we are negotiating about being able to register ourselves as a congregation and as a group.
For the security and peace of mind of the participants, we can say that entry into the European Community is guaranteed according to the requisites indicated later. I wish also to inform you that the Marist Youth from all over the world who are present in Spain during these days will be covered by life insurance, both by the WYD and the International Meeting of Marist Youth.
The journey is the most important
The most important thing for now is that we set out on the journey to make this 2011 Meeting a reality. On the journey we will be learning and sharing a lot. May each Province set in motion the appropriate mechanisms and establish a calendar of meetings so that they can come to August 2011 with the task achieved.
From Madrid we desire that the centre of all this movement may not be the WYD, nor the Pope?s visit to the youth, nor even our youth ministry which so concerns us. May the centre of all this activity be Jesus and, as we are celebrating at this time, Jesus risen, the fundamental reason for our faith.
In the name of the Central Commission, affectionate greetings to all and a Happy Easter 2010.
Yours sincerely,
Br. Antonio Alegre Sánchez
Secretary of the Spanish Marist Conference