Youth: the young face of God
Marist Brothers, lay and youth from ten Provinces and two Districts met in Campinas, Brazil, to celebrate the Inter-American Meeting "Evangelists among the youth",whose main objective wasto celebrate the journey of the PJM in America and look at the realities of the youth, analyzing their current context and the mission of evangelizing children and young people in America.
Br. Josep Maria Sotera of the General Council, Br. Wellington Madeiras, Provincial of the Brasil Centro Norte Province and member of the Standing Committee of the Inter-American Conference of Provincials, Br. Valdícer Fachi, Executive Secretary of the Brazilian Marist Union UMBRASIL and Br.João Carlos do Prado, Director of the Institute's Mission Secretariat accompanied the opening of the meeting.
Since the very beginning, the young participants representing the youth of their Provinces and Districts marked with joy and prominence this meeting, which gave all of us the chance to listen to them. Through a song, a play and a round table they themselves led, they invited us to listen to the youth, to involve them in the areas and structures of animation, to look at the different faces that Jean Baptiste Montagne has today, to paint our face with the colour of hope and not to be afraid to sail with them out to a new land.
During the days of the meeting, the participants had the opportunity to share youth realities, their strengths, challenges and dreams of the Youth Ministry of each of the Provinces. There has also been the chance to look together at the horizons and perspectives of the Marist youth evangelization in America.
The times of prayer were moments to recognize the signs of God in life and history and through sharing life and spirituality we can say that the heart of everyone present there burned and that fire motivates us to get on track and share the mission, being more human and thus humanizing our reality.
During the meeting we got to knowthe responses of the Marist Mission through the Mission ad gentes, the International Marist Volunteering and the Inter-American Solidarity Document "Paths of Marist Solidarity in the Americas."
This part of the meetingwas organized by the Sub-commissionon the Marist Evangelization of the Americas, as part of the process proposed by the International Youth Ministry Commission for the study and reflection on the document "Evangelists among the youth."
The members of the sub-commission are Claudia González of the Province of Santa María de los Andes, Br. Luiz André Pereira of the Brasil Centro Norte Province, Carlos Ulises Centeno López of the México Central Province and Br. Juan Ignacio Fuentes of the Cruz del Sur Province and liaison person with the Commissionon the Inter-American Mission.
When this part of the event ended, the First Evangelization Meeting of Province and District Coordinators began.