Message_38EN

indexA Long Road to the MeetingBr. AMEstaún

A New Step in the Life of the InstituteBr. Emili Turú

The Road to MendesChema Pérez Soba

THE MARIST WORLDSETS OUT FOR MENDES– Reception in the airport– Reception in Mendes– An old country property

INTERNATIONAL ASSEMBLY

1.INAUGURATION

– Inauguration of the Assembly

– Greetings and WelcomeBr. Claudino Falchetto, Provincial of Brasil Centro-Norte

– Report of the Preparatory Commission Érica Pegorer

– Opening Address of the Assembly Br. Seán Sammon, Superior general

– Introduction of the logo

Year XXII - n° 38 - June 2008

Editor-in-Chief:Brother AMEstaún

Publications Commission:Brothers Emili Turú, AMEstaún, Onorino Rota and Luiz Da Rosa.

Translators Coordination:Brother Carlos Martín Hinojar

Translators:Spanish:Brother Carlos Martín HinojarFrench:Brother Josep Roura BahíBrother Jean RoussonBrother Louis RichardEnglish:Brother Douglas WelshBrother George FontanaBrother Des CroweBrother Don NearyMatteo BruniPortuguese:Brother Aloisio KuhnF. Eduardo CampagnaniBrother Pedro Ost

Photography:AMEstaún, Archives of the General House

Formatting and Photolithography:TIPOCROM, s.r.l.Via A. Meucci 28, 00012 Guidonia,Roma (Italia)

Production and Administrative Center:Piazzale Marcellino Champagnat, 2C.P. 10250 - 00144 ROMATel. (39) 06 54 51 71Fax (39) 06 54 517 217E-mail: [email protected]: www.champagnat.org

Publisher:Institute of the Marist BrothersGeneral House - Rome

Printing:C.S.C. GRAFICA, s.r.l.Via A. Meucci 2800012 Guidonia,Roma (Italia)

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2.THE GIFT OF YOUTHAND THE MARIST VOCATION

– Listening to the young people Cláudia Lanieth Faquinote

– The Marist Response Br. Juan Miguel Anaya

– Sharing Our Vocation Br. Pau Fornells

3. DREAMING THE FUTURE THAT GOD WANTS FOR US

– The sacred circles and dreams of GodMercia Procopio

4. THE DREAMOF THE BROTHERS AND LAITYS

– One Heart One Mission

5. COMMITTED IN THE MARIST MISSION

– Mendes: The beginning of a crossing! Dilma Alves

– Closing Address of the Assembly Br. Seán Sammon

– A Prophetic Assembly for the 21st CenturyBr. Pau Fornells

ALBUM OF MEMORIES

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A long roadto the meeting

Mature fruit from Vatican II

P R E S E N T A T I O N Br. AMEstaún

T he International As-sembly of Marist Mission,which took place in Men-

des, saw the birth of a realitywhich slowly gestated over along period of time. The fruitsof Vatican Council II, born andnurtured in the fertile lands ofthe Church, cultivated in theMarist garden, abundantly irri-gated by the waters of theHoly Spirit, begin to appear

before the eyes of history. Oneof those fruits is the Interna-tional Assembly of Marist Mis-sion. By analyzing the global statis-tics of the Institute, it can beproved that the number ofMarist houses and students hasincreased throughout its histo-ry, with the exception of theperiods of the two World Wars.The highest number of Broth-

ers in the Institute, accordingto a sample statistic, can befound in 1965 with 9,752 pro-fessed Brothers. Starting fromthat date, until our own time,the number of Brothers dimin-ishes and paradoxically thenumber of houses and studentsincreases. This complex phe-nomenon can only be ex-plained by the presence of thelay people in the Marist works. The harmony of the Brotherswith the lay people, the accep-tance of the work carried outtogether and the explicit ap-preciation shown on the partof the Institute has beenchannelled more through thefacts and through life thanthrough ordinances or laws.The 20th General Chapter, whentaking the pulse of the globalreality of the Institute, recog-nized that, although theBrothers were less numerically,the Institute had never beenas widespread as it was to-wards the end of the XXth cen-tury. The world-wide presenceof the charism and of Maristpedagogy has been accom-plished thanks to thousands ofthe lay people who are inte-grated the Marist works. For

2 • FMS Message 38

June 2008 • 3

the first time in history, theGeneral Chapter recommendedto the General Council the es-tablishment of processes andappropriate structures to allowthe Brothers and the lay peo-ple to speak a common lan-guage.

A history that comesfrom afar

The true background history,of the presence and collabora-tion of the lay people inMarist works, comes from farback in the history of the In-stitute. This presence becomessignificant for the Institutewhen, after the expulsion ofthe Brothers from France in1903, the unanimity of teach-ing, sustained for decades bythe “Guide des Écoles” cannotcontinue. The Brothers, spreadthroughout the world, had toadapt Marist teaching to verydiverse cultures and countries.The Institute assumed a new

pedagogical paradigm. BrotherAndré Lanfrey, in one of hisworks, puts forward the hy-pothesis that with the purposeof the “Guide des Écoles”whose revision was decided bythe 11th General Chapter(1907), as an obligatory workof reference for Marist teach-ing, “Marist pedagogies” en-tered the Marist world. Withthis change of paradigm therecomes into existence an un-stoppable evolution of theteaching structure of theMarist school that has lastedfor several decades. Social de-velopment, the continuous in-crease in entrance applicationsto Marist schools and the com-plexity of scientific, technical,pedagogical and educationaldemands, cannot be accom-plished by a community ofBrothers alone and so they be-gin to introduce into their ha-bitual structures what werecalled in those times, “em-ployees,” “civil collaborators,”or even, “auxiliary teachers.”

It was an historic Marist peda-gogical moment when whatwas “the Brothers’ school,” di-rected by a community ofBrothers, became “the Maristschool” directed by an “educa-tional community” shared byBrothers and lay people.

A new change of paradigm

The “Marist school” did not hap-pen overnight, but ratherthrough an evolutionary processin which “civil teachers” or “as-sistants” began to be valued as“lay people,” as members of acommunity of faith in which,without the lay people, there isno Church. When the lay personremains silent, everyone suffersthe consequences; if he or she ispassive, everyone is weakened; ifhe or she leaves, everyone is di-minished. A full member of theChurch, the lay person takes partin its total mission. With thishistoric step in which the Church

discovers the importance of the laity in theMarist school, college or university, a newparadigm is adopted, emanating from thetheological foundations of Vatican Council II. From a Brothers’ school where the lay per-son was considered as being “civil,” “auxil-iary,” “co-worker” and the one who sharedwith the Brothers, in the best cases, “ide-al,” “spirit,” “work”... as expressions ofgood understanding, he moves on, after along period of gestation, to sharing in an“educational project” and the “ shared in-heritance” of a “charism” and “mission”.This way of thinking produced a new educa-tional paradigm in the concept of Maristpedagogy. The “pedagogical” paradigm be-came the “theological” paradigm. The “civilteacher”, the “assistant” begins to be seenin the institution not just as a salariedworker, not just as a substitute or as acomplement, but as heir participant in acharism. This change of mentality has pro-gressed in parallel with decisive events inMarist history. A parallel road between thedemands of the Marist pedagogical para-digm and the Marist theological paradigm.

Concerning those invited and the observers

Analyzing the Circular of the superiors, starting from the end of the SecondWorld War, it can be seen that during the terms of Brothers Leonida andCharles Raphael, before Vatican Council II, “the statistics for several yearsdisplay in certain sectors of the Institute a remarkable disproportion be-tween the number of students and “educational” personnel (Leonida,1947). Brother Charles Raphael, on the other hand, some years later, con-firms that “in most of our Provinces, the number of lay teachers is rapidly

increasing in our schools.”Their presence isoften necessary if one wants to follow therhythm of the growth in the school popula-tion”. But, on the other hand, he sees as in-convenient “linking up with a large numberof lay teachers”... “In general we are happyto be able to count on their assistance.Without them many of our schools wouldhave disappeared some time ago. Time andtime again we call on them with greater


Br. AMEstaúnpresentation

I think it was a very positiveevent. Besides being a concreteintercultural experience, it laid

the foundations of a new path. We witnessed a fresh breath of the Spirit, which summons usto open up, for we are called to progress with greater clarity and organisation, joining together our work in one international institution. This meeting will reach unimaginable borders.Thanks to the General Council, for beinghere with us, understanding the importance of listening to our needs, as we work for the society, in order to have a shared mission, a mission taken up by all of us who belong to the Marist family.

Ana Villazón Laso, México Central

June 2008 • 5

frequency to collaborate. But itis necessary to keep a good bal-ance, a moderation that variesaccording to the conditions inthe diverse work of the schools”.(Charles Raphael, 1963) Brother Basilio, who dedicatedmore than 2,000 pages to writ-ing his circulars, hardly dedi-cates any of them to the evalua-tion and promotion of the laypeople. His great concern wasto prioritise the Brothers. “Wewill limit ourselves to mention-ing the topic (of the lay people)- he writes -, for greater clarityand, mainly, to be able to guidethe enthusiasm of the Brothersto raise and to form these valu-able people and, today morethan ever, important membersthe Mystical Body of Christ”.(Basilio, 1968) Starting from Vatican Council II,the lay people are considered inthe documents of animation ofthe Institute, under the guid-ance of the new theological par-adigm. “What is clear is that thetheology of the Church devel-oped in the Council, in the Syn-od on the Laity (1987) and in-corporated in the Pope’s Apos-tolic Exhortation ‘Christi fideleslaici’ (1988), recognizes theidentity of the lay people, theirdignity and sanctity, responsibil-ity and mission”, writes BrotherCharles Howard. And from hispen comes the circular “Sowersof Hope” (1990), in which herefers to the “Letter from theMarist animators to the little “Brothers of Mary” entitled Mar-cellin lives today”, developed inBurgos by the Animators of theProvinces of Spain. In it they af-

firm the lay people: We “feelvividly the charism ofMarcellin, and we arecaptivated by his spiri-tuality, that special anddifferent form of cre-ative presence that growsin the Church and enriches it”.By including this letter in a cir-cular to the Institute, the Broth-er Superior General makes an ex-plicit recognition of the meritscharacteristic of the lay peoplewho feel the right to be linkedwith the Institute, not by decla-rations of principles, but by thelife that the Spirit has raised inthem.

Attracted by the spirituality

In the circular “ChampagnatMovement of the Marist Family”(1991), Brother Charles Howarddirects himself “to all the Broth-ers”... “as in all the circulars,”but also to the “friends,” be-cause “what is presented alsocontains something of interestfor some lay people.” In thatcircular he makes a general ref-erence to the “relationshipswith the lay people” making itquite clear that the reality ofthe lay people in the Instituteoverflows into the ownership ofthis Movement. “When speakingof this Movement, we must beclear that it does not representany organizational manoeuvreto balance the falling numbersof Brothers, but rather it is theanswer to a call” by those who“tell us that they are attractedto what they have learned of

our spirituality.” (CharlesHoward, 1991)In the 19th General Chapter(1993) 14 lay people attendedas “special guests,” representingvery different areas of collabora-tion with the Brothers: incharge of schools, of parents’associations, of retreats, ofyouth movements, of the Cham-pagnat Movement of the MaristFamily, etc. During the chapterthere were several sessions ofjoint work, assisted by someBrothers, and they prepared amessage directed to the ChapterAssembly. On three occasionsthey spoke to all the capitu-lants.

Fruit of the fertility ofa charism

Brother Benito Arbués, someyears later, in his circular “Walkpeacefully, yet with a sense ofurgency” (1997) writes: “Per-sonally I perceive that ouropenness to the lay people andrecognizing their gifts andwealth is no longer optional” Ina “Church of communion”... “oneof the important aspects of


communion is the recognition of the vocation to which God calls each oneof us and the acceptance of the mutual interaction and the exchange ofgifts which come from the complementarity of vocations”. And he con-

cludes: “To isolate ourselves from the lay peo-ple, not to share with them our mission andspirituality, is tantamount to depriving ourselvesof the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given tothem. They can be an important force in the re-foundation of our Institute”. With the canoniza-tion of Champagnat (1999) the Marist charismbecomes the patrimony of the whole Church.Little by little we go on forging the vital lines ofthe new Marist theological paradigm.

The General Chapter welcomesthe Marist lay people

For the first time in the history of the Insti-tute, 18 lay people invited as observers tothe 20th General Chapter (2001), participat-ed with the right to speak on all capitular ac-tivities taking place during the “see-judge”

stage of discernment. They were the main speakers in the “Open Fo-rum” on the “Marist lay people,” and their influence was recognised inthe “Letter to the whole Marist Family” which the Chapter edited andapproved. Likewise, the General Chapter summed up its reflection infive calls. The third is a capitular call to “deepen the specific identityof Brothers and of lay people.” It is a call to “enlarge the space of thetent” to welcome a new reality: “The Marist lay person.” For this they commit themselves to “promote experiences andprocesses of combined reflection that help to deepen the Marist iden-tity and profile different forms of ownership of the Institute. This im-plies processes of combined formation for Brothers and lay people.”For that reason the 20th General Chapter asked the General Council to“create the structures that it considers necessary to assure, in the In-stitute and as a support to the shared mission among Brothers andlay people and to the evangelizing educational service to the chil-dren, the poorest and excluded young people, the setting up of someinternational forum of Marist mission. “ (“Choose Life” 48.6) This petition was fulfilled in the Assembly which took place inMendes. In general terms this is the institutional road that theBrothers and lay people have travelled, ending up in the celebrationof the International Assembly. This edition of FMS Message gathers within its pages the most signif-icant actions in the programme experienced by the members of theassembly and the guidelines that encouraged the steps of this histor-ical meeting of Brothers and lay people.

I leave here with a renewed awareness that God calls us, brothers

and laypeople, to build Marist communities of life that join together to form the soul of mission. I put my hope in the action of the Holy Spirit, which I felt so close, in joyand harmony with the charism of Marcellin, in the generosity of commitment and profoundcommunion that we felt here.

Fr. Antonio Leal, Compostela

Marzo 2008 • 7June 2008 • 7

The notion of «aninternational

meeting on Maristmission»

The General Council’s Mission Commission began to prepare its actionplan during the year 2002. In doing so, the Commission carefully ex-amined the recommendations and directives of the 20th General Chap-ter. Thus the Commission studied the request made by the Chapter tothe General Council (“Choose Life,” 48.6).

Gradually the idea of conducting an International Assembly came into fo-cus as we tried to imagine what the Chapter had in mind in suggesting an“international meeting on Marist mission.” Why an “assembly?” Princi-pally because we wished to emphasize that the gathering would be differ-ent from the Chapter, since our present legislation defines “Chapter” as agathering in which lay people have a role only on an invitation basisand for a limited time. The word “assembly” underlines, as we desired,

In previous articles, we havespoken at length about the pro-

cesses which led up to the MendesAssembly and how it actuallytranspired. Now we will focus on(1) the sources from which theidea of the Assembly arose and (2)the post-Assembly evaluation.

A New Step in the Life

of the InstituteThe Mendes Assembly: an evaluation

Br. Emili Turú, General Councilor

“At the Institute level, to create structures judged necessary tosupport (a) the mission shared by Bothers and lay people, and(b) educational and evangelizing work among the poorest andmost abandoned children and young people:• Supporting the Administrative Units• Coordinating common undertakings• Promoting formation programs• Promoting the goals of BIS and its programs• Organizing international meetings on Marist mission• Establishing a presence in international organizations

which deal with education and solidarity.”

PREPARATORY COMMISIÓN Br. Alphonse Balombe

(R. D. Congo); Mr. Chema Pérez Soba

(España); Dilma Alves Rodrigues

(Brasil); Sra. Érica Pegorer

(Australia); Br. John Y Tan

(Filipinas). General Administration: Br. Juan Miguel Anaya,

Br. Michael Flanigan, Br. Pedro Herreros,

Br. Emili Turú.

Br. Emili Turúa new step in the life of the Institute


the idea of full and equal participation on the part of all in attendance. By January 2003 we already had the first draft of a proposal for consid-eration by the Mission Commission. The Commission then sent the draftto representatives of all the Administrative Units of the Institute.Along with the draft a questionnaire was sent. It raised two questionsabout the idea of an Assembly. The responses, largely favorable to sucha meeting, included many suggestions as to how to conduct it, whatthemes to treat, who to invited, and so forth. In June 2004, with all the relevant data at hand, the General Councilapproved the proposal regarding the Assembly, targeting the date Sep-tember 2007. The Council appointed a preparatory committee, themembers being: Mrs. Dilma Alves Rodriguez (Brasil Centro-Norte); Mr.Chema Pérez Soba (Iberica); Brother Alphonse Balombe (PACE Province);Brother John Y. Tan (Philippines); Brothers Pedro Herreros and EmiliTurú, as respective heads of the Laity Commission and Mission Commis-sion; Brother Michael Flanigan and Brother Juan Miguel Anaya, secre-taries of the two last- named commissions. (Brother Michael Flaniganwas later replaced by Brother F. Pau Fornells.)The newly appointed commission laid out its working document to theGeneral Council which accepted the document as its own. The workingdocument presented detailed reasons for holding the Assembly:

Marzo 2008 • 9

• The International Assembly represents a newstep in the life of the Marist Brothers. The As-sembly will provide Brothers and laity the chan-ce to reflect together, in the same setting, uponthe present and future mission of the Instituteand upon its self-understanding.

• The Assembly would be a chance to strengthenthe processes of refounding the Institute and ma-king it more international, two challenges whichProvinces are experiencing at the beginning of the21st century. The Brothers and laity present atthe Assembly would treat these matters while dis-cussing among themselves what motivates themin their Marist work and what concerns them intheir efforts to help children and young people.

• The proposed process established to prepare andcarry out the Assembly was to be an occasion forself-examination regarding several points. Onepoint is to examine the real experience of workingon the Marist mission, and the beliefs which pro-vide the strength to carry out the mission. Ano-ther point concerns the vocational calls whichmotivate people to dedicate themselves to theMarist mission. The consideration of vocation fo-cuses on two points: looking anew at the docu-ment, In the Footsteps of Marcellin, and making anin-depth reflection upon the 20th General Chapter.

• Lastly, the suggestions and recommendationswhich will issue from the International Assemblymight be studied by those who participate in the21st General Chapter (2009), if the participantswish to do so. As a result the suggestions andrecommendations could contribute to providebroad points of orientation for the Marist world.

The Assembly’s goal as set by the General Councilprovided guidance for further planning and devel-opment of the entire process in its various stages. To give a priority throughout the Institute to dia-logue and commitment among those who are theprincipal actors in carrying out the Marist Mission;thereby a contribution is made to:• A reconsideration of Marist Mission in light of

Fr. Champagnat’s entire life– in his deep desire to announce the Good News– in his wish to send us in the midst of young

people, especially those most in need;– in his habit of constant discernment which

caused him to adapt himself to the changingneeds of his collaborators and assistants.

• Get a clearer and deeper idea of what we mean by«the Marist vocation»: that which is distinct, thatwhich is common to Brothers and lay people, etc.

• Promote greater co-responsibility among thoseengaged in the Marist mission, by making avail -able structures, paradigms, etc. which favor suchco-responsibility.

• A greater awareness of expressive diversity as towhat the Marist Mission actually looks like to-day, and a greater esteem for the diversity; inaddition, greater awareness of and esteem forthe Marist Mission’s international character as adynamism to be harnessed.

Gathering up the fruits of the AssemblyThe Assembly’s Preparatory Committee gathered atRome along with the General Council on January 1-14, 2008 to draw up a report about what had trans -pired at the September 2007 Mendes Assembly. Thespringboard for our discussion was the evaluationmade at the end of the Assembly by each participant.In doing the evaluation, the first thing we noted wasthe fruit that the Assembly had produced in us, thePreparatory Committee. From our first meeting in De-cember 2004, three years had passed, a time of shar-ing our dreams, of working together shoulder toshoulder, all the committee members bringing their

June 2008 • 9

MARIST INTERNATIONAL MISSION ASSEMBLY 2002 December: questionnaire

to the Administrative Units (responses in favor of an assembly)

2003 June: first approval by the General Council

2004 August: Naming of the Preparatory CommissionDecember: First meeting of the Preparatory Commission

2005 January: Initial project for the assemblyJune-July: Definitive project (2nd meeting of the Preparatory Commission)September: General Conference

very best to the work. We recognized that the experience of teamwork wasvery positive. We made special note, however, of the extraordinary benefitswhich the common work had produced in each person; experiences of faith,family spirit, friendship. To have been able to participate at the birth of theproject was a privilege, and so too was the chance to stand alongside theprocess as it passed through its various stages: local, Provincial, Regional,and finally Mendes itself. Will not our experience be but a small reflection ofwhat has transpired in the Institute at various levels? Another thing occurred. When we listened attentively to those who at-tended the Mendes Assembly, we sense that all of participants found theAssembly to be a very moving. Many participants emphasized that theyfelt that the Holy Spirit had been present and, in a powerful way, active.The Spirit’s presence was seen in a growing sense of togetherness, amongthe members of the Assembly and with the entire Marist world. Other par-

ticipants commented upon their experience of re-discovering enthusiasm for the Marist mission andhow the experience raised questions about howthey look at the world. Others sensed that theywere being drawn towards a path of personal con-version. Above all, however, the participants cameto sense an intense call to commitment and ac-tion, particularly by way of answering the majorinvitations contained in the final document. A sense of co-responsibility was emphatically realat the Mendes Assembly, and even throughout theprocess which led up to the Assembly. With strik-ing clarity, co-responsibility brought to light thewonderful things which can come to be when laypeople and Brothers work together, each groupwith its different gifts, vocations, experiences.

The more than one thousand small groups created at the local level, alongwith the more than 20,000 people involved in the process: such numbersgive testimony to the value of co-responsibility. Furthermore, workingthrough the processes which called for co-responsibility served to raise sig-nificant issues about the need for a fresh understanding of the Marist voca-tion. Certainly a new understand-ing is developing among us, butto deepen the understanding - soit seems - is a must.The final point concerns the im-pression we gained: that interna-tionality was one of the experi-ences which most struck the As-sembly participants. The diversecultural forms and varied modesof expression in which the Maristmission unfolds made a big im-pact on us. In the group there


Br. Emili Turúa new step in the life of the Institute

PROCESS2006 Enero

– Beginning of the local and provincial phases December– End of the provincial phase– Syntheses sent to Rome– Election of representatives

from each province2007 January – August

– Possible regional activity– Preparation for the participantsSeptember– INTERNATIONAL ASSEMBLY

June 2008 • 11

arose a profound inter-connectedness which in-creased our unity and our sense of belonging. Thiswas true particularly among the lay participants(male and female), because, not having a connec-tion to the Marist Brothers at an international level,they could only with difficulty gain an appreciationof this sort of experience. The challenge we facefor the future is how to maintain and increase therichness that internationality brings with it. In the evaluation that we made, we studied in de-tail the preliminary materials used at the local lev-el. We also examined what occurred during eachof the successive phases, particularly the finalphase. We have gathered up what we judge tohave been the most successful elements of theprocess as well as those aspects which, if we hadto do the process over again, we would do differ-ently. All the material will remain in Rome for theuse of future international committees.

Clarifying what is «new»

Speaking for myself, I am convinced that the Assem-bly was and will remain, not merely an historic eventin the history of the Marist Brothers. It was also amoment of grace which all of us had the privilegeand the chance to live through in a truly personal

way, as the people most involvedin what occurred. For such an ex-perience I thank the Lord. At thesame time, I feel that we bear aresponsibility in view of so manygraces which the Lord has grant-ed, particularly in committing our-selves to the Marist mission whichis more relevant than ever. In the course of the Mendes As-sembly we all worked on creatinga large mandala. In it we placedthe image of a pregnant woman,an eloquent symbol of new life germinating. In dif-ferent ways, we also placed within the mandala vari-ous designs. Each design came from the mandalacreated by a small group. The combined designs rep-resented two bands which intersected and becameinseparable though they did not merge into eachother. The Assembly itself, from its inception and inits preliminary stages, became a prophetic expressionof the whole Marist Institute. Yet, we will continueto require, now and in the future, strength and ener-gy of the prophetic kind, a gift of the Spirit. Withthe light of “what is new,” is it not really stimulatingto be able to move ahead in the Marist Institute, laypeople and Brothers together?

LOCAL PHASE

TemasA mission that is singular and plural1. Experienced by people today2. Among the young,

especially the most neglected3. At school and in other

educational environments

To which we are called together4. Marist vocation as a brother

and as a layperson5. Sowers of the Good News6. In equal partnership

In an attitude of constant renewal7. Champagnat, attentive

to the signs of the times8. We look together to the future

PROVINCIAL PHASE

• Each province decides how to conduct the provincial phase.

• At the end of the provincial phase,a synthesis is prepared whichsummarizes:a. the spirit in which the process

developed in the province;b. what the province wants

to communicate to the assembly.• Each province chooses the number

of brothers and laypeople allotted to participate in the Assembly.

You, as a member of the Marist Mission,are invited to participatein this singular event together withthousands of MARISTS from the five continents.

Building ONE HEART, ONE MISSION


For us our goal was clear: to start out from God,“to dream” the future of Marist mission and en-visage the paths we need to take in order tomake this dream come true. The idea was not tohold an Assembly of important and learned peo-ple, focusing on intellectual debate, but rather tohave a brotherly meeting of Marists who wantedto passionately convey the life and expectationsof many people, ready to listen to what God asksus for the well-being of the young boys and girlswe work for.

We therefore had to create an environment ofgenuine communication, authentically communi-ty-oriented, of mutual acceptance regardless ofour differences of language, customs and perspec-tive, each with our different outlook (so clear toourselves, but not so evident to others). We hadto work to build a Marist community – the imageof the Marists in the world – capable of listeningto God and understanding what He wants for us;we needed to build a community, to indicate themost appropriate ways for this dream to cometrue. No more and no less than that!

The main theme we chose was the following:

The Roadto Mendes

Chema Pérez Soba

One of the most delicatetasks of the Preparatory

Commission for the Assembly onMission – and one of the mostimportant – was to arrange thedevelopment of the Assembly it-self. We had already successfullylaunched the process of prepa-ration at a local and regionallevel, now we needed to find away to respond to the expecta-tions the Assembly had arousedwithin the entire Institute.

June 2008 • 13

a. First of all to listen. To listen to God throughthe needs of the youth and through some sig-nificant situations the Marists live in theworld today. In order to do this, we selectedthree moments:

• The first step had to be moving; it had totouch the heart, move it and put us at theheart and foundation of our devotion: chil-dren and young people. The “Lata Viva”group invited us to live out a ceremonythat echoed the real voices of many chil-dren and young people from all over theworld, where we could sense, touch and bereminded of the faces and lives of the boysand girls we work for, the ones we wish togive our lives for.

• Starting from this, our hearts touched andwilling to give a response, we tried to lis-ten to the voice of God in a wide range ofMarist experiences from all over the world.God told us something in Spain, in Austra-lia, in the Philippines, in China, in Ghana,in Brazil… for sure, something that madeus creative, which made us look at our dif-ferences with admiration, that made us fe-el that we could do something new, strongwith our present fidelity.

• In a third moment again we listened, tohear God calling us and understand how,to hear who he was calling to this renewedmission: together, brothers and laypeople,through dialogue and mutual enrichmentwe found our common identities and ourdifferent and complementary identities…

We devoted the third part of the Assembly to lis-tening. Our natural impatience led us to believe,perhaps, that this was ineffective, but we actual-ly felt that this rhythm was that of religious peo-ple who love God and are used to his ways.

b. The following step opened up to the “dream”.Before decisions, “dreams”. What horizons dowe perceive, starting from the touch we feltin our hearts? To create, therefore, startingfrom what is about to be born.

Also, for these ideas to be nourished andstrengthened by the feelings that stemmed fromlistening to God, in this stage we decided to usea methodology that was new for many of us: the“mandala”.

“Mandalas” are geometric drawings that in certainreligious traditions are used for meditation. Bybuilding “mandalas”, we wanted the differentgroups not to be lost in debates, and going be-yond their diverse origins, to work together on acommon feat… a common endeavour endowedwith a powerful symbolic force. We wanted to ex-press what we felt was the “dream” of God for theMarist mission, to say it together, to express thisdream with the power of a symbol, the energy ofthe “mandala”, to utter it as it should be done.

In spite of the initial difficulties, this delicatemoment generated a profound sense of commu-nion. Starting from each group’s smaller “man-dalas”, we built the great “mandala” of the Insti-tute, the symbol of our future, inspired by God.We were one community, brothers and laypeople,united by one feeling, bearers of the future.

c. Also the third moment was quite complex. For this “dream” to be suc-cessful, for the mother to bear the child, we had to be aware – andmake also others be aware – of the challenges that lie ahead. Weneeded to show the paths by which this “dream” could come true.

We had to offer a message, translated into words, not too many, butappropriate, audacious and significant, words like a mirror, where wecould look at ourselves, starting from each Province, to find ourproper place and be filled with enthusiasm, in order to face the re-newed mission that was waiting for us.

It was a difficult challenge, but we faced it together, forming an au-thentic community. The previous days had joined us to the commonsource of our mission; they allowed us to live the existing tensionswith flexibility, understanding and creativity.

Groups of different languages and different cultures workedtogether to draft a final message focussing with its heart on

God, the Mother Mary, and on children and young people, to showus the five great paths we need to follow in order to make this

“dream” of God for our mission be successful.

Then, after having listened, after having “dreamt” and discerned con-cerning the paths that can multiply the Marist mission, we could cele-brate the gift of the experience we had lived and present to the MotherMary, through the Superior General, two wonderful gifts: the messagewe offered to the world, and the event we had lived, the true symbol ofa living and creative Marist Institute that passionately reaches towardsthe future, towards God’s dream for the Mission of Saint Marcellin.


Chema Pérez Sobathe road to Mendes

June 2008 • 15

UN VERDADERO PRIVILEGIO

It is a great joy to be able to accomplish what thisInternational Assembly on the Marist Mission entrusted

to me; I am proud of having taken part in it and constantly glad of sharingwith my Province in the work that was done.Nearly two months have gone by since the day when Br. Seán asked us to enliven and share the results of this historical meeting; we may not see itsfruits yet, but if we communicate it in a spirit of familiarity it will certainlytransform our lives, and we will be able to focus our eyes and our vision in the same direction.The Assembly was an opportunity for reflection, discussion and dialogue;having been there, we know well that the original idea was to analyse the Marist Mission as a benefit for children and young people, but also to share in the vocation of those who serve them.They were intense days, certainly full of experience and learning. They gave us a general vision of the Institute and of its current challenges:if we will not be engaged in them directly, with care and co-responsibility,the future will be difficult.Mission must be a way of evangelising, and we must dream, as Marcellinonce dreamt. Every day in the world we must first of all identify ourselveswith him, and be close to the good heart of Mary; we took the name of “Marists” and we conceive it as a lifestyle, a way of renewing the sense of our action in the schools.These days, during which the Marist heart gathered in Mendes, in Brazil,allowed me to discover new things, and to enter even more in the spirit ofChampagnat. I definitely believe it is worthwhile to share the experienceand the richness of this meeting with everyone. We need to help each otherto understand the call that comes from it, and we must join together to enrich each other. Then the Marist call to religious or lay life will be a march of communion, a sharing of life.

Ulises Centero, México Central

PROUD OF HAVING TAKEN PART


THE MARISTSETS OUT

June 2008 • 17

MENDES, 3-12 septiembre 2007

WORLDFOR MENDES

Reception...

towa

rd M

ende

s...in the airport

CHRONICLE

All the congregation’sroads lead to MendesThis event is a novelty in theCongregation’s history. For thefirst time Brothers and lay peopleare meeting on an equal footingto share the experiences they havelived in the exercise of their mis-sion as Marist religious and lay

people.

June 2008 • 19

...in MendesSeptember, 3 2007

Br. Adorátor“Vinte anos de Brasil”, p. 206-207

For a few years it alsowelcomed retiredbrothers. In these lastdecades it has hostedretreats, recollectionsand encounters. Thisplace has something

that from the first moment captivated Brother Adorátor, according toan account in his book “Twenty Years in Brazil,” in which he tells ofhis memories of the first twenty years of Marist foundation in thiscountry. This work is full of anecdotes related in an elegant and at-tractive literary style. Today, this house welcomes an event of greatimportance for the Marist future in the world that can result in stimu-lating the memory of what the first years in Mendes were like, tracedin the spirit of La Valla and the Hermitage.

“All of the brothers who lived the first year of Mendes will never forget it.That first year left us with many memories and we like to recall them. Welacked many things which, in the ordinary conditions of life, seem indis-pensable. But we didn’t suffer because of their lack,or if so, very little. InMendes, in the months of June, July and August, there are cold days andthe nights more so. The thermometer indicates temperatures below zero.For Brazilians, it’s an intense cold. In the city of Río the minimum is 14°C (57° F). To withstand that temperature, the women wore furs and themen capes. These explanations help to understand the need that we had


F rom 1903 the MaristHouse at Mendes, loca-

ted in the middle of an exten-sive property, has served as aplace of Marist formation. Ithoused juniors, postulants,novices and scholastics fordecades.

An old countryproperty in the service ofmarist formation

Junio 2008 • 21

of blankets. Let’s remember that the brothers hadhardly more than a doubled towel to protect them-selves from the cold and a lumpy mattress of drygrass on a bed frame of iron cross pieces.

Those who were there at the beginning found allof this very difficult. It was necessary to spend al-most a month like this. On the 10th of July I wasable to distribute to the brothers thirty blankets.For all of them it was a time of great delight; thisis the reason that I remember that date. As to thequestion of food, we made do with what wasstrictly necessary: rice, beans, a bit of meat andan orange. Bread was very expensive: one francper kilo. We saved all we could. As for drinking wecan say that during hardships we used to drinkclear water: often it was cloudy due to the ani-mals or the rain. In the poverty of our diet we didnot lose our sense of humour.

When we read in the life of some saints that theydidn’t drink wine and in hardship only fresh water,we could not help laughing. For us that did notseem to be a great example of mortification. Dur-ing recreation, reflections about our spiritualprogress certainly weren’t lacking. How many

June 2008 • 21

an old country property in the service of marist formation

COMPLEXITY AND RICHNESS OF THIS ASSEMBLY

� Representatives by official languages: Spanish 37, English 33, Portuguese 14 and French 11.

� There are also 18 support staff persons from Brazil, 7 Brothers translating, 2 Brazilians hiredas translators, the chaplain (a Marist Father) and the Director of Communications for theInstitute.

� Administrative Units are distributed as follows:

� The Superior General and his Council plus the Preparatory Commission (17 people); 2 represen-tatives for each one of the Provinces (10) of Southern Africa, East Central Africa, Canada, Chi-na, USA, West Central Europe, Madagascar, New Zealand, Nigeria and South Asia (20 people),

� 3 representatives of the other Provinces (16): América Central, Brasil Centro-Norte, BrasilCentro-Sul, Compostela, Cruz del Sur, Ibérica, L’Hermitage, Mediterránea, Melbourne, MéxicoCentral, México Occidental, Norandina, Philippines, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa María de losAndes, Sydney. (48 people)

� 2 representatives from each of the Districts of: Paraguay, Western Africa, Korea, Amazoniaand Melanesia (10 people)

� By continental regions the number of representa -tives is as follows:

África 13América 40

Asia 10Europa 20

Oceanía 12

laughs echo from the Hacienda! Coffee was our luxury. We were well pro-vided for with the basics. The administrator picked up corn, rice and cof-fee. There were beautiful herds of pigs, sheep and hens. When buyingthe country property for forty “cuentas” (money of the time), we addedforty “cuentas” more to get all that could be had, including the vegeta-bles and the vegetable garden.Well or poorly settled in, we began to work; manual work, intellectualwork, we attacked everything. We set ourselves to confronting Por-


June 2008 • 23

To me, taking part in theAssembly meant intenselyexperiencing the universality of

the Marist Institute and the diversity ofexpressions of its charisma. By living togetherwith my brothers and sisters in mission, I couldrenew and reassert my desire to live my baptismaccording to the Marist charism. Thank you for the chance to be there, it was helpful to discern new paths for buildingone heart and one mission.

Adalgisa de Oliveira Gonçales, Brasil Centro-Sur

This Assembly has been a warm, cooperative and blessed

period in the lives of all participants. With 50 countries, over 120 people and 4 official languages it was amazing how consensus was reached on the main issues. It was evident that we shared the same values.As we go back to our countries I am sure that we all have the same determination toexpand the partnership & work of the laity,with Jesus at the centre, in the Champagnat way.I want to say a big thank you to all the brothers and lay partners for this memorable experience.

Adrienne Egbers, Southern Africa

tuguese and the gigantic vegetation thathad invaded the property. There were no fruit trees, nor cultivatedland nor grasslands. Part of the house wastransformed into a barn, stable and deposi-tory of everything because it was necessaryto keep everything in good shape..


1. Inauguration

2.The gift of youth and the Marist Vocation

3.Dreaming the future that God wants for us

4.The dream of the Brothers and Laity

5.Committed in the Marist Mission

INTERNATIONALASSEMBLY

June 2008 • 25

MENDES, September 3-12, 2007

InaugurationIn

tern

atio

nal A

ssemb

ly

June 2008 • 27

Br. Claudino FalchettoProvincial

of North Central Brazil

Dear Brother Seán Sammon, Superior General,Dear Brother Luis García Sobrado, Vicar General,Dear Brothers of the General Council,Dear Brothers and Marist lay people.

The ground upon which we are walking is sacredsoil. It is a Marist birthplace where, at the be-ginning of the 20th century, the first Brotherscoming from France were introduced to Brazil-ian ways. Here too lived all the Brothers of theformer Province of Central Brazil. Here, theBrothers of the Provinces of São Paulo and ofRio de Janeiro drank deeply of the Marist Broth-ers’ charism and spirituality. On this blessedland lived hundred of Brothers and candidatesto the Marist Brothers’ way of life, men who ina relatively short time spread the Marist aposto-late across the entire expanse of the country. Everything that has been built on this land ortransformed on it has been the work of theBrothers, especially of the enterprising spirit ofinnumerable missionary Brothers, French, Ital-ian, Spanish, Portuguese, German. They arrivedhere in order to learn the Portuguese languageand to undertake their education in the sci-ences, in the arts, in holiness. With profound sensitivity and exquisite realism,Brother Adorátor, the first Provincial, wrote ofthe beginnings of the Marist Brothers’ mission

Greetings and Welcome

Mendes, September 3, 2007

Br. Claudino Falchettogreetings and welcome

in Brazil. He assembled his notes into a bookwhich he entitled, Twenty Years of Brazil. TheMendes property was purchased at the beginningof 1903. Here are a few paragraphs of BrotherAdorátor’s narrative concerning events during thefoundation year.“The Brothers who lived through the first year atMendes will never forget it. It was a year whichleft us with many memories which we happily callto mind. We lacked a great many things, which innormal conditions of life seem to be indispen -sable, but we were not very bothered by their ab-sence, or only a little bit... We recall that to pro-tect themselves from the cold, the Brothers hadbut a folded towel and a rough straw mattress ly-ing upon iron slats. For the newcomers that wasreally tough. We spent a month under such conditions. On July10, I was able to hand out about thirty blankets.What a great joy that was for everyone! That’s thereason I can remember the date. The food waslimited to the strict necessities: rice, string beans,a bit of meat, an orange. Bread was very expen-

sive at the time, costing one franc a kilo. We used to be as economicalas possible. As our beverage, simply water. Yet, despite the dietarylimitations, we were not lacking in good spirit. When we used to read in the lives of the saints, that they did not drinkwine, but only a bit of cool water, we could not but smile. The saints’situation did not strike us as such an outstanding example of mortifi-cation. During the recreation which followed the meal, we did not failto offer various opinions about our progress towards holiness. Allaround the farm there were echoes of our laughter. “Well lodged or not, we set ourselves to work. Manual work, intellec-

tual work, we eagerly pursued both kinds. We had to struggle with thePortuguese language and with the weeds which kept spreading ontothe farmland. No fruit trees, no cultivated land, no grazing areas.Once divided into teams, we were able to accomplish effectively allsorts of work. In the course of the year l903, in eight groups, many Brothers arrived,on the following dates: March 17, 4 Brothers; May 18, 7 Brothers; June9, 6 Brothers; June 15, 19 Brothers; July 9, 8 Brothers; July 14, 6Brothers; September 16, 6 Brothers; December 17, 4 Brothers: 60Brothers all together. At the time, the income was minimal and theneeds great. We had to survive, and we were many. The first job wasto organize a vegetable garden.” Today, more than one hundred years later, minimal needs are all takencare of, and often enough we even have a surplus. The mission must


June 2008 • 29

always be attentive to reality. I suppose that theBrothers who are now involved in the Ad Gentesmission in Asia are living in situations like thosewhich the first missionary Brothers encountered inall our Provinces. This house which has welcomed so many mission-ary Brothers and so many Brazilian vocations is oc-cupied today by representatives from the entireMarist world. In the name of Brothers TercílioSevegnani, Provincial of the Brasil Centro-SulProvince, Brother Lauro Hochscheidt, Provincial ofRio Grande do Sul Province, and Brother JoãoGutemberg, Superior of the Amazonia District, it ismy pleasure to welcome every single participant,Brothers and lay persons, men and women. Thishouse is your house; feel at home in it and enjoythe Marist richness contained in it. Even if cannotoffer you all the conveniences you might like, the

house embraces you warmly. I hope that the daysyou spend here will be marked by growth bothcommunally and religiously. You can be sure that all our Brazilian communi-ties and the entire Marist world have their eyesturned towards Mendes, and that they are pray-ing to Mary and to Saint Marcellin so that fromthis place there may arise a new life and a re-newed missionary fervor.When the Hebrews were caught between Pharaoh’sarmy and the Red Sea, the Lord spoke to Moses toencourage him saying, “Tell the Israelites to goforward” (Exodus 14:15). Perhaps that is the di-rective which the Lord is addressing to us today:Let us go forward! A hearty welcome to all of you. May Mary, ourGood Mother, bless our International Assembly onMarist Mission.

Br. Claudino Falchetto, fmsProvincial anfitrion


Beginning of the Marist International Mission

CHRONICLE

Practical organisationof the AssemblyA warm greeting by some livelyclowns, who used the four officiallanguages of the Institute as theywent among the participants towelcome them, inaugurated thefirst meeting of September 3rd.They themselves presented thetranslators who, in turn, gaveinstructions to all those atten-ding on how to use the transla-tion system correctly. They alsointroduced the members of thetechnical team.

Welcome by our host, the Brother ProvincialThis happy group of clowns, com-posed of brothers and Marist stu-dents, was in charge of bringingBrother Claudino Falquetto, Pro-vincial of the Province of BrazilCentro Norte to the presidentialtable, from which he chaired theAssembly. Brother Claudino, in hisgreeting of welcome to all of thebrothers and lay people, recalledthe difficult origins of Marist workin Brazil, when Brother Adorátorbought the property at Mendeswhere this Assembly is being held.He also welcomed everyone in thename of his province and of theother provincials of Brazil.

3rd September 2007

At the end of our very firstmeeting in December 2004,as I began my long planejourney home from Rome toAustralia it dawned on methat this Assembly neededto be a defining moment inour Institute’s history. I

was nervous, excited and daunted by the possibility of what thiscould be. As a Preparatory Commission, we had accepted the invita-tion by the Superior General Br. Seán Sammon and his General Councilto plan, implement and bring to fruition the call of the 20th GeneralChapter. All of us here today are testimony to answering that call andnot only do I welcome you but I thank you for coming. You have puton hold your personal lives, families and work, but we have been cho-sen to be here for the good of the future of our Institute.

For the Preparatory Commission and perhaps for you too, the journeyhas been, both and at the same time, invigorating and challenging.After that first meeting, the only thing that seemed certain to me wasthat this was indeed an ambitious project with many obstacles toovercome. At first glance we were only too aware of the difficultieswith distance, language, cultural expressions, time and cost because

Report of the PreparatoryCommission of the Mission AssemblyMendes, 3rd September 2007 Erica Pegorer

It is a wonderful privilegeto be here today and on

behalf of the PreparatoryCommission, following inBr Emili’s footsteps andthose who have come be-fore him this morning, Ialso extend to you a warmwelcome to this very firstInternational Assembly onMission.

June 2008 • 31

Erica Pegorerreport of the preparatory commission

we were being asked to find creative waysto animate thousands of people at our lo-cal levels; to discuss issues to do with ourcurrent mission; co-responsibility in thatmission and renewal of it. In these initialphases, the challenge came in ensuringthat as many Marist as possible had avoice in these discernments. Above all, weneeded and thankfully received the co-op-eration of the Provincials, Provinces andDistricts.

Secondly, was the question of bringing to-gether five continents and working in onlyfour of our many languages and diversecultures.

Thirdly, after we had a sense of the potency of the material thatwas surfacing from around the world – we began to think aboutthe format of the Assembly itself and how we might maintain theprogramme for 10 days. As we shared our local stories, the Com-mission began to notice world wide trends that affect our youthtoday. While the contexts are quite varied and responses unique,it was obvious to the Preparatory Commission that we shared sim-ilar concerns and the same strong love for our children.

During the final stages of the Commission’s planning, we revisitedour initial goals to ensure that the Assembly’s programme was on

track with our original meeting. I wouldlike now to take a few moments to focus usall on those initial goals before we proceedwith the Assembly proper.

In 2004 when we first began to shape thisAssembly, the responsibility of this ambi-tious project did not escape us but we wereunited in our belief that the conversationsthat were to follow, had to be had, with au-dacity and with hope in our future.

Further, during those moments of tensionand impatience that comes when organisingsuch a large event, Br Emili’s excellent lead-ership encouraged us to be calm in the ten-sion, to be patient in the finding of the so-lutions and above all to trust in the work ofthe Holy Spirit to lead the way.


My God! The meeting hectic and very challenging.

I am privileged to have attended thisimportant global meeting. I pray that God enable me to bear expectedfruits henceforth be a model to others,especially those whom I have represented.Jesus is to show me the way. May Jesus show me the way.

Julius Atete Waritu, East-Central Africa

June 2008 • 33

On behalf of the Preparatory Commission Iwould like to publicly acknowledge the gift ofBr Emili’s leadership to this Assembly. Ofcourse, such an event has an army of behindthe scenes workers and while they will be ac-knowledged in due course, on behalf of us all,I would also like to express our thanks and ap-preciation, to Br Juan Miguel Anaya and BrWagner Cruz for their administrative and or-ganisational brilliance and for all those whoworked at getting us to this point. No doubt,you would have noticed the great attention

paid to detail to ensure that we would feelwelcomed and at home from the first momentof our arrival. From the outset, can we pleaseacknowledge the great spirit of hospitality wehave already received here in Mendes.

I am sure we have all felt, the spirit workingamong us already ensuring that our open andcompassionate hearts and our strong mindswill lead our work over the next ten days. Ispeak for the Preparatory Commission when Isay that we have found it a privilege and ablessing to be involved in this work to date,have better understood the blessings of ourMarist world and in the process have becomegood friends and appreciative of the role weplay in our different parts of the world. Wehope the same and more for you, as you en-gage, contribute and take ownership of thishistorical and defining moment in our MaristHistory.

CHRONICLE

Brother Seán opens the Assembly

Brother Seán Sammon opened theAssembly with an interesting re-flection. Champagnat, besides having an old house, two candi-dates and empty pockets, had adream when he began the Institu-te. And that dream has continuedgrowing to this day. We Maristsare in 76 countries with 4,100brothers, more than 40,000 laype-ople who touch the lives of morethan 500,000 students.


June 2008 • 35

Mendes, 3rd September 2007

So well appreciated wasthis woman of faith amongthe people of New Yorkthat the New York Timesheadline had only to say:“Sister Mary Irene is dead.”Everyone understood.1

Mary Irene Fitzgibbon es-tablished the FoundlingAsylum, later known as the

New York Foundling Hospital. At any one time, this institution housedan average of 600 women and 1800 infants, and by the time itsfounder died, was the only facility of its kind in New York City thatguaranteed care for all women and children who arrived at its doors re-gardless of religion, race or ethnicity, marital status or ability to pay. Why tell the story of Mary Irene Fitzgibbon at the outset of this longawaited Marist Mission Assembly? Is it because of the strong and un-equivocal challenge that she and her partners in mission posed tothose who punished the poor for their poverty and unmarried womenfor sexual transgressions? Or perhaps because her efforts remind us once again that genuineChurch ministry has always been about self-transcendence and notself-fulfillment? Or do I tell her story because she had some special gift that marks reli-gious leaders regardless of the age in which they live?

Openingaddress

at the Marist InternationalMission Assembly

Br. Seán D. Sammon, FMS

During the morning hoursof Monday, August 17th,

1896 the body of Mary IreneFitzgibbon was laid to restin the City of New York.The simple black hearse thatbore it was followed by aprocession of approximately20,000 mourners leadingthe following day’s Heraldto describe the march as un-precedented.

1 See Maureen Fitzgerald.Habits of Compassion: Irish Catholic Nuns and the Origins of New York’sWelfare System, 1830-1920(University of Illinois Press,2006).

opening addressBr. Seán Sammon

No, I tell her tale for reasons altogether different. I tell it becauseher life and death have lessons to teach us about mission and min-istry, and Marist mission and ministry in particular. I recount the sto-ry of this Sister of Charity because she understood that charism hasnothing to do with management and maintenance and everything todo with mission. I tell it because she responded to the signs of her times with daring,courage, and ingenuity. She did not concern herself with doing thingsright, rather from the very beginning she set out to do the rightthings.

A word of welcome and a word of thanks

As we begin, a word of welcome and an-other of thanks. Welcome to Brazil, toMendez and this Mission Assembly, to thiscommunity of faith. Each of you had atleast a few other ways in which to spendthese days, and so we are all delightedthat you chose to spend them here andthat we can do so together. The Planning Commission has asked me tomake a few brief remarks this morningabout our Assembly and its focus. Thesecomments are not meant to be the lastword nor the defining word about the sub-ject, but simply the words of one personjoined with those spoken over manymonths by other Marists involved in theChurch’s mission throughout the world. A great deal of effort has gone intopreparing for this Assembly, not only herein Brazil but throughout the Institute.Brothers and Marist laymen and womenhave joined efforts in region after region,country after country, Province and Districtafter Province and District to ensure thatthese days not only give us an opportunityto reflect honestly on the state of MaristMission in our world today but also to takesome time to dream. For if Marcellin Cham-pagnat was anything, he was a dreamer,and a very particular type of dreamer: onewho also had the courage and heart tobring his dreams to life.


It was really a privilege for me toattend the Marist InternationalMission Assembly. It was ahistorical moment for the Marist

Institute and participants (Brothers and Laypeople) to come together at Mendes from 3 Sep to 12 Sep 07 to take part in this Assembly. All the services, namely presentations, discussion,food, logistics, lodging and other services, givenby the Brazilian host at the Assembly in allaspects of the our stay were superb. No wordscould describe the Brazilian hospitality. I wouldlike to describe my evaluation of the Assemblywith 4 Es – Eye-opening, Engaging, Enrichingand Enlightening. It is eye-opening for me, toallow me to see so many nationalities, cultures and races come together to learn and share from each other. It is engaging as each of theparticipants and groups engaged passionately in their daily discussion. As a result of thisengagement I am enriched with so much inputfrom the sharing and presentations. With thisenrichment, I am enlightened on the direction theAssembly is taking. The contents of the Assemblywere full of food for thought, well-organizedand concluded with uplifting satisfaction for mephysically and spirituality.

Joseph Chua, China

June 2008 • 37

This morning, I want to say a word aboutcharism, another about co-responsibility, and afinal one about the challenge we face in beingreligious leaders today.

Charism

The life of Francis of Assisi, that great saint ofthe 13th century, teaches us something aboutthe meaning of that most misunderstood word:charism. Some use it to describe a particulartype of personality or a movement, while oth-ers insist that it refers to certain worksthought to be in keeping with the founder’soriginal vision. It’s meaning, though, is consid-erably more profound. Though he was a preacher of some reputation,Francis did not always deliver his sermons fromthe pulpit of a Church nor did he continuallyrely on words to make his point. Rather, hepreached the gospel in everything he did. Inhis attention to the poor of his day, his delightin God’s creation, his gentle teasing about sim-ple human failings. Simply put, Francis radiatedthe Good News of Jesus Christ. “Preach thegospel without ceasing,” he is reported to havesaid, “but use words only if necessary.” Call it Franciscan charism, call it what you will,Francis was infected with the Holy Spirit. Andthat quite simply is what charism is all about:nothing more and nothing less than the pres-ence of the Holy Spirit. Marcellin Champagnatunderstood that fact and allowed the Holy Spir-it to seize him. How else would he have hadthe courage to launch the Marist movement?For if we were to be honest, the founder had

little more than an old house, two recruits, andno money when he began. But he had a dream.And that dream has grown today to have apresence in seventy six countries, to involve4100 brothers and more than 40,000 laymenand women and touch the lives of more than500,000 young people each year. But do you and I really believe that the Spiritof God who was so active in Marcellin Cham-pagnat longs to live and breathe in us today?

In embracing the charism we allow the HolySpirit to take the lead and we must also acceptthe consequences of our action. For the HolySpirit can accomplish a great deal in a verybrief period of time. Vatican II is a good exam-ple of that fact.

Marist laity and mission

Vatican II was a defining moment for RomanCatholic laity as well as for those of us in reli-gious life. For prior to that historic gathering theChurch resembled something of a pyramid. With-in this structure, priesthood was seen as thehighest calling. Religious life was fitted in at thesecond tier, while laymen and women, who madeup the vast majority of the Church’s membership,found themselves at the base of the pyramid.They were viewed almost entirely as helpers tothose considered to be the Church’s true ser-vants: bishops, priests, and religious. My how times have changed! The proclamation ofa universal call to holiness that rang forth fromthe Council was addressed to everyone in theChurch. Here at last was an unambiguous state-ment that all Christians are baptized into mis-sion: the mission of proclaiming God’s Kingdomand its immanence. Herein lies the heart and ori-


gin of Marist partnership, inthe sacrament of baptism andnowhere else. Now, while the role, identity,and mission of the Catholiclayman or woman were clari-fied somewhat during thecourse of Vatican II, thesame cannot be said forthose of us who are membersof religious Institutes. Inmany ways we emerged fromthe Council in a state of con-fusion. Prior to Vatican II theMarist Institute, like the restof religious life, was a closedsociety with clear norms andrules. Its pre-conciliar identi-ty can look rather elitist,with the pursuit of individualperfection given most oftenas its raison d’être. In thepost-conciliar Church, thatway of life is no longer pre-sented as a state of perfec-tion as such but rather asone way in which believerscan grow in love and holi-ness. Furthermore, the fol-lowing of Christ is seen moreclearly as the ultimate normand supreme rule for all reli-gious communities ratherthan adherence to a list ofregulations.So, what then is the purposeof religious l ife in ourChurch? What makes it differ-ent? We can begin to answerthat question by pointing outthat religious life was neverintended to be an ecclesiasti-cal workforce, and men andwomen religious were surelynever meant to be absorbedinto the structures of dioceseand archdioceses as is hap-


The Assembly was a historic occasion to theeach one of us and the entire congregation.The coming together of lay people and

Brothers from different walks of life is a great achievement.This can only be attributed to the work of the Spirit. Today more than ever before, we live in a different worldaltogether with new challenges and together with the laypartners we therefore need to have a new shared vision inassisting the young people more meaningfully. During theassembly different opinions were raised from brothers andlaypeople on how to tackle some problems of our youngpeople. We hope with the different ideas we got we will beable to take new initiatives and assist our young people. The different talents and experiences of lay people andbrothers will make our congregation richer. The Maristresponses from different parts of the world were an eyeopener that it is high time we widen the tent for the laity tocome in and together work for the Kingdom and thispartnership. Working for the Kingdom of God can never beseen as an individual’s work but rather as a congregation wehave a collective mandate to bring the Kingdom of God hereand now. I am hopeful that this partnership will be realizedsimply because it is a call from the Church. More thanbefore, I am more and more convinced that the lay people arealso inspired and they have a vocation and together as onewill tackle to a certain extent the needs of our young peoplein our respective region. The lay people were inspired duringthe assembly. This was very evident by their depth in sharinghow they have lived Marcellin Champagnat’s charism in theirdifferent settings. I am hopeful that everyone in the Institutewill be open to the Spirit and lay people and Brothers willexperience a new Pentecost.

Br. Emmanuel Mwanalirenji, Southern Africa

June 2008 • 39

pening today and taking up works that are bet-ter done by others. For religious life at its best is meant to be theChurch’s living memory of what the Churchlongs to be, of what it can be, of what it mustbe. But religious life can only fulfill that role ifit stands somewhat apart from the Church, onthe periphery and not at the center. Religious life is diminishing in parts of ourworld today because it is failing to be what itwas meant to be. For men and women religiousprofess publically to live radically the gospelplan as the reason a purpose of their life. Andthat means a life that that has its foundationin prayer and a spirit of faith, one that requiressacrifice and self-denial, a life in which JesusChrist is clearly the center and passion of thoseprofessing to live it. The late Pope John Paul II held the convictionthat the Church of this era would eventuallybecome known as that of the laity. Assumingthat he was correct, we do well to ask our-selves how we as brothers can best help realizethe mission of laymen and women in ourChurch and world today.Marist partnership is but one answer to thisquestion. Recognized more fully during theyears since Vatican II, its foundation lies in thecommon mission and prophetic call that we allshare as a result of the sacrament of baptism.Partnership, however, runs much deeper thanparticipating in a common work; it is about the

sharing of faith and a common set of values,being in love with Jesus Christ, and the collec-tive experience of having Marcellin Champagnatcapture our heart and seize our imagination.Among the many gifts of Vatican II was this re-alization: the founder’s charism belongs to theChurch and not just to his Little Brothers. Con-sequently, today many laymen and women chal-lenge the notion that that charism is a treasurebelonging to the brothers alone. Each andevery Marist lay partner, they point out, alsohas his or her own life story to tell, has madehis or her own journey of faith, and has his orher own unique experience of the founder andhis spirituality. If we were to listen to thosestories, hear these tales of faith, and come toappreciate more fully the many experiences ofMarcellin and his spirituality among us, wewould be better able to share what we hold incommon and respect the differences that existbetween the identity ofone of Marcellin’s LittleBrothers and that of aMarist layman or woman.

Co-responsibility

To foster lay partnershiptoday we need to be broth-ers and sisters to one an-other in mission. And thatmeans listening to andlearning from one another,sharing our spiritual andapostolic inheritance, andfostering an attitude of co-operation.Consequently, when weuse the term “our” aposto-lates, we are describing apartnership between Mar-cel l in ’s brothers andMarist laity. The time hascome for brothers to movebeyond simply inviting laypeople to join us in these

works to seeing them as co-responsible for them. Over the pastfew years and in a number of Provinces some laywomen and menhave taken on roles of leadership within these works. Those of uswho are brothers have been called upon to support them throughMarist formation, the witness of our religious lives, and the pro-motion of Marist apostolic values. As we help the laity live morefully their call in life, we will come to understand ever more clear-ly the grace of our own vocation as brothers.

Religious leadership

Jesuit Howard Grey tells a story from his years as a young priest.Asked to give a retreat to an older Sister who was in the laststages of multiple sclerosis, he was unsure of what he might en-counter. Upon meeting her, however, he found a woman who waswitty, insightful, and without an ounce of self-pity. The retreatwent well but its most important lesson did not come until thefinal day. When Grey went to say goodbye to this older Sister, sheleft him with these words, “Father, you are a young man and I aman old and dying woman, so we are both in the right position forsome advice. “When I was a young nun, I thought that it was important togive God my head, so I studied hard and won my way to the uni-versity and to doctoral studies. I saw scholarship as my way toGod. “But then after a few years my community had other needs. I wasput into university administration and became the president of acollege. Then I thought what God really wanted was my hands,my ability to accomplish great things for the college, to build upthis institution. “Now, here I am. I struggle to remember, and I cannot hold aglass of water. And so I realize as never before that what God haswanted all along was my heart. Give God your head and yourhands, but bring your heart along with them.”2

Why do I tell this story as I bring these remarks to a close? I tellit quite simply because your mission and mine, first and fore-most, is a mission of the heart. The true challenge of Marist mis-sion today is to become, with all its lack of precision and risk, amore loving man or woman. But we can achieve this goal only if we have come to know andto accept ourselves, with all our gifts, as well as our limitationsand sin. Jesus was able to speak to the disappointed hearts ofthe two disciples on the road to Emmaus because his heart toohad been opened, his faith tested, his hope challenged, and hislove broken. Jesus knew firsthand that there could be no Emmauswithout the cross.3


2 See Howard Grey, SJ, “Contemporary Religious

Leadership.” Review for Religious,

September/October 1997, 56(5), pp. 454-467.

3 Ibid.


Junio 2008 • 41June 2008 • 41

Conclusion

One hundred years from now, someone willwrite the story of our time in history. Whatwill they say about us? That like Mary IreneFitzgibbon we responded to the signs of ourtimes with courage, daring, ingenuity. That wetook the risk of letting the Holy Spirit work inand through us, and consequently becamemore loving men and women, people capableof being heralds of God’s mercy and love? Thatwe passed on to another generation the dreamand passion of Marcellin Champagnat? I cannot think of a better time to be alive, ora richer period in history to be part of thisMarist movement. For if Marcellin was giventhe grace of bringing our Institute to life, wehave been given the responsibility of bringingit to life once again. But we can only do so ifthe Spirit of God is alive and active withineach of us.If my years in Marist mission have taught meanything, they have taught me about my ownlimits as a person, my own sinfulness as aman, my ongoing need to be redeemed. These

have been difficult learnings but importantnonetheless. For they have convinced me howfoolish it is not to let God take the lead. Ourjob is to discern His will and to follow Hisways, no matter where they lead and despitethe hardships of the journey.Throughout it all, we must maintain hope andbe heralds of this virtue to the poor youngpeople we are called to serve. It was in thisspirit that John Paul II ended his final visit tomy country. Speaking to those assembled inBaltimore’s baseball stadium, the Pope con-cluded with words from the prophet Habakkuk.I use them here today to bring this reflectionto a close:

For the vision, it still has its time;it presses on to fulfillment.If it delays, wait for it,for it will surely come.

Thank you


Didascalia della foto da inserire qui della lunghezza

di quattro o cinque righe,grazie. Didascalia della foto

da inserire qui della lunghezzadi quattro o cinque righe.

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Presentation of the General CouncilBrother Emili Turú, coordinator ofthe Assembly Preparatory Commis-sion introduced the members ofthe General Council and severalbrothers from the General Admi-nistration who are also in atten-dance: Bro. Juan Miguel Anaya,secretary of the Preparatory Com-mission, Bro. Antonio MartínezEstaún, Director of Communica-tions for the Institute and Bro.César Henríquez, representative ofBIS before the United Nations inGeneva, as well as the membersof the Preparatory Commission.

Report of the PreparatoryCommission

In the name of the Pre-paratory Commission.Mrs. Erica Pegorer des-cribed the journey ta-ken by the PreparatoryCommission from whenit was given the task oforganizing the Assemblyuntil the present moment.She had words of gratitudefor so many who participatedin the preparatory steps; shealso defined the objectives ofthis international meeting andmanifested the hope of res-ponding to the historical cha-llenges that the Assembly hasoutlined. When she finished,Brother Seán Sammon gave theinaugural address.

3rd September 2007

Junio 2008 • 43June 2008 • 43

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The logo and hymn of the Assembly

Finally the logo of the Assemblywas carried in by five people re-presenting each of the five conti-nents and placed in a prominentpart of the hall. During their res-pective interventions to explainthe significance of the logo “OneHeart One Mission” they used thelanguages of each continent:“guaraní” for America; “cebuano”por Asia; “swahili” for Africa;“griego” for Europe “pidgi”, forPapua-New Guinea, for Oceanía.

The participants then sang the As-sembly Hymn composed for theoccasion by the Marist musicgroup Kairoi. Brother Miquel Cube-les, with his usual great skill, en-

sured that in a few minuteseveryone learned the musicand the words, translated intovarious languages.

2. The Gift of Youth and the Marist Vocation

Inte

rnat

iona

l Ass

embl

y

How give a voice, a soul, an enchantment and afeeling to the life stories of the “Montagnes” of ourtimes, so that they can express, in their own way,their calls to the Marist world of lay people (menand women) and brothers, while at the same timerespecting and seeking to understand the interna-tionality of the Institute?That was the question that challenged and gave direc-tion to the boys and girls of the Unité Sociale of theMarist College Sao Vicente de Minas in the province ofBrazil Central-North when they gathered to lend theirvoices to the gala “Voices of Hope”.

Listening to the young“Voices

of Hope” The gala presentedat the opening of theInternational Assemblyon Marist Mission

Mendes, 3rd September 2007

Cláudia Laureth Faquinote,

social analyst of the marist Province Brazil Central-North

The focus of the gala “Voices of Hope”,presented at the opening of the Interna-

tional Assembly on Marist Mission, was thestory of the children and young people ofthe whole world as told by the students ofa Unité Sociale of the Marist province ofBrazil central-North, who have raisedtheir voices so that the participants of theAssembly could feel close to the “Montagnes”of our times.

June 2008 • 45

The preparation of the students and the organisation of the gala wasconceived and brought about by a group of very different persons who,with the care of a potter working on a ceramic, engaged the studentsas collaborators. It was necessary to give a life and a voice to the sto-ries of other children and young people, to their calls, to people whohad no knowledge of the internationality of the Institute and itsfounding charism. It was necessary to take a number of steps, for example, workshopswith students and teachers to speak of the Marist presence in theworld, the context of the International Assembly on Marist Mission,especially of the preparatory stages and how each and everyone inhis corner of the world where Marists are present were invited to par-ticipate in the preparation of the Assembly. It is important to notethat among most of the stories of children and the young of such dis-tant cultures and identities, there was a resemblance to the storiesand life journeys of several of the students who raised their voices as

Cláudia Laureth Faquinotevoices of hope

June 2008 • 47

actors or actresses in the gala. For this reason,seeing themselves as characters in the gala andat the same time representatives passing on thecalls of the Marists of the entire world for theMarists of the entire world was a challenge for allthose involved in the production of “Voices ofHope”.Throughout the whole time of preparation the in-ternationality of the Institute was kept in view,and the complications that arose from this…Oceania, Africa, America, Europe and Asia. Therewere many questions and surprises for the stu-dents in the workshops and activities, but when,on arriving at Mendes on the day before the offi-cial presentation they had the opportunity to livewith the participants of the Assembly participants,they were helped to broaden their horizons anddiscover the reality of what they had prepared anddiscussed beforehand. The reality that unfoldedfor them, different accents, ethnicities, appear-ances, languages, gestures, all this made clear thediversity of Marists and among Marists.It is impossible to describe, as much as it mightbe possible, all that happened during the prepara-tion of the gala, and above all, when the studentswere present at Mendes, particularly during thespecial moment of the presentation of “Voices of

Hope”: the emotion, the shining eyes, the spell,the joys and fears, the empathy among all pre-sent, the changing rhythms of the jam bottles, arhythm that went to the heart and stirred thesoul, the feeling of ownership, of being Marist,the meaning of a tear, speaking slowly the verydifferent languages in the Assembly, reflecting theMarist presence in the five continents, making realthe dream of Champagnat to be present in all thedioceses of the world to make Jesus Christ knownand loved by all children and young people.

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“Lata viva”, a young musical group

The strong motivating force ofthis day was played out by ourown Marist students. It is whatthey do that can carry out theMarist mission in the world. Forthat reason the music group “La-ta viva” brought to the Assemblythe voice of the children of theworld. The name of the group“Lata viva” originates from themusical instruments that theyuse. They accompany their musi-cal work “Vozes da esperança”(Voices of Hope), prepared espe-cially for the Assembly, with me-tal or plastic industrial type con-tainers. To the rhythm of theirinstruments, a dance group actedout a choreography in which weredepicted several true life storiesof children in contact with Ma-rists in all parts of the World,among songs and the pronounce-ments of the universal rights ofthe child.

The narration of the life storiesof the chi ldren of the world,through the faces and voices ofthese children, brought beforethe eyes and especially to the heartsof the participants at the As-sembly the most living of Ma-r ist mission today in theworld as a good start ingpoint to begin the work.

3rd September 2007


June 2008 • 49Junio 2008 • 49June 2008 • 49

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Mass and creed

The day concluded withthe celebration of Mass, in

which the creed taken fromthe Marist educational documentwas recited:

We believe in the continuing relevance of his charism.We believe in our shared mission as Marist educators.We believe in our vocation to minister to all young people, with a special love for the poor and excluded.We believe in our mission to lead young people to life-giving values,to build a better world, to make Jesus Christ known and loved.We believe that, as Mary did for Jesus, to educate young people we must first love them, and love them equally.We believe in the value of the integral education we offer in our schools.We believe in the significance of our hopeful and creative presenceamong young people in all our places of ministry,especially among those most neglected.





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The real situation of children, adolescentsand young people in the world todaythe international assembly listens to children and youngpeople

This morning’s prayer was an invitationto open the doors of our heart andwelcome the sadnesses and joys oflife. We started with a hymn ac-companied by a simple choreo-graphy, performed by all the par-ticipants, as they repeated: “Iopen the doors of my heart. I sub-mit myself, commit myself, acceptand give thanks”.Dilma Alves, a member of the pre-paratory commission, linked thepresentation of the musical groupLata Viva, who told us of the sad-ness that afflicts children andyoung people of our world, withthe reality that has been expe-rienced by all of the members ofthe assembly as educators in touchwith children and young people.With our hearts prepared we are invi-ted to contemplate the image of thefaces of the boys and girls throughoutthe world, with the help of some pic-tures which remind each one of us ofthe children and young people ofMarist educational works all over theworld. By means of quotations takenfrom the document The Marist Edu-cational Mission the assembly hasbeen urged to express what these fa-ces have meant for them.

Reflection in groupsThe groups share the sentimentsprovoked by the boys and girlsin their musical “Voices of hope”

4th September, 2007

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and the experiences that each edu-cator has had with young people intheir places of work.The cries of the young people re-main engraved in the heart ofevery one of the participants justlike the shouts, the questions andthe interpetations of the childrenand young people of the MaristWorld: lack of opportunities, immi-gration, drugs, abandonment, needfor affection, acompaniment, familycrisis, absence of God... What canwe do to heal the hearts and livesof som many children and youngpeople? The responses that the groupsbrought to the Assembly are ex-pressed through some “graffiti”: “Ineed you”, “I want a chance”, “Oh,teachers, I exist!”, “I need you. Iwant to listen to you. I need you…I need your life to touch mine. Comewith me! I need a model to keep asa reference point.” Songs have alsobeen the method of manifestingthese sentiments: “I cannot keepquiet, I cannot remain indifferentwhen faced with the sorrow of somany people. I cannot keep quiet.Pardon me, my friends, but now Imust commit myself and I have totalk about reality.” Or this one:“We are going to build a new brid-ge between ourselves to join yourheart to mine.”The invitation is still open to leaveour own house, to leave our accus-tomed structures to meet with theyoung people.

A reflection from the heartDuring the afternoon the membersof the assembly revisited the gra-phic designs and the symbols pre-

June 2008 • 51

4th September, 2007


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sented by the groups in the mor-ning, together with the messagesof the group Lata viva. A long per -iod of silence allowed us to hearwhat God tells each one of us inour heart. This contemplative pra-yer centres our attention on threeaspects: Action of grace for theboys, girls and adolescents andtheir capacities; the “dream ofGod” for the devlopment of theboys, girls and adolescents; and,to take into account those needs

Junio 2008 • 53

which we have not addressed asMarists.

“Who can understand the depth of sorrowin the paternal heart of God for the children we have rejected, for all the lives so deeply wounded?And for every light that we have extinguished, we have brought darkness to our land,to our nation, to our nation.Lord, have mercy!”

Gram. Kendrikc

The day ended in a celebrationThe contemplative process helpedus to bring a conclusion to the dayin the Eucharist. Making use ofeach phrase, each song, each gra-phic, and each photo, quotation orbodily expression produced by thegroups, a beautiful offering was setin place around the altar, a gift ofthe whole Assembly.

Seeing the unity and energyamong all Marist partners that

has been demonstrated throughout the Assembly,I hope the same united and lively spirit will translate into concrete actions in our workfor and with the young throughout our Marist world. The assembly has given us all an excellent opportunity to refine and focus our collaboration; this too will be helpful in all our future endeavors.

Br. Tom Chin, China

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June 2008 • 53

The aims of the daywere:

1. To stimulate the imagination of the participants concerning the res-ponse Marists can give to the needs of children and young people inthe world today.

2. To give the participants the chance to articulate and express the Maristcharism.

3. To offer the participants an opportunity to listen to six experiencesthat stressed the “prophetic dimension” of the Marist commitmentwhich is lived all around the world.

4. To promote sharing and dialogue among the participants, to help iden-tify the distinctive features and values of these Marist response.

5. To offer a space for personal reflection on the identity of the Maristcharism.

6. To open the hearts and minds of the participants to the internationalnature of the Institute.

To reach these aims, two sessions on the 5th were devoted to listen-ing to some of these “Marist responses”, which were selected so thatthey would represent the different Continents, as well as different

The MaristResponse

Mendes, 5th September 2007Br. Juan Miguel Anaya

A fter having listened to thecontributions of the chil-

dren and young people the daybefore, the 5th September wasdevoted to listening to some ofthe responses we are giving asMarists to the needs of thesechildren and young people indifferent parts of the world.


Junio 2008 • 55

forms of mission and presence. Another criterionfor selecting the responses, was that at leastone person should be present at the Assemblywho personally knew and loved that experience,so that it would not be a tale of cold facts, butrather it would convey the passion and firethat burns in the heart of people who are com-mitted to the Marist mission.In the end 12 experiences were selected.The experiences were presented in two 90-minute blocks: six simultaneous presentationsat the time. Each experience had thirty minutesavailable, so that every participant of the As-sembly could listen to 6 different presenta-tions.All the contributions were prepared accordingto the following model:

• Each experience was prepared in one ofthe official languages of the Assembly:Spanish, French, English or Portuguese.Each was presented three times, once inthe language of the person presenting it,and twice with simultaneous translation.There was no translation from Spanish toPortuguese and Portuguese to Spanish.

• Each experience had thirty minutes avai-lable in total: 10 or 15 for the presenta-tion, 10 minutes for dialogue and 5 mi-

nutes for the preparation of the nextgroup.

• The majority of the speakers prepared apower point presentation to accompanytheir spoken contribution.

• A booklet was prepared with the materialsent beforehand, providing some basicinformation on each of the projects thatwere presented. That way the people had

some information to choose the presen-tations they were most interested in, andthey could carry away some written ma-terial at the end of the Assembly.

Since the representatives of Nigeria had severalproblems with their visas and they could not arriveon time to give the presentation on their experi-ence, the Province of Sydney used the time to showwhat it has prepared to welcome the participants atthe World Youth Day (2008), and its offer to organ-ise a Marist Youth Festival a few days before.The day ended with a personal and group reflectionon the experience. It was a chance to share groupreactions and reflections concerning the Maristwork with children and young people in our placesof origin and throughout the world.The summary of the sharing was given during theplenary assembly, using symbols (words, images,songs, plays...) that expressed the vitality of theMarist charism today.

June 2008 • 55


Br. Juan Miguel Anayathe marist response

CONTINENT LOCATION NAME OF EXPERIENCE PRESENTER

AFRICA Madagascar Champagnat Mission among Thomas Radrianantenianathe nomadic population in Ihorombe

Nigeria Marist School System Johnson Onyereibe

AMERICA Brasil Renewal of Marist J. Carlos do Pradoyouth ministry

México Occidental “Learning through serving” – Mérida Marist University program Héctor Dessavre

ASIA China Marist presence Tom Chin

Philippines Community extension program of Notre-Dame of Dadiangas Marist University Virginia Manalo

EUROPE Mediterránea A Marist community of Brothers and laity in Badajoz (Spain) José Antonio Rosa

L’Hermitage Caring for the young people at risk Miquel Cubeles

OCEANÍA Sydney An education program for aborigines at St. Joseph’s College Ross Tarlinton

Melanesia Professional training project in Mabiri, Bougainville (Papua New Guinea) Benedict Tooming

GENERAL ONU - Genève Advocacy for the Rights of the Child César HenríquezADMINISTRATION

Asia Mission ad gentes Luis García Sobrado

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Building the Dream of Champagnat Learning the Marist answers

Today, the members of the Assemblyreflected on the development oftheir own Marist life beside youth indifferent parts of the world and withquite varied expressions. For this,twelve experiences were presented.This mosaic of Marist experiences isthe theme that fills the whole day.The richness of displays, especiallythose concerning testimonials andproposals, facilitate the exchange ofpersonal experiences and intenselytouch the mind and heart of thosepresent.

An Open Forum to Listen to the Heartbeats of the Assembly The day concluded with an open fo-rum in which everyone could sharewith the others their ideas and feel -ings. What has been placed in com-mon will be brought before the altaras an offering. On the front wall of the room thereis a large mural with a heart in thecenter. Since arriving the partici-pants have been placing on this heartsentences, signs, expressions, anddrawings that they gathered fromthe personal and group reflections.All of this will be carried to the altaras an offering.

Fine-tuning from the Brothers and Laity on Charism and Mission Some testimony:

“Our charism is summed up in beingbrother or sister for the neediest and itis expressed in proximate compassion.

5th September 2007

June 2008 • 57


This is what the children need. This of-fers many opportunities for our life.”“I think of the Marist charism of to-day as a Light that shows open roads,like a meeting-place for Brothers andlay people and, finally, as a particularway of life. ”“This Assembly is a source of waterfor the Institute. We cannot leaveMendes the same as we arrived... Theconversion of the Brothers and laypeople will come when we get closeto the young people and children. Todo this we have to be disciples ofMarcellin; disciples, Brothers, lay menand women who open our hearts tothese children and young people whoexpect so much from us. ”“I feel the Marist charism as a callthat unwraps me from my own realityand is concretized in the poor chil-dren that come to my school withwhom I work as sons and daughtersof God.”“In the reflections that we made to-day we perceived that during thesedays the diversity is a great rich-ness.”

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5th September 2007

To have participated in theAssembly was a grace. I wasstruck by the strong fraternalfeelings with which Brothers andlay people shared their dreams and

the reality of their lives. I was struck as well bythe deep sense of unity in diversity. The manydifferent ways in which various needs are beingconfronted helped us to sense the profound vitalityof the Marist apostolate in the world, stimulatingus to keep the work going and to advance it.

Maite Ballaz César, Ibérica

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June 2008 • 59

“To feel as participating in the Maristcharism has to be coherent with theGospel of Jesus. The charism asks ofus courage, audacity, but above alllove, great love of those who areclosest to us and who wait for ananswer.”“Champagnat was a good priest.Still being himself, he went out in-to the streets of the village, madecontact with the reality being livedby the people, which is how he metMontagne. He took risks, as a priest,to work at the margins of his parish. We are good Marists. I believe that,like Champagnat, we need to leave“our parishes” to be in the yards orin other realities of our pupils or ofthose who are not our pupils today,to listen and to give the responseswhich the heart of Marcellin desiresfor the young people of today”.“In this Assembly one feels a greatneed for answers in our provinces. Icome searching for answers ineverything. But what I’m listeningto in the Assembly are many ques-tions. Our charism is a challengeand this challenge is summed up insome key words: real, strong and in-tense presence among the children,the young people and their families;community of brothers and laity,with a strong experience of spiritua-lity, of fraternity, with a lot of ten-derness and care for the other.”“Champagnat was not afraid to con-front an inspiration that came fromthe Spirit and it caused him to dosomething for others. We, laity andbrothers, who must continue the mis-sion of Champagnat, must look espe-cially from the heart to the neediest,to the poor, in order to be faithfulto his charism.”



To be a member of this first Marist Mission Assembly was indeed a privilege as we gathered from all around

the world. Now it has ended I reflect on the presence of the Holy Spiritactive in all facets. As a facilitator it was both challenging and rewardingworking with people from five continents and four languages.The early work of the assembly set the scene for a conclusion which was substantive. That people from diverse backgrounds could communicateeasily with one another is testament to the founder and the Institute today.It was people journey to reach the goal which was so valuable. Lay and brothers alike shared openly of their experience as Marists. As the assembly continued there was an exquisite sense of unity in mind and heart.Facilitating was most challenging as time constraints forced conclusions to complex discussion. Heavy pressure was experienced as we met in tight timeframes, during breaks, before immediately going on to facilitate our groups. The final preparation of the document for our ´Partnership` group was painful initially, as much disagreement was evident among the Spanish/Portuguese and English grouping, but painstaking work by a dedicated, small, composite group brought effective resolution. The end justified the means.A highlight of the assembly was the sharing of language and culture from our Marist settings. As for the organisation, facilities and venue, they were excellent. Tireless support workers ensured the smooth runningof the assembly and the local people generously served the delegates in various duties in a magnificent complex.I leave grateful for the experience and inspired to go forward hopeful for the future of the Institute and confident that we have found One Heart, One Mission.

Alan Parker, New Zealand

A PRIVILEGE

June 2008 • 61

We felt questioned bythe Mission, but we hadto approach this withan adequate basis fordialogue. It cannot besaid to be a collectivemission if someone does

not call, if one is not summoned and sent. We have to return to the “rock”where we have been formed, from where arose the “living water” thatmakes Marist mission possible: God in Jesus, Mary, Marcellin, and so manybrothers and lay Marists…

It was a day for returning to the source, a day for contemplating, allowingourselves to be overtaken by wonder at the action of God in each one: Hiscall, our doubts, our responses and our failures, His attentive accompani-ment, our fidelity when compared with His fidelity and that of our witnessesalong the way (“marvelous companions”). It was a case of looking again atour life, returning to our first love, the love matured through crises and con-solations… it was a case of sharing, discerning, accompanying…

It was our “common Marist vocation” that brought us together, an expres-sion that until the present time had been used only in regard to the broth-

Sharing Our Vocation

Mendes, 6th September 2007 Br. Pau Fornells

When we had allowed our-selves to be touched by

the needs and circumstances ofchildren and the young, and bythe joy of contemplating themarvelous responses that camefrom almost everywhere in theMarist world, we began a newstage of the assembly: a vitalreflection on our Marist voca-tion.

ers. We had spoken of a common spirituality, a shared mission, evenof a shared charism… Now we dared to speak even of a “commonMarist vocation” and of “specific Marist vocations.”

A power point production helped us to findour place in this “newness” of the Spiritthat surged in the Marist world and foundexpression in a number of convictions:

• The Marist charism of Champagnat be-longs to the Church; it is not owned bythe Marist brothers. Marist mission nolonger belongs exclusively to the Institute.

• Today God continues to invite brothersand lay people to the Marist vocation.

• We share a common Marist vocation,lived in the depths of different specificvocations.

• The dignity and the vocation to holinessare the same for all life projects: celi-bate lay people, married lay people, sis-ters, brothers, priests…

• Brothers need lay Marists, and they intheir turn need brothers to keep on cre-ating anew the Marist charism and todiscover both our common identity andour specific and complementary identi-ties.

• “We are convinced that the Spirit of lifehas led us on this common path” (XXthGeneral Chapter, 29). Let us allow our-selves to be led by the spirit!

The participants were asked to devote somepersonal time (an hour and a half) to reply tothe following questions in a spirit of prayer:

1. What are the elements of the Maristvocation that God invites us to live incommon today, whether we are broth-ers or lay people?

2. What are the elements that you con-sider specific or the most significantof your Marist vocation as lay Maristor brother?

3. What are the elements that you con-sider specific or the most significant

sharing our vocationBr. Pau Fornells


In time and history of the Institute, Iam privileged to have been delegated

the opportunity to represent the District of Melanesiaand the Oceania Region at this International MissionAssembly. It is humbling too realizing that many othercapable Brothers and lay people would have beenhere instead of me. I thank my District Council forthis opportunity. This time in history gave theparticipants -Lay people and Brothers together- timeto listen to each other tell stories about their missionsand life in their respective Provinces, Regions andhence telling the stories of the Institute. It was agrace-filled time for all present in Mendes, Brazil. Thiswas a time spent together dreaming and articulatingthe call of God in our Institute. This was not an easytask as four languages were used and participants hadto rely on translators. This and other differences didnot deter the processes of the Assembly fromeventuating. Despite the differences that can not bedenied but which will always exist between theBrothers and Lay people, the Marists will collaboratein Mission together and hence form a powerfulworkforce to further the work of Jesus - proclaimingthe Kingdom of God - in the way of Mary. Finally, thisexperience gave me a new vantage point of manyopportunities in both Marist Brothers and LayMarists developing a special passion for mission to alland with a special preference for the mostmarginalized youth of our time.

Br. John Tucana, District of Melanesia

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of the vocation of the Marist brother or layMarists that go to make up your own voca-tion?

After this we formed ten groups according tolanguage to share what we had each realisedpersonally. Each group had to achieve a con-sensus on three elements of our commonMarist vocation and three elements of our spe-cific vocations as brother and lay people re-spectively.

The conclusions of these groups were displayedon three kinds of colour boards: commonMarist vocation, Marist vocation of the brother,Marist vocation of the lay person.

For 45 minutes, in silence and against a mu-sical background, the participants walkedalong the long corridors of Mended, readingand reflecting on the different reports of theeach group, taking note of elements thatwere repeated most of ten, those thattouched their hearts, those that spoke of

something quite new… They took personaltime to allow themselves to be questioned bywhat had been said in the groups. Thosewho had difficulty in understanding what hadbeen written in a language other than theirown were helped by other participants or bythe interpreters.


Br. Pau Fornellssharing our vocation

A little later, all the participants gathered in a hall foran open forum. They were able to speak of their im-pressions of the work carried out either personally orin the groups, about that which they had come toagree upon, the general tendencies that were evident,their personal sentiments on the theme, etc.Finally, each one received nine hearts of the assemblylogo: 3 indicating the common vocation, 3 the voca-tion of the lay person, and 3 that of the brother.They were invited to place a heart near the phrase orelement of vocation that was considered most impor-tant, for the common or for the specific parts. All ofthis took place in an atmosphere of depth, calm, hopeand interior satisfaction.In silence, and carrying the cards full of red hearts –an expression of our love of our vocation – we wentto the chapel to celebrate the Eucharist, the defini-tive Covenant of the love of God who has consecratedus all, brothers and lay alike.

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When the heart is also asked questions sharing the common vocationBro. Paul Fornells gave the reasonfor this day; he began by recall-ing what had been the itineraryfol lowed by the Assembly atMendes until now. First of all, toallow oneself to be touched bythe needs and possibilities ofchildren and the young, and, sec-ondly, to consider the Marist an-swers. Today the third step willbe to stop before the very voca-tion of the Marist Brother and layperson.

Pau proposes to the members ofthe Assembly to review their ownlife, to return to the first love, toshare the most profound and es-sential aspects of their own voca-tion by inviting them to silence,to contemplate God's action ineach person's life. After this firsttime of personal reflection in si-lence, members share in groupsand reflect so as to discover whatis specific to the vocation of theBrothers, to the vocation of thelay persons, and what is commonto both.

The results of this reflection,which lasted all afternoon, aredisplayed on various panels inwhich appear the characteristicelements of the Brothers’ voca-tion, the characteristic ele-ments of the lay people’s voca-tion and on a third poster, theelements common to both.

These were the results of thiswork after the synthesis:

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A SHARED MARIST VOCATION:• Attention to preference for the poor and excluded children and youth. ................................(60)

• Co-responsibility in the Marist mission. Brothers and Laity, heirs of the charism....................(41)

• Marcellin as reference and inspiration . ...........................................................................(27)

• Brotherhood - Family spirit (Mary) . ...............................................................................(25)

• Witness and apostles, like Mary. To make Jesus known and loved ....................................... (23)

• Feel loved by God - Center our life on Jesus - Let oneself be led by the Spirit . .....................(21)

• Marist spirituality. Devotion to Mary . .............................................................................(15)

• Men and women with a passionate heart .........................................................................(14)

LAY MARISTS:• To be a Marist presence and witness in the world .............................................................(42)

• A look at the Marist charism of everybody (from the point of view of women)...................... (40)

• Family and community engagement ...............................................................................(30)

• Sense of belonging and various forms of adhesion ...........................................................(27)

• Inspired by our charism............................................................................................... (23)

• A sense of being called to be Christians as Marists ...........................................................(21)

• Entusiastic for the mission ........................................................................................... (14)

A MARIST BROTHER:• The heart of the life of Marist Brothers is the vows ............................................................(7)

• Being a Brother for everyone: present, listening, welcoming in order to personalize my love ........................................... (57)

• Community Life ..........................................................................................................(49)

• Radical and unconditional availablility for mission ...........................................................(39)

• Special responsibility for the charism .............................................................................(16)

RESULTS OF THE COMMON AND SPECIFIC VOCATIONAL ELEMENTS INDICATED BY THE 94 PARTICIPANTS

(50 LAY PEOPLE AND 44 BROTHERS)

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An open forum brings together the day'sdiscoveriesWhat the members of the Assemblybrought had a special charactercoming from the heart. We look atsome of them.

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"We feel called todeepen our specificidentity as Brothersand lay people asdesired by theGeneral Chapter."

“This has been a dayfull of emotion.Apath has beenopened for Brothersand lay peoplewhich cannot beretraced. How do wetake this roadtogether? Becausein my Province thereis an importan laymovement and it issupported by manyBrothers, but thereare also those whodo not share thisjourney. What canbe done in thissituation if the laypeople cannot gobackwards? “

"One of the wordswe repeated in our

group is the oneto be prophets and to present our mission with propheticcourage."

"In the mission we share womenare something new,and this is a callfor the Institute to evaluate thefeminine presencein the Institute.Not only look uponus as women, but that thefeminine presencebe in leading roles.Thus, we havemuch to offer."

"It is no longer a matter ofenlarging the tent;now the challengeis to build a newhouse withBrothers and laypeople."

"Symbolic expressionsare very important.In the GeneralChapter the dooropened and a groupof lay people enteredwhile the Brotherscapitulants applaudedtheir presence at thatmeeting. In theInstitute there weremany closed doors;situations orattitudes that at thetime seemedimpossible to openup. Little by littlemany of those doorshave continued toopen. Here today wealso open a verypowerful symbolicdoor. The single factof being here bringsconsequences for theInstitute that wecannot foresee. Todayis a day of happinessbecause the Institutehas taken a stepwhose consequences

cannot be foreseen.”We "feel that theBrothers havewidened the tent."

"God is renewingeverything. He isrenewing ourfamilies. The spirit is putting astamp on us. And following Mary’sexample we will sayyes. It is up to us tosay yes to the laypeople. The door is open.What happens nowdepends on us. The mission adgentes in Asia isours. It is also ourresponsibility todecide to serve thepoorest. It is also ourdecision to give life,like Champagnat, toevangelism througheducation.We should only sayyes, like Mary."

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From the open forum to the Eucharist

The contributions of the open fo-rum created an atmosphere of cele-bration highlighted by the chant ofthe Magnificat and pursued in theEucharist. After the readings a cen-tral idea of the reflection of theday was expressed with a mime. Agroup of actors represented the laypeople on one hand. Anothergroup, in turn, performed as theBrothers. At a certain point theyrealised that it was better to acttogether and decided to create asingle group which finished bywashing each others feet.

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This international Assembly was the start of a newepoch in the life of our Institut. I hope that the experiences there willhelp us to deepen and strengthen our partnership and to makeimportant steps forward in this area. The way in which this Assembly has expressed partnership has beenparticularly encouraging to me. One sensed openness, enthusiasm, realism about the present and hope for the future, a future of partnership and the further building of ourcommon vocation. In simplicity, modesty and humility, we continue tofollow in the footsteps of Mary and Marcellin Champagnat in order to reach Jesus together. The three steps to dream about the future in listening to young people, learning about marist responses and sharing our vocation was a good method to implicate our dreams to take the mission forward.A presentation of young Brasilian boys and girls helped us to listen to young people and the irrealities. In the presentations of the maristresponses I had the opportunity to extend my horizons about the worl-wide presence of the brothers and the difficulties but also the courageof some brothers in some parts of the world. The reflection and discovering about the vocation of brothers and laity helped us to think about our own vocation and what is common to both. The prayers, Eucharists and the work in groups were a large source for our work during these days.It was a wonderful and hopeful experience and a good opportunity to meet old friends again. I felt honoured to be chosen as a lay Marist to represent our Province in Mendes.

Frank Aumeier, West Central Europe

A NEW EPOCH

3.Dreaming the future thatGod wants for us

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I spent a few anxious daysafter receiving BrotherWagner and Dilma’s in-vitation, on behalf ofthe Preparatory Commis-sion, to lead a workshopfor the Assembly ofMendes using mandalas

as a resource. Undoubtedly, it was a historical moment for the Marist Insti-tute: The International Assembly of Marist Mission. An unheard of meetingin which the Brothers, lay men and women of the five continents, withtheir rich and varied culture and ways of living the charism, would meet topray, to share their life, to meditate and to dream about the future of theInstitute. It was necessary, then, for the workshop to facilitate for everyone the free-dom to participate and encourage a profound listening to the heart of eachman or woman gathered there and particularly to facilitate openness to thevoice of the Spirit, so that they could be prophets of God for the Institute,in the current context of humanity. It was, therefore, about dreaming God’sdream and not each one’s human dream. The proposed challenge was, in the first place, to allow ourselves to betouched by the Spirit of God and to be inspired by the dream of Marcellin:

Mendes, 7th September 2007 Mércia Procópio, Brazil

T here is a central point in-side the mandala that rep-

resents its essence. The otherelements are linked to it and,in a certain way, are depen-dent on it, because they de-velop from the starting pointof its essence. That point rep-resents a superior existence,the source of creation,God.

Celina Fioravanti

Mandalas:

The sacred circleand the dreams of Godfor the Marist Institute

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to make Jesus Christ known and loved by thechildren and young people, encouraging a cli-mate that would facilitate the representation ofthose new utopias. That is to say, that the work-shop should totally preserve our founder’scharism, should facilitate a reading of our world,so marked by profound contradictions, and pro-vide openness to new dreams and new missionfrontiers. In this way, the experience of collectively build-ing mandalas (which in Sanskrit means sacredcircle) in the Assembly was inspired by the ex-pression: “We dream new dreams”, from “Waterfrom the rock.” I found that the expressions “dreaming the dream that God wants for us,”coined by the organizers of the Assembly,“dreaming new dreams” and “we see new visions”

(“Water from the Rock”) indicated a way for the workshop on themandalas which are developed with a symbolic language, free fromrationality, that gives rise to new intuitions and inspirations and fa-cilitates new forms of expression. The workshop was developed from a number of experiences shared bythe animators of the groups so that they could contribute to a clear-er realization of the proposal previously put forward and giving themgreater assurance in conducting the groups.

Construction of small mandalas

At the start of the workshop, the delegates, forming a circle, were invit-ed to contemplate the atmosphere, carefully prepared by the atmos-phere team: the image of Champagnat reposed on a large mandala deco-rated with multi-coloured cloths flanked by two white mandalas, whileat the same time a sequence of floral mandalas were projected on to thescreen. In this way, aided by slow and deep breathing, they were ableto open new channels of perception of reality. That exercise was followed by a second viewing which combined therepresentation of floral mandalas with scenes of children, young peo-ple and adolescents of diverse ethnic and cultural origins, captured inthe most diverse circumstances of life: poverty, abandonment, childprostitution, wars, etc. With these images, the Assembly was askedsome serious questions: “Which is the call that God directs to us?”and “where is today’s Montagne?” Next they were invited to formsmall groups to represent with simple mandalas the dreams of God forthe future of the Institute. It is important to point out that for the construction of the group man-dalas, they had first to determine the centre of the mandala, that is to


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say, the central element on which the Marist Mis-sion is based, since the centre represents the es-sential element starting from which all the otherelements harmonize. Methodologically it was im-portant to begin by building the centre of themandala as representing the centre of the MaristMission so that we could sum up in a concreteway the dreams that arose from that centre. Provided with paintbrushes, coloured paper, ink,coloured pencils, the Brothers and lay people de-voted themselves with fraternal joy to the con-struction of mandalas representative of the inspi-rations that each one had received by listeningto the Spirit of God and the challenges and callsof the Marist Mission. Once these dreams andcalls had been represented they were shared witheveryone and reverently offered in the celebra-tion of the evening Eucharist.

Construction of the large mandala

Starting with the small mandalas from eachgroup, the Assembly was invited to build a largemandala that summarised the collective dream.To do this, during the construction of the groupmandala they received a part of a large mandalawith five bases, purposely chosen with thesecharacteristics to represent the Marist presencein the five continents.

This part of the process required discernment ofthe inspirations of God for the Marist Institute.A time to listen humbly and attentively to theheart of each one of those present, listening tothe voice of the Holy Spirit, of open and hon-est dialogue following these times of listeningand choices that truly revealed what God wish-es for our Institute, starting from the calls,which are sometimes dramatic, of the children,adolescents and young people and of the newfrontiers of Mission.

A challenge also to truly and courageously affirmwhat is the centre of the Marist Mission, which isthe first and only reason for the Institute and tounveil the future so that “like Marcellin seekingout the poor Montagnes of his day, we endeavourto become effective Marist educators of faith to-day (...) moving towards unexplored horizons “(“Water from the Rock” 155). In that climate ofstrict spiritual discernment, the large mandala,having Jesus Christ at its centre, reveals thegreat divine utopia to us. Brother Guilherme, with Eder, João Carlos,Mauri, Kênia and I, were affectionately called“The mandala team“ by the Preparatory Com-mission For us it was a source of great satis-faction to have this trust placed in our handsand to know with certainty that our peoplehave been an instrument of Mary who leads theInstitute and takes care, with maternal love, ofeach little brother and each little sister ofChampagnat.

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A mandala to share the implications

The implications of the dreams of the brothersand lay members

The morning prayer today (7 Sep-tember) was animated by thebrothers and lay members fromAustralia who were inspired by thetraditions and the cosmological vi-sion of the aboriginal people oftheir country, who live in commu-nion with nature.

They began with an account fromAlice Springs, an Australian townwhere there is a Marist school.There the mythology that explainsthe origin of the world for the abo-riginal people is passed on fromgeneration to generation. Themythology tells how two greatcaterpillars, who arrive by differentroutes, meet in a great cave. Therivalry soon becomes clear, but atthat very moment a huge dog ap-pears and acts as a mediator be-tween them. In this way a dialogueis established and the caterpillarslittle by little become friends, andthey remain together there, givingbirth to the mountains and valleysof the region. Ever since that timeaboriginal people honour motherearth with great respect.

In the midst of an incomparablepart of nature which surrounds thehouse of Mendes, the members ofthe assembly have been able toplace themselves in harmony withthe Lord who made the heavensand the earth and it is in him thatwe live, move and exist.

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Working with the mandala

The Assembly made ananalysis of the implica-tions of the dreams thathad been shared by thebrothers and the lay mem-bers. Mercier Procopier,who works at UMBRASIL,explained that a mandalais a symbol that symbolisesa “sacred circle” and en-gaged the participants inan active way in explain-ing the subject. Many peo-ple use the mandala to es-tablish an intuitive rela-tionship between hu-mankind and the universe.

In the assembly this aid for reflec-tion was used to establish a relationbetween the hearts of the brothersand the lay people and the future ofthe Institute and its mission. Themandalas can be constructed withthe most varied materials organizedaround a central point. Inside thecircle there are an infinity of ele-ments, but the fundamental elementsmaking up a mandala are colour andgeometric form. The members of theAssembly have carried out a prior ex-ercise to get to know the techniquefor this reflection instrument and tobe able to apply the whole of tomor-row to constructing the mandala thatsymbolizes the implications of thedreams that have been shared in theAssembly during this time.

The experiences of the groups in thisfirst exercise have been amazing.

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Like all new techniques this onearoused some curiosity, in an at-mosphere of joy and high spirits,but at the same time a certain sus-picion.

Equipped with brushes, scissors,glue, paper and so on, the membersof the Assembly sat on the floor

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like primary school students andbegan to design, paint, cut,paste… This graphic expressionwas the way in which the intuitionsof the various groups were con-veyed to the other members of theAssembly.

The mandala provided a means ofmoving from the discussion ofconcepts to the expression of in-tuitions.

This first exercise started definingthe ideas that surfaced during thedays before, concerning the impli-cations of the dreams which theBrothers and lay people havebrought to this international as-sembly.

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4.The dreamof the Brothersand Laity

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DOCUMENT OF THE ASSEMBLY


AT THE HEARTOF OUR MARIST DREAM

As representatives of each Province andDistrict in the Marist world we, Brothersand Lay people, gathered in Mendes, Bra-zil, for the first Marist International Mis-sion Assembly. We listened to God, tothe voice of children and to one another;we spoke from our hearts of our desire towork together to shape our dreams. Atthe centre of these dreams Jesus revealshimself as the son of Mary and as the Ri-sen Lord.

We heard the strong voice of Jesus revealing himself to us at the centre ofour mission: listen to your heart; listen to the voice within. This is the cen-tre; this is Jesus.

Jesus is in the heart of each individual who feels the call and responds. Wefind Him among us in our communities. Filled with His love we have aburning desire that unites us with a passion to serve and proclaim theKingdom. We have all heard this call to holiness. Just as St. Marcellin re-sponded to this call, we too follow Christ as Mary did. We have been cap-tured by the powerful image of Mary bringing Jesus to life, calling us alsoto bring Jesus to life with motherly tenderness.

Within us are the eyes and ears, the feet and hands,the heart of Jesus. We see Him in the eyes of chil-dren, in the faces of the young people we are caringfor in our educational and social works and we hearhis voice in the cry of those whom we are yet tomeet (Mt 25: 34-40).

Christ the Redeemer, from the Corcovado, with armsextended, sends us to embrace children and youngpeople in all the dioceses of the world as Marcellindreamt.

With Jesus at the centre of our dream and with theimage of Champagnat holding Jean Baptiste Mon-tagne, we imagine a future integrating the followingfive elements:

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1. REVOLUTION OF THE HEART: OPEN TO THE BREATH OF THE SPIRIT

As Marists, we are called to passionately centre our lives on Jesus Christ, de-veloping a spirituality of discipleship. Inspired by Mary, we encounter God inthat privileged space where we live our lives with children and young people.

As apostles of the 21st century, we are always searching for new ways toachieve our mission. Our educational and social ministries, and insertioncommunities are all sacred spaces for conversion. Joined with children andyoung people, we hear the call of God, and through this we come to knowtheir needs. We are challenged to centre our spirituality in evangelizing,liberating and prophetic action being sure to respect our different cultures.We need to ensure that our mission is shaped and informed by our rich spiri-tual heritage, and this will require transformational experiences that enhanceour different yet complimentary vocations as Lay Marists and Brothers.

In order to develop this spirituality, we believe that the following pointsare necessary:

1. Particular and combined formation ofBrothers and Lay people at provin-cial, regional and international levels.

2. The development of new resourcesand sharing of existing ones tosupport formation programs andactivities, particularly in areas ofthe Institute most in need.

3. The study of our Marist spiritualheritage, particularly through thedocuments of the Institute andthe Church.

4. The promotion of ecumenical andinter-religious dialogue.

5. Personal accompaniment and vo-cational discernment for Brothersand Lay people.

6. In addition to existing groups and opportunities (e.g. Champagnat Move-ment of the Marist Family, fraternities), the creation of new areas of par-ticipation to promote our Marist way of bringing the Gospel of Jesus tolife, with a sense of partnership.



2. CHAMPAGNAT MARISTSIN PARTNERSHIP

As Champagnat Marists, we believe that God is calling us now to be part-ners, men and women, co-responsible for furthering the mission in a spiritof trust, understanding and mutual respect.

VOCATION

1. We believe that God calls brothers and lay people in different ways toshare and follow the charism of Marcellin, according to their personalcall in life.

2. We feel called to promote a new shared Marist vocational ministry and acombined formation, to deepen both our common and specific voca-tions.

3. We wish to promote forms of association and ways of belonging to theMarist charism, so lay and brothers may hear the call to live their iden-tity

4. We need to articulate the vision for lay Marist vocation and its organisa-tional structure..

MISSION

1. We are called to work together in radical ways to announce God’s King-dom to children and young people, especially the marginalised, promo-ting opportunity for:

✔ sharing life

✔ developing different ways ofcommunity life

✔ discernment

✔ management

✔ decision making

2. New structures and processes need to be created that emphasise our co-responsibility, respecting the diversity, tradition and customs of eachothers cultures.

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3. To be partners in mission we need to make decisions together, creatingways for representation at Provincial, Regional and General Administra-tion levels.

4. International communication systems (ITC) need to be established, inorder to build unity, and be informed of different experiences of sharedmission, new projects and networks.

3. MARIST PRESENCEIN EVANGELISATION

As Marist Brothers and Lay Marists inpartnership we affirm that evangeli-zation is the focus and priority ofour ministries.

Each ministry proclaims Jesus andhis message. Therefore we feel calledby God to be courageous in:

1. Evangelising through integratingfaith and life, and promoting dia-logue with different cultures andreligions.

2. Understanding and learning from the youth culture and applying con-temporary content and processes which draw upon their life experiences,in order to liberate and empower.

3. Committing to our own formation in the education for transformationof youth and families to live and proclaim the Gospel as agents ofchange.

4. Promoting human and Christian values for social transformation and re-newing our works to make them more evangelically fruitful.

5. Immersing ourselves at every opportunity with the poor and the margi-nalised

6. Being a leaven within a participative, evangelical, prophetic, frater-nal, welcoming Church, desiring to develop and share its Mariancharacter

7. Creating Marist communities of life that visibly and effectively evangeli-se through their family spirit and commitment to mission



4. MARIST EDUCATION: NEW CHALLENGES

We recognize “In the Footsteps ofMarcellin Champagnat” as a refer-ential document, necessary to oureducational mission. We aregrateful for the dedication of allthose who have worked as Mariststhroughout our history. Their tes-timony inspires us to respond tothe needs of children and youngpeople with creative fidelity tothe call of God.

At this moment we want to em-phasize particularly the right toeducation: an education thatevangelizes, an education com-mitted to solidarity and to socialtransformation, respectful of cultures and of environment, and a non-dis-criminatory education that creates a place for those who do not have it.

We feel the call of God:

1. To complete the Evaluation of Works throughout the Institute, in thespirit of evangelization and in the “Evangelical Use of Goods”.

2. To transform our educational works so that we, Brothers and Lay people,will guide children and youth in such a way that they become peoplecommitted to the construction of a society of justice and solidarityfor all.

3. To go, in significant numbers, to those places where excluded people live,providing educational opportunities to children and youth, where theirright to education is not respected.

4. To promote intercultural and inter-religious dialogue, with respect, mu-tual enrichment and from a relationship of equality between cultures andreligions.

5. To develop a new way to education through Marist networks, at local andinternational levels, and with other governmental, civil and ecclesial or-ganizations.

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5. ADVOCACY FOR THE RIGHTSOF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE: EMPOWERING THE VOICELESS

We believe that God is calling us to be a strong and prophetic voice for thedefense and promotion of the rights of children and young people. This re-quires that:

1. We guarantee that principles of Catholic Social Teaching guide our work(structures, policies and behaviors).

2. We promote Human Rights in a critical and integrated Marist education,marked by solidarity and inspired by the Gospel in all our institutionsand social projects.

3. With courage, we denounce social, economic, political, cultural and reli-gious structures that oppress children and young people.

4. We witness our advocacy for the rights with our lives on the personal,community and institutional levels.

5. We open our hearts to the call of children and young people in our worldand promote a strong Marist presence in the poorest regions, accompanyingthe least favored.

6. We provide opportunities forthose whom we serve, toshare and participate in thedecision making process andinvite children and youngpeople to become strong lea-ders in this area.

7. We create or strengthen Maristnetworks for collaborationand communication, beingrespectful of civil society,the legislature, governmentsand Church institutions atthe local, national and inter-national levels.

Mendes, 12/09/2007






THE ASSEMBLY BEGINS TO DEFINETHE FUTURE New roads for brothers and laity

Today, the 8th of September, feastof the Nativity of Mary, began with avery special greeting to Mary. Formany of the brothers throughout theInstitute the feast of the birth ofMary is the anniversary of theirtaking of the habit, of their firstprofession or of their perpetualprofession. Some of the Brothersshowed a list of how long the Lordhad let them live in his house.

The morning prayer was done outside,like yesterday, following the rhythmmarked by music and all joinedhands. The experience was repeatedlater before beginning the work ofthe Assembly.

It has been the experience of knowingGod, of knowing my own body, seeingit in a very positive way and askingthe Lord to help me to use it wellto help others, in favour of all theothers. Those who were at my sidenever let me go. Having my handstied to those beside me helped meto realise that I was in contact withothers. I walked with my eyes closedbecause I felt the support of otherswho took me by the hand. It was anexperience of constant praise ofGod. I felt very good.

“I like music and dance very much,so I soon closed my eyes and star-ted to dance. With my eyes closed Iexperienced a lot of peace, a lot ofhappiness; I enjoyed being carried

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along by the music, I had a good time,I felt happy, I was consciouse of allmy past, all my life, my dreams, myfamily, my friends. At one point Ilost concentration and I stepped onthe partner beside me. I rememberedthe times in my life when I harmedother people or offended them. Butthat backward step did not discourageme, but rather I experienced hopewith the two steps forward that themusic asked of me. And I was filledwith peace."

The work of the mandala is long and fulfillingThe work of constructing the manda-la is the great work of this As-sembly. The methodological means isbringing the participants fromsynthesis to synthesis toward a con-vergence of thought. But firstly itis necessary to feel and think beforethe whole Assembly to get to knowoneself and to be able to share. Thepreparatory commission proposes adouble performance guideline to dis-cover the story that there is behindthe mandala that was built in yes-terday’s groups to connect it to to-day’s work.

Yesterday, when the mandala was fi-nally constructed each group wasasked to put forward the idea which,according to them, ought to consti-tute the centre of the collectivemandala which would be built today.This has been the first step of themorning.

There has been a great coincidencewith different accents: they have

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spoken of Jesus and of Montagne.Not just any Jesus, but Jesus ofNazareth, the historical Jesus, Je-sus the liberator, Jesus of the Bea-titudes, who sends his Spirit andgives us the strength for the mis-sion. Others have highlighted thatJesus is our passion.

In the second work, equally long,the participants tried to completethe center of the mandala answer -ing this question: To what is theLord calling us? It’s a matter ofdiscovering the grand directionsthat will mark the future of theMarists.

All of the collective effort ended,as every day, in the afternoon Eu-charistic celebration where therichness that the Lord has shownin the life of this Assembly was ce-lebrated.

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THE ASSEMBLY FOCUSES ON FIVE POINTSEMERGING FROM THE REFLECTIONThe first approach to the conclusions of the assemblyAfter a break at Rio de Janeiro theorganising commission put forward apractical rhythm of work. The earlierelaboration of the mandala had beenof great use in helping everyonegreater mutual understanding andcommunication, as well as puttingin place what they had broughtfrom their places of origin. Duringthe reflection, carried out using themandala, little by little the basic to-pics appeared and we all had thechance to express our own thoughts.Today is the day.

Five fundamental pillars The members of the commission didnot go on the trip to Rio de Janei-ro. For the whole of Sunday theywere gathered together to program-me the works of the Assembly. Someof the participants missed the pre-sence of their companions duringthat day of rest. The Commission named five majorpoints that had been repeated timeand time again in interventions du-ring the preceding days:

1. Spirituality and conversion.

2. New relationships betweenthe brothers and lay people.

3. Education for all.

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4. Defending the rights of childrenand young people.

5. The evangelisation of childrenand young people.

There was a change from earlierdays in the method of reporting. To-day, all of the participants had theopportunity to express in writingtheir ideas and feelings on these fivesubjects. In five separate rooms thewalls were covered with paper onwhich everyone could write reac-tions to each subject, and thesewere put together immediately bytwo secretaries.

After that the work was taken up inthe language groups. Each of thesubjects proposed was assigned totwo groups of different languagesfor them to make separate synthe-ses of the material from the walls,and then to establish a common

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text together. All of this materialwas submitted to a vote by the ge-neral assembly.

Everyone had a small piece of paperon which indication was given ei-ther of agreement or disagreementin a general way with the proposi-tions, and to suggest freely and im-mediately any observations on thetext.

Some indications of the progress madeFor the moment, the Assembly ap-proved of two points in general, wi-th out these becoming definitive do-cuments. The three other subjectsremained for tomorrow, and moreabout what the Assembly considersto be “the core” and “the heart” ofMarist mission.

The 10th of September was an ex-hausting day. After supper therewere still participants gatheredround the computer finishing thetasks of the day.

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Didascalia della foto

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THE ASSEMBLY’S CONTRIBUTIONS AREOUTLINED FOR THE INSTITUTE Final stretch of the group work

Three themes are carried over fromyesterday. Today, September 11th,has been another day of intensework for the Assembly. The metho-dology used to approach the fourpending themes is similar to the oneused for the previous two themes:exposure to the group, clarificationsand proposal of observations in wri-ting.

Finally, the sharing with the As-sembly of the synthesis prepared bythe group in charge of gathering thecontributions of the participants todetermine which would be the cen-tre of the mandala. The text re -ceived a very warm welcome on thepart of the Assembly, but the writ-ten observations, which were madeafter the explanation, have yet tobe collected.

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Work by regions Practically the rest of the day wasdedicated to analyzing and sharingthe implications that all that wasreflected on and lived during theAssembly has for each region ofthe Institute. The geographic dis-tribution was: Asia, Africa, Pacific,Europe, Arco Norte, Cono Sur andBrazil.

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The generosity and humility of the Assembly participants

astounds me. I have great hope that, despite the enormity of the task, Brothers and laypeople together will form a strong and effective bond in call and in mission. Our union will support our work; our work together will strengthen our unity.

Vincent Andiorio, USA

5.Committedin theMarist Mission

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Less than four years later MartinLuther King, Jr. lay dead, the victimof a lone assassin’s bullet. To dreamdreams is one thing; the task ofbringing them to life is somethingvery different indeed. Every dream inits unfolding exacts a cost. King paida price for implementing his dream:the cost was his life. But he had noother choice because he knew onlytoo well that a dream unrealized isnothing more than a fantasy or an il-lusion.

Marcellin Champagnat also had a dream, the dream of bringing God’s Word torough country children. They were poor, unlettered, and living in the wake ofa revolutionary movement that surged across Europe as the 18th century gavebirth to the 19th.

In many ways Marcellin’s life mirrored those of the children and young peoplewhom he set out to serve. Born as the flames of the French Revolution of1789 were lit, the founder grew up during a period in which primary educa-tion had all but collapsed in France. Those who chose teaching as a work did

Closing addressat the

Marist InternationalMission Assembly

Mendes, 12 September 2007 Br. Seán D. Sammon

During late August 1964 a 34-year-old Baptist preacher by the name of

Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the stepsof the Lincoln Memorial in Washington,DC and delivered an address that wouldforever after be known as the “I have adream” speech. In a country badly dividedby racial prejudice and strife, this youngAfrican American had the courage to painta picture of a world marked by justice andracial harmony. He told his listeners thathe had seen the Promised Land: a future inwhich little white, black, and brown chil-dren joined hands and stood together. Inso doing, they bore witness to the fact thatthey were “free at last.”

June 2008 • 95

so most often because they could do little else. Many beat theircharges, drank, and led scandalous lives. Through his faith in God, re-liance on Mary, and what we today call his practical Christianity, the

founder brought his dream to life. He hadcourage, he showed daring, he tookchances. Yes, he read well the signs of histimes and without delay responded tothem with innovation and creativity, andin a spirit of faith.

During these days together we havelearned about our own dreams and our col-lective dream as a group. Two themes havealso danced in and out of our discussionsover the last week and a half. The first isMarist mission, and the second: Maristpartnership. Like two 9th graders at a classsocial, they have sometimes stood uncom-fortably alone and on other occasionsdanced together. Their steps have most of-ten been graceful, one might even say pol-ished. Along the way, though, there havebeen those inevitable awkward misstepsthat only serve to remind us all of thetasks that lie ahead.

We have done a fine piece of work duringthese days together. We have shared prayerand faith, listened to the Word of God andto the voices of children and young peo-ple, struggled to put words on our hopesand dreams, and been honest about ourfears and concerns. One of the most im-portant aspects of this International As-sembly, however, has been the simple joyof meeting and coming to know one an-other. And in the process, we have discov-ered that we have so much more in com-mon than divides us. Yes, we are a groupof people looking in the same direction,men and women who share a keen desireto tell children and young people just howmuch Jesus Christ loves them.

These days have also included the expe-rience of living community life. Shortterm? Yes. But at an international and


Br. Seán Sammonclosing address

Participation in the assembly andgetting involved in helping shape

the future direction of the Marist mission was a very privileged opportunity for a Filipinomarried woman with five children like me. I was so impressed with the presentation where childrenfrom different parts of the world were represented,one of which was Rene Anga who came from theBadjao (sea gypsies) tribe in the Philippines.The presentation confirmed that the Marists of the Philippines are indeed doing what the Founder,St. Marcellin Champagnat, wanted the Brothersto do.- love and educate children, especially the poor. I was so proud that , being part of theMarist Family , I am actively involved in propagatingwhat the Founder dreams, and advocates. Further,the interests and amusement I saw in the faces ofthose who were in my presentation of theCommunity Extension Services of Notre Dame ofDadiangas University were manifestations that the works of the Brothers and Lay Marists in the Philippines are indeed attuned to the needs ofthe present time. Furthermore, I felt that the LordJesus , Mama Mary , and St. Marcellin werepresent in the Assembly because the participantswere able to share ideas and understand eachother, in spite of the language differences. Finally, I am deeply honored to be counted as part of the “Champagnat Marists Family.”

Virginia C. Manalo, Province of Philippinas

June 2008 • 97

trans-cultural level, with brothers and lay-women and men sharing, synthesizing, arrivingat consensus, taking up together the tasks oforganizing and implementing the overall pro-gram of these days. Simply put, being co-re-sponsible.

Could we have done more? Of course. Could wehave used these days differently? Without adoubt. But we used them as we did and can beduly proud of what we have achieved together. With that said, we must admit that considerablework lies ahead. For this International MissionAssembly has been but another step, albeit animportant one, in the process of renewal inwhich we have been involved now for fourdecades.

A number of meetings paved the road to Mendez.Each had an important role to play in theprocess. The steps we take after leaving here willbe equally important if not more so. But whyshould we be surprised? After all, we are livingthrough one of the three great periods of changein the history of our Church. The late Jesuit theo -logian Karl Rahner reminds us that the first great

transition in the history of Christianity occurredwhen Judaism became Jewish Christianity. Thisshift occurred just after the death of Christ.Foods once considered forbidden to the Jewswere now blessed and declared clean, circumci-sion for males was put aside and Gentiles werewelcomed directly into the early Christian com-munities.

The second great shift occurred whenJewish Christianity moved from itsparochial world in Palestine andspread throughout the then knownworld. Rome, not Jerusalem was nowthe center and Hellenistic thoughtinfluenced greatly the formulation ofdoctrine.

Rahner would suggest that today weare living through the third greatshift or transition in Christianity aswe move toward being truly a worldChurch. And we ourselves are atransitional generation in the midstof all that is unfolding. Our task isto create a future that generationsafter us rather than ourselves mayfully appreciate. The life and mis-sion of Moses serve as good exam-ples here.

We know that that this great leaderof the Jewish people led them outof Egypt through the desert and in-to the Promised Land. What we for-get, however, is that he himself

never reached Canaan. He died in the mountains just outside of it.In sight of his goal but still short of it. We are the transitionalleaders of today and some of us may never see fully the fruits ofour labor, but labor we must if a new day for our Church and Insti-tute is to ever dawn.

So, as I see it in addition to the work already associated with each ofthe five proclamations, the following tasks still lie ahead. The first ispersonal conversion. As Francisco and Luis André said so well lastSaturday: when all is said and done a fundamental change of heart isfoundational to any renewal of mission or a new vision of partner-ship. Accomplishing this task, however, will be a challenge for likethe rich young man of the gospel we are often reluctant to let go ofthe familiar, and to allow the Lord to shake us up so as to transformour lives.

Second, we must continue to work at defining more clearly exactlywhat we mean by identity, and be specific about the different identi-ties that make up Marist mission and partnership. We cannot settle


Br. Seán Sammonclosing address

June 2008 • 99

for easy answers in this area for we are speakingabout the very elements that give meaning anddirection to our respective lives.

Third, we must be clear about the meaning ofmission and agree on a common definition ofMarist evangelization. There is but one mission:the mission of the Church and that is to proclaimthe coming of the Kingdom of God and its imma-nence. What does that mean, however, in ourspecific Marist context?

As part of this discussion, we must also come tounderstand to whom Marcellin was referring whenhe wrote and spoke about poor children andyoung people. To raise this question is not to cri-tique any current work. But the day has longpassed where we can stretch the word poor to apoint where it is unrecognizable. To accomplishthese tasks we will need to develop a new vocabu-lary and should not hesitate to create new struc-tures as needed. Language and ways of organizingthat may have been useful in the past could verywell fail us during the years ahead. Let us stretchour imaginations and put into place those toolswe need to get the job done.

We have many existing resources to help us withthis work. We have the Word of God, and almosttwo hundred years of experience. We have thewitness of the lives of so many good people in-volved in this movement, brothers and laymenand women alike. We have our Marist Constitu-tions, publication such as In the Footsteps ofMarcellin Champagnat and Water from the Rock,circulars, and other Institute documents writtenover time. We also have our faith, our love forthis charism that came into the Church throughthat simple country priest who lived in LaValla solong ago, and we have our passion for wantingto transform the lives of the young.

So let us be up and doing. As we leave Mendezover the next few days, remember that the Spiritof God that was so alive in Marcellin goes withus. And do not forget that the qualities most of-ten associated with that Spirit are fire and pas-

sion. Let both be ours in abundance as we setout to bring news of this gathering to thoseback home and begin to think about the nextsteps on our pilgrimage. Let us pray too forMary’s openness to God’s will in her life, for agenerous heart like the founder’s, and for ourChurch and Institute.

We carry a sacred trust: the charge of evangeliz-ing the poor and the young and in our time inhistory we are blessed with the possibility of do-ing it as equal partners. Like Martin Luther King,Jr. we have caught a glimpse of the PromisedLand. As we put aside what may have unfortu-nately separated us in the past and embrace ourproper identities let us pray for the freedom tobe what we were meant to be: the People of God,religious brothers and committed laymen andwomen, bearers of the charism of MarcellinChampagnat, heralds of God’s Good News.

For in being what we were meant to be we willfinally realize the freedom promised to the chil-dren of God and be able to join hands in harmo-ny with the little black, brown and white chil-dren described by Martin Luther King, Jr. sayingtogether all the while, “Free at last, free atlast, thank God Almighty, we are free at last.”

Thank you.


Mendes:The beginning

of a crossing!Mendes, 12 September 2007 Dilma Alves Rodrigues

We reached Mendes from different corners ofthe world, coming from distant lands, differ-ent cultures and lifestyles, but moved by oneheart and one mission. However, we stillcould not see clearly how this first step ofthe crossing was to become a starting point,a challenge on the path of those who followthe way of Champagnat.The first step of the crossing made us facethe rich and complex reality of our Insti-tute. We are unique and different, like thetwo faces of one coin. It is our richness andour weakness in different moments of ourhistory. It is also what makes us proceed

resolutely and, perhaps, what makes us walk slowly in certain con-texts and periods of our history.The Assembly began by spending a bit of time with a group of chil-dren and teenagers of St. Vincent de Minas, who embodied among usthe life and voice of the children and teenagers whom we direct ourcare and love to, the object of our selfless educational efforts in allfive continents and in the most diverse situations.We know that the presence and intervention of these children andteenagers was a radical challenge to us, and this challenge aroused inus a sense of uneasiness and hope for our common and distinct futures.The sharing of experiences that followed gave us some responses onhow, here and there, in different parts of the world, there are con-crete and creative answers to the questions that rise from reality. It

The Brazilian writer GuimarãesRosa says that “you do not

find the truth at the destination,nor upon departure, you see itwith your eyes when you are inthe middle of the crossing”. Un-der many aspects, Mendes was thebeginning of a great crossing forthe Marist Institute. This crossingsummoned us all, brothers, laypeo-ple – men and women – to dis-cern upon God’s dreams for us,Marists of the whole world.

June 2008 • 101

was the experience of truth in the middle ofthe crossing.The mosaic of experiences that were presentedstressed and captured distinct itineraries, de-fined and disseminated in different worlds. Un-til then we had protected ourselves, from withinour differences, our ways of being and acting.One could say that we were all ready to startout on the crossing, each according to his owncustoms, rhythms and convictions. What madeus move towards the hearts of the others? Wecertainly needed something to stir us and in-spire us, making us stop hiding our differencesand resemblances; something foreign to ourmany different cultures and ways of being andacting, thinking and working. In that exact mo-ment of the crossing we were introduced to theworld of the mandalas! The mandalas fascinatedus, they disquieted us and challenged us. Aboveall they shook us. All of a sudden the barriers ofgeography, culture, sex and education seemedto have disappeared. We were men and women,brothers and laypeople, in search of a commonvision through a symbolic representation thatwas foreign to our mindset, but which recalledus to a quest for meaning, to understand ourhistory, the relationship with the sacred, ourroots and traditions, our mission. That is whenthe crossing became a community event. TheAssembly was set!The path that sprang from the experience of themandalas defined a new course and newrhythms to engage in the crossing. We threwdown some personal barriers, and built bridgesto dialogue, in spite of our profound differ-ences. It made us stop on some aspects thatfound our identity as brothers and laypeople –men and women – it made us reflect on ourcommon and distinct vocation, and turn oureyes to the future.Once we arrived at this point, we stopped tovisit Rio de Janeiro. We were welcomed byChrist the Redeemer who opened his arms tochallenge us once again to make the dream ofChampagnat come true “in all the dioceses ofthe world”.Starting from this moment of the crossing, we

had to focus on collecting the richness of sensecontained in what we learnt while creating themandalas. It would allow us to dialogue whileretaining our personal and community convic-tions. We were led to a profound reflection onour Marist identity, to learn God’s dreams forour common future.At the preparatory Commission, we had longthought of how to adjust the course of thecrossing in order not to lose sight of the north,to balance personal and community shifts andmovements. It was a challenging time of dis-cernment and it led to adequate choices, in or-der to reach the results we expected.The method we chose led us from personalpaths to community sharing, with a feeling ofco-responsibility. The crossing was done withdifferent timings, rhythms and paces, at a per-sonal level and in small groups. The sharing wasnot always easy, but the attitude of patienceand love of the participants, as well as theavailability to experience the crossing in all itscomplexity, with courage, was a beautiful wit-ness for the Provinces and Districts of the wholeworld, an inspiration to follow! The summons ofthe Spirit were perceived with intensity andprofundity in some moments.

The final document “At the heart of our Marist dream” expresses thethoughts of the representatives on the five themes that are at theheart of our mission. The methodological routes allowed to bring tosurface what everyone carried in his heart, starting from the experi-ence of the preparatory stages in our Provinces and Districts. Butabove all they allowed the themes to ripen in the sharing that tookplace within the smaller groups, in tune with God’s dream on all of us.We were called to make a revolution of the heart, opening up our-selves more and more to the Holy Spirit, to explore the meaning ofour different and complementary vocations, as brothers and laypeo-ple – men and women – Marists of Champagnat who live and act incollaboration, to develop the future of our mission.We also discerned the presence of the Marists in evangelisation.Like the apostles of Jesus Christ, we are called to proclaim, deter-mined and clear, what requires a radical change in our hearts. Once again we could joyfully behold what our mission is as educa-tors. God calls us to be audacious, to dream the new challengeswaiting for us in the sphere of education. In this respect, we stillhave a long way to go as we engage in our crossing.For the first time we could clearly perceive the call we receive as anInternational Institute, to stand up, unfaltering and firm, in a vari-ety of situations and different ways, for the defence and promotionof the rights of children, teenagers and young people. They needsomeone to give them the chance to make their own voice beheard. We cannot defer our response to this appeal!Once again, under many different aspects, the crossing has just be-gan. We are on our way!


Dilma Alves Rodriguesthe biginning of a crossing!

June 2008 • 103

So, I am anxious to shareeverything I hold in my heartand I encourage the other

delegates to do the same. Let us help one another to share what the Spirithas inspired within us.

What has excited me? What has given me hope to face the future?

1. Certainly the presence of the Holy Spirit in everything: He has been thetrue main character of the assembly.

2. The exceptional quality of the delegates, laypeople and brothers, pre-sent at the assembly: their joy and passion to be Marists, their open-ness, search for communion, prophetic spirit… And the hope that theywill spread that spirit in their local areas and provinces.

3. The joy of discovering that the Marist charism remains very much alivein all of the regions and cultures where we are present. There was notone pessimistic moment, rather, on the contrary: there was an injectionof new vitality felt in the entire Institute.

4. Much was said about “NEWNESS:” new wine in new wineskins, helpinga new dawn be born, the image of a woman giving birth, expected la-bor pains that we must know how to live through in hope…

5. We’ve experienced a strong call of Jesus to a conversion of the heart,on the personal and institutional level. We left changed, revitalized.That is the great hope. We believe that, as an assembly, we have been

Mendes, 12 September 2007 Br. Pau Fornells

Iam back in Rome fromMendes (Brazil) and I feel

privileged to have had thisexperience of the Spirit. Icannot but speak about allthis wave of blessings thathave been granted to me.

A propheticAssembly for the 21st century

a meaningful symbol of what ishappening in the heart of theMarist world, as much throughwhat we’ve lived as through thedocument produced.

6. We demonstrated with immensehappiness that the path set outupon years ago, of shared lifeand mission between brothers and laypeople is today a maturedreality throughout the Institute, respecting the different rhythmsand cultural diversity of the 76 countries in which we are pre-sent. We don’t speak so much of brothers and laypeople, but of“Marists of Champagnat.” The assembly convincingly showed“that the life-giving Spirit is leading us along a common path.”(Choose Life, 29) Thus we’ve lived, clearly marking the road tothe future: a common vocation lived in different and complimen-tary life projects, sharing life: spirituality, mission, formation…(Choose Life, 26)

7. Another aspect very clearly highlighted by the assembly was thejourney that we must continue making in our common mission:the Spirit leads us toward children and young people, especiallythe most materially poor, as well as the social transformation ofour educational works based on justice, solidarity and the de-fense of the rights of children and young people. Brother Seánclearly underlined it for us and the assembly felt very touchedby this call from the first day, when the children and youngBrazilians who were present helped us to be in touch with theworldwide reality of the most abandoned children and young

8. At the heart of our Marist ideal, which we believe is God-inspi-red, an important point of convergence is arising. Such too isthe case with the five important invitations that spring fromthe convergence so that we can keep building the future form ofMarist apostolate. The invitations are: to personal and institu -tional conversion; to life and mission as Champagnat Marists; toforms of Marist education that promote freedom and that are es-pecially directed towards those who are not free; evangelizationas our priority; to defend and promote the rights of children andyoung people.

9. Grouped by regions we reflected upon the five important in-vitations heard at the general gathering. Our reflections, verypositive and following the same indications as those heard at thegeneral gathering, suggested future developments which mightoccur in each area represented in the regional group. The reflec-tions offered by those from Africa had a special impact upon theassembly.

10. We already were aware of the value inherent in the internationa-lity of the charism, but we were once again able to witness its va-


Br. Pau Fornellsa prophetic assembly for the 21st century

June 2008 • 105

lue. Progress has been made as to the variousmodalities in which the Marist life is lived.That parts of the Institute have been restruc-tured is a help in this regard. This interna-tional assembly itself has given an impetus,particularly in the case of lay people. One seesthat there is no retreating; we cannot stay en-closed within our confines, whether Provincialor national. All must learn from all. The Spiritis manifested most clearly in communion ofan international nature.

11. Yet, a significant sensitivity was apparentto respect differences: the varying pace ofgeographic areas and countries; differencesof traditions; of cultural mores, etc.

12. Highly emphasized was the importance ofsharing life, of formative experiences li-ved in community, of creating milieuxwhich allow for the evolution of differentmodes of community life (MCHFM andothers)… of trying to find unity and com-munity despite differing sensitivities andideologies. Only with the experience of sharedlife and apostolate as starting point, will wearrive at a true formation, at a true percep-tion of reality, finding the impetus to lookhonestly at the innovations which the Spiritis asking us to undertake.

13. A quite lucid awareness appeared (vis a vis acommon Marist vocation) as to the comple-mentarity and reciprocity of the Brothers’identity and that of the lay people. Weneed each other. We Brothers need to un-derstand the lay people and vice versa. Star-ting from such a point, one sees the needfor a joint work in vocational promotionand in formation, without, denying theneed for formative processes specific toeach state of life. We also heard about theenriching side of communities compri-sed of Brothers and lay people (27 suchcommunities in 15 administrative units),one of the possible supplemental forms ofMarist life.

14. The presence of the Superior General andhis Council gave us hope that the stimulusfor action felt in the assembly may continue

to grow strong, and that the next GeneralChapter may pick up on such a stimulus so asto deepen it and apply it in practical ways ineach administrative unit of the Institute.

15. The Assembly has contributed to a greaterunity in the Marist world. The sense of belon-ging has been very strongly felt. Great em-phasis was placed on the need to establishnetworks: of communication, of reflection,of cooperation. By such means we may behelped to live out these invitations of theSpirit. Regional structures can help, but thecreation of intercultural and inter-linguisticnetworks is also necessary. Such was a viewstrongly expressed by the delegates from theAmericas and from Oceania.

16. The success of this Assembly opens the possi-bility that new steps may be taken so as toset up similar structures at Provincial, Regio-nal and international levels. Such a possibilitycould also be a first step towards a clear de-velopment of the Marist Laity, as has beenasked in the final document of the Assembly.

MENDES, SEPTEMBER 3-12 2007

album ofmemories


THE NATIONAL DAY OF BRAZIL

Today was the national holiday of Brazil. The name “Brazil” is derived from the name of a treethat is native to these parts. The Brothers have been in this country for a hundred years already,and Marist works flourish under the mantle of Our Lady of Aparecida, their guardian. The membersof the Assembly gave thanks to the Lord and our Good Mother for the blessings they hadbestowed upon the Brazilian people and on Marist woks. At the end of one of the morningsessions the national flag was honoured and the national anthem played. During the celebra-tion that followed the dinner, the typical “caipirinha” was served at the bar on the house.

June 2008 • 109

7TH SEPTEMBER 2007

THE INTERNATIONAL MARIST MIS-SION ASSEMBLY ALSO HAS ITSOWN HYMN, composed by thegroup “Kairoi”. The words arevery meaningful: “It is in yourhands to make a better world”,“give life to your mission”, "besowers of good news and free-dom to those who live under op-pression”, “and new life will beatin your heart.”The musical composition avoidedall triumphalist or military con-notations. It is not meant to besung as an adornment or to givesolemnity to an act but to reso-nate with the simplest actions ofeach day, like an act of commu-nion with everything and with allwho are around us. The convic-tions in the song do not ask for asolemn posture, but cherishedattitudes. It is a melody that in-vites us to sing along at any timeand many a time, like a mantrathat keeps on repeating the deepand moving sentiment, “one heart,one mission”. Again and again italludes to a mission “withoutbonds, unconditional”, to the“celebration of fraternity” “thereare no boarders for love” “to bewith the children”. The hymn brings about onceagain an atmosphere of sharedprayer. “We are the many whowish to march with the dream ofChampagnat: and as we make ourway on our journey all of us sharethe same song, that very samesong, the song of us all.


VISIT TO RIO DE JANEIRO

Sunday, 9th of September, the participants departed in two buses for

Rio de Janeiro to visit the monument of Christ the Redeemer in el Cor-

covado, the beautiful beaches of this city and the cathedral. The bro-

thers of the community and the presidents of the parents, teachers

and of the alumni of the Colegio San José welcomed the visitors and

offered them a family meal, later entertaining them with a sample of

local folklore that included the sensational dance the “capoeira”. Bro-

ther Seán Sammon, Superior General, offered some warm words and

posed for pictures with the teachers and students who were present.

The participants returned quite happy to Mendes.

The day concluded with Sunday Mass on a theme that celebrated the

martyrs of the Institute. The 47 brother martyrs of Spain, whose bea-

tification will occur on October 28th in Rome, took an honored place

in this celebration of faith.

June 2008 • 111June 2008 • 111

9TH SEPTEMBER 2007


MORE THAN A HUNDRED MISSIONARIES...

Brother Seán Sammon at the closing of the International AssemblyAt morning prayer the document that carries theresult of the work of all these days was placed atthe feet of the Good Mother. In this way wewanted to place under Mary’s protection the fu-ture roads to be travelled by the Assembly toput into practice what has been dreamt here.

Last of the works

The final document, which will be publishedwhen it has been edited in a definitive form inthe four official languages, gathers togetherthe dreams of the assembly for its journey inthe next years.

June 2008 • 113June 2008 • 113

Report on the reflection carried out by regions

At the end of the morning reports were givenon the meetings held by the regional groups,making obvious the great richness and at thesame time the diversity that exists in the en-tire Marist world. The Assembly has been anopportunity to stretch bonds and to opennew perspectives for the future.

12TH SEPTEMBER 2007


...ARE SENT TO ALL OF THE CONTINENTS

The General Council questioned by the Assembly

The participants had the opportunity to formulate a series of questions for the members of theGeneral Council during the first session of the afternoon.

Brother Maurice Berquet presented a panorama on the Evangelical Use of Goods, which was amandate of the General Chapter, giving a perspective of the activity being developed in theInstitute for this purpose. Brother Luis García Sobrado commented on restructuring, affirmingthat even though it is early to see the results, the indications are interesting. An example:Marist Africa, before restructuring, was lead by non-African brothers; today all of the majorsuperiors are African. Also, it is certain that, with restructuring, the distances have multipliedand have very much underlined the internationality of the Institute.

On what the International Assembly will be involved in facing the future, Brother Emili Turúsaid that the General Council has not yet decided anything. The topic will be addressed in theplenary sessions of the Council during the upcoming month of January. Meanwhile some resour-ces and a related issue of the FMS Message will be sent out.

June 2008 • 115

Formation of Brothers and lay people was discussed. One of the questions dealt with the for-mation to be given to new Brothers. Brother Antonio Ramalho presented some criteria that arefollowed in initial formation within the Institute.

Relative to the impact that this Assembly will have in the animation of the Institute, BrotherSeán Sammon spoke of structures of animation that directly involve the General Council, citingas an example the upcoming meeting of the extended General Council that will occur with theprovinces of Europe. The topic that they will study will be vocation ministry, but certainlythere will also be a reflection on the Assembly.

Someone commented that we have excellent documents in the Institute, but why aren’t theyput into practice? On this topic, Brother Théoneste Kalisa said that a document gives life andenthusiasm in its development and application, similar to what occurred in this Assembly. Nowthis will have to be brought to the educational and mission environments so that it can gene-rate life in each place.

Asked a question about the strengths and weaknesses of lay Marists today, Brother PedroHerreros showed that it is not easy to answer, since the world reality is very diverse. Perhaps itwill be necessary to have another international assembly. And speaking about the position ofthe Council regarding the ownership of the laity in the Institute, he said that there are alreadysome links like the Champagnat Movement of the Marist Family. There is still some ground tobe covered in the future.

12TH SEPTEMBER 2007


TIME FOR THANKS

At the end great gratitude was expres-sed and very sincere congratulations ex-tended to the numerous people who hadmade it possible for everything to func-tion so well.

Brother Emili Turú and the Commissionthat organized the meeting spoke of therelevant role that certain Marist institu-tions played in the development of thisAssembly. In the first place, UMBRASIL,with Brother Wagner in charge. Se-condly, the Marist province of BrasilCentro Norte, with its provincial. Finally,the house at Mendes. When they werethinking of an appropriate place to havethe Assembly then decided not to lookfor a hotel, “we have a home as a ho-tel,” said Brother Turú, showing muchgratitude.

June 2008 • 117

He had words of gratitude for the workof the translators, secretaries, supportpersonnel, house keeping staff, and thekitchen, laundry, clearing and receptionservices etc. highlighting that “Brazil isthe paradise of details.”

Brother Seán Sammon gave thanks tothe Preparatory Commission, giving asmall gift to each member. Finally, Bro-ther Claudino Falchetto, Provincial ofBrasil Centro Norte, host of the As-sembly, indicated that “in the begin-nings of the Marist work in Brazil, Men-des received many missionaries; todayMendes sends missionaries throughoutthe world to spread the Marist mission.”

12TH SEPTEMBER 2007


CLOSING MASS

In the celebration of the closing Masswe had a sending prayer for new mis-sionaries. More than a hundred Bro-thers, lay men and women are chargedwith the task of sharing in all parts ofthe world what they have experiencedand shared in this meeting. Each onereceived a symbolic coin with the chargeto make it increase. The embrace ofpeace was also the gesture of goodbye.That same night the participants be-gan returning home. Everyone carriedluggage filled with memories but,above all, a heart full of dreams andliving satisfaction.

June 2008 • 119

12TH SEPTEMBER 2007


Br. Luis García SobradoVicar General

Br. Jhon Y TanCommission Dilma Alves Rodrigues

Commission

Érica PegorerCommission

Br. Emili TurúCounselor General

Br. Juan Miguel Anaya

Commission

Chema Pèrez SobaCommission

Br. Pau FornellsSecretary of the laity

Br. Alphonse BalombeCommission

Br. Pedro Herreros

Counselor General

COMMISSION

Br. Seán SammonSuperior General

GENERAL COUNCILPA

RTI

CIP

AN

TS

June 2008 • 121

Br. Maurice BerquetCounselor General

Br. Antonio RamalhoCounselor General

Samuelson Randriamampionona

Madagascar

Br. Thomas

Randriamampionona

Madagascar

Julius Waritu Africa Centro-Este

Br. Valentin DjawuAfrica Centro-Este

Adrienne EgbersAfrica Austral

Br. John Kusi-Mensah D. Africa del Oeste

Timothy Num-DarkwaD. Africa del Oeste

Br. Johnson OyereibeNigeria

Br. Peter RodneyCounselor General

Br. Théoneste KalisaCounselor General

AFRICA

Br. Emmanuel MwanalirenjiAfrica Austral

Francisco MagalhãesD. Amazonia

Sernizia de AraújoCorreia

D. Amazonia

Dilce Terezinha CorrêaGonçalves

Rio Grande del Sur

Br. Dionísio RodriguesRio Grande del Sur

Alexander Goulart

Rio Grande del Sur

Mana Souza MottaBrazil Centro-Norte

Br. Francisco PereiraBrazil Centro-NorteBr. Luis André

da Silva Pereira

Brazil Centro-Norte

Ricardo TescaroloBrazil Centro-Sur

Br. João do Prado

Brazil Centro-Sur

BRAZIL


Adalgisa de OliveiraGonçalves

Brazil Centro-Sur

PAR

TIC

IPA

NTS

Frank AumeierWest Central Europe

Br. Robert Thunus

West Central Europe

Br. Andoni Gonzáles FloresIbérica

Severino García de PabloIbérica

Felicísimo Pérez Fernández

CompostelaBr. Antonio Leal

CompostelaJuan Carlos Pérez

Compostela

Annie GirkaL’Hermitage

Antzela SestriniL’Hermitage

Br. Miquel Cubeles

L’Hermitage

Br. Mario MeutiMediterránea

Br. José Antonio Rosa Lemus

Mediterránea

Fernando

Domínguez del Toro

Mediterránea

EUROPA

June 2008 • 123

Maite Ballaz César

Ibérica

Brian ShumacherMelbourne

Kate FogertyMelbourneBr. Mark Paul

Melbourne

Virginia ManaloPhilippines

Br. Crispin Betita

Philippines

Carmel Luck

Sydney

Alan ParkerNew Zealand

Br. Douglas Dawich

New Zealand

Br. Joe PeirisSri Lanka- Pakistán

OCEANÍA

ASIA


Br. Thomas ChinChina

Joseph ChuaChina

Ross TarlintonSydney

Jeffrey Jude

Sri Lanka- Pakistán

Romana YecyecPhilippines

PAR

TIC

IPA

NTS

Br. David Hall Sydney

Br. Rubén VelázquezD. Paraguay

Obdulia Benítez

D. Paraguay

June 2008 • 125

Br. Johm TukanaD. Melanesia

Benedict ToomingD. Melanesia

Kim JubongD. Korea

Br. Juan CastroD. Korea

CONO SUR

Ricardo MiñoSanta María de los Andes

Br. Óscar Montenegro

Santa María de los Andes

Mónica LinaresCruz del Sur Cristina Yapura

Cruz del Sur

Br. Carlos Huidobro

Cruz del Sur

Ernesto ReyesSanta María de los Andes

PAR

TIC

IPA

NTS

Ana SaboríoAmérica Central

Luis Carlos GutiérrezAmérica CentralGuillermo Castaneda

América Central

Alejandro MayoralMéxico Occidental

Br. HéctorDessavre Dávila

México Occidental

Nelis Teresa CubillánNorandina

Br. Landelino OrtegoNorandinaJair OrdónezNorandina

Br. Jorge CarbajalMéxico CentralBr. Jean Denis

Canadá

Michel BeulacCanadá

ARCO NORTE

Ana VillazónMéxico Central

Ulises Centeno

México Central

Vincent AndiorioUSA

Br. Henry HammerUSA

Ofelia Osuna

México Occidental


GUESTS

TRANSLATORS

Colin QuineFacilitator

Br. Antonio Martínez EstaúnComunications

Br. Claudino FalchettoProvincial

Brazil Centro-Norte

Br. César HenríquezBIS

SylvestreMarist Father

June 2008 • 127

Hymn - KairoiONE HEART ONE MISSION

Feel the rhythm within your heartCelebrating our Marist unity.Shaping for us a brand new world;We are seeking to follow in our timethe vision of Champagnat.Men and women of open hearts and mindswith a love that knows no bounds.A better world is in your hands; in yourhands, in your hands.

WITH ONE HEART AND WITH ONE MISSION,WITHOUT ANY BOUNDARIES, WITH NO CONDITION.WITH ONE HEART AND WITH ONE MISSION,CLOSE TO THE CHILDREN, SEEKING A BETTER WORLD, SEEKING A BETTERWORLD. IT’S IN YOUR HANDS, IN YOUR HANDS, IN YOUR HANDS.

WITH ONE HEART AND WITH ONE MISSION,WITHOUT ANY BOUNDARIES, WITH NO CONDITION.WITH ONE HEART AND WITH ONE MISSION,CLOSE TO THE CHILDREN, SEEKING A BETTER WORLD. WE’RE MARIST IN OUR HEARTS! IT’S IN YOUR HANDS, IN YOUR HANDS, IN YOUR HANDS.

Now the mission is brought to life;Sow the seeds of the Gospel with your hearts.This is freedom; this is Good Newsfor releasing the poor and the oppressed.All we Marists will walk along with the young: they have spirit in their hearts.Now the mission is brought to life.A better world is in your hands, in your hands, in your hands.

WITH ONE HEART AND WITH ONE MISSION,WITHOUT ANY BOUNDARIES, WITH NO CONDITION.WITH ONE HEART AND WITH ONE MISSION,CLOSE TO THE CHILDREN, SEEKING A BETTER WORLD. WE’RE MARIST IN OUR HEARTS! IT’S IN YOUR HANDS, IN YOUR HANDS, IN YOUR HANDS.

Without condition; without any tiesthe strong heart within you will beat with new life.And you will bring to life a bright new world.It’s in your hands, in your hands.With our Good Mother, without any fear,walking together into the futureA Marist world where children can be happy.It’s in your hands, in your hands, in your hands.

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