From the Province of Mediterránea, the new Brother Aureliano García Manzanal has made an appeal to the entire Marist community, recalling in a letter what Marcellin’s teachings were.
“It is not difficult to identify the paths Jesus walked. He walked a thousand paths through the land of his birth surrounded by a group of followers, men and women, whose lives were changing to the rhythm of the words of the Master of Nazareth. He reached out to children. He walked among sinners and tax collectors. He let the poor and excluded, those who had lost all hope, come to him. His steps led him to Jacob’s fountain, to Zacchaeus’ tree and to the encounter on the road to Emmaus.
He walked by the Sea of Galilee and knew every bend of the Jordan River. He went to Bethany to bring his friend back to life. But he also had to walk the road to Calvary. And he definitely discovered the paths that lead to the knowledge of God’s goodness and to the fullness of life. The way is our meeting place with Jesus. And that is where we want to direct our steps in this new triennium of the Marist Province of Mediterránea.
In the VII Provincial Chapter we have once again visualized the road that Marcellin Champagnat and the first brothers began to travel. That is why we have spoken of spirituality, fraternity and solidarity, because we feel called, like Marcellin, to allow ourselves to be inspired by the Good Mother in our way of understanding the following of Jesus. We feel called, above all, to be beacons of hope for all the children and young people of our world. In this process of discernment we have found new clues along the way. There are four key words that we will have to decipher and fill with content during the coming years: vocation, fraternity, accompaniment and solidarity”.
Thus, going into the details of these four great blocks, the proposal of work and journey of Maristas Mediterránea is defined around very clear objectives:
1) To awaken in young people the vocation of Brother: we believe in our vocation and we trust in Jesus who says today to young people: come and see. We are committed to a welcoming community life, in communion with all the Marists of Champagnat. We provoke encounters with people, especially with young people, as an experience of vitality. We pray, reflect, share and make concrete and transforming proposals in this area.
2) To express fraternity as the essence of our community life: we privilege affection and service to our brothers as a way of manifesting the Marian style of our relationships. We open ourselves to the social and ecclesial environment and allow ourselves to be challenged by it. We bet for a positive vision of the other, favoring a constructive criticism in order to grow. We feel that we are heirs of Champagnat and his way of building fraternity through the little virtues.
3) We care for and accompany people in order to grow in Marist identity and spirituality: we feel part of a project and we accompany each other in the integration of the new things that are emerging in the Province We are present among the young people, in the mission, walking with them. We care for and nourish our own history from a Father/Mother God who gives meaning to our lives as brothers We are formed and deepen together our identity and charism as Marists of Champagnat.
4) Orient our mission from Solidarity and Communion: we evaluate our structure and mission from this evangelical imperative. We broaden our educational proposals to respond to the needs of today’s children and young people. We strengthen the bonds of communion among our works, especially in the same city. We are committed to education in solidarity, the seed of a more fraternal world.
The priorities and plans of Maristas Mediterránea revolve around these four tracks. Now it is time to make explicit and develop the steps we want to take during the next three years to bring all this to life. We remember that it was already getting dark when Jesus said to his disciples: “Let us go to the other shore”. It is an invitation to continue to grow, to explore new possibilities and to continue to deepen our Marist vocation. So, happy journey!”