Year XXV - n° 41 - December 2011 · Br João Carlos do Prado page 18 Secretariat of Brothers today page 24 ... Br AMEstaún and Luiz Da Rosa General Services page 68 Br Ton Martínez

Year XXV - n° 41 - December 2011

indexThe Styles of the government page 2of the General Council Br AMEstaún

At the service page 6of a project of vitalityBr Emili Turú

Genesis of page 10the General Council’s Plan of animation and governmentBr Joe Mc Kee

Organigram page 14

SECRETARIAT

■ Secretariat of MissionBr João Carlos do Prado page 18

■ Secretariat of Brothers today page 24Br César Augusto Rojas

■ Secretariat of the laity page 30Br Javier Espinosa

■ Secretariat of InternationalCollaboration for Mission page 38Br Chris Wills

■ Fondazione Marista per la Solidarietà Internazionale page 42Br Michael De Waas

Year XXV - n° 41 - December 2011

Editor-in-Chief:Brother AMEstaún

Publications Commission:Brothers Antonio Ramalho, AMEstaúnand Luiz Da Rosa.

Translators Coordination:Brother Josep Roura Bahí

Translators:

Spanish:Brother Jorge SánchezMarcela Quesada

French:Brother Josep Roura BahíBrother Aimé MailletBrother Gilles HogueBrother Joannès Fontanay

English:Brother Edward ClisbyMarilu Balbis

Portuguese:Brother Aloisio KuhnBrother Manuel SilvaF. Eduardo Campagnani

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 BrotherGeneral House - Rom

Printing:C.S.C. GRAFICA, s.r.l.Via A. Meucci 28, 00012 Guidonia,Roma (Italia)

December 2011

SERVICES OFTHE GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

■ Postulator general page 54Br Jorge Flores Aceves

■ Administration Department page 56Brs Víctor Preciado and Roy Deita

■ Direction of the General House page 58Br Antoni Salat

■ Administrator of the House page 59Br Francisco Javier Ocaranza

■ General Secretariat page 60Br Pedro Sánchez de León andEmanuela Lisciarelli

■ Translation Service page 62Brs Josep Roura, Aloisio Kuhn,Edward Clisby and Gabriela Scanavino

■ Communications page 66Br AMEstaún and Luiz Da Rosa

■ General Services page 68Br Ton Martínez andYolanda Gallo

■ General Archives Service page 70Br Juan Moral, Sra. Lucia Distefanoand Dorotea Cinnani

■ Superior of the Community page 74Br Pietro Betin

■ Chaplains page 76PP. John Jairo Franco Cárdenas andCarmelo de La Cruz Reyes

■ Secretary of the Superior General page 77Br José María Ferre

TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION

Br Marcelo De Britopage 78

The Styles ofthe government of

the General Council

P R E S E N T A T I O N Br AMEstaún

T he General Council’s pro-posal to dedicate issue No.41 of FMS Message to the

animation and government of theInstitute invites us to take alook back at the pages of ourhistory as an Institute.Historically, the meeting sum-moned by Father Colin on Octo-ber 12, 1839, in view of FatherChampagnat’s serious illness, hasalways been considered our firstGeneral Chapter. At that timeBrother François was elected Di-

rector General together withBrothers Louis-Marie and Jean-Baptiste as General Councilors.The most notable achievement oftheir time in office was to obtainthe French government’s officialrecognition of “the Little Broth-ers of Mary as a Religious Associ-ation dedicated to teaching.“1 Adecree signed by Napoleon onJune 20, 1851approved theStatutes of the Institute, includ-ing one stating that the electionof the Superior General was to be

a lifetime commitment, and thatafter he died, his Assistantswould remain in office until hissuccessor was elected.Having obtained governmentrecognition of the Institute, thebrothers turned their attentionto ecclesiastical authorities in aneffort to secure its canonicalrecognition. To accomplish this,the Institute needed to formallyadopt certain regulatory docu-ments and submit them to theecclesiastical authorities inRome. The brothers’ leadershipteam decided to convoke a Gen-eral Chapter at Our Lady of theHermitage to examine these doc-uments.2

In three sessions thereafter, theChapter approved its governingprinciples, The Common Rules(1852), a teacher’s manual, TheSchool Guide (1853), and its col-lection of rules for governance,The Constitutions and Statutes ofGovernment (1854), which deter-mined that the Office of the Su-perior General would be a life-

2 • FMS Message 41

1 Circulars Vol. 2, p. 449-452. Excerpt fromthe Bulletin administratif de l’Instructionpublique, No. 18, June 1851, p. 2072 cf. Avit 2, 257-274.

December 2011 • 3

time appointment. The Constitu-tions and Statutes of Governmentstate that, “The Brother SuperiorGeneral and his Assistants makeup what is called the Administra-tion of the Institute.”3

In its proceedings, besides itsconcern about remaining faithfulto the Founder,4 the Chapter wasvery anxious to secure uniformity5

among all the schools in the In-stitute.A novel idea that the Chapter of1852 introduced into the Consti-tutions, one that had a greatdeal of influence on the life andorganization of the Institute formany years to come, was tomake the vow of stability a pre-requisite for filling certain posi-tions.6 As a whole, the work ofthat Chapter certainly guided theway in which the Institute would

operate in the future, and point-ed to a definitive separation be-tween the work of the brothersand that of the priests, in accor-dance with the decisions thatwere being handed down byRome.When the brothers filed the doc-uments with the Congregation ofBishops and Clergy in Rome toobtain the approval of the MaristInstitute, they included a pro-posal in the Constitutions thatthe appointment of the SuperiorGeneral be for life, just as thishad been approved by the FrenchGovernment in 1851. The SacredCongregation of Bishops andClergy, which favored less cen-tralized and authoritarian waysof doing things, refused to ac-cept this proposal, insisting thatthe Institute be governed by a

Superior General with a 4-yearterm, and that the powers in-vested in the Assistants be de-centralized by creating Provin-cials.7 Thus Rome’s proposed di-rectives came into conflict withthe set of regulations that hadbeen approved by the Frenchgovernment, whose decree had

3 See in: Constitutions and Rules of Government, published by Antonine Perisse, Lyon 1854: Chap. 2, art. 6, p. 5. This expres-sion appears for the first time in the Circular by Brother François in April, 1852: “This Chapter will consist of 30 professedBrothers and by the members of the Regime, i.e., the Brother Superior General and his Assistants.” Circulars Vol. 2, p. 105. Thisterm remained in use for many years, forming part of Marist terminology in relation to the structure of Government. BrotherCharles-Raphaël, Superior General, continued to use this word in captions for some photographs stored in the Marist BrothersArchives in Rome, pictures in which he appears with members of his Council. The use of that terminology fell into disuse inthe years leading up to the Council Vatican II.4 “I don’t know if we are dreaming, dear Brothers, but we believe we can apply what our saintly Founder used to say about theChurch to our Congregation’s present situation. Today, the Institute is just as our dear Father founded it and left it when hedied, i.e., it has the same spirit, the same purpose, the same Rules and the same Government.” Circulars Vol. 2, p. 2325 “We will have the comfort of enjoying uniform standards throughout the entire Institute. The Common Rules will provide foruniformity in the behaviour of the Brothers in their striving for perfection and living as religious; The School Guide will providefor uniformity in the classroom and education. And The Constitutions and Rules of Government will provide for uniformity in theadministration and external aspects of the Institute; uniformity in the prayers which from now on will be the same every-where; uniformity in the training and education of the young Brothers, for they will follow the same Rule in all novitiates,learn the same lessons, listen to the same instructions and be subject to the same tests.” Circulars, Vol. 2, p. 229 6 “There will be three ranks of Brothers in this Institute. The first one is comprised of all who have not taken the three perpet-ual vows, whether or not they have professed the vow of obedience. The second group includes all who have made perpetualprofession of the three vows. The third is made up of only those who in addition have professed the vow of stability. Only fromthis last group can members of General Chapters, Superiors General, Assistants, Directors of Novitiate Houses, and wheneverpossible Brothers on Visitation be elected.” Constitutions and Rules of Government, published by Antonine Perisse, Lyon, 1854;Chap. 6, Section Three, About the vow of stability, 1, p. 547 In the beginning, the Institute used a centralized government limited to a few people. In 1856, Brother François announced thecreation of a Great Council which began to meet in accordance with what was set forth in the Constitutions. It was made up of“the Regime” and six brothers that it appointed. “We will probably hold a meeting of the Great Council this year. Here are thenames of the Brothers that the Regime has elected to participate: Brothers Malachie, Marie, Andronic, Léon, Chrysogone andLouis-Régis.” Circulars Vol. 2, p. 247 (1856) According to the Statutes of the Association religieuse, vouée a l’enseignement, ditedes Petits Frères de Marie, presented to the Council of the State and approved by Decree No. 3072 on June 20, 1851, Article 9states: “The Brothers Assistant, the Brother Director of the Motherhouse, the Brother Procurator General and the Brother Master ofthe Novices, together with a brother from a school, designated by the Brother Superior General, make up the Council.” Excerptfrom the Bulletin administratif de l’Instruction publique, No. 18, June 1851, p. 207, published in Circulars, Vol 2, p. 449-452.

bestowed on the brothers impor-tant rights and privileges likeexemption from military service.Confrontation with the SacredCongregation of Bishops andClergy went on for a long time.Initial negotiations ended with adecree approving the Constitu-tions ad experimentum, for a pe-riod of five years (1863). Never-theless, the tug of war betweenour General Chapters and the au-thorities in Rome lasted until1903, when Leo XIII officiallyapproved the Constitutions.So the post of Superior Generalstarted out being a lifetime posi-

tion (1851- 1903). The last Superi-or General to be elected for lifewas Brother Théophane (1883-1907). With final approval of theConstitutions in 1903, a twelve-year term was adopted for thepost of Superior General and hisAssistants. This standard remainedin effect until the end of BrotherLeónida’s term (1946-1958). The15th General Chapter (1958) intro-duced a term of 9 years, and thenthe 18th General Chapter (1985),which elected Brother CharlesHoward (1985-1993), opted for an8-year term for Superiors Generaland their Councilors. In 1860, the General Chapterelected Brother Louis-Marie as Vic-ar General. Thus the post of VicarGeneral was introduced into thegovernmental framework of the In-stitute, bringing with it a respon-sibility to accompany the SuperiorGeneral in fulfilling his administra-tive tasks and replacing him incase of an impediment or his be-ing unable to carry out his work.8

In the years that followed onlyone change was made: the oldestAssistant would become the Vicar.From 1958 to the present, theBrother Vicar General has beenelected by the General Chapter. The closest collaborators of theSuperior General were initiallycalled Assistants (1851), and thatterm was used until 1967. Withthe definitive approval of theConstitutions (1903) the canoni-cal figure of a Provincial replacedan Assistant as the head of eachProvince. The Assistants were nolonger Superiors with hands-onauthority, although they did re-tain special responsibility for oneor two Provinces governed by theHermitage or Saint-Genis. The


Br AMEstaúnpresentation

8 The governments of theVicars General Michaëlis andMarie-Odulphe from 1941 to

1946 were significant forhaving taken on the

responsibilities to governduring very difficult times,

following the death of BrotherDiogène and the realities of

World War II.

General Council , Rome, 1962

Jean-Baptiste, François and Louis-Marie

December 2011 • 5

Provincials and Vice Provincialswere to be elected for a three-year term and could be re-elect-ed once. At the 14th GeneralChapter, the number went from 8to 10 Assistants. At the 15th

General Chapter (1958) each As-sistant was elected for a groupof Provinces, the groups havingbeen determined beforehand8.The position of at-large Coun-cilors in charge of services wasintroduced at the time of the16th general Chapter (1967).Brother Basilio Rueda began hisfirst mandate (1967) with 12General Councilors, among themthe Econome General, the Secre-tary General and the ProcuratorGeneral. That number stayed thesame during his second term.However, at the 17th generalChapter (1976) the so-called Re-gional Councilors became Gen-eral Councilors, whom the Supe-rior General assigned to tasks inkeeping with their personal ex-pertise9. The number of GeneralCouncilors was reduced to 8. At

that same Chapter, the GeneralCouncil took over the work doneby the Councilors for Missionsand Formation. Brother CharlesHoward (1985) and Brother Ben-ito Arbués (1993) governed with8 Councilors, Brother Seán(2001) with 7. Brother Emili Turú(2009) started his term with 6Councilors elected by the GeneralChapter and then he personallyappointed a seventh. Brother Seán Sammon inaugurat-ed the means for animationknown as the Enlarged GeneralCouncil.10 This consists of meet-ings that bring together theGeneral Council and the Provin-cial Councils of Regions. The current issue No. 41 of FMSMessage is part of an ongoing se-ries covering this long history ofthe government and animationof the Institute and links these de-velopments to those beingplanned during the term of Broth-er Emili Turú (2009-2017), insearch of new lands for the Maristcharism and mission.

9 Thus the idea of Maristregions was introduced, asgroupings of Provinces andVice Provinces, but lackingjuridical status. This newstructure would beestablished later in theDirectory of 1968. Directory(1968), p. 161-162.10 Annex I of the Directory,inspired by the Motu ProprioEcclesiae Sanctae No. 18,refers to the principle ofsubsidiarity (p. 196-198),which holds that each level of governance may makedecisions to be carried out inaccordance with the norms of the Constitutions andDirectory. That brought abouta change in the relationshipbetween General Councilorswith the Provinces under theircare. Henceforth, Councilorswould act as animators ratherthan governing authorities, as was previously the case. They were no longer linkedexclusively to the regionsthey came from and turnedinto animators of religiouslife for the entire Institute..

Three Superior Generals: Leonida,

Basilio and Charles Raphael

(1967).


At the service of a project of vitality

BrEmili Turú, Superior general

ral • Words of Brother Superior General • Words of Brother S

December 2011 • 7

All these testimonies say muchabout the quality of the personsin the service of the general ad-ministration. For this reason, Iwould like to begin these lines bythanking the provinces for the ef-forts they make in placing theirbrothers at the service of the common good ofthe Institute. Thanks, too, to the brothers andlay people who compose this formidable team ofthe general administration and who, with greatgenerosity, dedicate themselves to its missionday after day. The Marist mission develops in the direct contactof brothers and lay people with many thousandsof children and young people throughout theworld. The general administration’s contributionto this mission is much more discrete, in thebackground, but no less important for that.

As I said at the beginning, the ambience of thegeneral house is very good, but that does not meanthat it is easy to create or maintain it. It is a mat-ter of a human group, very complex given the greatdifferences among them: of age, formation, culture,language… In addition, each person comes toRome with his own idea of what serving in the gen-eral administration means, and it is not always easyto reconcile these mental representations with theactual practice. This makes us value even more theefforts of each one to make our community trulyintercultural, and not only multicultural.

ANIMATION AND GOVERNMENT

The Institute has entrusted to the Superior Gen-eral and his Council the task of animating andgoverning the Institute: “By animation and gov-ernment we understand the service which theGeneral Government offers the AdministrativeUnits, by means of structures and procedures, tocarry out the Project of vitality coming from theXXI General Chapter” (Decisions XXI GeneralChapter). “The General Administration is com-posed of brothers and lay persons who are at theservice of the Institute. One and all lend theirsupport to the General Council in its responsi-bility for animation and government of the Insti-tute” (Staff Manual of GA).

We have felt at home”; “We have beenimpressed by the brotherly witness

of such an international community”;“Many thanks for the hospitality”… I ha-ve heard these phrases and many othershundreds of times in the 10 years I havebeen in the general house, from those whohave visited us.

“

uperior General • Words of Brother Superior General • Words

These two words, “animation” and “government”, cover everythingwhich is promoted from the general administration, trying to balancethese two dimensions of a single mission. The Marist Institute is aninternational organization and has to be managed (government) assuch. But it is also a living organism, using Saint Paul’s image: “Justas a human body, though it is made up of many parts, is a single unitbecause all these parts, though many, make one body, so it is withthe body of Christ, which is the Church” (1 Cor 12,12); for this rea-son, we speak also about animation. It is certain that an organism cannot exist without a minimum of or-ganization, but it is probably important to remember the differencesbetween these two concepts, in order to take care of a healthy bal-ance and to be able to give ourselves a “project of vitality”, as thelast General Chapter asks of us:

• The organization functions when there is money; the organismfunctions when there is life;

• The organization needs a structure; the organism requires abody;

• The organization demands a chief, an external drive to func-tion; the organism lives from its spirit, from the harmoniousinteraction of all the parts that make up the whole;

• An organization is equivalent to the sum of its parts, and eachpart can be substituted for by an identical copy; an organismis more than the sum of its components, and no component


eneral • Words of Brother Superior General • Words of Brot

Members of the General Council

Lay people working for the General Administration

December 2011 • 9

can be substituted for by an exact dupli-cate, seeing that each one is unique;

• An organism, when it is sick, must be re-generated from within, and dies when theheart ceases beating or the brain function-ing; an organization has much more resis-tance because its structure is stronger andcan operate by inertia.

How to act so that the organization does not de-vour the organism? How to empower a healthy,autonomous organism by giving it the level oforganization adjusted to its vital needs, withoutsinning by excess or by defect? This is one of thegreat challenges facing us, and one which wehope to be able to resolve satisfactorily.

INSPIRED BY MARY OFTHE VISITATION

“The mission of the General Administration is in-spired by Mary at the moment of the Visitation.She senses that there is a need and sets out dili-gently to place her abilities at the service of oth-ers” (Staff Manual of GA).“To visit” figures among the principal obligationsof some members of the general administrationand it is, without any doubt, what occupies mostof their time. But those who are more stable inRome, on the other hand, endeavour much moreto give a warm welcome to the many personswho visit us. In both cases, Mary is our source ofinspiration. We know well that if we want to build a Churchwith a Marian face, we have to begin with ourown daily lives. And, certainly, our way of work-ing and relating to one another must let thisMarian tone shine through. For this reason, whenwe ask ourselves in the General Council what val-ues we want to emphasize in our way of organiz-ing ourselves and operating, we underline thefollowing:

• fraternal dialogue, • active participation,• constructive interaction between the per-

sons and organisms involved.

The icon of Pentecost represents very well theideals of the Marian Church, which we want tomake our own: a circular community, but notclosed in on itself; unity and understanding butthere from the multiplicity of tongues; open-ness to the fire of the Spirit; sign of fraternityand reconciliation in the midst of the people; acommunity of men inspired by a woman who pre-sides over them… Finally, a light of hope in the front of darknessand death. Conscious of the limits of our strength, we makeour own the General Chapter’s prayer to Mary:

In trust we pray, like Champagnat:“If the Lord does not build the house…”and we say, “You have done everything for us”. Magnificat!

ther Superior General • Words of Brother Superior General

The first reflectionmade by the Councilwas to analyse thebearing of the objec-tives proposed by thechapter for the gov-ernment of Br EmiliTurú and his Councilfor the period 2009-2017:

1. «to perform the constitutional tasks of animation, co-ordi-nation and government.»

2. «to implement the Fundamental Call and set in motionthe guidelines coming from the XXI General Chapter.»

3. «to encourage at all levels structures of animation, co-ordination and government which prompt the vitality ofthe Institute in its mission » (Document XXI GeneralChapter, p. 48).

Then the Council gathered together all the mandates and responsi-bilities received from the Chapter or coming from the Constitutionsand Statutes. From this list were established the action criteria andthe distribution of responsibilities among the Councillors.

• First of all came the appointment of the Councillors responsiblefor maintaining liaison with the Administrative Units of each

The course that the GeneralCouncil has followed in dra-

wing up its Plan of animation andgovernment 2009-2017 has co-me from the «guidelines and re-commendations» of the Chapter,centred essentially on the «accom-paniment and animation of the lea-dership of the Provinces and Dis-tricts, especially of the Provincialsand the District Superiors».

(Document XXI General Chapter)


Br Joe Mc KeeVicar General

Genesis of the of animation

December 2011 • 11

Region. Asia and the Pacific: Michael de Waasand John Klein; Africa and Europe: AntonioRamalho and Ernesto Sánchez; The Americas:Josep Maria Soteras and Eugène Kabanguka.

• Then it was decided to create four Secretari-ats and to appoint their Directors: SecretariatBrothers Today (Director: Br César AugustoRojas Carvajal); Enlarged Secretariat of Laity(Director: Br Javier Espinosa; Co-directors:Ana Sarrate and Tony Clark); Secretariat ofMission (director: Br Joâo Carlos do Prado);Secretariat of International Collaboration inMission (Director: Br Chris Wills; Secretario ofMission ad gentes: Br Teófilo Minga). TheseSecretariats were completed with the MaristInternational Solidarity Foundation (FMSI),which existed already, but with a new presi-dent Br Michael De Waas. Two new officeswere created, one in Geneva under Br JimJolley, and another in Rome, directed by BrMario Meuti;

• A third decision bore on the appointment ofthose responsible for co-ordinating the vari-ous services of the General Administration.Br Emili Turú, Superior General, co-ordinatesthe Directors of the Secretariats and FMSI. BrJoe Mc Kee, Vicar General, is charged with as-suring the contact of the General Councilwith the General Secretariat, the office of thePostulator General, the Secretariat of Interna-tional Collaboration in Mission, and co-ordi-nates the Management and Animation Teamof the General House. Br Michael De Waas

does the same with FMSI; Br John Klein withthe Secretariat of Mission; Brothers JosepMaria Soteras, Eugene Kabanguka and ErnestoSanchez co-ordinate the Secretariat of Broth-ers today; Br Antonio Ramalho, the Secretari-at of Laity; Br Víctor Preciado is co-ordinatorof the department of the Econome Generaland contact for the Management and Anima-tion of the General House. The figure of theProcurator General as such has vanished fromthis structure of the General Administration,although Br Franco Faggin has been appoint-ed agent to represent the Institute with theHoly See. Br Juan Miguel Anaya continues ascanonical consultor to the General Council.

The distribution of these charges and responsibil-ities is represented graphically in the organi-gram reflecting the organisation of the GeneralAdministration.

General Council’s Planand government

Some of the activities planned by the General Council for the Insti-tute are: General Conference in 2013 at the Hermitage, a calendar ofvisits, a presence at significant events in the Provinces and Regions,and extended General Councils in all the Regions.

WORK DYNAMIC OFTHE GENERAL COUNCIL

The Council has used three formulas for defining work at its meetings:

• meeting to define the community dynamic of the Council;

• plenary sessions in Rome, two or three times a year, to study themost important matters affecting the life and mission of the Insti-tute;

• a monthly meeting – regular Council – to take decisions concern-ing requests coming from the Administrative Units. In this case,a minimum quorum is de rigueur. But the resources of the video-


Br Joe Mc KeeGENESIS OF THE GENERAL COUNCIL’S PLAN OF ANIMATION AND GOVERNMENT


conference allow the taking of decisions evenif those taking part are far from Rome.

THE METHODOLOGY OFFRATERNAL DIALOGUE ANDCONSENSUS

All of the above as regards organisation andstructures, as well as initial decisions taken.However, perhaps more importantly was the ‘how’we arrived there. The hallmark of our working to-gether as a Council has been the methodologyused by the 21st General Chapter of a ‘new way ofbeing and doing’ together – a methodologywhich puts emphasis on dialogue, consensusbuilding and a greater openness to the interna-tional and intercultural reality of our Institute intoday’s world.

It was also quite clear to us from the very begin-ning of our time together that we needed to in-volve more voices than our own in the work ofanimating and governing the Institute. In thespirit of the African proverb which says, “If youwish to go quickly, go alone. If you wish to gofar, go with others”, we invited different groups

of people to participate actively with us in ourreflections and discernment and to share in theresponsibility of elaborating our plan of action.The Directors of the various Secretariats, mem-bers of the General Administration, those Broth-ers responsible for ongoing formation in the In-stitute, as well as persons from outside ourMarist world, have helped us in our reflections todiscern and elaborate our objectives and the val-ues that would underpin these and which wewished to promote. And so, little by little andover time, our integrated plan of action for theAnimation and Government of the Institute be-gan to take shape in the form of the 8 ‘Objec-tives’, each with its ‘Courses of Action’ and‘Strategies’.

The various times spent reflecting and workingtogether have been deeply significant and con-structive moments for all of us. They provided aforum where new ideas and different ways of un-derstanding and thinking could be expressed in aspirit of active listening and discerning. They al-so helped us understand better the value and theimportance of creating a coordinated and inte-grated plan of action so that all of us would beworking towards the Fundamental Call and theFuture Horizons which the 21st General Chapterelaborated. And all this based on a common andagreed upon set of understandings enabling us,hopefully, to move together in the one direction– towards a ‘new land’.

H. Seán SammonCARTA A MIS HERMANOS

POSTULATOR

INTERNATIONAL COMMISSIONS

VILLA EUR

GESTION AND

ANIMATION TEAM

SERVICES- Archives- Communications- Translations- Statistics- Computers

ANIMATOR COMMUNITY

GENERAL HOUSE

SECRETARY GENERAL

GESTION General services

ECONOMEGENERAL

Joe Mc Kee

Pedro Sánchez

Antoni Salat

Pietro Betin

Víctor M. Preciado

Víctor M. Preciado

Joe Mc Kee

Joe Mc Kee

Jorge Flores

ORGANIGRAMADMINISTRATION

GENERAL

14

BROTHERS TODAY■ VOCATIONS ■ FORMATION

■ SPIRITUALITY ■ COMMUNITY■ SPIRITUAL PATRIMONY

INTERNATIONAL TEAMS

INTERNATIONAL TEAM

INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL

INTERNATIONAL TEAM

ENLARGED BUREAU

LAITY■ MARIST LAITY

■ JOINT FORMATION■ CHMMF

FMSI■ INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY

■ FUND RAISING ■ RIGHTS OF CHILDREN■ OFFICE IN GENEVA

MISSION■ YOUTH MINISTRY

■ FORMAL EDUCATION■ NON FORMAL EDUCATION

INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION FOR MISSION

■ AMAG ■ SPECIAL PROJECTS■ INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION

CO

OR

DIN

ATIO

N O

F D

IREC

TOR

S O

F SE

CR

ETA

RIA

TSSu

peri

or g

ener

al

SUPERIOR GENERALGENERALCOUNCIL

Emili Turú

Javier Espinosa

Josep M. Soteras

Ernesto Sánchez

Eugène Kabanguka

Antonio Ramalho

John Klein

Joe Mc Kee

Teófilo Minga

Chris Wills

Michael De Waas

Jim Jolley Mario Meuti

Ana Sarrate

Tony Clarke

João Carlos do Prado

César Rojas

15

SECR

ETAR

IATSECRETARIAT • SECRETARIAT • SECRETARIAT • SECRETARIAT • SECRETARIAT

• SECRETARIAT • SECRETARIAT • SECRETARIAT • SECRETARIAT • SECRETARIAT • SECR


MISSION.......................... p. 18

BROTHERS TODAY.......................... p. 24

BUREAU OF THE LAITY.......................... p. 30

INTERNATIONALCOLLABORATION FOR MISSION.......................... p. 38

FMSI.......................... p. 42


SECRETARIAT • SECRETARIAT • SECRETARIAT • SECRETARIAT • SECRETARIAT

Secretariat of Mission

Its purpose is to contributecreatively, boldly andprophetically to the fidelityand development of the mis-sion “to make Jesus known

and loved by children and young people”. In response to the call of the21st General Chapter, the Secretariat must take up the challenge of con-tributing to the construction of the Marist mission in a new world, withthe aim of responding to the voices and calls to evangelize contempo-rary children and youth.

AIMS OF THE MISSION SECRETARIAT

The Plan of the Mission Secretariat for the period 2011 to 2017 countson the collaboration of many Brothers and lay people from all parts ofthe Marist world. It defines the fundamental concepts of the mission,the identity and purpose of the Secretariat, the principal initiatives andstrategies of this period and of some structures, for the purpose of con-tributing to the development of its activities.Among the principal aims of the Secretariat are the following:

The Mission Secretariat isa strategic instrument of

the General Government forthe animation, strengtheningand interconnection of theMarist mission at all levels ofthe Institute.



1. Animate and support the mission of the Administrative Units and the Regions ofthe Institute.

2. Encourage the search for harmony, integration and interconnection in network ofthe mission among the Administrative Units and Regions.

3. Build, in a participative way, the vision of the future of the mission.

Br João Carlos do Prado,(Brasil Centro Sul)Director of the Secretariat of Mission

SCOPE OFMISSION SECRETARIAT

The scope of the Secretariat of Mission includes formal education,non formal education, social works, and projects of evangelization.

The Marist mission can also be viewed in fourintrinsic dimensions, presented in the followingdiagram.It is possible to perceive that the four dimen-sions emanate from and are nourished by spiritu-ality1, at the same time as they nourish it. Maristeducation must be jointly a work of evangeliza-tion, solidarity and commitment to the defenceof rights and to the carrying out of the obliga-tion to children and youth. In the same way, onecannot think of evangelization, solidarity or thesettlement of rights and obligations without con-sidering the other three dimensions as constitu-itive elements.Thus, all the works and fronts of Marist missionneed to be viewed from these four dimensions.They are fundamental elements for the fruitful-ness and vitality of the mission in a “new world”.

PRINCIPLES OF MARIST MISSION

Six principles guide the path of Marist mission and are promoted bythe Mission Secretariat. The first four were defined by the 21st Chap-ter. The fifth and sixth derive from the reflection and sensitivity ofthe persons who took part in the creation of the plan.

Principles1. We want to see the world through the eyes of poor children

and young people and thus change our hearts and attitudes asMary did.


4. Propose directives and policies that foster the accomplishment of the mission.

5. Co-ordinate processes, projects and events under the responsibility of the Secretari-at, at regional and global levels of the Institute.

6. Contribute to processes and activities with a view to the sustainability and viabilityof the mission in the areas and regions where this is necessary.

7. Represent the Institute in matters of mission, within and outside the Marist sphere,in the name of the General Government.

SPIRITUALITY

Defence of rights

Education

Evangelization

Solidarity

1 Spirituality in this context isunderstood as living and dynamic

experience of God, which isoriented at once towards actionand contemplation (S. Sammon,

2007, Presentation of Water fromthe Rock). As he says in this

document (p. 10): “(spirituality)strengthens our identity and is acrucial element for the vitality of

our life and mission.”



2. We feel impelled to act with urgency to findnew creative ways to educate, evangelize, beadvocates for, and be in solidarity with poorchildren and young people.

3. We affirm that evangelization is the focusand priority of our ministries, proclaiming Je-sus and his message (Mendes).

4. As Marist Brothers and Lay Marists living intoday’s globalized world, we are called tohave hearts and minds that are internationalin outlook.

5. God is inviting us, through the prophetic wit-ness of our presence and action, to bebridges facilitating meeting, dialogue, soli-darity, social justice, by reducing the unjustdistances and differences between rich andpoor, in the whole context of our mission.

6. By our way of living and carrying out themission, we reveal the Marian face of theChurch and we are signs of the Reign of Godin the world.

Strategic Perspectives

Marist mission is praxis, action and reflection; themore deliberate, the greater its point. Conscien-tious activity can lead us truly to the transforma-tion of the hearts of children and youth and, con-sequently of the world. Being conscious of the ac-tion, it is necessary we understand that the fruitdoes not depend only on us, but on the Spiritabove all. This awareness disposes us to fulfill ourpart in the project which is God’s. Activity withoutintention is empty and does not achieve its objec-tive. For this reason, planning of the mission isindispensable.In this sense, certain elements can help us tomake our mission more vital and viable. It is ofgreat importance that all levels of the institutiontake into account the following strategic per-spectives in our mission:

• Human potential

• Economic-financial potential


• Quality of services and fidelity to the charism

• Processes

• Organizational and operating structures

• Institutional positioning and visibility.

PRINCIPAL INITIATIVESOF THE MISSION SECRETARIAT

For the period 2011-2017, the Secretariat intends thefollowing initiatives:

1. Accompany the discernment of the Administrative Units and theRegions so as to discover the meaning of “go to a new land”, inits proper context. For this initiative, we define as importantstrategies the accompaniment of the regional and AdministrativeUnit teams; the revision of the document on the Marist Educa-tional Mission; to develop criteria and tools for evaluating theevangelical fruitfulness of the Marist works.

2. Create and consolidate the Secretariat with the objective of sup-porting the mission processes and projects in the AdministrativeUnits, the Regions and the world.

3. Foster in our institutions a greater development of the evangeliz-ing work of the Marist Youth Ministry.

4. Motivate the Brothers and laity to be present and work with chil-dren and young people in situations of vulnerability.

5. Organize the II International Marist Mission Assembly (AIMM) inkeeping with the spirit of the I Assembly and the 21st GeneralChapter.

6. Continue promoting reflection and exchange about the new mod-els of animation, management and government of all the educa-tional works of the Administrative Units, and rethink, in thiscontext, the presence and role of the Brothers.

7. Promote the realization of the mission in network, as well as theconstitution of Marist mission networks.

MARIST MISSION IN THE NEW WORLD – FUTURE CHALLENGES AND PERSPECTIVES

The years we will live up to 2017 will be fundamental for discerningMarist mission in the new world. The calls of the 21st Chapter urge usto look for new conceptual and strategic visions for the mission. The




conceptual vision will express for us what Goddesires of us, Marists of Champagnat, in the lightof the bicentenary of the Marist foundation andthe calls of the General Chapter. The strategic vi-sion will help us take the strategic steps towardsconstructing this new reality God is proposing tous.Responding to the calls of the mission in thenew world requires fidelity to the dream of Mar-cellin and great attention to the calls and needsof the children and youth of today. The Chapterasks us for “a strongly significant presenceamong poor children and young people”.

To make this step, it is necessary, as the Chaptersays, “to see the world through the eyes of poorchildren and young people”. This means to seethe world from below, from the level of the ex-cluded and overlooked of this world, just as Maryand Marcellin saw it. To see the world from belowrequires a change of position. A sincere, authen-tic presence, one of solidarity with poor childrenand youth, favours a personal and institutionalconversion of heart. Evangelization and commit-ment to fullness of life, in conformity with theGospel, should be in all our mission projects asin our hearts and minds.


We have already moved some distance in this di-rection, but we should place our hearts evenmore with children and youth in peripheral orboundary situations. We must take up the chal-lenge to commit all our mission structures andfronts, independently of the persons we are car-ing for, in the transformation of the situation, ofsocial justice, of the construction of the projectof the Kingdom of God.



Secretariat ofBrothers todayOUR IDENTITY

In the programme of ani-mation and governmentwhich the General Councilwants to promote, the Sec-retariat Brothers today isthe organization whichseeks to dynamize and en-courage on a number offronts everything applying

to the life and consecration of the Marist Brother, from the first mo-ments of the call to the stages of formation along the way, as well theessential aspects such as community life, spirituality, our Marist patri-mony, and the elements shaping our consecration as religious brothers.Starting from the different approaches the Institute has made during re-cent years, the Secretariat Brothers today was born to follow up the ef-forts undertaken by organizations such as the Bureau of Vocations(2003-2006), the Religious Life Commission (2005-2009), the Maristspirituality movement deriving from the document Water from the Rock,among others, in their time and which today constitute an excellentstarting point for dynamizing the Secretariat.

FIXED OBJECTIVES

The Secretariat of Brothers today takes the fourth objective ofthe General Council’s plan of animation and government asits inspiration for shaping its action plan, its organizationand its adequacy for the other objectives. So as a Secretari-at we seek to « encourage the brothers to rediscover theirown vocation and enthusiasm for it, so as to live it andwitness to it radically, openly and joyfully in the

The spirit of the XX Gene-ral Chapter, the horizon

of the Marist Bicentenaryand a greater awareness ofour internationalism press usto live a new consecrated life,firmly rooted in the Gospel,which promotes a new way ofbeing brother.

Br César Augusto RojasCarvajal, (Norandina)Director of the SecretariatBrithers today



Church and world of today. »To do this, the Secretariat envisages four courses of action, withtheir respective strategies, which give concrete form to the effortsfor renewal of our consecrated life with a view to consolidating ouridentity as religious brothers.

A - To create and consolidate the Secretariat Brothers today andwork in combination with similar structures in the Provincesand Regions. To do this:

1. Organize the Secretariat in its internal structure and draw up awork plan.

2. Become familiar with the provincial and/or regional structuresof animation of the religious and spiritual life of the brothers.

3. Create an international team representative of the different ge-ographical situations of the Institute and the tasks taken onby the Secretariat, in view of facilitating the links with the Re-gions.



4. Encourage study of and reflection on thesubjects proper to the Secretariat: Marialface of the Church, new consecrated life,ministries of vocations, formation, spiritu-ality, patrimony.

5. Rapports and possible common projectswith other congregations of religiousbrothers.

B- To accompany and promote the structuresof animation and formation already exist-ing at provincial, regional and institution-al levels. To do this:

1. Promote a network in the AdministrativeUnits with those responsible for the differ-ent fields which fall within the compe-tence of the Secretariat.

2. To become aware of provincial or inter-provincial experiences relative to initial orongoing formation, to vocations ministry,spirituality, patrimony, community life, etc.

3. Foster accompaniment with the ongoingformation teams of the Institute: Manziana,

l’Escorial and others, on the regional level.

4. Reinforce the programmes of preparationfor perpetual profession.

5. Accompany the itinerary of the Interna-tional Commission of the Spiritual Patrimo-ny: plans, integration, new team.

C- To create new processes and/or structuresat all levels, which guarantee experiencesand itineraries of formation, lead to per-sonal and institutional conversion, and de-velop an active spirituality. To do this:

1. Draw up a reference document on theMarist vocations ministry. Hold regionalmeetings to publicize it.

2. Launch a process of reflection on the Iden-tity of the Brother today (‘recover the en-thusiasm’), able to be integrated into theInternational Assembly of the Marist Mis-sion.

3. Accompany and encourage the creation ofitineraries of growth in Marist spirituality.



4. Carry out a formation programme for community animators andfuture formators.

5. Organize an international colloquium on initial formation, in-cluding an evaluation process for lines and programmes of for-mation.

6. Encourage initiatives and proposals coming from the Interna-tional Commission of the Spiritual Patrimony: research team,colloquia and course for new researchers.

D- To undertake the revision of the Constitutions and Statutes,with a wide participation of the brothers, as a way to revital-ize our vocation. To do this.

1. Motivate the acceptance of the new edition of the Constitu-tions, as well as its use and its study, in the various formationprogrammes.

2. Accompany the International Commission which will be chosento conduct this revision, with a wide participation of thebrothers. (Cf. Decision, chap. 1.2, p. 46).




HOW ARE WE ORGANISED?Our Secretariat Brothers today is perceived as anorganization enriched by the fact of finding ineach of us brothers the ‘principal character’ in thetoday of the Marist life that we are called to pushforward. In saying « all », we would wish that eachof us feels himself taking part, in the front ranks,in the construction of this new way of being broth-er. The elderly brother, strong from his long jour-ney and his experience of life ; the youth in forma-tion and the young brother, with their creativityand their initiative ; the mature brother, strong inhis leadership and commitment ; the lay Marists –men and women – with their closeness and theirconstant support. All are a reference point for pro-moting the initiatives previously cited.Together with Brothers Eugène Kabanguka, ErnestoSánchez and Josep Maria Soteras, we have gradual-ly refined the starting structure of this Secretariat.In the measure that these various processes be-come concrete, it will without doubt find the mostflexible manner of organizing itself and function-ing, with the participation of all. Thus, startingwith the different roles we have assumed, we willbe in a position to exercise our leadership in theservice of the Institute.

THE SECRETARIAT’S DREAMSFOR THE FUTURE

Our dreams will without doubt become reality inthe measure that we all assume in our lives andour communities the principles the General Chap-ter has enunciated in order to consolidate ouridentity, principles expressed in the first futurehorizon: A new consecrated life which promotesa new way of being brother.All the efforts, activities, programmes, dreamsand tasks of this Secretariat will be pleasantlyrewarded to the extent that the various organs ofanimation and government at all levels (local,provincial, regional and institutional) rise to thechallenges presented to religious life, startingfrom the richness of the geographic and culturaldiversity of our Institute.

We invite each brother and each lay Marist totake up his/her share of responsibility in the taskof engendering and accompanying the life of newand enthusiastic Marist vocations, feeling them-selves partners and heirs in today’s world of thecharism of Champagnat. May the road towardsthe Bicentenary of our foundation be one moreencouragement and reason to live the enthusi-asm which characterized Marcellin and so manybrothers and lay Marists who have scattered theseeds in numerous parts of the world.




Secretariat of the laity

Intuitively BrotherCharles recognized thatgiven an ecclesiology ofcommunion – all aboutservice and charism – thetop-down concept wheresome people direct andinstruct while othersobey and learn, wouldbecome a thing of thepast. When the Church isseen as a communion,the various vocations in

life are related to each other in such a way that they complement one an-other.Brother Charles also stated that the Marist charism does not belongexclusively to the Institute. It is a gift from God that extends beyond thelife of the Brothers to the entire community of the Church. More than that,Brother Charles led us to see that our charism manifests its abundantfruitfulness when it is lived by men and women from various vocations inthe Church. Thus the Brothers are increasingly conscious of the idea thatMarist Lay men and women are not just collaborators in the mission –they embody the charism.

A BRIEF HISTORY

The present structure of the Secretariat for the Laity has emerged based onthe spirit of the 20th General Chapter. It affirms that we must broaden thespace under the tent and discover the richness of Brothers and Laity shar-ing our mission as we walk together. We must be convinced that the Spiritof life is leading us along that common path (cfr. We Choose Life, 26-30).The General Council therefore appointed a Commission on the Laity in2002. It consisted of Brother Pedro Herreros as President, Brother Emili

The present structure of the Se-cretariat for the Laity was put

in place at the beginning of2002, but there’s no doubt thatBr. Charles Howard in his Circu-lar on the Champagnat Movement(1991) is the one who opened upnew perspectives in the Institute’svision of the Laity. Down throughthe years, with the support of sub-sequent Superiors General, thishas fostered several initiatives bythe Laity in communion with theBrothers.


Br Javier Espinosa,(América Central)Director of the Secretariatof the laity


Turú, Brother Antonio Ramalho and Brother Paulo Celso Ferraresi as Sec-retary.In 2005, with Brother Michael Flanigan as Secretary of the Commission,a Consultative Group of Laity was formed. Its members met in Rome inMay that year to gather opinions about the direction of the Commissionon the Laity. In 2006, the Commission was disbanded in favor of a SEC-RETARIAT FOR THE LAITY, formed and integrated into the Institute’s Mis-sion Commission. Brother Pau Fornells was appointed its Director. Thefollowing year (2007), the General Council approved the creation of anew structure for the Marist Laity, called the Enlarged Secretariat of theLaity and appointed the people who would collaborate with the Directorof the Bureau: Ana Sarrate (Ibérica, Spain), Linda Corbeil (Canada),Tony Clarke (Sydney, Australia) and Brother Afonso Murad (Brasil Centro-Norte). In 2010, with Brother Javier Espinosa in charge of the Secretariat, AnaSarrate (from the Ibérica Province in Spain) and Tony Clarke (from theProvince of Sydney, Australia) were named the first Co-directors of thatOffice. Those appointments were aimed at promoting a greater leader-ship role for Lay people and to emphasize their lay co-responsibility inthe animation of the Institute. In 2011, the General Council extended the number of members of theBureau to seven, so as to represent the major Regions of the Institute:Ana Sarrate for Europe, Patricia Cecilia Rios Gomez replacing Linda Cor-beil for the Arco Norte, Tony Clarke for Oceania, Brother Sylvain Ra-mandimbiarisoa for Africa, Agnes Reyes for Asia, Fabiano Incerti forBrazil and Raul Amaya for the Cono Sur. This new structure facilitatesgreater interaction and enhances communication among the regions of



Lay people at the General Chapter

of 1993.


the Institute in designing the Secretariat’s plansand lines of action. At the same time it providesfor keeping in mind the broad span of cultural real-ities and increases the possibilities of lay leader-ship and animation at all levels. The Enlarged Secretariat meets once a year and itsCo-directors hold two additional meetings duringthat same period of time. The Plan for the nextthree-year term (2011-2013) sets forth the anima-

tion tasks of the Secretariat’s members. Presentlyits objectives include: a better understanding anddevelopment of the Marist lay vocation; the devel-opment of processes that promote the new spirit ofcommunion taking place in the charism of St. Mar-cellin; accompaniment for new forms of living theMarist charism; support and encouragement forgroups of Marist laity throughout the Institute;and the animation and promotion of structures of


It has been a significant experience to be part of the Bureau of the Laity ata time when the Spirit seems determined to continue urging us toward livinga new relationship between Lay People and Brothers. It is a new momentin our history. It is a new moment as both Lay Marists and Brothers

grapple with their understanding of this new reality, what it looks like, and how it can beeffectively lived and given life. As a lay person it has challenged my personal understandingof what it is to live out my own Christian vocation. I know it has also raised questions forBrothers about their own vocational life as Brother. As a new relationship, it will have asignificant impact on both our lives, in our understanding of who we are, our spirituality,what we say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to, how we live our relationships. Through the work of the Bureau of the Laity it has been a privilege to journey with many laypeople and Brothers in supporting and encouraging them to explore and grapple with thisnew way of relating with each other. Important questions continue to invite deeperdiscernment: Who is a lay Marist? What processes of formation will grow a deeper way ofliving Marist life (for Brothers, for lay Marists, together)? What are the new structures orforms of living the charism as lay Marists? Although the way forward is still unfolding, onething we know is that it is God who has led us here, it is God who is with us in this newmoment, and it’s God who will be with us as we discover our way together. For each one ofus there is a call at this time to listen deeply to the urgings of the Spirit within, a call ‘topromote together a greater vitality of the Marist charism and its mission in our world’ (XXIGeneral Chapter). It is an invitation for us to grow as Lay Marists. It is an invitation for usto grow as Brothers. We need each other. The future vitality of the charism and itseffectiveness in setting the Gospel on fire in the hearts of young people depends upon it.

Tony Clarke

animation that favor the involvement of the laityat the provincial and regional levels. The presentPlan accentuates the formation processes thatare in harmony with the call to conversion urgedby the 21st general Chapter.

EXPRESSIONS OF LIFE

Several events throughout our history have re-vealed a growing consciousness of the Lay voca-tion in the life of the Institute. In 1985, theChampagnat Movement of the Marist Family, con-stituted by people who wished to live their Chris-tian life according to St Marcellin’s charism, wasofficially recognized. There are presently morethan 250 fraternities and approximately 3300members. Through the years, regional meetingsamong members of the Movement have been heldin America (2005) and Europe (2006, 2010). The 1993 General Chapter saw the beginning ofthe participation of the laity in this type of as-sembly. This Lay presence became extended toProvincial assemblies and chapters. It is worthnoting that two of the five calls from the 2001General Chapter are addressed to the Brothers




and Laity. Gradually lay people took positions oncoordinating teams. Commissions for animatingthe Laity, headed by lay men and women, werespecially created in many Administrative Units.We would also like to highlight the significant par-ticipation of the Laity in creating the documentsIn the Footsteps of Marcellin (1998) and Around theSame Table (2009). The international Assembly ofthe Marist Mission held in Mendes, Brazil (2007)brought together on an equal footing 50 lay peo-ple and 44 Brothers. The international joint forma-tion meetings in Quito, Ecuador (2008) and St.Paul-trois-Châteaux, France (2009) were held withthe same criteria, a more or less equal number ofbrothers and laity, sharing their lives in a forma-tion process.Toward this same end, the Secretariat’s currentPlan calls for five regional meetings of Lay anima-tion teams in each Province (2011), an interna-tional meeting about the Marist Lay vocation(2012), and a process for advancing the develop-ment of the Champagnat Movement (2013).

IDENTITYOF THE SECRETARIAT

Through the years the identity of the Secretariathas been shaped by the same process being experi-enced in the Church and the Institute. There is nodoubt that this journey undertaken by our Insti-tute is best summarized by the document Aroundthe Same Table. The text shows a clear recognitionof the Marist Lay vocation. The Marist Lay persondiscovers the call from God to live the charism ofChampagnat from his or her Lay status as a partic-ular way to develop the Christian identity commonto all believers. It is a personal call to a specificform of being a disciple of Jesus. In other words,the charism of Saint Marcellin Champagnat is beingexpressed in new forms of Marist life – amongthem, that of the Marist Laity.In light of the above, Marist Lay men and womenin their particular lifestyle are heirs of the charismin their own right, thus responsible for its growthand adaptation. As Brother Charles has written,“The laity must reveal to us new angles of that

charism, as they live it more fully. Spiritual shar-ing with them should reveal new depths in our vo-cation as Brothers.” The Marist Lay vocation con-tributes originality to our way of understandingthe Founder and living his spirituality. The common heritage that the Marist Laity andBrothers share complements and enriches our spe-cific vocations. Not only is there enough room atthe table for both Lay person and Brother, we mu-tually need each other side by side. We have thecertainty and clarity that our specific vocationsare mutually enlightening and that we are a con-stant source of richness for each other. The Secre-tariat is embracing this new era in the Maristcharism as a challenge, to help bring about thedawn of a new Marist life and reinforce the onethat already exists, making St. Marcellin’s charismever more creative, faithful and dynamic, chal-lenging Brothers and Laity to interweave a newexperience of the charism.



MY FEELINGS ABOUT CO-DIRECTINGWhen I read the Document from the 21st General Chapter, I felt certain thatthe Spirit had been truly present among the participants, even as we faced thechallenge of putting our thoughts down on paper… It’s difficult to reduce life

to the level of words. And whenever I re-read the paragraph, “we contemplate our Maristfuture as a communion of people in the charism of Champagnat, where our specific vocationsare mutually enriched...,” it makes me wonder whether I am – whether we are capable ofcapturing the implications resulting from our taking these words to heart. In our concreteMarist history today, the Spirit is prodding us to walk into the future as She has always donedown through history. The image of Mary’s visit to St Elizabeth springs to mind. During theyears I have worked in the Secretariat, I’ve been able to perceive the life being generated bypeople capable of “moving” from more secure employment to unfamiliar positions, from a schoolwith one type of student body to that with another, from a closed community to one thatwelcomes arrivals, from going from a country with one culture to another with a very differentone… There is an unstoppable movement in the Church that is increasingly evident: as laypeople we are more and more aware of our call to make Jesus’s Good News a reality. And weMarists have perceived this movement as a refreshing and life-giving reality: Brothers, Laywomen and Lay men together being able to reach more children and young people than everbefore… because our numbers are growing. And as members of the Secretariat of the Laity wehave wanted to animate and will continue to animate this new movement of Brothers and Laity onmission together in communion. I too have been invited to move from one place to another(those who know me know how difficult it is for me to travel…) and especially to follow “aninterior path” to live my Marist vocation in a family environment with my fraternity, my school,my town…, to discover a much larger Marist family, a different job and the richness of acharism incarnated in so many different cultures… I feel it is a privilege and a responsibility. Inaddition, the possibility of walking with other companions having great human qualities, sharingin each other’s lives and faith, difficulties and hopes – this is the greatest gift we can have in life.Since the earliest days of the Secretariat of the Laity, we have always fervently nurtured thissense of community. The many little “yeses” that we are addressing to God are leading us alongpaths toward greater fulfilment, despite daily difficulties and not having a clear idea of what’s instore for us... Drawing inspiration and encouragement from Mary’s confidence, we need tolearn, as she did, to journey to that new land that we have not yet seen, the one in which wefirmly believe that our risen Brother is waiting to welcome us.

Ana Sarrate



The thinking of the Lay Secretariat has gone handin hand with the new relationship betweenBrothers and Lay Marists. This new relationshippresupposes that more and more leading roles inthe Marist mission and evangelization will be as-sumed by the Laity, with Brothers becoming theircollaborators. It is about being companions, serv-ing together and learning from one another. It willsuppose a more radical image of the Brothers’ vo-cation, characterized by prophesying and living incommunity, like the image projected by St. Mar-cellin at La Valla when he started his assignmentwith his lay associates there. The outlook for the Secretariat of the Laity pointsto a future with a communion of people imbuedwith the charism of St. Marcellin. The experienceof sharing that charism is leading us to rethinkthe institutional model which up until now hasdefined our Founder’s charism in the Church. Inreality this means that together we not only needto widen the tent of the Institute but also tobuild a new tent, where all of us, Laity and Broth-ers, will find our own place as affirmed in the doc-ument on Marist Education, “In the Footsteps ofMarcellin Champagnat,” §145.At the Secretariat, we understand that this com-munion implies a conversion and change of men-tality in both the Laity and the Brothers. In set-ting out on our journey we need to lead livesbased on a spirituality of change that can only

emanate from the Spirit of God. The following ofJesus that we share as Brothers and Lay Peopleturns us into searchers and explorers. To search in-cludes the notion of moving ahead with fidelity.As one author writes, “Fidelity does not consist ofalways staying in the same place but in movingforward in a systematic way toward somethingable to bring a greater fullness and conviction tothe soul, a greater clarity of mind and integrity ofheart.” We believe that this emerging approachoffered by the last General Chapter is in keepingwith this idea. We are aware, as were the Chapter members, thatthe Spirit is strongly encouraging all Marists toenter into a dynamic of exodus. This must leadall of us Marists, Brothers and Laity, to abandonthe non-responsive answers of the past and followa path across the desert to the Promised Land.Sometimes, this presupposes a sense of loss for allof us – “detachment” is the word used in the fun-damental call of the Chapter. Loss places us at thebeginning of a new reality, which can only belived out based on a spirituality of letting go. Thisspiritual path is, in our times, a challenge for ourMarist lives as Lay People and Brothers, as well asfor us at the Secretariat. We realize it implies achange in mentality, much discernment, greatavailability, renouncing our comfort zones, takingrisks and – inspired by Mary’s example – fosteringa deep confidence in God.






Br Chris Wills, (Sidney)Director of Secretariat of International Collaborationfor Mission

Secretariat of

InternationalCollaboration

for Mission

MAPS www.maristsolidar-ity.net.au is the solidar-ity agency of the Aus-tralian Provinces. Itswork is to link Aus-tralian school students,

teachers, families and members of the wider Marist community with oth-er young Marists in our Oceania region; to facilitate student immersionsand volunteer placements; to organise and manage international devel-opment projects; to assist remote communities with logistics and topromote advocacy for the rights of the child. I have been doing this work for ten years and it began when I was thedirector, for six years, of Marist Farmhouse, an intentional community ofyoung adults and brothers. Our ministry was one of Marist hospitality toother young adults and also to groups of teachers and brothers from ourschools, welfare organisation and communities. During that time manyof the young people expressed a desire to join in with our ministries on‘the edge’; joining in with the Marist mission with ‘kids-at-risk’I had in mind the need of Marists to be involved in Marcellin’s mission.During my teaching career I had spent six years in Papua New Guineaand four years working with disad vantaged children in what is nowknown as Marist Youth Care. I hope to bring to this work my experience as a teacher, administratorand a brother Marist who has had some experience in the world of inter-national development and the commissioning of brother and lay Maristvolunteers.

Until I was asked to take therole of leading the Secretariat

for International Collaborationfor Mission, I was happily spen-ding my days in Australia andworking with communities in thePacific and Asia as the foundationdirector of Marist Asia-PacificSolidarity (MAPS).



THE SECRETARIAT FOR INTERNATIONALCOLLABORATION FOR MISSION

1. This is a new secretariat which is one step towards answering thecall of the XXIst General Chapter. This call was also signalled to usin other gatherings such as BIS review (2004); Mendes – Conferenceof Marist Laity; the General Conference in Sri Lanka and its affirma-tion of Asia – Mission Ad Gentes and previous General Chapters

2. Brother Emili in his March 2011 letter to Provincials and DistrictSuperiors recalled some of the proposals for action of the XXI Gen-eral Chapter:

• To establish international and interprovincial communitieswhich will be open to Marist Brothers and Lay Marists andserve in the vanguard of new areas of mission.

• To strengthen the further development of Mission Ad Gentes inAsia, and open it out to other areas where a need is dis-cerned.

• To establish a Marist volunteer service in support of our mis-sion, whose members are available to work in our ministries inneed or to be mobilized for emergencies.

3. This secretariat joins four other secretariats of the General Coun-cil: Mission; Laity; Brothers (known as ‘Brothers Today’); Solidarity(operating as FMSI)

4. The action word in the name of the secretariat is collaboration –with other secretariats, provinces, districts, brother and layMarists throughout the world.

This is a new venture which is presently in its gestation period. Thebirth is due with the plenary sessions of the General Council in Janu-ary 2012.



CO-ORDINATION OF THE ‘AD GENTES’ PROJECT

My task as co-ordinator of the AD GENTES projectconsists in putting into practice some of the main intuitionsof the General Council’s orientation relative to mission AD GENTES and to the International Co-operation for Mission. The XXI General Chapter states that the Institute desires to develop an international and intercultural mindset.

The AD GENTES project is an opportune means for realizing this project opento international and intercultural communities. Part of my work consists,precisely, in developing and disseminating throughout the Institute informationrelative to international missionary co-operation and to identify in the Provinces all those who are interested in a missionary work. At the same time I have to accompany them and tpo help them discerning their missionary vocation. To put to work and promote this solidarity ad intra, it is also my duty toencourage the Provincials and to discover vocations in the Provinces torespond to the missionary needs of the Congregation: Brothers, Lay missionaries, and Lay collaborators in the various projects. One of the proposals of the XXI General Chapter is « to establish a Maristvolunteer service in support of our missions ».The work I am called to accomplish in the Co-ordination of AD GENTES must be done in a spirit of very close collaboration with the other Secretariats. Another part of my work consists in caring about the formation of the Brothersand Laity who offer themselves for a missionary work, providing them with all the information relative to the courses they must do or are advised to followAs for those already in mission AD GENTES, I take equal care to know their needs so as to give a satisfactory response as quickly as possible. This is what I try to do, with much joy and willingness. This is my way of being an AD GENTES missionary.

Br Teófilo Minga

Br Teófilo Minga, (Compostela)Co-ordinator of theAD GENTES Project



The FMSI ONLUS Foundationsucceeds the former Bureauof Solidarity (BIS) whichwas established in 1995.Bro. Benito Arbués, thenSuperior General, and hisCouncil created this Officein response to the recom-

mendations of the 19th General Chapter of the Institute of the MaristBrothers of the Schools. The purpose of that Office was to assist theGeneral Council of the Marist Brothers in their animation and gover-nance of the Institute with respect to issues of justice, peace, develop-ment, and solidarity. This was especially true when these issues had animpact on the lives of children and youth wherever the Brothers andtheir lay colleagues were present throughout the world. Initially the Of-fice served the Institute in the following areas:

– Providing resources, information and tools for education and ani-mation in justice.

– Helping Administrative Units in developing countries to propose,write, present, coordinate and evaluate projects for funding.

– Advocating on behalf of just causes.– Networking with Marist NGOs and Province/District Solidarity Co-

ordinators.

Brother Allen Sherry (Australia) served as the first Director of this Officefrom 1995 to 2002. Brother Dominick Pujia (USA), his successor, sawthe Office gain its status as FMSI – ONLUS in Italy in 2007, becoming

The Fondazione Marista perla Solidarietà Internationa-

le Onlus (FMSI) - Marist In-ternational Solidarity Foun-dation ONLUS (Non-Profit)- was established in October2007. It now functions as anincorporated legal entity re-cognized by the Italian Go-vernment.


Br Michael De Waas,(South Asia)President of the FMSI


Fondazione Marista per la Solidarietà

Internazionale

the Foundation’s first President. He served in this Office until 2009.During his tenure he established an office in Geneva to work to advo-cate for the rights of children within the framework of the United Na-tions. Brother César Henriquez (El Salvador) served in this Office asits first Advocacy Officer from 2006 to 2008. Brother Jim Jolley (Aus-tralia) succeeded him in 2009. Brother Richard Carey, as the second President of FMSI, served from2009-2010 and resigned due to ill health. As Vice President, BrotherJude Pieterse filled this post until early 2011. We are grateful to all the Brothers who have contributed so effective-ly to bringing FMSI to its present position. We appreciate their exper-tise, hard work and generosity in developing this Office into a Foun-dation recognized by the Italian Government.Now, in 2011, under the leadership and guidance of the General Ad-ministration in Rome, the FMSI Foundation has gone through aprocess of restructuring in response to the Fundamental Calls made atthe XXI General Chapter of the Marist Brothers in 2009. At that time, in the spirit of St. Marcellin and the first brothers, theChapter urged us all - brothers, our colleagues and Lay Marists – tomake a strong commitment to be present and supportive of poor chil-dren and young people. To facilitate this, the Foundation has beenreorganized, to have a President who is a member of the GeneralCouncil, coordinating the work of its Offices in Rome and Geneva. These two Offices have their own Directors with clear job descrip-tions. Brother Mario Meuti (Italy) is serving as Director of the FMSIOffice in Rome and is responsible for Administration, Fundraising,Networking, Promoting Partnerships, and creating Regional andProvincial Development Programs. He is assisted by Sara Panciroli



The Human Rights Councilmeeting room.



(Italy) as the Secretary General of the Founda-tion, who oversees certain areas of responsibility,and by Angela Petenzi (Italy), who works as theOffice’s Project and Fundraising Coordinator. Inaddition to the responsibilities directly associat-ed with FMSI Onlus, the Office in Rome is re-sponsible for carrying out projects previously su-pervised by BIS. The focus of the Marist International SolidarityFoundation Onlus is children and youth in need.It pursues goals of developing solidarity througheducational and social welfare programs and pro-jects, promotes the Rights of Children and pro-vides technical and financial support to for pro-jects in keeping with its aims. Marist Solidarityprojects, on the other hand, are geared to pro-viding technical and financial support for pas-toral and other projects of a more general nature,e.g. assistance for courses, formation houses andbuilding projects. The Director of the FMSI Officein Rome, with assistance from the Project Coordi-nators, ensures that Administrative Units of theMarist Brothers, especially those in developingcountries, receive assistance in the preparation,presentation, coordination and evaluation of pro-jects they seek to fund through internal or exter-nal sources. Brother Jim Jolley (Australia) directs the FMSIOffice in Geneva and takes care of Child RightsAdvocacy and Training programs. Bros. ManelMendoza (Spain) and Vicente Falqueto (Brazil)assist him as Child Rights Advocacy Officers. Atpresent, they work out of the offices of Francis-cans International. Given the complexities of thediplomatic environment in Geneva and respectingthe terms of the agreement that has governedthe existing partnership between the FMSI andFranciscans International (FI), the Marist Direc-tor of Advocacy and Training and his staff con-tinue to operate within the organizational frame-work and follow the procedures used by FI per-sonnel.In July 2011 FMSI ONLUS earned accreditationfor Special Consultative Status at the United Na-tions Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).What this means is that the UN now officiallyrecognizes our FMSI Foundation as one of 3,400

small organizations that are qualified to provideinput in several fields of activity covered byECOSOC. As a juridical body recognized by the UN memberstate of Italy, the FMSI Foundation is qualified toparticipate in formal UN deliberations, join coali-tions and campaigns together with like-mindedNGOs and Foundations, take part in workinggroups for child rights, offering these groups itsMarist experience and expertise in working withchildren internationally and advocating for theirrights. FMSI can now attend and offer its uniqueperspective on education at UN conferences andmeetings, e.g., at the Organization’s HumanRights Council, This new membership in ECOSOC is a big blessingfor the Foundation and an important step for-ward in its development to achieve the purposeof our Marist mission, to make a positive differ-ence in the lives of young people, especiallythose who are poor and most in need of our con-cern and advocacy. It is my privilege to becomethe third President of the Foundation and coordi-nate the work of its Rome and Geneva Offices onbehalf of the General Council.



ROME OFFICE OF THE FMSI

The XXI General Chapter madepublic the importance of theMarist International SolidarityFoundation (FMSI) in proposingit to the whole Institute as afundamental instrument for theMarist mission today: We feelourselves impelled to challengesocial, economic, political,cultural and religious practicesthat oppress children and youngpeople. Now is the time for us allto join in the work of the MaristFoundation for International

Solidarity (FMSI).Our lines of direct action areindicated in Point 3 of theDocument of the 21st GeneralChapter: Marist Mission in a NewWorld, which insists that we allchange our hearts and attitudes,to see the world through the eyesof poor children and youngpeople and from thisperspective, promote their rightsin all the areas in which weoperate, including politicalactivity and denouncingabuses... But to do this, we haveto be prepared and organized ina professional way.

FMSI is called to contribute tothe formation programs ofbrothers and laity,accompanying them inexperiences which fostersensibilization to the needs ofpoor children and youth.Without forgetting anotherdream of the Chapter: To

establish a Marist volunteerservice in support of the Maristmission, whose members areavailable to work in ourministries in need or to bemobilized for emergencies.

The Rome Office of FMSIoperates concretely in thefollowing areas:

1. EDUCATION FOR JUSTICEAND SOLIDARITYGathers information relatedto the initiatives and topicsof justice, peace, andsolidarity, of relevance tothe Institute, especiallythose referring to thepromotion of the wellbeingof the most marginalizedchildren and young people.Our objective is to formpeople sensitive to thesequestions throughcampaigns and concreteactivities, information

Br Mario Meuti,(Mediterránea)Director of FMSI Rome



Sara Panciroli is presently the GeneralSecretary of the Fondazione Marista per la Solidarietà Internazionale (FMSI) and she is serving her second term in this

position. She mainly handles the administration of theFoundation; she assists the President in preparing theBoard of Directors meetings and maintains contact withconsultants regarding legal and administrative matterswhich may need attention. Sara is also part of the teamthat manages the office of the Fondazione in Rome. She isthe coordinator of the micro-projects, a program tofinance small initiatives in favour of disadvantaged childrenand the youth in the areas of human rights, education andsocial development, especially in the developing countrieswhere Marist Brothers are present. She is the one whoreceives requests for the financing of projects andperforms the initial selection to then present them to theevaluating committee. Once the project is approved, itscoordination entails maintaining relations with theproject’s managers to verify its implementation, and thepresentation of reports upon completion of operations.Lastly, Sara coordinates the communication activities thatare presently maintained through the websitewww.fmsi.onlus.org. The aforesaid task consists in thecollection, preparation and adjustment of the texts,translation into Italian (the website is published in English,Spanish and Italian) and the development of the websitewith the programmer’s technical support. In more generalterms, she is responsible for the development of newcommunication tools (we anticipate a periodic newsbulletin) and provides support in the preparation ofinformation publications.

bulletins, material forreflection, workshops...

2. ASSISTANCE AND CO-ORDINATION OF PROJECTS Lends assistance to theAdministrative units,especially in developingcountries, for the diffusion,correct presentation andlater evaluation of projects,before sending the financingfrom the Institute or otherfinancing organizations. TheOffice requests a detailedreport on the carrying out ofeach project and makes surethat the aid sent reaches itsdestination and is usedproperly.

3. FUND COLLECTING To increase the resources soas to allow the Foundationto be economically self-sufficient and respond to thenumerous requests itreceives in favor of needychildren and young people.To maintain contact withschools and charitableinstitutions, make itsobjectives known to publicand private entities, in Italyand abroad, with bulletins,annual reports and theservice of the webhttp://www.fmsi-onlus.org/

4. DEVELOPMENT OF A COLLABORATIONNETWORK, BE IT WITHIN THE INSTITUTE With the different solidarityteams or recognized non



governmentorganizations, or withthe organizations ofother Institutes workinglike us with children andyouth.

Now that we have theofficial recognition of theUNO, setting up thisnetwork is perhaps ourprincipal objective. This is also the desire of the General Chapter and ofBr Emili in particular: We are trying to combineforces with other institutionswhich have a similar aim toours (defense of children’srights, the trafficking ofwomen, protection ofcreation, etc ...). This is a field in which wecan grow much more andwhere possibilities forcollaboration are enormous.Let’s hope we have the boldness to take steps in a co-ordinated way andsupport each other! We willdemonstrate in action thatan alternative globalizationis possible.

At present the position of Project Co-ordinator is held by Angela Petenzi.The Co-ordination of Projects is theresponsibility of part of the staff of the

Fondazione Marista per la Solidarità Internazionale (Marist Foundation for International Solidarity - FMSI) of Rome, and it is in charge of helping the Marist communityworldwide to develop solidarity projects and seek donationsfor their financing. The Project Co-ordinator worksalongside the Director of the Rome office, maintainingcontacts with the people or organizations that financeprojects and searching for new partners.The assistance given to projects ranges from the identificationof possible organizations to finance them, to theaccompaniment of the Marist community where the project is being carried out, during each phase of the project:preparation, presentation, execution and reporting.The person in charge of co-ordinating projects participatesin the technical evaluation of the applications for micro-projects in addition to being responsible for collecting fundsfor the solidarity initiatives promoted by the Foundation,particularly formation and/or animation regarding the Rightsof the Child and the special programs of the General Councilof the Institute. In addition to working on projects of a social nature for the social and economic promotion of children and the young from poor and disadvantaged sections in the weakest strata of the population, the Project Co-ordinator also assists the Marist community in the search for funds for pastoral programs, brothers’formation centres, Marist spirituality formation courses, withthe support of the Solidarity Fund of the General Council.



GENEVA OFFICE OFTHE FMSIGo in haste with Mary to a newland! What’s this ‘new land’?Most certainly children’s rightsare part of its landscape!

OVERVIEW OF FMSI IN GENEVAHere in Geneva, there are threeof us who work for theprotection of children’s rights atthe international level. Ourwork is guided by FMSI’s missionstatement as well as the call ofthe XXI General Chapter topromote the rights of children,particularly those on themargins and the mostvulnerable. We are guided bythe Convention on the Rights ofthe Child (CRC), an InternationalTreaty, which has been endorsedby nearly every country in the world.

WORK OF FMSI AT THE UNITED NATIONSOur main interaction with theUN is linked to the HumanRights Council (HRC). The HRCmeets three times a year and isresponsible for strengtheningthe protection of human rightsaround the world. In particular,we use the new mechanismunder the auspices the HRC

called the Universal PeriodicReview (UPR), which reviews thehuman rights records of all 193UN Member States once everyfour years. FMSI has been veryactive in making submissions onchildren’s rights through theUPR mechanism. So far we havepresented reports on twelvecountries through the UPR:Australia, Cambodia, Kenya,Kiribati, Malawi, Papua NewGuinea, Solomon Islands,Tanzania, Timor Leste, Vanuatuand Zimbabwe. Most of oursubmissions focused on issuesconcerning education forchildren and many of ourrecommendations have beenaccepted by these governments.We hope to involve moreprovinces in the years to come

when the UPR begins itssecond round in 2012. LastJanuary we also maderecommendations to NewZealand on ‘alternativeeducation’ when that State wasreviewed by the Committee onthe Rights of the Child.

WORK OF FMSIIN THE PROVINCESThe other main focus of ourwork in Geneva is to provideAwareness Programs (up to 1day in length) for Marist groupsand Training Courses (1 or 2weeks in length) for those whowish to have more detailedknowledge of the Conventionon the Rights of the Child andhow to promote these rightsthrough various activities intheir own country. We have

Br Jim Jolley, (Melbourne)Director of the FMSI Geneva

The FMSI team in Geneva.



I am certain that the term “advocacy” has avery specific meaning for the English-speaking people. However, this word isdifficult to translate into other languages. If

we translate it into Spanish, I believe we may need morethan one word to explain its significance. Therefore, wesay that in Spanish it is “promoting” and “defending” andboth words convey the full meaning of what we wish toexpress when we use this term in English. Well, this is the task I am fulfilling in Geneva at the Officeof the Marist International Solidarity Foundation (FMSI).We attempt to promote a new culture or a new paradigm,with all the people we work with or who maintain anyother type of collaboration with the Marist Institute. Weattempt to raise the awareness of other people so we mayfocus on another aspect of our work. We seek to form orto enable people for them to succeed in directing theiractions toward this new way of considering theinvolvement of the Institute with today’s childhood. Once these new action models are accepted, the secondstage is easier to reach, that is, the promotion of the newparadigms we committed to during the last GeneralChapter. All of this implies, in my opinion, a step furtherin our interpretation of the Marist vocation, since Ibelieve that we must not only engage in teaching as wehave done to this date, rather that this new way of lookingat reality must lead us to an understanding of children; wemust not limit ourselves to educating them, but also carefor their welfare, which implies defending and promotingtheir rights in the different countries and cultures wherewe work.

Br Manel Mendoza

held awareness courses at ElEscorial, Manziana, Barcelona,MAPAC (Manila) and MIC(Nairobi). A one-week trainingcourse was held in Brisbane inlast year and a two-weekcourse will be held for theBrothers at MAPAC in October.

An important development forus is the appointment ofprovince ‘link’ persons to bethe liaison between eachprovince and FMSI. So far wehave fourteen provinces thathave nominated their linkperson. We plan to hold anextended workshop forProvince Link Persons in the first half of 2012.We welcome invitations fromprovinces to conduct awarenessprograms and workshops intheir own country to helppromote the rights of childrenthere. We look forward tohelping the Marist Institutedevelop its expertise inprotecting children and becomebetter known worldwide asdefenders of children’s rights.It is an exciting venture intothis ‘new land’ and we inviteyou to join us on our journey.



« It is in making others happy that I find my own happiness ». Thisthought of Father Champagnat has accompanied along my Marist journey.I quickly recognized that I could contribute to this difficult mission.I am at present working with Fondazione Marista per la Solidarietà

Internazionale – FMSI (Marist International Solidarity Foundation). For a very longtime, I dreamt of such a space in the Marist Institution. FMSI certainly exists, in fact, inthe Marist Institute, but it is not fully known. What is the mission of FMSI ? It seems abit confused, just like the ‘provocator’ aspect of our mission. If I harp on this subject, itis because the task we are performing in Geneva is not yet very clear for our Provincesand Districts. We are called to work in favour of the most disadvantaged children, andthat totally changes the perspective of our activity, without abandoning the great missionwe have inherited from our origins. Millions of children exist who must be defendedbefore they can become subjects or objects of a process of human growth. I arrived in Geneva in January 2011. But my role as Agent in defence of the rights of thechild has been developing for more than 15 years already. Working in the perspective ofrights means a change of paradigm. The great step our Institution is taking consists inmaking explicit the promotion and protection of the rights of the child. Let us not forget,either, that integral education, including the different dimensions of human life, has beenand remains an efficacious way of promoting and protecting the rights of the child. Such is our challenge, such is our mission. We are, in fact, in Geneva as the MaristInternational Solidarity Foundation – FMSI, only in the measure that we are in all the

Provinces and Districts of the MaristInstitute. That is our principal task in theFoundation: Sensitize and form otherpersons so that they are in a position toact in accord with this new mode ofinstitutional commitment, in theirProvinces and Districts, according to thedirectives of the InternationalConvention of the Rights of the Child.

Br Vicente Sossai Falqueto

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GENERAL ADMINISTRATION • GENERAL ADMINISTRATION • GENERAL

ADMINISTRATION • GENERAL ADMINISTRATION • GENERAL ADMINISTRATION


POSTULATOR GENERAL p. 54GENERAL ADMINISTRATION p. 56DIRECTOR OF THE HOUSE p. 58ADMINISTRATOR OF THE HOUSE p. 59GENERAL SECRETARIAT p. 60TRANSLATION SERVICE p. 62COMMUNICATIONS p. 66GENERAL SERVICES p. 68ENERAL ARCHIVES SERVICE p. 70SUPERIOR OF THE COMMUNNITY p. 74CHAPLEINS p. 76SECRETARY OF THE SUPERIOR GENERAL p. 77


GENERAL ADMINISTRATION • GENERAL ADMINISTRATION • GENERALGENERAL ADMINISTRATION • GENERAL ADMINISTRATION • GENERAL



Br Jorge Flores Aceves,(México Occidental)Postulator General

PostulatorGeneral

Brother Jorge, 71, is a Mexicanbelonging to the Province of Mé-xico Occidental, and has beenworking as Vicepostulator on the

Diocesan Cause of Brother Basilio Rueda. In Rome, he will be working onthe cause of Brother Crisanto and his 67 companions martyred in Spain.

Brother Jorge FloresAceves, has been ap-

pointed Postulator Ge-neral by the GeneralCouncil for a period ofthree years.




Financial and administrative at the service

The objectives for a firstthree-year phase:

The administration depart-ment aims at supporting

the continuity and vitality ofthe Institute and its mission inlight of the challenges thatthe Institute is facing today inthe area of finances and theevangelical use of the assets.”

Br Víctor Preciado,(México Occidental)General Administrator

“

1. Attend to the functions that the Constitutions (169) ascribeto the General Administrator with respect to the finances ofthe General Administration: Present every year to the BrotherSuperior General, for his approval, the financial report of theGeneral Administration, as well as the information pertainingto the financial situation of the Provinces and Districts. Pre-pare the budget for the General Government.

2. Coordinate the work of the Financial Team to respond to thetasks determined by the 21st general Chapter pertaining tothe Financing of the General Administration and the financ-ing of the administrative units.

ACTIVITIES

The Accounting and the Management of the Treasury department havebeen reorganized so as to reach the first objective.

Accounting in Euro currency to provide informationto the General Government, to the Provinces and theItalian tax authorities. The Treasury handles the movement of resourcesfrom the administrative units to support the generalgovernment and to fulfil the needs for Solidarity ofthe Institute, especially pertaining to formation inAsia, Africa and for special projects in the Maristworld.




management of the Mission

SUPPORT TEAMS

The Accounting and Treasury departments aremanaged by Brothers Roy Deita and JavierOcaranza. We are seeking co-ordinated actionwith Brother Antoni Salat, the legal representa-tive of the “Casa generalizia del Istituto deiFratelli Maristi delle Scuole” (General Curia of theMarist Brothers of the Schools), a legal entitythat supports the administrative and financialactivity with transparency while responding torequirements in force. The present International Commission of Eco-nomic Matters, made up of 5 Brothers and twolay individuals, primarily attends to the 2nd ob-jective and “assists the Brother General Adminis-trator in the application of the financial policy ofthe Institute”. The Commission for Economic Matters was consti-tuted to help the General Administrator in hiswork and to study requests of a financial naturesubmitted to the General Superior.

TOWARD THE NEAR FUTURE

The General Administration department: a) Will have to work alongside the Secretariats for

the Mission and Laity in promoting programs offormation for administrators and leaders of theMarist mission in light of the mission and itschallenges for a new world and also start re-flection about the financial implications of co-responsibility of Brothers and laity.

b) Through its work, it gives continuity to theprocess of the Evangelical Use of Goods, at-tending to formation and discernment with re-spect to the use of the assets from an evangel-ical perspective, and promoting simplicity inour own life and structures.

The office of the GENERALADMINISTRATOR iscomposed of the EconomeGeneral and the Deputy

Econome General. The Econome General hascharge of the finance of GeneralAdministration and is a member of the GeneralCouncil. (Cons., Art.160). The DeputyEconome General is in charge of accountingand most of the movements of funds and effectarrangements between the GeneralAdministration and the different AdministrativeUnits of the Institute. Presently, the Economeis Brother Victor Preciado of MecixoOccidental and the Deputy Econome General isBrother Roy Deita from the Philippine sector,East Asia Province.As the Deputy Econome General, I wasappointed for a term of 3 years. My main taskis to assist the Econome General in efficientlydischarging his function related to the financesof the General Administration. Most of thetime I spend my time doing accounting works,to make sure that data are up to date andavailable on time. Also, the related check andbalance functions of preparing bankreconciliations, checking the validity andauthenticity of invoices and receipts as well asconfirming entries in the statement of accountsfor payments every month are part of my job.In general, I see my job as a support / orservice to the Econome General.

Br Roy R. Deita, (East Asia)


Direction ofthe General House

Br Antoni Salat,(L’Hermitage)Director of the General House

MANAGEMENT

Management is concernedwith the needs of the per-sonnel of the house, dis-tributes the physicalspaces in an appropriateway, and provides for thepersons concerned theinstruments necessary forcarrying out their tasks.

It studies the different implications established by the official organi-zations and the various laws emanating from them. It studies the as-pects relative to the laws, in the service of the General Administrationand tries to propose solutions to the needs that arise.

HOSPITALITY

The House offers hospitality to Brothers visiting Rome, who are ontheir way to courses of spirituality or who take part in the different in-

ternational Marist commissions. It alsowelcomes family members of the Brothersand other persons lodged in the « Casaper ferie » and who have direct links withus. It is important that we are able to re-ceive them and dispose of spaces pre-pared for the good development of theirmission.On occasion, we receive groups from ourMarist centres who wish to become famil-iar with the house and meet some of theBrothers, or have some religious celebra-tion.

The personnel in the serviceof the General House con-

sist of Brothers and lay peo-ple at the disposition of theGeneral Administration. Thedirection of the General Hou-se is reponsible for manage-ment, hospitality, maintenanceand other services sharedwith the « Casa per ferie ».



MAINTENANCE

One of the essential tasks of the Direction ismaintenance. The dimensions of the house andits age cause problems relating to pipes, leaking,equipment, machinery, and others, which requirecareful and precise maintenance. The applicationof the norms in force at any time often lead toimportant changes.

THE «CASA PER FERIE»The « Casa per ferie », which occupies the build-ings of the former International College, shareswith the Direction of the house various servicestaken in charge, in common, by the direction ofthe « Casa per ferie » and the management.The direction has to remain attentive to theneeds which manifest themselves in day to daylife and try to find an adequate solution. The re-sponse to certain needs means a real challengeat certain times, such as the preparation and de-velopment of the General Chapter, the holding of



two courses of formation at the same time fortwo different groups of Brothers, or the fact ofhaving to resolve one-off situations which de-mand time and concrete solutions.Thanks to the devotion of the brothers and ourcollaborators, we can face up to the daily round,with the strong support, at certain moments, oftechnicians and enterprises to bring certain par-ticular works to a successful conclusion.

I help the Director of the house as itsAdministrator, and work with the Treasury of theGeneral Administration. I make the payments to theemployees and for the expenses run up in the houseand keep the corresponding acounts. I am the liaison with the company that providesour food supplies and supply the provisionsnecessary for the festal celebrations of thebrothers. I devote my attention and services to the brothers

and groups visiting us. I also take care of the management of documents,repairs and fuel supplies for the vehicles of the house.

Br Francisco JavierOcaranza, (México Occidental)Administrator of the House

ADMINISTRATOR OF THE HOUSE


So reads N. 137.8 of theBrothers’ Constitutions. Wemust add to that specificmission the coordination ofthe statistical services ofthe Institute, translations,Communications, computersystem and archives, ac-

cording to the Organization Chart of the General Administration. Following the 21st General Chapter, a new horizon and a new manner ofcommunicating the directions of the General Secretariat illuminate con-ceptually and practically the work achieved and the one still to beachieved. The phasing out of obsolete computer programs is demandingthe need to rethink or reconsider our present status and the issues ofthe future. Today, the diversity of means of communication available tous, technology, and the generosity in commitment of all those whoare part of the General Secretariat do not allow us to give time tosmall-scale suggestions, but rather to search for and achieve majortransformations within our General Administration department.As it journeys on a path leading to the objectives of governance andanimation of the Institute, the General Council has included on its

agenda the promotion of a modernization of allGeneral Administration services. In fact, the ac-tion plan that the General Secretariat haslaunched could be characterized as a new era,revolving around three axes: a smooth and con-stant correspondence with all Provincial Secre-taries; the modernization and update of the In-stitute’s database and implementation in allProvinces and Districts; and the invitation to allprovincial secretariats to use the PERGAMUMmanagement and filing tool and library devel-oped by the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do

The Brother Secretary Ge-neral is responsible for the

Secretariat of the GeneralCouncil. He is responsiblefor the minutes of the Coun-cil sessions and for the offi-cial correspondence in thename of the Institute.

Br Pedro Sánchez de León, (Mediterránea)General Secretary


GeneralSecretariat


Paraná, Brazil (PUCPR), which succeeds theArchivum v.2 system that a few AdministrativeUnits and the General Administration have beenusing for some years.The above-mentioned will have repercussions onthe quality of the mission of animation and gov-ernance of Provincials and their Councils and, atthe same time, we aim at better ensuring theconservation of the documentary heritage thatthe new computer science may significantly weak-en if no measures are taken in time. This heritageis the tangible testimony of the human and spiri-tual experience of our religious family as it passesthrough history. Its conservation consolidates ouridentity and allows us to maintain referenceswhich facilitate new adjustments and incarna-tions of the charism. The proper operation of anyProvincial Secretariat must ensure, among otherbasic things, a systematic update of data and anadequate filing of documents. I am certain that the General Secretariat cannotmeet all expectations in light of the great diversi-ty in the Institute; however, we are all invited tojoin in these proposals.As part of the aforementioned Project, a meetingby regions is planned between the General Secre-tary and the Provincial Secretaries; this initiativeaims at the actual application of these new toolsso we may all walk united towards a new land.

As the person responsible for the STATISTICS OFFICE,I work directly with theGeneral Secretary. I am mainly

in charge of maintaining the database ofBrothers, novices and affiliates of the Institute.For purposes of statistics and research, I particularly follow up on the process of entryto the novitiate, temporary professions,destination of the brothers and their functions.I prepare an annual statistical report which issent to the Vatican and communicated to theInstitute. I computerize the process thatpertains to the sending of books and magazinesthat are published in the General Curia and I maintain contacts with the provincialsecretariats and novitiates. I translate from English and French into Italian.

Emanuela Lisciarelli


ADMINISTRATION • GENERAL ADMINISTRATION • GENERAL ADMINISTRATIONADMINISTRATION • GENERAL ADMINISTRATION • GENERAL ADMINISTRATION

TranslationService

Br Josep Roura,(L’Hermitage)Coordinator of the translators and translator into French

Since our Congregationis international, it hasthe duty to circulate themain pieces of informa-tion and documents inthe four official lan-guages: French, English,Spanish and Portuguese.That is why there is atranslator for each of

these languages at the General Curia. In addition to performing writ-ten translations into French, my task in the team is to coordinate thework of the other translators. I send them the texts that need to betranslated by e-mail, which I receive from the Brother Superior Generaland his Council, from the different secretariats as well as the Publica-tions, especially the ones destined for the website www.champagnat.org.With respect to other more extensive translations such as Memoran-dums, Marist Notebooks and other documents, we request the collab-


Brother Sean Sammon, theprevious General Supe-

rior, liked to say that the func-tion of translators at the Ge-neral Curia was indispensable.Actually, thanks to his work,the information is transmittedthroughout the Institute byway of written documents orthe website “champagnat.org”




At the end of 2006, I was invited to take charge of translationsinto Portuguese in the General House in Rome. At first, I was in a hurry to help the Br Provincial find other

names. Besides this, there was a list of reasons emerging which prompted me torefuse the proposal. But the invitation came a second time. So I landed in Rome, on 27 February 2007. And here I have found myselfsince. The future is in God’s hands.What is the translator’s function in Rome? In 1962, and in a special way from1968, the Institute decided to translate the Circulars and other official textsinto the four languages: French, Spanish, English and Portuguese. It fell on meto translate into Portuguese, « last flower of Lazio, wild and beautiful ».Certain translations require great fidelity, especially to the ideas: documents ofthe Institute, studies, circulars, messages, letters to individual persons orgroups of Brothers, to the authorities. Others prove less demanding:chronicles, news items, reports of meetings, etc.Whatever the translation, it is imperative not to mistreat the language. This requires recourse to dictionaries, including tables of verbs and the rules of grammar. Careful revision and a rereading are also necessary and, as far as possible, comparison with the translation into the other languages. The translator has the duty of not betraying the text and not anticipating the news. It is frequently tiring work, requiring great concentration, like so many others as well.From my experience, translation is interesting although monotonous work. It is encouraging to know that the texts become accessible to so many people. Haste is incompatible with a good translation; it is annoying to discover last minute errors, made at the time of lay out and printing. But since perfection is not of this world, we must be content with whathuman effort and ingenuity achieve.

Br Aloisio Kuhn, (Brasil Centro-Sul)Translator into Portuguese

THE TASK OF THE TRANSLATOR



Br Aloisio has already written aboutthe work of the translators ingeneral, so I limit myself to saying

something about my own work here in the GeneralHouse. I was asked to come here at the end of 2008to take over the office of translator into English. Atthe time, I thought my main task would be translatingfrom French but, in fact, I soon found most of thedocuments coming to me were in Spanish. In thebeginning, my knowledge of Spanish was ratherrudimentary, but after three years it has considerablyimproved. I also get the occasional document inItalian, and I now have sufficient experience with thatlanguage to do a passable translation. With such awide range of documents to translate – news items,letters, prayer services, reflections, historical articles,financial and project reports, legal documents, textsfor power point and other presentations, minutes ofmeetings, among others - we get plenty of practice!My contract for another three years has just beenrenewed, so I will not be returning to my provinceuntil the beginning of 2015.

Br Edward Clisby, (New Zealand)Translator into English

Gabriela Scanavinohas been doing the work of translationinto Spanish since January 2009.

THE WORK OF TRANSLATOR



oration of external translators, mostly Brothers. Each translator has his or her own technique andmethods; the essential point is that the workmust be done well. It is in fact normal for dictionaries and other ref-erence books to occupy places of honour in theoffice of a translator. Each of the four official languages presents itsown richness, complexity and… traps, which putthe translator’s capability to the test. Each one must seek to find the means to achievegood results.In my capacity as coordinator of translations, theinterested parties e-mail to me the documentwhich needs to be translated, indicating the lan-guage they need it translated into, as well as thedeadline for return of the text. I then send the text to the corresponding trans-

lator, indicating the delivery date and sometimesadding further clarifications. A text usually needsto be translated into the other three languages.When the translations are delivered to my com-puter, I resend them to the petitioner, by e-mail.Since we work in a team, we quite often ex-change our points of view regarding difficultiesin the texts we receive. We all know that when we read and re-read atext, we run the risk of missing mistakes, repeti-tions and so forth; that is why it is advisable tohave someone else review the translations. That is what I customarily do. I take this opportunity to sincerely thank all ourvery helpful collaborators. Their work in the darkness, discrete although in-dispensable, makes our task much more pleasantand effective.


The Direction of communications

disseminate the guidelinesof the General Chapter,communicate and dissemi-nate the program, reflec-tion, guidelines and activi-

ties of animation and government of the Superior General and his Council,and to foster the spirit of communion among the Brothers.The personnel composing the Direction of Communications are Br AntonioMartínez Estaún, Director (from 1 September 2005 to 31December 2011;from this date, he will be replaced by Br Alberto Ricica from América Cen-tral), and Mr. Luiz Da Rosa, Webmaster (since 1 April 2003). Brother Anto-nio Ramalho is the liaison between the Direction and the General Council.The Communications Committee, appointed by the Superior General, is re-sponsible for the drawing up and implementation of the annual ActionPlan and for following the policies of communications and publicationsentrusted to the Direction.The instruments with which the work is realized are the web www.cham-pagnat.org, the weekly Marist News, and the printing department wherethe FMS Message, Marist Notebooks and other occasional publications areprepared.

The Direction of Communi-cations, in the services of

the General Administration, hasthe responsibility for applyingthe communication policies de-termined by Brother SuperiorGeneral and his Council:

Br AMEstaún, (L’Hermitage)Director of communications




THE WEB PAGE

I am responsible for the oversight of the web site of the Institute, in collaboration with the Director of Communications, and a member of the Publications Committee of the General

Administration. Since 2003, we have been working to share with the Institute, via the site www.champagnat.org, the Marist mission and charism as they areexpressed in concrete form in the various world situations. We have been trying to create an infrastructure which is in harmony with the reality of informationtechnology, by realizing appropriate applications and spaces to receive the differentMarist transmissions, from historical texts right up to the audio and video.Currently we are in process of developing the fourth version of our site.Each week, the bulletin « Marist News » is sent to about 5 thousand persons.

As well as assuring the technical aspects, we stay in contact with the Administrative Units andthe general public, and try to be a link uniting,through the site, the Marist world.

Luiz Da RosaWebmaster


With respect to support ser-vices for the office of theSecretary General, I am re-sponsible for a number ofspecific and well-defined ser-

vices and tasks. I am also responsible for a series of supplementary andoccasional services. The most frequent tasks I must perform on a dailybasis include the following:

• Organize and handle the shipping of publications. From the momenta book, letter or any other publication is off the press, I preparethe packages and handle their shipment in the most adequate formthroughout the Marist world and according to the distribution listpreviously established by the office of the Secretary General.

The organizational chartof Brother Superior

General and his Councilfor the 2009-2017 termdesignates me the managerof general services at theGeneralate.

Br Ton Martínez,(L’Hermitage)Manager of general servicesat the Generalate


Management of general services

at the generalat


• Maintain the extra copies of publicationsstored in the warehouse in order to respondto the requests of Brothers and provinces.

• Maintain photocopy machines and printers atthe Generalate, and carry out whatever task isrequested; handle contacts with the technicalmaintenance companies and manage the sup-ply of consumables.

• Manage the purchase and supply of drinks andfood for the refreshment areas and other ser-vices located in the house.

• Organize the transportation of travellers toand from the airport for the Brothers and peo-ple visiting the Generalate.

• Contribute to the maintenance and enhance-ment of the landscape surrounding the prop-erty of the House.

There are always requests to respond to in such alarge community.

My name is Iolanda Gallo. I perform my service to the General Administrationof the Marist Brothers

as receptionist. Since 1993, I have beenoccupied attending to those who come to the General House and transmitting the telephone calls coming in and going out. I also have to attend daily to sorting and distributing the mail and parcels whicharrive at the reception desk. I also attend to requests for papal blessings and obtaining them.

Iolanda GalloReception



The general archives havebeen subject to develop-ments and changesbrought about bychanges in the locationof the General Adminis-tration. Marcellin moved

them from La Valla in 1825, transferring them to the Hermitage. Theywere moved again in 1858, when the General Administration relocatedto a more centrally located site in Saint Genis-Laval. In 1903, with thebrothers having to leave France under duress, the archives were hur-riedly taken to Grugliasco, Italy. In 1939, at the beginning of WorldWar II, they were returned to Saint Genis-Laval. Finally, they arrived attheir current home in Rome in May 1961.

The Archives Service accomplishes the following:

• Constitutes the historic archives of the Institute and guaranteesthat the essential elements of the documents stored in the archivesare duly recorded

The organizational chartdesigned by the General

Council 2009-2017 linksthe Institute’s general archi-ves service to the GeneralSecretariat of the Congre-gation.

Br Juan Moral,(L’Hermitage)General archivist


General ArchivesService, Rome


THE CATALOGUING OF THE DOCUMENTS

My name is Dorotea Cinanni. I am an archivist and since 2009have been working in the Archives of the General House of the Marist Brothers in Rome. I am responsible for

the cataloguing of the historical documents, in particular those coming from the provinces, which refer to the period from 1817 down to 2000.How is the cataloguing of the documents done? In the first phase of pre-classification, the documents are analyzed and then arranged in order bytype of document, author, destination, subject and relevant province, in accordance with the catalogue of the Institute. Once this phase is completed,the documents are catalogued and filed using the computer program Archivum,which assigns all the datadescribing the document: author,sender, date, subject, support,location, etc., thus permitting an easy and rapid search.Another facet of my workconsists in attending to the requests for data whichresearchers request from the archives, Brothers as well asformer students or other personslooking for information about the life and works of the MaristBrothers. In addition, I amresponsible for cataloguing the documents drawn up by theSecretary General.

Dorotea CinanniArchivist




Lucia Distefano, with a degree inPolitical Sciences in Rome, has beenworking in the Archives of the

General House of the Marist Brothers since 2006.After having contributed to the cataloguing of thedocuments relative to the Provinces and the Brothers,her current work consists in transferring the registersof documents already catalogued on the old databaseof the General Archives, called Ficdoc, to the newdatabase called Archivum, a computer software sharedwith the General Administration and some provinces.To effect this transfer, I check all the data extractedfrom the old database to make a report of agreementwith the criteria of the new software. Once thisoperation is concluded, all the registers standardizedin this way are registered and stored in Archivum,which allows a rapid and easy search for the archiveddocuments.

Lucia DistefanoArchivist

THE DATABASE ARCHIVUM



• Guarantees the filing of all the documentsprocessed and received by the General Admin-istration

• Sees to the proper conservation and mainte-nance of the documents

• Responds to the research requests it receives

• Provides documentary support to the individ-uals who request it

• Looks af ter the library attached to thearchives, which holds books directly relatedto our Marist heritage and world.

Main activities performed in the archives:

– Entry of graphs and documentation into thecomputer system

– Adoption of new software for document man-agement

– Classification of documents from Provinces andBrothers

– Transfer of the existing database.

– Harmonization of document containers.

Achievements and pending tasks:

• Prioritizing immediate and future tasks

• Readying documents needed by members ofthe General Administration

• Providing dependable consultation for themembers of the General Administration

• Helping the Brothers and Laity to consultdocuments available on the Internet

• Completing catalogs of documents from theprevious catalogue (prior to 2001)

• Completing the transfer of documents froman earlier database

• Classifying material in the library attached tothe Archives

• Putting together catalogs pertaining to vari-ous services of the General Administration

• Providing Formation for Brothers serving asarchivists in the Provinces

• Taking care of customary tasks: backgroundresearch for documents; repair and preserva-tion of deteriorating documents; binding ofmemoranda, letters, magazines, etc


The service of the fraternity

These articles of theConstitutions recall theideal of our communitylife, which is valid forthe whole Marist worldand, with even more rea-

son, for the community of the General House. The role of the Superioris indicated in number 152 of the Constitutions: the Superior “is at theservice of his Brothers in the accomplishing of their personal, commu-nity, and apostolic vocation“. But how to realize this vocation in theGeneral House?At present, the community is composed of 25 brothers coming from 11different countries and belonging to 13 separate provinces of the In-

Brought together withouthaving chosen our com-

panions, we welcome oneanother as gifts of the Lord.

(C.63)In this way, our community be-comes a place of friendship, oflife shared, where the humanqualities and the spiritual giftsof each brother can flourish.

(C.51)

Br Pietro Betin,(Mediterránea)Superior of the community

“



stitute. They have been called by the Brother Su-perior General to help the General Council in itstask of animation and government. For four yearsalso, the students, who once formed part of theInternational College, have been an integral partof the community, which sees itself enriched bytheir contribution of energy, joy, and creativity.Separated from their provinces, the brothers layaside direct activities and responsibilities, andcould live a certain “cultural” isolation, aggra-vated by a feeling of solitude and the risk of be-coming locked up in their own world. In thiscontext, it is important to find a community inwhich they can entertain fraternal relationshipswhich allow them to grow humanly and spiritual-ly and perform efficiently the work that has beenassigned to them.In the reflection leading up to the drawing up ofthe community project, we are conscious of thisfact: we are an international, multicultural andmultigenerational community. In announcing theapproval of the community’s project of life,Brother Emili said that our diversity is a gift andchallenged us to: pass from a multicultural com-munity to an intercultural one, in which the spe-cific nature of each one is converted into a rich-ness for all of each. As reminder and indicator, heleft us a little bridge, symbol of the commitmentto build positive relationships among ourselves,with the aim of representing here, in Rome, what

is happening in communities of the Institute theworld over.One of the concrete animations of the communi-ty, in the context of the General Administration,is to facilitate communication through the use ofa common language. So the brothers make anadmirable effort to use Italian in prayers and atmeetings. There are times which foster privilegedrelationships and good spirit, such as the infor-mal spaces for sharing, community meetings, cel-ebrations of birthdays and outings in smallgroups...Finally, prayer in common (the Eucharist in themorning and evening prayer at nightfall) have akey place in the motivation and support of ourmission. The brothers prepare them with care andcreativity and animate them from their culture.Doing them in Italian, although a little difficultfor some, is a sign of the desire to pray togetherand to pray with a single heart.In this context, the Superior works in close col-laboration with the community council in tryingto appraise the enormous value of each brother,with the aim of guaranteeing a satisfactory ser-vice to the Institute, at the same time as con-fronting the challenge of cultural integration andrespect for diversity, so as to increase unitywithout falling into uniformity. Perhaps thiscommunity finds itself in an ideal situation toopen new ways for dialogue.



Chaplains

My specific function inthis house is to providespiritual assistance tothe Brothers who work inthe General Administra-tion or who are in Romewhile attending Universi-ty. I am providing this clarification since the Curia relies on anotherchaplaincy led by father Jose del Carmen De la Cruz, a second-yearstudent of Psychology at the Salesian Pontifical University, who caresfor the spiritual needs of the Institute’s General Government.


My name is John JairoFranco Cárdenas, I am a

priest and I am in charge ofpresiding over the liturgicalcelebration of the Communityof the General Administra-tion. I also am a student at theGregoriana University of Ro-me, where I am attending thethird year of Church History.

John Jairo Franco Cárdenas y José del Carmen de la Cruz Reyes

Chaplains


In summary, our job consists of presiding overthe different liturgical celebrations that are heldin both communities on a daily basis and in be-ing available to welcome the brothers who wishto receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

However, my most important mission consists inlearning about all the beauties offered by thecommunity, such as: community life, the broth-ers’ testimony and their generosity in Christianlife, their surrender to the mission that each onecarries out, etc. You cannot imagine the enormous richness Ihave acquired in nearly three years since I havebeen sharing and living the Marist spirituality.That is why I take this opportunity to thank thebrothers for the possibility they have offered tome, to express my admiration and offer them myprayers so they may continue their beautiful mis-sion as educators of the new generations that Je-sus Christ has entrusted to them through our fa-ther Marcelino and Our Good Mother.



This is not a role provided for in the Constitutions. It does not appear in the organigram of animation andgovernment of the General Council. To have at least one personal secretary is a tradition anda necessity for Superior Generals, and Br Emiliproposed it to me a few days after being elected. It is a discreet mission, very Marian, of great trust andconfidentiality. I have to be available to the Superior General foranything he needs: to help him with the correspondence

and the activities that unfold, and to be available to respond to the thousands ofsmall details connected with the mission of the Superior General. And to know how to stay on the second floor.

Br José M.a Ferre

Br José M.a Ferre, (Mediterránea)Secretary of the Superior general

SECRETARY OF THE SUPERIOR GENERAL


TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION • TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION • TECHNOLOGYTE

CHNO

LOGY

INFO

RMAT

ION

INFORMATION • TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION • TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION • TE


STRUCTURE OF THE DATA AND STATISTICS SYSTEM p. 82

COMPUTER INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE GENERAL HOUSE p. 86


TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION • TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION • TECHNOLOGY

Technology information

While doing Biblical studies at theGregorian University, he set upthe operational base for communi-cations during the XXI GeneralChapter in Rome. At present, hisstudies completed, he has beenentrusted with the diagnosis,

analysis and implementation of a new system of communication for theGeneral House which allows for the integrated and harmonised work of theGeneral Administration, and especially of the General Secretariat with all theAdministrative Units of the Institute.

AMEstaún.- Questions like these keep coming to the General Secretariator to the Direction of Communications : How many Brothers are there inthe Institute at the present time ? How many were there at such adate ? In what fields of knowledge are there most brothers with univer-sity qualifications and how are they distributed ? Marcelo, how couldwe reply to these questions, with the instruments we had available, be-fore you undertook your work ?

Marcelo.- If an inquisitive young person or a teacher interested in the de-tails of the statistical data of the Institute asked me these questions orsimilar ones, I would had to answer simply : « I don’t know ». In the bestcase, I could give him only an approximate answer. In the General Admin-istration, questions like these arrive daily and it is not easy to answer.

AMEstaún.- From whence comes the difficulty of giving accurate and ef-ficient answers ?

Marcelo.- More than ten years ago, some Brothers working in the GeneralAdministration created a computer data base for drawing up the officialstatistics for those years. They did excellent work. However, over the tenyears, the technology has made extraordinary advances, permitting betterperformance. In addition, the life of the Institution itself, the integration

Br Marcelo De Britohas worked on the

software of the computerinfrastructure which isgradually being installedthroughout the Institute.


Br Marcelo C. F. De Brito,(Cruz del Sur)Administrator of the System TI


LOG OF CHANGES

COMMUNITIES (LIVES AT…)

MISSION IN THE APOSTOLIC WORK

FUNCTIONS OF

THE COMMUNITY

ROLES OF A PERSON IN THE

COMMUNITY

FIELD OF STUDY

FAMILY LINKS

TYPE OF DOCUMENT

REASONS FOR INDULT

REASONS FOR DISMISSAL

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

TYPE OF ALIAS (RELIGIOUS NAME,

SURNAME, ETC.)

CENTRE OF STUDIES(UNIVERSITY, TRAINING

COLLEGE, ETC.)

FUNCTIONS OF A PERSON IN THE

APOSTOLIC WORK

CONTINENTSPHOTOS

COMPLEMENTARY PERSONAL DATA

STUDIES AND COURSES

KINSHIP AND CONTACTS

ALIAS (ALTERNATIVE

NAMES)

WITHDRAWALS FROM THE ADMINISTRATIVE

UNIT

WITHDRAWALS FROM ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT

HE IS PART OF BROTHERS AND NOVICES

DISMISSAL PROFESSIONSINDULTS

DOCUMENTS

MARIST FORMATIONPROGRAMS

MARIST FORMATION PROGRAMS

REALIZEDCOUNTRY

PERSONS

82

STRUCTUREDATA SYSTEM AND

STATISTICS

NEWS

SESSIONS

INTERFACE (LANGUAGES)

DOCUMENT FILE STORAGE

DOCUMENTS STORAGE

PARAMETERS EMAIL-SMTP

PHOTOS OF

OPENING PAGE

ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT: DEPENDANCE ON ANOTHER

ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT

PERSON : BELONGING TO AN

ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT

FUNCTION OF THE PERSON IN THE

ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT

HOUSE : COMPLEMENTARY

DATA

FUNCTIONS OF A HOUSE SUBSCRIPTIONS

MAIL AND COSTS OF TYPE

OF SENDING

ORDER

DATE OF OPENING OR CLOSING OF

A HOUSE

HOUSE : DEPENDANCE ON

AN ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT

FUNCTION OF A HOUSE : DEPENDANCE ON

AN ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT

CATEGORY OF AN ADMINISTRATIVE

UNIT

ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT: COMPLEMENTARY DATA

REGIONS

USERS

ADMINISTRATIVE UNITS

HOUSE

PUBLICATIONS

REASON FOR BELONGING TO AN

ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT

FUNCTIONS OF THE PERSON IN THE

ADMINISTRATIVE UNIT

COMPLEMENTARY DATA

OF A WORK

FUNCTIONS THAT CAN BE ATTRIBUTED

TO A HOUSE

FUNCTION OF A HOUSE :

COMPLEMENTARY DATA

DISPATCHES

83

of lay people into the Marist mission, the diversification of theworks, etc., require new ways of looking at things. The instrument wehad had no more capacity to absorb the new data, and was simplynot up to solving the problems that we are coming up with today. Fora number of reasons which have been carefully studied, we arrived atthe conclusion that it was time to create something new with thetechnology available today, looking forward to the future.

AMEstaún.- What directives did you receive from the General Council ?

Marcelo.- Br. Superior General and his Council took up the challengeto find a solution to the problems facing the General Administrationin order to provide an adequate response to the needs of the Insti-tute. They encouraged the creation of a new system for archiving dataas well as responding in a precise and reliable way to all the needs.

AMEstaún.- How did you organise the work of creation and settingin motion the new data storage system ?

The work was launched in the last term of last year (2010). The firststep was to ask ourselves what we wanted, what we needed and whatcriteria seemed most appropriate to us for giving a framework to thenew project. A great challenge which could only be approached as ateam. For many months, consultations were made with the varioussecretariats which make up the General Administration. We spentmany hours of discussion and reflection with those responsible fordrawing up the statistics of the Institute or the running of the Gener-al Secretariat. Their contributions tested the patience and ingenuityof those concerned to imagine a computer system which might mirrorthe living reality of the Institute with reasonable fidelity. We alsocarefully examined the systems and means used by certain Provincesto respond to their needs from the point of view of the organisation.The timely comments or questions of those familiar with our projecthave been extremely precious. The Council followed the work with in-terest and gave it the more encouragement as it advanced towardssolutions.

AMEstaún.- What criteria guided the search for solutions to arriveat a computer system faithfully reflecting such a complex interna-tional presence of the Institute ?

Marcelo.- We perceived this need from the start. What has appearedfirst in the reports is a list of the criteria to be taken into account.These are some of the most important of them :

• We needed a solid data base, with data true and up to date al-most in real time, capable of offering results, lists, and automaticand reliable calculations.




• To construct a system with a centralised database, but with decentralised management, sothat the person closest to the event maytranslate it into data form.

• It had to be a gradual system, that is to saythat it may be developed on new platformsand technologies as new needs and possibil-ities appear, and that new modules may beadded without depending on the original de-velopment team.

• The system had to be supple at the momentof creating reports, making statistical analy-ses, historical reports or presenting possiblefuture scenarios, and so that the data could behandled by a software usually employed by theusers, such as Open Office or Microsoft Office.

• The system had to be multilingual so that allthe users could understand it better andchose the options desired with ease and pre-cision.

• It should not be necessary to install specialprogrammes in the computers of the users,but all operations should be effected by acentralized server. Thus, every update or cor-rection made in the server would be immedi-ately available to everyone without having toupdate their computer.

• The system had to be on multiple platform,that is to say that it functions in any comput-er furnished with a browser connected to thenet, independently of the operational systemutilised : MacOS, Windows, Linux, etc.

• To take advantage of the power, the documen-tation and the availability of an open sourcesoftware pin order to create a solid, currentand economical system.

• The data structure, the lists and the statisticshad to cover not only the needs of the Gener-al Administration, but also those of the di-verse Province and District Secretariats.

• The system we wanted to construct had to beeasy to use, supple in the navigation and thetransfer of data and, at the same time, reliable.

• Assure the possibility of interconnection ofthe data and statistics system with thearchiving system.

STRUCTURE OF THE NEW SYSTEMOF THE ARCHIVING AND MANAGEMENTOF DATA OF THE GENERAL HOUSE

AMEstaún.- How was the new system of archiv-ing and managing data arrived at ?

Marcelo.- Things matured little by little. Oneday, the first outline appeared before our eyes,the first ‘map’ of the structure of the new datasystem, then the second version, the third… Itwas the ninth version (enriched by some subse-quent modifications) which ended up convincingus, after having passed the logical texts it wassubmitted to. This version is represented in thechart you can see on the page adjacent.

AMEstaún.- What are the fundamental nucleiof this structure ?

Marcelo.- As each can see, the data structure isorganised around four nuclei :1. the Administrative Units2. the persons3.the houses4.the publications

Around these four nuclei a complicated networkof tables of data and relationships is developed.All this together will allow us to have availablewhat is necessary to be able to reconstitute thehistory of a person, a house (school, novitiate,social work, etc.), an Administrative Unit (currentor former), and also to make statistical calcula-tions and to make forecasts.

AMEstaún.- But a new user may be struck bythe absence of sets of physical spaces likethose hiding behind terms such as «country »or « diocese » , etc. Have you had any difficul-ties in delimiting the nuclei ?

Marcelo.- It was a challenge to find an optionwhich brought the whole system into harmony. Itmay be that the concept which seems strangestis that of roles of a house, although, on the oth-er hand, it may be somewhat familiar. This is the


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RAQUELServer of support for www.champagnat.org

way we have found of integrating in the interior of a physical spacewhat we call house, while distinguishing the different functions (orroles) which are developed in the interior of this space. To cite aclassic situation, in a house one can find a community of Brothers(one role of this house) and a school (another role). This distinctionhas allowed us to resolve quite well some real difficulties which areproduced in our little Marist universe.

AMEstaún.- Is the information contained in the data base avail-able to everyone ?Marcelo.- The information accumulated contains nuances of differentorders. In order to respect the persons above all, and a s a way ofguaranteeing the consistency of the system, a certain ‘hierarchy’ hasbeen established among the users, each having different possibilitiesand attributions according to his role. Thus, general data and statis-tical reports will be accessible to all users, while private or more per-sonal data will be only available to those entitled to it in function oftheir mission.

AMEstaún.- Now that the ‘map’ of the structure has been achieved,you have begun to draw up its computer support…

Marcelo.- As soon as we were convinced of the viability of this datastructure, we set ourselves to imagine and develop the user interface,the screens the users will see, the entry formularies, etc. and at thesame time, we studied the different material ‘architectures’ on whichwe were going to mount our system, that is to say, the servers, thedifferent characteristics and provisions, the type of internet connec-tion, the nodes of network connection and security, etc. This researchand reflection faced us with another problem: it was indispensable toimprove the infrastructure of the network of the General House.

TECHNICAL CHARACTERISTICS OFTHE GENERAL HOUSE NETWORK

AMEstaún.- What are the technicalcharacteristics of the General Housenetwork ?

Marcelo.- On the table on the nextpage, you can see a diagram of thepresent General House network. It isorganised by a gateway of current tech-nology allowing many simultaneous in-ternet connections and the internalseparation of different sub-networks for



different services. The gateway itself is providedwith a very effective antivirus system and con-tent filter. The diagram allows us to appreciate:

• Two connections to internet: one fibre optic(of 4 Mb / 4 Mb), normally used for the con-nection of servers that can be contacted on in-ternet and for access to the internet by theGeneral Administration and occasional guestsof the house. Another connection ADSL (of7Mb / 384 kb), normally used to provide accessto internet by the students and from the bed-rooms of the Brothers. In this way, access tothe internet is balanced and, in case of need,one of the lines can operate in place of theother if it is faulty or ceases functioning.

• A first sub-network called DMZ where are foundthe servers one can access on internet, like theone hosting the web site www.champagnat.organd the services of the data system.

• A sub-network called LAN1 which integratesall the teams of the brothers and the net-works of the General Administration, withtheir team of servers

• A sub-network called LAN2 which integratesthe teams of the brothers who are followinghigher studies in the different Roman univer-sities.

• A sub-network called WLAN which integratesthe wifi system and provides access to theinternet to the rooms destined for guests, butdoes not allow access to the servers and otherteams of the General Administration.

AMEstaún.- How was the computer system al-ready working in the General house updated ?

Marcelo.- At the same time as the torrid heat ofthe Roman summer, a new ensemble of HPservers arrived and these are in process ofvaliantly carrying out their daily work. It doesnot seem to me useful to go into much detail,but I will nevertheless allow myself a few lines ofcomputer jargon to satisfy the curiousity ofthose who know something about the subject.The data system is set up in the following way:

• One server HP Proliant DL370 G6 with a sys-tem of RAID 6 hard disks for the database.Briefly, a server with great benefits, very re-liable. It could happen, for example, that twoof the disks break down (something extremelyrare); well, even in that case, the data wouldnot be lost.

• Two servers HP Proliant DL360 G7 with twomirror disks for the web server of the datasystem: one for normal work, and the otherfor the situation where the first has a prob-lem.

• In all the servers has been installed a Linuxoperating system based on Debian.The drive for the database is a MySQL and thedata system and its interface are written inPHP and JavaScript for a richer and more func-tional interface.We have in addition installed a system of« replication » of the database in real timeand a backup system for all the services anddata, which is updated every time changes inthe system’s code file are introduced or every6 hours.

• In October, at Guardamar, following the firstMeeting of Provincial Secretaries in Spain, webegan the stage of setting the system enroute. Day after day, meeting after meeting,new functionalities and numerous improve-ments are enriching the system thanks to thecorrections and contributions of many.

• If, thanks to the commitment of all the par-ticipants, we succeed in maintaining theplanned rhythm of work as it has developedup to now, for the month of October 2012 wewill have a precise and real « numericalimage » of the Institute. And a short time af-terwards (perhaps a year), we will be able tohave available the data of the current historyof the Institute.It is question of an ambitious project,thought out by teamwork, built by teamwork,implemented by teamwork. This tool will bean efficient instrument for responding toquestions like those posed at the beginningof this article.


Documents

Year XXV - n° 41 - December 2011 · Br João Carlos do Prado page 18 Secretariat of Brothers today page 24 ... Br AMEstaún and Luiz Da Rosa General Services page 68 Br Ton Martínez