Br Michael Green Represents Star of the Sea Province at International Marist Spiritual Patrimony Commission Meeting

Br Michael Green of the Star of the Sea Province recently attended the annual in-person meeting of the International Marist Spiritual Patrimony Commission, held at the General House in Rome from 15 to 19 June.

The Commission is an international body of the Marist Institute responsible for helping preserve, deepen and promote the spiritual heritage of the Marist Brothers. Its work includes encouraging research, publications, formation programmes and initiatives that help Marists and the wider Marist family engage more deeply with Marist spirituality, life and mission.

The annual gathering in Rome complements the Commission’s two online meetings, which are usually held in February and October each year.

Members of the Commission come from across the Marist world and include Br Antonio Ramalho, Chair, of France and Brazil; Br Michael Green of Australia; Br Patricio Pino of Chile; Br Omar Peña of Guatemala; Dyogenes Philipsen of Brazil; Julien Béchard of France; Br Vincent Abadom of Nigeria; and Br Pere Ferré, based in Rome.

Br Michael is the longest-serving member of the Commission, having been involved since its establishment in 2004. He also serves as Chair of the Planning Committee for the second international Marist Symposium, to be hosted next year by the Marist university in Curitiba, Brazil. The Commission holds overall responsibility for the Symposium.

During the week, members received and discussed reports from regions across the Institute on programmes, projects and initiatives supporting formation in Marist spirituality, life and mission. They also met with the full General Council to reflect on the work of the Commission and consider possible future directions.

Other key areas of discussion included current and future options for the management of the Institute’s General Archives. As part of this work, the group visited the General Archives of the Society of the Sacred Heart in Rome.

The Commission also continued planning for the 2027 Marist Symposium, considered possible additions to FMS Studia - the online collection of Marist research and scholarship - and met in its role as the Editorial Board for Marist Notebooks. This included reviewing articles submitted for the journal’s 2027 edition.

The meeting also explored possibilities for future publications and research projects that will continue to enrich understanding and appreciation of the Marist spiritual patrimony throughout the Institute.

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