Historic Gathering: Champagnat Family Commission and Secretariat of the Laity Meet for the First Time in Fiji
- maristbrothers
- May 19
- 3 min read
After more than two years of working together remotely, the Champagnat Family Commission held its first in-person meeting in Fiji from 27 to 30 April. The gathering was further enhanced by the timely participation of the Secretariat of the Laity, writes Br Michael Callinan.
More than two years into its mandate the Champagnat Family Commission gather in-person for the first time in Fiji, a country centrally located within the Star of the Sea province and readily accessible directly by air from most of the eleven countries in our Province. A particularly good synergy was the fact that the Institute’s group who manage and resource Lay Marist life were able to join the Fiji meeting in conjunction with a visit to the Province.
The Commission includes eleven members, eight of whom were able to participate in the extended meeting. Among us we represent most of the countries in the Province: Timor-Leste, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea and Bougainville, Fiji, Samoa, Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia. Our roles are varied, including school leadership, formation leadership, overall Province mission leadership and the final year of teacher training studies for two of our group.
The content of the meeting included a focus on the particular belonging structures for Lay Marists and Brothers across our different countries, and how we might move towards a more unified expression of this in our part of the world and internationally. Two of the great differences across the Star of the Sea Province are precisely how the educational and other ministries are governed, and what structures are in place for formation of Marist people in school communities and beyond.
It is hoped that by successfully navigating the nexus of these aspects, both in individual country contexts, and between us all in the wider Province family, hallmarks of success and sustainability for us as Champagnat Marists might become even more apparent in the coming years.
The Secretariat of the Laity is presenting a model of belonging to the General Chapter of the Marist Institute, which takes place in September this year. The model they are presenting differs from the experience of those who belong to the Marist Association of St Marcellin Champagnat in Australia, since it is in effect a ‘third order’ model which relies on the sponsorship and governance of the Marist Brothers rather than occupying the new ecclesial space defined by the Marist Association.
We engaged robustly in debate about the different possible models of belonging, especially with diminishing numbers of brothers in several countries of the Province, meaning governance and belonging could be subject to dissonance.
A highlight of being together in Fiji was the incredible welcome we received from numerous different Champagnat Marist Lay groups connected to the five different Marist schools in Suva. The warmth of relationship and bounteous food certainly made for a strong engagement between us all and has helped to bring us just that little bit closer as Marists in this very large and diverse Province.
Bula Vinaka, Fiji Champagnat Marists!
View more pics:
Pic courtesy: Nathan Ahearne
Written by: Br Michael Callinan
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