FEATURES OF LAY MARIST LIFE

Features of lay Marist life
love had been refused, and to transform ourselves
into parents, in their house, in their home,
as Champagnat had done as a true father for all.
(Mexico)
Creating Communion
throughout Life
The house Champagnat built on rock, along the
Gier, made me feel God’s gift, which was life
adorned with love and justice. And everything
made me dream of a great family of sons living as
“brothers among brothers”… And the brothers
are: the young with no manners, the child with
no schooling, no happy home and greeted with
no morning kiss, that old man alone, that person
walking not knowing where, with no companions,
no friends with whom to talk, that immigrant who
risks, perhaps loses, his life looking for something
better for himself or his loved ones. (Spain)
Their charism, their lifestyle, their spirituality is
‘catching’ because it is real, tangible and it is
so family and community oriented. They spread
their charism by the way they live in community.
I have not met a more welcoming presence than
that of the Marists. (Australia)
Extended Bureau of the Laity
Our team of animators formed a family with
the brothers, because in more than working
together, we sometimes shared in the Mass
and at meals. We knew our difficulties and our
dreams. We felt loved and appreciated. But, in
all of that, there was also someone more: we
came closer to Jesus through these brothers
who gave witness to a living joy, a spirit of service,
amiability and of gentleness. (Spain)
What strikes one most whenever one visits a
Brothers’ residence is their great sense of
hospitality. One always feels welcome in their
community. (Australia)
The affection and the familiarity demonstrated
by many brothers in the most disparate
situations have taught me to receive and be
attentive to the people with whom I find myself
each day. I have been able to develop my capacity
of welcome in places where the doors are
always open, where someone who arrives is “at
home” and at every moment I feel as if I were in
my own home. (Spain)
Community Comes
from Sharing
experienced teamwork and community life
I since all the animators who worked at the
Camp lived there from the month of May until
the month of August. But more than this, I
experienced the Marist Christian values that
were proposed in the daily life at the Camp:
prayer times, Eucharist, simplicity, sharing, practical
work, family spirit, contact with the Marist
Brothers, presence of the Marist spirit, etc.
(Canada)
Convinced that faith must be lived in community,
I chose to participate in a Marist group
of young university students who gathered to
reflect together on their lives. In the Marist
group, we initiated the process of forming a
fraternity within the Champagnat Movement of
the Marist Family. It was here as well that I met
M. the woman with whom a short time later we
began family life. (Spain)