FEATURES OF LAY MARIST LIFE

Features of lay Marist life
ers a concrete way to be and to live, spirituality, a
charism, a gift. (Bolivia)
Interconnectivity of Mission,
Shared Life and Spirituality
Even if the priority is unquestionably mission,
nonetheless we must not neglect the
“treasures” which lie deposited in the hearts of
so many persons in the overall realization of the
mission (former students, parents, etc.). These
treasures are most assuredly a source of life and
breath for all of us who are in direct contact with
the educational mission. It is necessary to channel
this source of life and breath and draw profit
from it. Equally it is a manner of living Gospel
qualities in the Marist way, wherever the lay person
may be. (Spain)
live out this Marist charism through my every-
I day interaction with staff, students and parents.
For about 15 years I have had the role of pastoral
care of the staff, as well as their professional
development. I do not feel you can separate the
two in a Catholic school. As I have learnt from
the Marists, it is not about “talking about what to
do” but about “doing it’. So many of them teach
so much by their presence. By just being. You
are there, quietly, and sometimes firmly, for your
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Extended Bureau of the Laity
students, and your staff. At the same time, you
are always there in the same way for your family.
(Australia)
We came to consider the movement as a way
of life, a special call that the “Great Helmsman”
(Jesus) made to us as a couple, since for
ten years we did not have any children and that
helped us to discover and find the pathway that
the Lord Jesus was showing us at this time in our
lives, as individuals and as a couple; we consecrated
ourselves to young people. We served the
young people with all our heart and with all our
soul in the movement at the college and that
also helped us to form ourselves as a couple who
had not been given the gift of children until then.
(Mexico)
read this quote a while ago and I guess it sums
I up for me my life journey as a Marist.
Do all the good you can
By all the means you can
In all the ways you can
In all the places you can
To all the people you can
As long as you can.
And for me to ‘do all the good you can’ as a Marist
means to build relationships, to trust in God
and Mary, to believe in myself and to let others
(staff and students) know that Jesus loves them,
however I can and where I can; to continue saying
“yes” to the call on my life. (Australia)