Mission Council West Central Europe:
It is hard to believe that it is over nine years since the Mission Council in West Central Europe was set up in February 2017. Aisling Demaison had been appointed Director of Education in September 2015. Since the beginning, the Council has been responsible for many initiatives, that you are all aware of, which have contributed enormously to Marist Education in the District, as well as developing links with the Province of L’Hermitage.
I would like to thank all members who have served on the Council over the years and in particular Conny Stuart and Paul Cummings, who stepped down recently after nine years of great service. I welcome Brenda McLaughlin onto the Council and thank her for joining it. Brenda has wide experience working with the Marist student leadership programme and religious education in Scotland. I will continue to support the work of the Council in any way, they think I can be helpful to them. I wish Leigh well as she takes over the chairperson position on the Council ably assisted by Maria Rauscher as secretary. Both of them bring many skills and experience to further develop Marist Education in the future. I thank all the other members of the Mission Council for their continued membership going forward, Bro Michael Schmalzl, Bro Albert Andre, Judith Rotink, Eric Renier and Katharina Huber.
It has been fascinating to watch how many schools and projects have embraced the Marist values of Presence, Family spirit, Simplicity and Love of Work. The one value that some find difficult to engage with is ‘In the way of Mary.’ While many can identify with the nurturing dimension of the value, I think going forward we need to continue to enable all in Marist Mission to see Mary as a woman of faith who despite all the challenges in her life, continued her search, trusted in God and can accompany us to do the same in our lives.
The most fundamental purpose of Marist Education is to help all involved in Marist mission to experience meaning in life, especially in a world that lacks hope at the moment. We must remember that Marcellin’s interaction with a young boy who had no knowledge of God, was the reason he founded the Marist Brothers. We need to provide opportunities and experiences ‘In the way of Mary’ to embrace the spiritual dimension in our lives and to experience God on the journey of life. This will ultimately help all of us to face life, much stronger knowing that our faith will carry us through the challenges that lie ahead. The season of Advent is approaching which gives us an opportunity to reflect on our own spiritual journey and to wait with Mary for the celebration of the coming of Christ among us at Christmas.
P.J McGowan FMS
