The Marist Sisters invite you to join with them in praying for their General Chapter which will take place in Nemi, Italy 8-29th April. A Chapter is a very significant event in the life of a Religious Congregation. It is significant that the Marist Sisters’ General Chapter is taking place during the Year of Consecrated Life.
Click here for a suggested prayer. During the Chapter news items will be regularly uploaded to the General Chapter website.
Each year on 2nd February we celebrate the World Day for Consecrated Life. Pope Francis has also proclaimed 2015 to be the Year of Consecrated Life. During this year he challenges religious to “Wake up the world! Be witnesses of a different way of living!
In 2015 this day has special significance for the Marist Sisters in Asia-Pacific. The new Regional Leadership Team begins their three year mandate. Sr Grace Ellul will take up the role of Regional Leader while Srs Vivienne Goldstein and Marian Tevurega will be her Regional Councillors. We ask God’s blessing on our new leadership team. We pray that with them we might more deeply “follow Jesus by living the Gospel as Mary did.”
In welcoming our new leadership team we also pray in gratitude for the leadership of Sr Julie Brand over the last six year and for her councillors, Srs Margaret Vaney (6 years) and Vivienne Goldstien(3 years).
The Year of Consecrated Life which began on 30th November invites all who have consecrated their lives to God “to look to the past with gratitude, to live the present with passion and to embrace the future with hope.” (From the Vatican, 21 November 2014, Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary). The latest Marist Sisters: Region of Asia-Pacific Newsletter gives an indication of how the Marist Sisters are living this challenge. Download a copy of the newsletter here.
Between September and December three Marist Sisters from the Philippines have been in Sydney participating in a program to prepare for Perpetual Profession. The program – Costing Not Less Than Everything – was held at Marymount Mercy Centre in Castle Hill. Srs April, Edna and Lilibeth have very much appreciated this experience and also the opportunities they have had to connect with Marist Sisters in Sydney. They are now returning to the Philippines to continue their Marist journey.
Pope Francis has invited us to celebrate a Year of Consecrated Life, beginning on 30th November 2014 and concluding on 2nd February 2016. He urges us: “Wake up the world! Be witnesses of a different way of doing things, of acting, of living!” (November 2013) For Marist Sisters these words – reminiscent of our founder Fr Colin’s expression to think, judge, feel and act as Mary – impel us to enter more deeply into our Marist vocation. We are called to be prophets in today’s world – prophets of joy and hope – called to follow Christ in the manner of Mary, called to be Women of the Word, Embracing Life. As we prepare for our 2015 General Chapter in this Year of Consecrated Life, we go forth on our journey of renewal, growing more deeply into Christ and living the Gospel in the spirit of Mary, whose name we bear. (Logo: Catholic Religious Australia)
“And the Blessed Virgin,
who did such great things then,
will do even greater ones
at the end of time…” (Jean-Claude Colin)
Jean-Claude Colin, founder of the Marist Fathers and Marist Sisters, knew suffering at an early age. Orphaned at the age of five he developed into a person with a deep longing for a life of solitude and strong desire to serve God. It was while studying for the priesthood at the major seminary in Lyon he came into contact with the Marist project. Despite his sensitive and timid temperament he was courageous in responding to the needs of his time. He took his inspiration from the life of Mary in Nazareth and and from her presence as a mother in the early church. On 15th November, the anniversary of his death, Marists throughout the world recall with gratitude the legacy of this man who teaches us what it is to live the Spirit of Mary in our times.
The Regional Chapter of the Marist Sisters of Asia-Pacific has concluded! We have completed our various tasks and have much to share with our Sisters of the Region. In the closing days of the Chapter eight delegates were elected to accompany the Regional Leader to the General Chapter to be held in Rome in April 2015.
We celebrated our concluding Eucharist with Grahame Connolly sm. As we sang, Christ be our Light, Julie, as current Regional Leader, led us into the Chapel carrying our Regional candle. At the time of the Blessing each Chapter member signed the Record of Attendance and received from Julie a picture as a memento. Julie then passed the candle to Grace, Regional Leader- elect, who led us out.
As we prepare to leave this hallowed place our hearts are full of gratitude and our steps are light – knowing that we are Women of the Word, Embracing Life!!! We thank our God for all who have supported us in prayer throughout these days.
Each day preceding our work we gather for morning prayer together. We then take time to share any reflections on our previous days work. Having heard the reports from Sr Julie, Regional Leader, and also from the Sector Leaders our work has moved into a deeper phase of reflecting and questioning. It was with great delight that we were able to celebrate the birthday of one of our members on Day 3 with an evening social.
The work of Day 4 involved reflecting on the Regional Bursars report. After lunch, a nine-seater bus and three cars took groups of participants to various places of interest, beauty spots and shopping centres and then on to Mt Albert. There nearly every Sister of the Sector was awaiting us. We were warmly welcomed, thoroughly entertained and extremely well fed. With a certain reluctance, yet aware of the need to be fresh for the days ahead, we made our departure, thanking our God for all who had contributed to yet another wonderful day! More photos…
The Marist Sisters of Asia-Pacific Regional Chapter began officially at 9.00am on Sunday 19th October with the gathering of the members for the Opening Eucharist in the Chapel of the Vaughan Park Retreat Centre, Long Bay, Auckland, New Zealand. David Kennerley sm, Provincial of the Marist Fathers NZ, led us in our celebration of the Eucharist.
At 11.00am we gathered in the Conference Room. At the centre of our circle were two books: the Word to us through the Readings of the Day and the Word to us through our Sisters’ expressions of God’s Invitation to the Marist Sisters of Asia-Pacific. Following the singing of Michael Herry’s “A Fire on the Earth”, Sr Julie Brand, Regional Leader, a shared message from Sr Jane Frances O’Carroll sm, Congregational Leader, as well as those from other Marist Sisters and members of the Marist Family. She then handed over to Br Graham Neist fms, our facilitator.
Over the first two days time has been spent listening to and reflecting on Sr Julie’s report to the Chapter as well as reports from the Sector Leaders of Aotearoa-New Zealand, Australia, Fiji and the Philippines. There is a wonderful spirit of deep listening and sharing within the Chapter group. More photos…
The delegates of the 2nd Regional Chapter of Asia-Pacific experienced a very sacred and moving experience as they gathered in Auckland. The Powhiri – a Maori ritual of welcome given to all visitors to a marae in New Zealand- was led by Margaret Bhote and a group of Marist College Mt Albert students. The ceremony began with the karanga (call) from the tangata whenua(home people).
It is customary to recall the living and the dead during a powhiri. During the ceremony Sr Julie Brand, Regional Leader, carried into the chapel the photos of the Sisters of the Region who had died since the 2008 Regional Chapter. Sr Rita Raikuna, a General Councillor representing the Congregational Leadership Team and the wider Congregation, carried portraits of Jeanne-Marie Chavoin and Jean- Claude Colin, Founders of the Marist Sisters.
The Sector Leaders of Australia, Fiji, the Philippines and New Zealand were individually called forth. Each carried the photos of the sisters of their Sectors. 
This was followed by the traditional hongi(pressing of noses), a sharing of the breath of life symbolising there are no longer visitors but one people together. During the afternoon tea that followed this ceremony there was great excitement as sisters from the various parts of the Region exchanged greetings. Eventually the delegates were called to journey to the chapter venue at Vaughan Park to settle in and prepare themselves for the opening liturgy of the Chapter on Sunday morning. More photos…