Presence

Deepening
the
Marist Characteristics
Monday 18th May 2015
Deepening the Marist Characteristics
Presence
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Presence
Presenters
Br John McMahon
& Mrs Gail Coates
18th May 2015
Presence
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Overview
Part A Origin of the Characteristics
Part B Description of Presence
Part C Understanding Presence
Part D The Invitation of God’s Presence
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Part A. Origin of the
Characteristics
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How were the
characteristics formulated?
International consultation
about the nature of Marist
education.
Coordinated by an
International Commission
chaired by Br Jeff Crowe.
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How were the findings
communicated?
This Commission published
its findings in the text In the
Footsteps of Marcellin
Champagnat.
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Part B Description of
Presence
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ITF Ch 5 With a Distinctive
Marist Style
‘we use a distinctive
pedagogical approach which
Marcellin and the first
Marists initiated and which
was innovative in many of its
aspects.’ (N98)
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What is our ‘distinctive
Marist style’ ?
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Marist Intuition
Marists share the
intuition that ‘to bring
up children properly, we
must love them, and
love them all equally’.
(ITF98)
‘From this principle flow
the particular
characteristics of our
style of educating’.
(ITF98)
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Characteristics of our
Style of Educating
1. Presence
2. Simplicity
3. Family Spirit
4. Love of Work
5. In the Way of Mary
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Our Marist worldwide
understanding of Presence
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1. We educate through
being present (N99)
How?
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We get to know each
young person
individually
We seek to establish
relationships
We create a climate for
learning
We endeavour to pass on
values
We strive to enable
personal growth
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2. We seek to immerse
ourselves in the lives
of the young (N100)
We go out to meet the young
in their own space
We create opportunities to
become involved in their lives
We seek to extend our
presence through free time,
leisure, sport and cultural
activities
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3. We are neither obsessively
vigilant nor negligently
laissez-faire (N101)
We help young people
through pre-emptive
presence and advice, using
prudent care
We try to be firm and
demanding with them
We remain optimistic and
focused on their personal
growth
Presence
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4. We earn the trust of
young people (N102)
Presence
How?
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We listen and engage
young people in dialogue
We foster their openness
Our relationships are
non-possessive
These relationships may
mature into friendships
that last for many years.
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Part C Understanding
Presence more deeply
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James Scouller’s Video
on Presence
Author of The Three Levels of Leadership
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How do I understand
presence?
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Presence
Reflecting on a Rationale for
Marist Presence
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Elements of Marist
Presence
A teacher is physically present
There is an institutional presence
Certain lessons cannot be taught by words alone
Gabriel Marcel: Presence manifests our Being: who
each of us is
Our Marist Being is defined by our call to follow
Jesus in the way of Mary
Marist Presence reveals our Marist Being
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Part D The Invitation of
God’s Presence
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Here we look at
examples of God’s
presence across history
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HEADING TO THE PROMISED LAND
And the Lord
said to Jacob ...
know ‘that I am
with you and will
keep you
wherever you
go’ (Gen 28:13-15).
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THE PLEADING PSALMIST
Do not cast me away from your
presence, and do not take your holy
spirit from me. Psalm 51:11
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PAUL THE APOSTLE
“I can do all things
through Him who
strengthens me”.
Phil 4:13
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Pope Francis
How good it is to stand
before a crucifix, or on our
knees before the Blessed
Sacrament, and simply be
in his presence!
Evangelii Gaudium, 2013, N.264
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Presence
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Welcoming the Homeless
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DRAFT MARIST RULE 1830
The instruction to those in
charge of the boarding
students was to begin the
day by greeting the
students with these words:
“Let us remember that we
are in the holy presence of
God.
The students responded: “Let us pray to him to come to
live in our hearts.” Green, 2014a, p.1
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BR FRANÇOIS
A favourite Scriptural text for
Marcellin Champagnat’s
successor, Br François (Gabriel
Rivat) was
“for it is in Him that we live and
move and have our being” (Acts
17:28).
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With refugees in Bugobe
Four Marist Brothers Miguel,
Julio, Servando and Fernando
lived in the Nyamirangwe
refugee camp between August
1995 and October 1996
witnessing the immense
suffering of thousands of people
fleeing the Rwandan genocide.
They sided with the victims and
were martyred in the refugee
camp on October 31, 1996.
Balko (1990), p.39
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Marists in Aleppo, Syria
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Presence of Mary
‘Today yours is the call
to make the presence of
the Blessed Virgin Mary
visible in the life of the
church and in the life of
men and women in an
original and specific way
and, through this, to
develop a Marian attitude.’
(Pope John Paul II to the General Chapters of
the Mårist Family 23rd October 2011)
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LOVING STUDENTS
Marcellin recommended
excluding “stand-
offishness” and the
traditional “solemnity”
affected by teachers of his
day. He believed an artificial
pose smothers the “joie de
vivre” and impedes the
relationships for which the
students crave.
Balko (1990), p.39
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Early Marists saw the Guardian Angel
as the ideal educator. Like Guardian
Angels:
Marist Educators exercise
watchfulness over their students
They keep students at work and secure
their progress
At the same time, they recall God’s
holy Presence
The Teacher’s Guide, 1931 [1853],
p.207
GUIDING STUDENTS
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PRESENCE IN 2015
Two Aims
To be present to our
God.
To be present to each
other and those most
in need.
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Summarising
What is presence? – being
wholly with a person or a
situation
How is God present to me?
– through His Spirit
What is Marist presence? –
attending to another like
Mary
How can I be present to
another? – by revealing my
Being
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God’s Presence
Br Xavier Kelly
Presence, You came
with the gift of life,
moved into my heart,
lived, most times, as
stranger.
Friends stepped into my
years,
shared my hours, my joys,
slid away to memories -
but you always remained.
When the last date
is marked on the calendar,
the only One there
will be you.
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Bibliography
Arbués, B. (Ed.). (1998). In the Footsteps of Marcellin
Champagnat A Vision for Marist Education Today. Rome:
The International Marist Education Commission.
Balko, A. (1990). Marcellin Champagnat Educator. Marist
Notebooks, 1, 29-46.
Francis, P. (2013). Evangelii Gaudium. Strathfield: St Pauls.
Green, M. (2014, 25th February). From Brother Michael
Green. MSA Newsletter, 1.
Rusk, R. (Ed.). (1931). The Teacher's Guide. Grugliasco:
Marist Brothers of the Schools.
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Deepening
the
Marist Characteristics
Presence
44

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