From June 23rd through July 21st, Br. Ryan Richter, a young Brother from USA Province, lived with the Brothers of the scholasticate community in Bogota, Colombia. Along with an opportunity to practice his Spanish language skills, Br. Ryan was able to participate in vocation programs with the young people in the area.
During his stay Br. Ryan visited the Soledad Acosta de Samper School located in the south of Bogota, where he met with students and shared about his life and vocations experience in the USA and encouraged them to learn more about Marist life. This youth experience stemmed from provincial meetings that have been held to increase sharing experiences and concerns about vocations, personal life projects, the educational journey, and vocation ministry; in addition, doubts, concerns, dreams, hopes, and - most importantly - Marist fraternity were shared.
These events follow the action plan of the Province of Norandina, which includes “opting for a shared Marist vocation ministry that presents the following of Christ as an option of life supported by community witness attentive to the concerns of the young people and the laity in their vital movements”.