Over 200 students from Marist schools of Mexico, the United States and Canada participated in a weekend gathering at the Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York.
The theme of the gathering, held from May 25 – 28, was ‘The time has come,’ taken from a song of Pentecostal music band ‘Hillsong United’.
During the morning prayer on May 26, youths dressed up as different people present in Saint Marcellin Champagnat’s life and gave a brief history of his upbringing and life.
Keynote speakers included the vice provincial of the United States, Brother Dan O’Riordan, whose talk was titled ‘How Marists have answered the call when their time came.’
During the weekend, the participants gathered in small groups to discuss the role of Marists in their lives and the people that have inspired them to become better Marists.
The students were also able to choose three of the following workshops: Art prayer, Be here now, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament; Live on purpose: Find your power to change the world; Goaldiggers; Making ideas happen, Improvisation: the language of God; Leadership through listening, Our Marist life, Creating the divine getaway, The time has come – avengers, assemble!; The time has come, are you ready?; Voices that challenge: Marist youth as agents of justice and peace; When is a group a community?; Human rights defenders.
They gathered in the College’s auditorium for the annual music ministry concert and held a night prayer under the title ‘All that we share.’
One of the purposes of the meeting was for students to realise that other people from within their own country or from abroad often experience similar life situations.
