Maria de Lourdes Santiago Carrasco, Co-ordinator of the Marist school “Instituto México of Toluca” and member of the Marist Fraternity of the Champagnat Movement of the city of Toluca, Mexico. She presented to the National University of Mexico the dissertation “Marcellin Champagnat’s pedagogical contributions”, obtaining the Masters in Pedagogy.
To speak or to write about Saint Marcellin moves me and makes me think of all that I have experienced and learnt since 1999. I started my work as a teacher in one of the Marist colleges in this year which, as everyone knows, was the year of the canonisation of our Founder. And do you know why I say our Founder? Because each day that passes by I feel more and more identified with the Spirituality and the Charism of Champagnat. Frankly, I believe I am in the process of finding what I have been seeking. And what have I been seeking? To raise children with love and from a religious vision; and more so that each teacher be valued and free to accomplish his or her work.
Immersing myself more and more in the topics of Marist Pedagogy, I became curious to know from where this pedagogy came, how it was created and what it really was. It was due to this that I wrote and presented my thesis for a Masters in Pedagogy on this topic with the title: “Historic outline of Saint Marcellin Champagnat.” This work of investigation gave me the opportunity of knowing and reliving a few aspects of Saint Marcellin’s life, what he thought about education, children, religion…
Now that I see these problems more clearly, I feel more and more committed and ready to work in the Marist Mission, helping the brothers. Something that motivates me greatly is the enthusiasm and the excellent example of several Marist Brothers whom I have known during these seven years of service. Among others I can cite Brothers José María Hernández, Basilio Rueda Guzmán, Aureliano Brambila, Renato Zeleny, Daniel Herrera,… All of them, though different in their personality, live by loving those whom they contact and give the best of themselves, each day, without worrying about their own welfare (a characteristic that was very much present in the Founder). All of this gives me courage to help in the Marist work, even though this be with my small grain of sand, trying to imitate the virtues of Marcellin and of many of his brothers.
Another aspect that pleases me greatly is the feeling of fraternity which I have experienced with my colleagues, with the brothers and with the students of different cities of Mexico; as well as the sharing with people of other nationalities of these same feelings and knowledge. In a word, I have experienced that, with the Marists, “A Heart that knows no bounds” does really exist.
I believe that the Marist International Mission Assembly is an excellent project where we will have the opportunity of working together, brothers and laypeople, where each one can contribute new and better strategies to continue to help the children, the adolescents and the young people who need someone who can be close to them, without forgetting that all of that gives us the possibility of Evangelising while Educating, and ensures that barriers between people do not exist.
Another aspect that pleases me greatly is the openness that is experienced in the communities, to the call made by Brother Benito Arbués to “widen the tent”. I note with joy that the brothers each day see us laypeople as a support and an aid in continuing the work that, in the XIX century, Saint Marcellin started.
Without leaving aside prayer and the closeness to Our Good Mother, an important part for the whole Divine plan, I would like the brothers to show us all that is necessary to form Good Christians and Worthy Citizens that our country requests more and more.
“ALL TO JESUS THROUGH MARY AND ALL TO MARY FOR JESUS” |
