At a recent meeting, I was asked the question, “What is your dream for Marist laity?” Initially, I hesitated because I was not entirely sure what the question meant. Often in the Gospels, when Jesus is asked a question, he responds with another question. So I replied, “What is the dream of Marist Laity in 2023?” and also, “What is the dream of Marist Laity in 2030?” In our discussion, we reflected on a recent Marist Laity Australia committee meeting at Hunters Hill. There was a wide range of responses, as there is a rich diversity among lay people — one size does not fit all. We spoke about the struggles lay people face in ministry, such as feeding the homeless at St Patrick’s Church Hill and young people participating in immersions to the Philippines. Yet when the question becomes, “Would you like to be a Lay Marist?” many hesitate. In Australia, there can be a reluctance to make long-term commitments. I found myself asking, “How do we create a pathway that inspires, calls, and forms lay people to take the step of becoming Lay Marists?”
We were then asked, “How does the founder Jean-Claude Colin fit into this?” Jean-Claude Colin, founder of the Marist Fathers, dreamed of a multi-branched Society of Mary, with the lay branch at its heart. The lay branch was essential, since all other branches begin with lay people — we are born into the laity and grow up as laity. However, Colin’s original vision of a fully multi-branched society was not accepted by the Vatican at the time. His story reminds us that living a dream often involves struggle and perseverance. Are we willing to continue promoting Marist Laity in our own lives, despite the challenges we face?
Today, our world confronts many global challenges: war, climate change, loss of biodiversity, family breakdown, materialism, individualism, injustice, domestic violence, sexism, and racism. In many Western societies, people are walking away from religion, influenced in part by the lack of women in leadership and the wounds of the sexual abuse crisis. Marist Laity has an important role to play in responding to these realities. As Lay Marists, we are called to build connections across cultures and communities, especially with those who are different from us, so that together we can face these challenges.
As a Lay Marist, I shared that my dream is for Lay Marists to become more deeply interconnected, so that we respond not merely as individuals, but as a community that inspires and strengthens one another to make a real difference. The dream for the future is not that we will have all the answers, but that we will have the courage to step out of our comfort zones, allowing Mary’s spirit and the life of Jesus to be born anew within us and through us today.
(Audio Available)
