Year XII - Number 612 | 22 JANUARY 2020
MARISTNEWS MARISTS OF CHAMPAGNAT I GENERAL HOUSE I ROME I WWW.CHAMPAGNAT.ORG
Venerable Brother François, first Superior General of the Marist Brothers
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n the occasion of the anniversary of the death of Brother François in 2020, we are publishing some images of Brother Francis on this website to enrich the archive that we already have. And so, three graphic artists have been invited to make their own re-creation of the figure of Brother Francis based on their creativity and the use of new technology. The aim is not to do research on the original picture of Brother Francis but to imagine him in three phases of his life (25-40 years old, 40-50 years old and more than 60 years old) with a modern mind and to re-create his image in four different formats. The images are intended for all levels of the Marist family, students, former students, families, educational and social works, etc. Three artists from the PUCPR of Curitiba joined this proposal: Rosangela Grafetti, Leonardo Martin and Guillerme Capriglioni.
Francis is presented by these artists with facets of his personality which have not been very well known up until now: Brother Francis and ecology, his relationship with the sick, his knowledge of medicines and his dimension as educator. Along with these images, his thoughts will be shared by taking quotations from two main sources: his personal notebooks written between 1819 and 1880 and the letters of spiritual direction dated between 1840 and 1860 The graphic presentation which we offer aims to provide materials placed on the web that can later be used and re-created in the provinces, in the houses or in the Marist works to give a wider sharing of the thought and image of Brother Francis and so spread his reputation for sanctity and his knowledge.
general administration ■ Last week, Brothers Óscar and Sylvain, General Councillors, participated in the retreat of the Province of Santa María de los Andes which was held in Chile. ■ From Sunday to Tuesday, Brother Ernesto, Superior General, accompanied the group of community animators from the Americas, in Mexico. Subsequently, Brother João Carlos will accompany the group until January 28th. ■ The Vicar General, Brother Luis Carlos, and the General Councillors, Brothers Ken and Oscar, are participating in the meeting of the Conference of Superiors of the African Continent (CSAC) in Enugu, Nigeria, from the 20th to the 26th January. ■ On the 21st, Brother Ángel Diego, Director of the Secretariat
for Solidarity, attended the meeting of the Administrative Council of BICE in Paris. After that, until January 30th, Brother Angel will participate in other meetings on the preparation of reports on the rights of children, with entities which collaborate with FMSI. ■ Brother Javier Alfonso Echeverry Velásquez, from the Province of Norandina, has just joined the General House community and will be studying for a degree in Biblical Theology at the Gregorian University. ■ Jeff Crowe, responsible for the accompaniment of the participants of the international communities for a new beginning, visited the district of Asia and also met with the provincial of South Asia, Mervyn Perera.