Meeting March 16-18, 2007
Marist House, New Orleans, LA
Three new Committee Members were warmly welcomed. Don and Rosemary Kean
have been lay Marists since the 1980s, and both have experience in leading the lay
group at our Lady of Lourdes, in Melbourne, Florida. Sheila Barrett, also a Marist of
long standing, started a new lay group in Coral Springs, Florida, in 2006. They bring
knowledge, experience and enthusiasm to the lay movement.
Rosemary, Don and Sheila shared the story of how Don and Rosemary mentored
the group started by Sheila. Don and Rosemary stayed in close communication with
Sheila and invited her to visit the group in Melbourne. Rosemary and Don then visited
the new group in Coral Springs. In a casual setting, they shared their stories. Sheila
tells us that the personal witness of Don and Rosemary was “the biggest launch for our
group.”
This model of members of an established group visiting and mentoring a new group is
not new. In the past in the United States, the more experienced groups “adopted”
newer groups. Sometimes they called the newer groups “daughter” or “associate”
groups. If distances were too great to permit personal visits, the parent group regularly
sent letters. There are stories of newer lay Marists traveling for hours to attend
meetings of a more established group.
Communication among groups, new or established, is vital. While distances between
our groups is a huge obstacle, there are many ways to communicate in our times, and
we encourage much more communication between and among lay Marists. Let us
know if members of your group are interested in sending packets of letters, or regular e-
mails, to another group. Or just go ahead and do this—see the list of groups on this
website.
From left to right:
Sheila Barrett from Coral Springs, FL
Don and Rosemary Dean
from Melbourne, FL
Bob, Ed, Fr Edwin
Martha, Mary-Ann, Rosemary, Don
Joyce, Christine, Diane, Sheila
| Marist Laity Service Committee Atlanta Province |
