Arrival and First Day

Hello! It seems like a long time since Lindsay and I arrived in Rome. In actuality, its about 10:30 on Day 2 of our trip. After a plane ride from Newark to Rome, it hit me: I'm spending two weeks here.

There was a recent fire at the Rome airport, so passport control was a 90 minute wait!
I can't begin to tell you how jam packed the waiting area was... but somehow we got through. Then the baggage claim was chaos, with bags from 5 flights strewn about. We found our bags and searched for a sign that said "Marist". Finally we found one and got our ride to the General House.


This place is a true beauty. The center of operations for the Marist Institute is gorgeous, and it also feels like home immediately. Hospitality, presence, and the charism seem to emanate from most every Marist location I have visited. This was no different.

Main chapel at the General House

After unpacking and getting settled in, Lindsay and I took the metro to Ancient Rome. The Coliseum, the Roman Forum, Fontina di Trevi (which has no water in it right now), the Pantheon, and Piazza Navona. What a DAY! We certainly burned off whatever we ate on the plane.

A wild arrival experience was transformed into a wonderful day. It just took some adaptation. This is essentially what we see happening all over our Marist world: adaptation. After the Second International Marists In Mission Assembly, this course was planned to help lay animators more deeply understand how to establish formation programs back at their home provinces. Taking a look at the current theology of the laity, more deeply understanding the partnership between lay and brothers, as well as promoting the awareness of Marist laity are just a few of the objectives of this course.

The Marist charism is something lived out by brothers and lay. The Institute is adapting, and I am so excited for what that means. People of all backgrounds, professions, and geographic locations are called to live out the Gospel. Marist spirituality and our charism is the way we carry out this call. All people who identify as Marist share in a unique way. We each bring something different to the table... and we are all seated around it. Let's keep eating!

Until next time... Luis.