Daniel Fernandez, District Superior of Mexico, originally from Spain writes:
Sometimes opportunities that you would never imagine arise out of nowhere. That happened to me when I heard about the MYL (Marist Youth Leaders) program. I asked Fr. Mark Walls, a Marist Father from New Zealand, for information. He responded with a generous invitation to participate in this program that he has been carrying out for almost 25 years with the 9 Marist schools in New Zealand. This is part of the magic that appears when Marists work in a network. For a week, boys and girls in their final year of high school learn and develop fundamental leadership skills such as teamwork, a principle-centred living, being proactive, perseverance, servant leadership... It is a great way to prepare our young people to accept without fear the difficult task of leadership. This is something we need in Mexico and any part of the Marist world.
In addition, we were able to discover a beautiful, peaceful country, full of wonderful corners and its own culture, the Maori, which invites you to communion with nature and contact with your roots. There I also found my Marist roots, since New Zealand was one of the destinations of the first Marists in Western Oceania in 1838. The work of Bishop Pompallier and the Marists is still remembered and highly valued in that country. So, I feel grateful and privileged for everything I experienced and learned in the three weeks I spent there, in the company of two teachers from the Franco-English school of Mexico. A time to return to my roots, discover new realities, and see that the Marist connection between different parts of the world is still alive and giving life. Mary, Queen of the Society of Mary, make fruitful the work of your children.
