Wednesday, March 6, 2013

LAY ASSOCIATES REFLECT ON BIOETHICS

The nine men and women who made their commitment as Associates in our Congregation on November 21, 2012, started to have a bimontly afternoon of reflection and ongoing formation on February 9, 2013.  In planning what could be  more appropriate for them in this first gathering of the year, we thought a Session on Bioethics would respond to realities they face in their lives and at the same time it would give them the opportunity to experience the life of the Congregation at this moment.

Thanks to the fact that Sr. Marta InĂ©s Toro was in Bolivia helping out as translator, she was able to get first hand not only the rich experience of the event, but also some of the presentations.  So, we had a full afternoon of sharing on the reality encountered around us in relation to respect of life, nurturing of life, care of creation, respect and preservation of the environment.  They all encounter some of these situations in their daily lives, in their families, and some of them in their work at the farm or in the office of forest preservation.

We were able to delve into the main content presented in Bolivia by Fr. Marcio Fabri, using the power point presentations he prepared and trying to relate it to the Lay Associates' experiences. It really brought to them how we need to open our eyes to the realities around us, have strong principles of respect for life, discern in everycase how to act according to the Gospel asking the Lord to be our guide in every circumstance.  Some of the Associates, who are tutors at the Marie Pousspein Center, talked about some of their experiences in helping the young ones to be formed in these attitudes of respecting and fostering life.




We ended the afternoon with evening prayer in the Chapel, using one of the prayers prepared by some of our sisters for the Bioethics Meeting in Bolivia. 

 

This was just a start in this direction to which we have 
committed ourselves as a Congregation, 
thanks to our own motion as a Structure. 
We just pray it will gradually have a ripple effect around us!