Connect Lay Marianists to MLCs. Provide resources that support the full range of commitments (annual commitment and Vow of Stability/State)
Host quarterly workshops that bring Lay Marianists together to share best practices on how to animate excellent MLCs
Strengthen MLC practices for members to support one another in mission
Local retreats offered to cultivate Marianist spirituality
The second goal of the Fiat Initiative is to ensure that MLC-NA has a comprehensive, A to Z system for inviting people to become Lay Marianists. Within 3 years, our national community of communities will be able to welcome at least 100 new Lay Marianists each year.
The hospitality and welcoming character of our existing communities provides a strong foundation for this goal. Our Lay Marianists and MLCs regularly invite in members to our family and inspire new communities to start. The Fiat Initiative will build upon this strong foundation by providing two layers of support: accompaniment guides and trained formation leaders.
Accompaniment Guides are Lay Marianists who companion people are interested in potentially joining our association of the faithful. Vocational accompaniment is an important step in fruitful discernment. Training and supporting local accompaniment guides in each geographical area will do two objectives.
First, accompaniment guides will play a supporting role to Lay Marianists and MLCs who are already inviting people in. Second, accompaniment guides will have the dedicated time and resources to build up relationships in key places where additional intentionality is needed.
Formation Leaders are excellent educators who are trained in MLC-NA's formation programming and able to help individuals take the next step in becoming a Lay Marianist.
Formation in the Marianist tradition is about more than learning facts. It is about building relationships, cultivating the skills of community animation, and growing deeper in the spiritual life. For these reasons, it is critical that MLC-NA has local formation leaders in each of our prominent geographical areas in addition to virtual experiences.
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MLC-NA is committed to fostering vibrant Marianist Lay Communities at each Marianist ministry across the country. By providing a stable witness of our charism, these communities ensure a strong Marianist presence is felt by everyone. Therefore, MLC-NA will make special use its national team of accompaniment guides and formation leaders (Goal 2) to make sure that each of the following Marianist ministries has the ability to form and sustain an MLC:
The Marianist Lay Communities believe in a "bottom up" way of working. Our Lay Marianists and MLCs know what needs to be done to serve the church and world. MLC-NA's role is to provide the right resources to ensure that these ideas can grow and flourish into the thriving ministries of tomorrow. The right resources for this job include:
