In a recent announcement made in Rome by the four Marist General Superiors, an International Gathering of Marist Youth (IGMY) will take place at the Marist school Sainte Marie Lyon-La Solitude in Lyons, France, July 17-23, 2016. This worldwide gathering—under the title “Dare to Dream”—is a joint initiative of the four religious branches of the Marist family: the Marist Sisters, the Missionary Sisters of the Society of Mary, the Marist Fathers and the Marist Brothers.
According to the Marists, the youth gathering is being organized to promote the coordination and integration of young Marists of the Marist family, the celebration of the bicentenary of the Pledge of Fourvière on July 23, 2016, and the bicentenary of the founding of the Institute of the Marist Brothers on January 2, 2017. IGMY precedes World Youth Day, also a Marist event scheduled to take place in Kraków, Poland, July 26-31, 2016.
Marist USA Provincial Fr. Paul Flechette, s.m., said the General Superiors finalized plans for IGMY at a meeting in late September. “Fr. Alejandro Muñoz, s.m., the Marist Fathers coordinator in the preparatory committee, reports that so far 80 young people will participate from the our [Marist Fathers] branch, coming from nine different provinces and districts,” said Flechette. “The hope is that the youth groups can also participate in the World Youth Day in Krakow.”
The first idea of forming the Society of Mary (Marists) originated in Lyon, France.
In a statement from the Society of Mary in Rome, the location of IGMY was chosen because Fourvière, which is a district in Lyon, France, and where the Society of Mary was founded, is a “symbol of the birth of an apostolic and religious movement of men and women who gave their lives to the service of the Gospel, bringing the richness of a Marian face to the Church. Today it invites the Marist Family to rebirth their spirit, the spirit of Mary, within the four religious congregations, and in the many forms of the Marist laity around the world, particularly among the youth."
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About Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy
Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy is a private, Catholic, independent, coeducational day school located in Oakland County. The school's upper division enrolls students in grades nine through twelve and has been named one of the nation's best 50 Catholic high schools (Acton Institute) four times since 2005. Notre Dame's middle and lower divisions enroll students in jr. kindergarten through grade eight. All three divisions are International Baccalaureate "World Schools." NDPMA is conducted by the Marist Fathers and Brothers and is accredited by the Independent Schools Association of the Central States and the North Central Association Commission on Accreditation and School Improvement. For more on Notre Dame Preparatory School and Marist Academy, visit the school's home page at www.ndpma.org.