Laity and the charism of Betharram

The recipe may not exist, but the will and the commitment do exist to create the spirit and the fraternity of a Betharram community for lay people. Gabriela and Diego Canton, longstanding and faithful members of the group FaLaBe in Argentina, explain their way of being lay Betharramites.

Our group of lay people was born of the concern and desire of lay people to grow as Christians and to deepen their Betharramite spirituality. We have always been assisted by the religious.

We identify ourselves as a “Lay Betharramite Family” because the spirit that we try to live is a spirit of fraternity, that of a family, as requested by St. Michael.

For a few years now we have met twice a year (for a half day) and we participate in an annual retreat at the end of October. It has been an opportunity to share life, prayer and formation.

From the beginning, we received the full support of Father Daniel Martin. He has been both father and teacher. He was able to share with us all his experience and knowledge. He longed with hope and trust for the awakening of the laity that the Church wanted to make pathfinders. He insisted on the human and Christian formation of missionary disciples, even before Aparecida. With passion he offered us his help to incarnate the charism of Betharram. Fr. Giancarlo Monzani entered the team in the second phase, and carries out the task of accompanying us, according to his own original style.

The laity’s own reality is complex, making it difficult to discern common pastoral proposals: Children, grandparents, teenagers, working hours / education and respect for different levels of spirituality. As there are many elements of our reality and we try to reflect that.

We started to organise activities for the little ones, to create spaces for teens, moments of meditation and individual contemplation (with the letters of Fr. Martin and monthly mediations of Fr. Giancarlo) and times of meeting in groups.
With the extended leadership team, we realized that personal contact was more effective than the written word.

The expectations of the laity during the annual retreat are not so much related, it seems to a particular theme as to the gathering as a whole. That is why we attach great importance to hospitality, dialogue, listening to personal problems and at the same time highlight personal encounter with the Lord. Recreational times, the time taken to prepare the kitchen (of course all participants take a hand in this!) are moments of great richness, where, as a family, everyone puts his gifts at the service of the community.

It is gratifying to see that we share recipes and we exchange advice on child rearing. During the retreat theory becomes practice. We don’t talk about community ... we live community. We do not hold seminars on service ... we actually live service.

Sunday, the day dedicated to the celebration of the Eucharist and the barbecue, participation is greater, as we open the meeting to all those who have accompanied us from the beginning, whether parents, neighbours and friends.

Recently, we have been as an animation team in the various communities (some over 400 km away) and there we organise meetings involving many people. The hope is that monthly meetings can be organised in each community, with suitable help. We encourage the same principles of community as used in the October retreat.

A place that brings us together and allows us to maintain contact is the Lay Betharramite Family page in Facebook.

As a lay community we are sponsoring young people from the Mission of Santiago to go to university in the city.

For two years, we have experienced a new activity: shared holidays with family and community. The ideal is that different families live this time together for a week or two, sharing meals, house works and expenses.

We speak here on behalf of the leadership team. We are happy to be of service to many brothers who strive to live more intensely their baptism. Each encounter with them is a feast day. Every word, every gesture, every recognition expands the heart. Daily fatigue, illnesses, sorrows are made bearable when they are shared. This is a great contagious joy which multiplies when we unite as in a chain, through prayer, being confident in God’s blessing.

Our objectives? Continue to grow in community as a group of lay people and, if possible, welcome other members ... Continue to visit communities and foster a climate that allows everywhere the formation of communities faithful to Jesus, with a Christian life style... Offer a personal and community spiritual accompaniment ...

We ask only to be instruments in the hand of God of love ... to be Betharramites loving God in the Betharramite style. Available and offered, obedient, cheerful, ready to go at the first signal.

Gabriela & Diego Canton