International Commissions
The Society of Mary has established three ongoing Commissions to address important contemporary issues.
Each Commission has three objectives:
1. To strive for a higher level of professionalism in missionary involvement through further education, research, teaching, publishing and advocacy”
2. To contribute locally by offering on-going formation, education, seminars and awareness-raising exercises for the local people in the respective areas of the Commission.
3. To contribute to living our Marist missionary vocation more authentically by working within the Society of Mary to help all of us respond better as Marists and Marist communities with the leadership of the Commission.
The Commissions are:
 Inter-religious Dialogue and Reconciliation Commission
The second Vatican Council called us to develop ecumenical and inter-faith relations for the purpose of carrying out the mission of the Church, and building more effectively the reign of God here on earth. Successive Popes and prophetic leaders have reiterated the importance and necessity of these relations for building a human fraternity, for the sake of the common good of humanity and all creation.
The Catholic Church aims to promote respect and collaboration between different faiths and religions. In our globalised world interaction between people from different faiths and religions becomes more and more important.
In 2018 the Superior General of the Society of Mary established the “Marist Commission for Inter-religious Dialogue and Reconciliation”.
Members of the Commission are Fr Hermes Larry Sabud SM, Fr Kevin Medilo SM, Fr Michael Jacques SM, Fr Gerard Hall SM, Sr Catherine Jones SMSM, Mr Brendan Murphy..
 Migrants and Refugees Commission
Since time immemorial people have been on the move in search for a better life: sometimes voluntarily as migrants, at other times forced to flee as refugees. These members of our common human family are vulnerable and in need at every level: physical, cultural, psychological, and spiritual.
In 2022 the Superior General of the Society of Mary established the “Marist Commission for Migrants and Refugees”. This Commission strives to support all Marists and associates who live out this dimension of the Gospel: ‘what you did for the least of these brothers and sisters, you did to me’.
Members of the Commission are Fr Damien Diouf, Fr Steve Youm, Fr Michael Ryan, Fr Ricardo Navarette, Br Ivan Vodopivec, Fr Arnold Garferio.
 Ecology Commission
In our modern word ecology is an important issue, and the Church asks the faithful to live in harmony with and respect for nature. In his famous encyclical letter from 2015, Laudato si’, Pope Francis writes “I urgently appeal, then, for a new dialogue about how we are shaping the future of our planet. We need a conversation which includes everyone, since the environmental challenge we are undergoing, and its human roots, concern and affect us all” (14).
In 2018 the Superior General of the Society of Mary established the “Marist Commission for Ecology”.
Members of the Commission are Fr Donato Kivi, Fr Peter Healy, Fr Petero Matairatu, Fr Samuele Tukidia, Fr John Guo Wang, Mrs Kelly Mandy.
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