A glance at the many testimonies on World Youth Day websites shows that for many young people World Youth Day events and people have been a kind of crossroads as they discern where and how the Lord is calling them, as popes and bishops urge, into being present Church rather than saying that they are the future Church.

Serious trampers (like many of the pilgrims) take maps with them to plot their way. And the more serious among them, who probably work for the Department of Conservation, even plan and make the pathways that enable others to enjoy the beauty our Creator offers us. An increasing number of young people use cellphones or a GPS, to guide their steps.

The old Marist Brothers map saw black-robed brothers with lay teachers helping out in schools. From 1876 through to the late 1970s and even 1980s that was quite a useful map. But this 21st century calls for new technology and a new way of appreciating the Christian and Marist vocation in its fullness and in the variety of its expressions. Many who work in Marist schools as well as in other Marist ventures, now claim to be Champagnat Marists (after St Marcellin Champagnat, our founder), be they single, married, diocesan priest or Marist brother.

In 2007, the Marist Brothers opened another community of brothers and young people together. (The Grove in Lower Hutt for young women and men on a yearly basis began in 2001). Thanks to Archdiocese and the parish of St Thomas More (Wilton), we’ve taken up our old residence next to Cardinal McKeefry School, but in a new way.

We call our community The FM Connection, where FM stands for Faith and Mission, following Mary, in the footsteps of Marcellin. We are two Marist brothers and several young men. Our mission is two-fold. The first is to discern where the Lord leads. None of us at any time is exempt from such discernment, although generally we continue the task in the context of some major life choice made during early adulthood. The community and its mission have a part to play in helping young people define the shape of this vocation.

As Kiwis like Mike Chunn, Vincent O’Sullivan, Sean Fitzpatrick, Anand Satyanand or Bishop Pat Dunn will recall, some remember the motto, Confortare esto Vir: Take courage and be a man. Those familiar with the old Marist Brothers’ map well know the values gained by walking such a track. The last few decades have seen a feminist theology and worldview make its impact on church and society, as it corrects an overly patriarchal view of the world. Such a well worn track on this ancient map, however, still has value today. For this reason, brothers and young men form the hub of the FM Connection as we deepen our knowledge of Christ and together trace the footsteps of Marcellin for the third millennium. It goes without saying that part of life here involves a rhythm of prayer personally and in community, as well as involvement in the local parish and beyond.

The second dimension of our mission spills out into concern for needy young people, working with and for them through various activities. In terms of what we have been so far able to do, recognising that our men are either working or studying or both, that has meant flying kites (literally) with a young disabled man their own age, running a social night for Year 7 and 8 children from Cardinal McKeefry School and a leadership day with Holy Cross Year 8 children, volunteering at the Night Shelter or Soup Kitchen, tramping in the bush with friends and younger people, accompanying our pilgrims to World Youth Day and making of our home a place of welcome and hospitality for young and old alike. We are not yet two years old and so are still developing our ministry in the midst of work and study.

Coming into the community means a commitment to building community—very different from flatting because it means much more than a place to sleep and keep one’s stuff. It means deepening one’s friendship with Christ and exploring the sources of our spirituality. Growing in self-awareness is part of the venture in which each undertakes to be accompanied in his faith journey.

Another significant aspect of life at the FM Connection is the chance for formation in mission to young people, locally, and internationally through the overseas Marist connections. One of the community is about to go for a month-long insertion experience in Fiji and Central Australia working with young people on the edge. Others are looking at a longer experience.

We have a new website (www.fmconnection.co.nz that will be up and running before December) and a link on the vocations tab on the Marist province website (www.maristbrothers.org.nz). On both will be the brochure that gives further information and contact numbers. Both Br Chris and I can be contacted at cjmaney@ihug.co.nz and kevdobbyn@ihug.co.nz .

Our place was quickly dubbed the “Mangrove” with a nod to the Grove Community in Lower Hutt. In the photo, snapped in Kiribati, are we not called to “leave our boats behind” like the Zebedee brothers on the shores of Galilee? And might not the mangrove be a metaphor for how we should be as Christian adults, standing between land and sea (or on the edge between church and society) offering the challenge of the kingdom Jesus proclaimed?