Beloved Congregation:
As we conclude 75 days of Forge Encounter, we thank you, our beloved brothers, for your prayerful accompaniment in our journey. We also prayed for you during the Forge, lovingly placing before God through the hands of Mother Mary, Father Claret, and our brother Martyrs, each Major Organism every day. This Encounter was truly a transformative experience—one that has rekindled the fire in our hearts. We pray that God rekindle this fire in the hearts of everyone in our Congregation so that we can be a congregation that goes forth to the margins with this fire to kindle every heart on fire with God’s love! We capture for you the sparks of the journey we undertook in the Forge, in the form of a poem:
75 DAYS
15 not so young Men gathered together
For an encounter called Forge.
Some said it was for renewal,
Others said it was for rehabilitation
and still other said it was their desire.
Whatever the reason, they all journeyed together for 75 days.
9 days of Silent retreat began.
No connection, No conversation, No distraction!
Only we and God in the silence of our souls,
Slowly breaking, tearing and forging our being,
For the Word so precious needs to get into our hearts.
O God, our Father! why do we need to be alone and be broken?
40 days of Lent ended, Easter season started,
A call to rejoice and celebrate, Jesus has called us once again.
Bethlehem, Galilee, and Jerusalem we travelled
Following Jesus, entering His temple and feeling his Sonship.
Others experienced Our Lady of Fatima, our model and our mother.
O Jesus our Savior, why suffer and die for us sinners?
3 days of reliving Barbastro martyrs, questions were instigated:
Why suffer and die if there were other options?
Why martyrdom instead of life for ministry and mission?
It is a gift, it is a grace, given and freely accepted.
In the end they died shouting Viva Cristo Rey, Viva my beloved Congregation!
O Holy Spirit, our breath and life, why bring death to our young brothers?
8 days of being up close and personal with Antonio Maria Claret our founder,
From his birth place to his burial grounds we went.
Places of significance and importance were our destinations,
His inside stories and inspiring moments were recounted,
Making him more alive and incarnated in our lives and missions.
O Claret our founder, why in your greatness and humility were you persecuted?
75 days of Forge, renewing our Sonship to the Immaculate Heart of Mary,
Rediscovering our call; reliving the love of the Father in Jesus,
Experiencing Claret and being inspired by our martyrs make us ready for the launch.
Conversion is now our challenge, living our Claretian traits is now our desire.
Go Forth and be sent, we are missionaries! Proclaim the Kingdom of God!
O Mary our Mother, we are born from your heart. Send us to your Son’s mission!
Class of Forge 05/19
June 14, 2019
Los Negrales, Spain
