DOCUMENTS
ASSOMPTION nº 29 2004
Avant-propos
Le Conseil général a décidé d’imprimer “Documents
Assomption” en utilisant la langue de rédaction ou de réception
des textes publiés.
Les traductions existantes sont signalées
en notes et pourront être
consultées sur le site internet de la Congrégation.
SOMMAIRE
Actes du Supérieur Général
en son Conseil
Report of the Superior General
Carte de Visite - Communauté Saint-Augustin - Margineni
Carte de Visite - Communauté de Blaj
Carte de Visite - Communauté de Plovdiv
Carte de Visite - Communauté de Kadiköy
Carte de Visite - Province BELGIQUE-SUD
Lettres et Messages
Productions
Nos
frères défunts
Statistiques de l’Institut
CUERNAVACA (Mexique) et WARENHAM (États-Unis),
du 20 avril au 4 mai 2004
Conseil général :
Richard Lamoureux, Supérieur Général
Julio Navarro, Vicaire général, Assistant et Procurateur
Marcel Poirier, Assistant et Économe général
René Mihigo, Assistant général
Bernard Holzer, Assistant, Secrétaire général et Postulateur
(Vice-) Provinciaux :
André Antoni, Provincial de France
Daniel Carton, Vice-Provincial de Madagascar
Marcos Bento de Souza, Provincial du Brésil
John Franck, Provincial d’Amérique du Nord
Miguel Fuentealba, Provincial de Chili-Argentine
Benoît Grière, Assistant du Provincial de France
Guy Leroy, Provincial de Belgique-Sud
Luc Martel, 1er Assistant du Provincial d’Afrique*
Manuel Martínez Alaminos, Provincial d’Espagne
Lambert Maurissen, Provincial de Belgique-Nord
Jean-Marie Meso Paluku, Provincial d’Afrique
Pierre-Emmanuel Rospide, Assistant du Provincial de France
Wim van der Sloot, 1er Ass. du Provincial des Pays-Bas
Le Conseil de Congrégation s’est tenu du 19 avril au 4 mai 2004.
Les travaux ont commencé au Mexique et se sont terminés à Wareham
(Massachusetts) pour permettre aux membres du Conseil de participer
aux célébrations du Centenaire de l’Assumption College à Worcester.
Le programme copieux est surtout consacré à l’état
de la Congrégation
après les Visites canoniques, à la préparation du Chapitre
général de
mai 2005 et à la collaboration inter-provinciale.
Les travaux du Conseil de Congrégation
Cette chronique reprend essentiellement deux documents du dernier Conseil de Congrégation : les conclusions du Père Richard Lamoureux, Supérieur Général, et le “fil rouge” rédigé au jour le jour par le Père Manuel Martínez, Provincial d’Espagne, ainsi que les grandes décisions prises.
Hilo conductor
por el Padre Manuel Martínez
18-19 de abril
De nuevo el Consejo de Congregación. Lo hemos iniciado pero no de golpe. Es necesario irnos introduciendo paulatinamente. En primer lugar, el encuentro con las comunidades de Emperatriz y de Casa Manuel, y el acompañamiento a nuestro Hno. Oswaldo García Sánchez en su ordenación de diácono. Luego, un contacto con la historia y la realidad del país que nos acoge: México. Aquí, "La Villa", con sus siete iglesias, donde la Virgen de Guadalupe se apareció a Juan Diego, y centro espiritual de este pueblo, nos sorprende con la devoción de miles de peregrinos y nos acoge a nosotros, también peregrinos en busca del Espíritu. Y la ciudad de Teotihuacan, con sus pirámides al Sol y a la Luna, su Camino de los Muertos, el sol, el polvo y las explicaciones de un guía enamorado de su tierra nos desetraña la historia de una civilización culta y pacífica.
Por fin, en la tarde de este 19 de abril, recibidos en la casa de espiritualidad de los Pasionistas de Cuernavaca, y en torno a la ermita de la Virgen de Guadalupe en el centro del patio, el sociólogo Gerardo Rodríguez nos hace penetrar en el conocimiento de la situación política, social y religiosa de este pueblo, lleno de historia, cultura y vida, pero sometido a sistemas esclavizantes y generadores de pobreza y miseria.
México, la Asunción mexicana y la Virgen de Guadalupe nos han abierto sus brazos acogiendo este trigésimo sexto Consejo de Congregación y a cada uno de nosotros.
20 de abril
Nos habían hablado de los laicos de la Asunción de México, y hoy nos hemos encontrado con ellos. Sorprendidos por el número (una veintena), por el trabajo de preparación hasta altas horas durante la noche anterior, por la simpatía, amabilidad y cercanía, iniciamos un día cuyas riendas de preparación y dirección las llevaron ellos.
"Más que estructuras, queremos compartiros cómo vivimos el espíritu de la Asunción” – ha sido su primera intervención.
Acompañados y animados por ellos recorremos un itinerario compuesto de gráficos, fotos, textos y una cinta de video. Sabroso paseo, con no menos sabrosos encuentros personales, en los que se vislumbraba la profundidad de la vida asuncionista.
El Padre Camilo Thibault y Casa Manuel han estado en los orígenes de estos tres grupos, más bien comunidades: Laicos de la Asunción, Provoca, Laicos de S. Agustín. Unos y otros les expresan su agradecimiento una vez que Ana Luz, Carlos y Elsa nos comparten su trayectoria asuncionista: "Amo al Padre d’Alzon, a mis hermanos asuncionistas y a mi comunidad de laicos asuncionistas " (Ana Luz).
"Estoy vivo. De mí brota un río de agua viva para satisfacer la sed de la palabra de mis hermanos. Tendré que recurrir a la imaginación para captar su interés..." (Carlos).
"Me gusta la Asunción, me gusta la libertad con que la Asunción se mueve... Permanezco en ella porque me ha permitido crecer, vivir la comunidad " (Elsa).
Como punto álgido en este caminar está su Regla de Vida, sacada y reflexionada a partir de la Regla de Vida de los religiosos. "Había que reconocer a Cristo sin devociones particulares. ¿Cómo comunicarlo?... Y encontramos las grandes causas que nos hizo ver la realidad de nuestro país... Y tratamos de ver la Regla de Vida desde la realidad para meter a Jesús dentro de ella ".
Todo parece muy sencillo al escucharles explicarlo, pero deja entrever una gran profundidad de vida, de comunidad y de amor a la Asunción.
Olga Irigoyen da un paso más y nos habla de los laicos, de los laicos asuncionistas, de los religiosos asuncionistas y de la relación entre ambos. Matiza, puntualiza y pone algunos puntos sobre las íes: "No somos laicos de segunda o tercera clase; somos Iglesia, con la misma dignidad por el bautismo; somos hijos de Dios... Ser Asuncionista es una forma de vivir nuestra vocación cristiana y una forma de actuar. Es la forma que hemos elegido vivir." "El Padre d’Alzon ya no es sólo suyo; es de la Iglesia y, por lo tanto, nuestro; y debemos compartirlo." Y nos dijo más cosas, que nos permitieron la reflexión, el diálogo y el compartir en grupo, terminando con: "Ustedes son el alma de nuestras comunidades. Los necesitamos y nos necesitan."Día completo que culminó con la eucaristía, llena de vida, de cariño y de signos; seguida de una cena que nos permitió saborear los productos mexicanos. Día en el que se nos manifestó cómo la Asunción se abre a los laicos, cómo éstos hacen suya su espiritualidad y cómo se lanzan a la extensión del Reino, centrados en Jesús, animados por el Espíritu, con imaginación y audacia.
21 de abril
Día completo. Bajo la dirección del Padre Pierre-Emmanuel Rospide, nos sumergimos en el Informe del Gobierno General, del Procurador y del Secretario General, del Postulador y del Archivero. Grandes y profundos trabajos que espresan cómo se va animando la Congregación, las dificultades que entraña esta animación y las esperanzas. Cabe destacar la preparación del Capítulo General de 2005, las visitas realizadas y los proyectos mayores. Pero todo es analizado y discutido buscando mayor luz, mejor animación.
Las Cartas de Visita a Chile-Argentina, Ecuador y Colombia, llenas de orientaciones, van manifestando cómo se camina en parte de América Latina y abren pistas de cara al futuro. Visitas y Cartas agradecidas por los religiosos que ven en ellas el gran interés que el Superior General tiene hacia estas Provincias y Regiones.
¿Y qué ha pasado con las Provincias cuya Visita Canónica se hizo hace un año, o tres años? España, Países Bajos, Africa, Bélgica- Norte, América del Norte, Brasil, Madagascar expresan avances y retrocesos, ánimos y desánimos, proyectos, interrogantes, búsquedas de nuevas estructuras. Realmente nuestras Provincias están vivas, aunque esta "viveza" cueste algún que otro disgusto a más de un Provincial.El compartir de Provincias se culmina al expresar las Provincias lo que cada una ha proyectado y lleva a cabo respecto a la Carta n/ 7 del Padre General y al exponer la forma de preparación de cada Capítulo Provincial. Todos estábamos de acuerdo en que la Carta n/ 7 ha sido bien acogida por comunidades y religiosos.
En cuanto a la preparación de los Capítulos Provinciales, se ha proporcionado un abanico de ideas, según lo que se busque en cada Provincia: ideas sobre la participación de los laicos, la internacionalidad, la regionalización, la formación, la pastoral de vocaciones, la pobreza, la austeridad, la misión, los proyectos que se tienen... ¡No parece que nadie se esté durmiendo! Se podría decir al final de esta jornada que se ha cumplido el objetivo que el P. Pierre-Emmanuel nos dio al principio del día: "Conocer los dones que nos han sido dados para la vida de nuestras Provincias y de nuestras comunidades ".
22 de abril
¡Ya estamos metidos en harina! Después de orar juntos con Laudes, preparadas por las Provincias de Francia y España, entramos de lleno en el tema rey de este Consejo de Congregación: la preparación del Capítulo General del 2005. Miramos por encima la documentación entregada: ¡unos 10 documentos! ¡Habrá que “ceñirse los lomos”! – como dice algún salmo.
Se inicia el trabajo con unas explicaciones introductorias, realizadas de forma amena, del P. General y de Bernard Holzer. Luego nos toca reflexionar en grupos respondiendo a algunas preguntas planteadas por la Comisión de preparación del Capítulo General: ¿Qué esperamos de este Capítulo General? ¿Qué herramientas se van a necesitar?... y más preguntas. Las respuestas, mesuradas y dinámicas, proporcionan orientación y apoyo a esta comisión, cuyo trabajo será ingente.
Como no nos achicamos ante nada, el P. General requiere nuestra capacidad de análisis y de imaginación para preparar el informe del Gobierno General.
"Brainstorming" se llama la técnica de la que vamos a servirnos. Primeramente compartiríamos ideas y convicciones sobre el tema del Capítulo: "Numerosos dones, un solo cuerpo" (Diversidad- Unidad). Y posteriormente aplicaríamos a la vida de la Congregación durante estos 6 años el método de análisis SWOT (en inglés), o FFOM (en francés) o FODE… (en castellano); es decir, un análisis basado en las líneas de fuerza, las debilidades, las oportunidades y las amenazas que hemos observado en la Congregación y en las Provincias (¡cada Provincial la suya!).
Las respuestas personales y los trabajos en grupo nos hacen descubrir que somos muy humanos, que nuestra congregación está compuesta por hombres con debilidades, pero llenos de riqueza, colmados de dones y regalados con múltiples oportunidades.Se trataba de una ayuda al Gobierno General. Pero constituyó una revisión de vida a nivel de la Congregación y de las Provincias. En la eucaristía alguien pidió perdón por las debilidades, y agradeció a Dios su presencia entre nosotros y esos dones del Espíritu que ha derramado sobre la Asunción, sobre cada comunidad y sobre cada religioso.
23 de abril
Dentro de poco hará 6 años que el Padre General y su equipo están en funciones. El año próximo tendremos el Capítulo General y se procederá a las elecciones. El P. Richard Lamoureux nos ha comunicado que aún tiene "energía" suficiente, a pesar de haber empleado ya mucha. Más que pensar en las personas que se puedan elegir, el P. Richard nos invita a determinar la misión que se les va a confiar y los medios que se pondrán a su disposición.
A lo largo de nuestras discusiones nos tropezamos una vez más con el tema de la reestructuración: ¿Qué poderes conviene conceder al Superior General? ¿Cómo articular éstos con la responsabilidad de las Provincias? El debate es intenso. Aparecen miedos, temores,… Pero se desprende una convicción: conviene avanzar en este tema. Hay que conseguir pronto ver con claridad. Mientras se hace más luz, se ponen sobre el tapete temas que afectan profundamente a nuestra vida: la Ratio, las Regiones - en especial Colombia - y la Provincia de África.
Desde hace bastante tiempo la Ratio ha sido objeto de mucho trabajo de reelaboración en la Congregación. Ya se va perfilando su culminación.
Las Regiones dentro de las Provincias parecen que vuelven a tener en la Congregación carta de ciudadanía: Inglaterra, Canadá, Estados Unidos, México. Y ahora Colombia. Cierto que algunas Regiones se forman por la disminución de sus efectivos. Pero no así otras, como Colombia. Da gusto vislumbrar la desaparición del Vicariato y el posible nacimiento de la Región colombiana con un grupo de religiosos jóvenes y sus formadores, dispuestos a partirse el pecho por el Reino de Dios.¿Y África? Provincia joven con gran crecimiento y desarrollo. Su Provincial, siempre sonriente, nos expone sus problemas, sus dificultades, sus proyectos y su esperanza. Escuchando, nos sobrecoge y nos interroga.
La Congregación se abre ante nuestros ojos, y nos sentimos inmersos en una vorágine de realidades y sentimientos, algunos para analizar, otros para encauzar y otros para dar una respuesta necesaria y adecuada a nuestro siglo. Sí, la Asunción aparece ante nuestros ojos llena de vida, de celo, y de esperanza.
24 de abril
"Hoy va a ser prácticamente una jornada de información" – nos comentaban al principio del día. Pero ha sido de todo: de información, de formación, de votación y festiva.
¿Cómo no celebrar el aniversario del P. John Franck? Era obligatorio que le cantásemos el "Cumpleaños feliz" en medio de una fiesta improvisada por la noche. Pero no era eso todo: ¡Ya ha dejado de existir el Vicariato de Colombia! La Provincia de Chile- Argentina lo acogía con los brazos abiertos y estaba dispuesta a darle el estatuto de Región. ¡Qué menos!
Claro que esto sólo ha sido el final. Anteriormente habíamos sudado, en sentido físico y figurado, debatiendo durante más de una hora un par de "cosillas" de la Ratio, que se volverán a tratar nuevamente.
¿Qué decir de la reestructuración? Viene a ser como el fantasma que nos acompaña noche y día. América se lanzó al ruedo explicándonos los pinitos que ya ha empezado a realizar. África y Madagascar nos sorprendieron con múltiples proyectos de colaboración. Y surgió con fuerza el interrogante: “¿qué sugerencias de solidaridad propone el Consejo para nuestra querida Provincia de África?”
Seis meses hace ya que acabó la CAFI. El P. Miguel Díaz nos lo recordó, y la ha valorado, y con él todos nosotros, de forma positiva. Vivencia comunitaria limitada, pero vivencia de comunidad asuncionista. Se vuelve a hacer realidad lo que tantas veces decimos y oímos decir: "Se ha vivido como en familia". Experiencia en sí misma muy enriquecedora que ha ayudado a los jóvenes religiosos a compartir, a tener perspectivas más equilibradas, a impregnarse más del Evangelio y del espíritu de nuestro Fundador. "Conocimos -dicen- en hermanos nuestros los rostros de la Asunción".
Trabajo, sudor, cansancio, alegría, fiesta,… Seguimos avanzando, enriqueciéndonos con muchas aportaciones y experiencias, y buscando cauces para que nuestra Congregación sepa responder, viviendo nuestra espiritualidad, a las llamadas que recibimos de la Iglesia y del mundo.
25 de abril
"Buenos días, hermanos". Así, en castellano, con voz fuerte, potente y alegre nos saludaba Luc Martel, nuestro coordinador. Su voz parecía decir: "Esta tarde, libre". Y así ha sido.
Claro que antes, dólares, euros, entradas y gastos, pérdidas y ganancias, y un sinfín de palabras y números, no siempre fáciles de descifrar, nos obligaron a hacer más que gimnasia mental. Al final, contabilidad saneada. ¡Gracias, P. Marcel!
Más frío estaba el tema de Le Vigan, no por las fotos con nieve, sino por su situación problemática. ¡Qué gozada ver, aunque fuera en fotos, dónde nació y vivió el P. d'Alzon! ¡Cuántos recuerdos y añoranzas encerraba esa casa al mismo tiempo que sugería vida! ¿Quién se atrevería después a torear un buen toro miura? Pues, de nuevo con la reestructuración, Europa se asemejaba a este fuerte, brioso y hermoso animal. Hubo muchos capotazos, pero no se consiguió más que cansarle un poco: seguía casi entero, con toda su fuerza y energía.
¡Con qué ganas disfrutamos, por la tarde, las calles, plazas, museos y mercados de Cuernavaca!
Y vivimos la Eucaristía en la catedral, presidida por el P. Francisco Huerta, en medio de un pueblo cristiano sencillo y acogedor.
¡Y nos seguimos sintiendo pueblo, y de base, cuando regresamos en el autobús, muy pero que muy apretaditos.
Todo fue un regalo de Dios.
26 de abril
Debates, diálogos, carrefours, sugerencias, propuestas... se van sucediendo. El razonamiento, la memoria y la inteligencia tienen que estar ágiles. Los temas se preparan y suceden. En algunos nos detenemos más: ¿Cómo dar más poder al Superior General, al equipo general? O mejor ¿cómo ejecutar las decisiones del Consejo de Congregación? Sin atinar con la respuesta se dan atisbos y orientaciones.
¿Y por qué no intentar con una de las propuestas? Nos pareció, después de fuerte reflexión que el tema de la casa donde nació el P. d'Alzon, en Le Vigan, podría ser campo de experimentación para una decisión supraprovincial.
"Solide" no se nos manifestó tan sólido. Nuestra agencia de solidaridad y desarrollo pasaba por dificultades. Hubo examen de conciencia, dolor de corazón y propósito de la enmienda. ¡Qué difícil resulta a veces abrir campos cuando los religiosos están muy saturados! ¡Qué impotencia se siente en ocasiones cuando la solidaridad y el desarrollo están gritando, y no se puede avanzar como se quisiera!
Con nuestras limitaciones, interrogantes, dudas y pensamientos, decidimos dejar todo en manos del Señor, rehacer nuestras maletas (¡que ya empiezan a estar cansadas de nosotros!) y dirigirnos a Boston, con la esperanza de que el Espíritu nos ilumine y nos oriente en esta próxima etapa.
28-29 de abril
Ya en Boston, los temas se suceden con velocidad vertiginosa. A pesar de ello, siempre hay quien pone un tono más profundo.
Lo encontramos en la presentación del tema de la Caja de Solidaridad que concluye así: "¿Quién de vosotros, si quiere construir una casa, no se sienta primero para calcular si con lo que tiene puede pagarla?" (Lc 14 28). Se comparte lo que se tiene, y en caso de necesidad hay que hacer escala de valores. ¡Cuánto nos gustaría poder atender todas las demandas!
Pensamos en todo y en todos. Y, por supuesto, en los laicos asuncionistas. Se acerca el Capítulo General y conviene que su amor a la Asunción, su conocimiento del mundo y su sabiduría aporten más luz, nuevos enfoques y mucha audacia.
Y surgen preguntas como ¿Por qué se tienen problemas con los Superiores? ¿Para qué el Superior? ¿Para qué el ‘leadership’?, que nos introducen en ese mundo de la libertad, de la obediencia, de la animación de las comunidades y de las Provincias. ¡Nadie podrá decir que los que hablan no tienen experiencia al respecto!
Pero mirar al futuro también tiene sus quebraderos de cabeza. Habrá elecciones en el Capítulo General, y una reflexión sobre ellas se ve necesaria. Nuestros hermanos Asistentes Generales se confiesan: aciertos, logros, desánimos, frustraciones,... y mucho, mucho trabajo. ¿Deberá cambiar el perfil del Asistente? ¿Será necesario concebir el equipo general de otra forma? Muchas preguntas; no tantas respuestas. Pero el Espíritu sigue insuflando aliento, ánimo y fortaleza.
30 de abril
¡Juventud, divino tesoro! Aire fresco y juvenil ha pasado por esta casa de Wareham. Seis jóvenes filipinos y uno vietnamita han llenado de alegría, proyectos y entusiasmo nuestras reuniones. Eucaristía, cantada en tagalo, cena apetitosa y jovial, compartir vocacional, han sido el final de una jornada que ya fue iniciada con información y trabajo sobre Asia. Jóvenes interesados por la Asunción, que piden incluso ser Asuncionistas, de Filipinas, Vietnam, Corea, China, y... quizás India, son signo de llamada y orientación del Espíritu.
Entre tanto mucho dossier: temas preparados para votar, otros para completar y otros para hacer avanzar. Laicos asuncionistas, Regiones, Economía, Solide, Caja de Solidaridad... se han ido sucediendo.
Con serenidad, sin asustarnos, hemos avanzado en cómo poner en marcha un grupo de trabajo o "task force". ¿De forma experimental? Aún no lo sabemos. Pero sí hay deseos de encontrar alguna manera de poder ejecutar las decisiones del Consejo de Congregación.
¿Y cómo iba a faltar la reestructuración? Eso sí, esta vez hemos intentado dar pasos y orientarla todos al mismo tiempo.
Así, entre búsquedas, informaciones, solidaridad, juventud, futura Asunción,... hemos ido palpando la vida de nuestra Congregación que, abierta a todo el mundo, está mirando a Asia.
1 de mayo
“¿Será conveniente una sola lengua oficial para la Congregación?” Haría falta una única lengua oficial para escribir los documentos, y también poder expresarse en diversas lenguas.
“It would be good if our young people should speak another language other than their own and understand a third ?” (Sería bueno que los jóvenes hablaran una segunda lengua, además de la suya, y que comprendan una tercera).
“Ik hoop dat iedereen er mee akkoord gaat?” (Espero que todo el mundo esté de acuerdo). Documents Assomption 2004 16
Pero éste era uno de los muchos temas que se iban a discutir y a aprobar. Había que tener cuidado en no extenderse mucho debido a la propuesta inicial del coordinador: "Si se trabaja bien se tendrá la tarde del domingo libre".
Pues sí, se ha trabajado bien. Sobre todo cuando hemos llegado a aprobar el Comité Ejecutivo o "task force" y hemos elegido sus componentes. Ya se les ha dado trabajo para este año: intentar orientar, hacer avanzar e incluso resolver algún dossier.
Nuestra jornada se podría caracterizar como día de informaciones varias, de votos,... y sobre todo de cansancio.
Menos mal que hemos terminado con una fiesta, dando el gran abrazo de bienvenida al Consejo al nuevo Provincial incorporado: Mario Luzio Benzo de Souza, de Brasil.
El Espíritu sigue incansable con nosotros a pesar de nuestra fatiga y limitación.
3 de mayo
“... hasta que Cristo se forme en ti". Es el lema de la universidad de Woscester, con la que hemos celebrado su Centenario.
No deja de sorprender su lema ni la presencia asuncionista en ella ni el trabajo educativo y formador durante un siglo.
A raíz de esta fiesta, y de toda la vivencia de este Consejo de Congregación, surge en esta última parte del "Hilo conductor" o "Fil rouge" una corta y gran palabra: Gracias, Merci, Thank you, Dank u,well, Muito obrigado.
Gracias, Señor, por la celebración de este Centenario, lleno de acogida, de detalles, de profundidad: gracias por los profesores, estudiantes, y por este trabajo de la Asunción en esta tierra de Woscester por la extensión de tu Reino.
Y gracias porque este Consejo, con sus dificultades y su búsqueda, por su buen ambiente, y porque nos permite dar un paso más, animados por el Espíritu, en la animación de la Congregación.
“Many gifts, one body.” We began preparations for the General Chapter during the Council of the Congregation in Rome, in 2003. We continued with greater intensity during this 36th Council of the Congregation. We are now “in Chapter mode.”
Composition of the General Chapter
The basic number for the nomination of a delegate is 40. Every Province or Vice-Province that, on December 31, 2003, has 40 religious or less, has the right to a delegate. If the Province has 41 to 80 religious, it can have two delegates and so on, for every 40 religious more you have the right to another delegate.
The Chapter will therefore have 27 elected members. The members by right are:
- 1 delegate: Brazil, Spain;
- 2 delegates: North America, North Belgium, South Belgium, Chile-Argentina, Madagascar, Holland;
- 5 delegates: Africa;
- 8 delegates: France.
As well as these elected members who are the majority, there are 18 members by right. The General Chapter of 2005 will therefore have 45 capitulants.
This General Chapter, I believe, has two major preoccupations, both linked to each other: Unity and Mission, summarized by the prayer of Jesus in Saint John’s Gospel (17: 21): “That they all be one so that the world will believe.”
Unity
This is a theme that has preoccupied us since the year 2000 in Jerusalem: “That they all be one....” This is not an option. It is a call addressed to all Christians, to all Christ's disciples. Unity is our preoccupation. This was the underlying reflection behind the theme of the Chapter: “One body…” We spoke for a long time about our strengths and weaknesses. In a lucid manner, we recognized our gifts and our fragilities in several areas as well as the precariousness of our present situation. We have tried to live in the truth. We pursued the reflection on this theme in several concrete ways:
* As we think about our collaboration with the laity and with the Religious Sisters, we recognize the diversity of vocations in the Assumption, in the consecrated life and in the committed lay state. The meeting with the laity in Mexico and in Worcester was appreciated by everyone. We worked on an involvement of the laity at the General Chapter and became aware of the diversity of vocations, and of the diversity and unity within our religious family.
Laity at the General Chapter
The Council of the Congregation decided that at least twelve lay people will participate in the General Chapter in order to share one spirit, one vision and one action between laity and religious.
Among the questions that will be asked of the laity: In your opinion what kind of service should the Assumption be doing in the world and in the Church today? What do you expect of the Assumption? In which area(s), in what form(s)? How should we organize together to achieve this collaboration?
* While discussion the restructuring in the Continents and in the Congregation, I was surprised and very happy at the progress of the reflection in the different Continents.
The African Continent told us about the major progress it had made and offered some important suggestions. Is this due to the youthfulness of its members? This continental dialogue was fruitful.
The Americas shared their reservations honestly, expressed their fears and their uncertainties; and, after a worthwhile debate, committed themselves to go further. If, in the Congregation, the North and the South do not manage to dialogue, to live together, how can we hope for more dialogue and harmony between our nations and societies? The reorganization of Colombia is set in this context.
The Erection of the Region of Colombia
Given the present situation and positive evolution of the Vicariate of Colombia, taking into consideration the progress it has made over the last two or three years in order to become a Region attached to the Province of Chile-Argentina, the Council of the Congregation decided to suppress the Vicariate of Colombia, so that the Colombian Assumption can restructure itself as a Region. As soon as possible, all the Assumptionist works in Colombia will become part of the future Region.
The situation in Europe is more complex because of the ageing of its members, its past history, and its traditions that are of great wealth but can also be a burden. Some progress has been made. It is necessary to continue the journey and not stagnate. There seems to be a movement towards two distinct structures. They should meet and work together in this Continent that is becoming unified on so many levels.
In Asia, we have the possibility of a promising future. Men are there, in Korea, in Vietnam and in the Philippines. We took important decisions for this Continent and a commitment to these three projects. We asked the Assistant General in charge of Asia to foster our commitment there. An important future awaits us.
Implantations in Asia
The Council of the Congregation confirmed our implantations in Asia, in particular in Korea, the Philippines and Vietnam, and called for providing the human and financial resources necessary. It confided this task to the Executive Committee.
To encourage the development and a more vigorous pursuit of the Asian dossier and to encourage the young religious involved in this project—particularly the young Filipinos—the Executive Committee asks the Assistant General in charge of Asia to involve himself even more in this project from now to the General Chapter.How can we go further in the Continents? From now to the General Chapter, I ask you to foresee other meetings at Continental levels and to come to the General Chapter with concrete proposals concerning your Continents.
Restructuring the Congregation
The Council of the Congregation appreciates the actual collaboration that exists between the various Provinces. It also notes that the Continental conscience is gradually being reinforced because of the various initiatives taking place.
- The Council of the Congregation encourages all Provinces to pursue their efforts at Continental organization and collaboration.
- The Council of the Congregation encourages the Provinces of France and Spain to study the possibility of closer collaboration.
- The Council of the Congregation asks that, for the General Chapter of 2005, the Provinces of Northern Europe propose one or more models of common organization for the three Provinces concerned.
- The Council of the Congregation asks every Provincial Chapter to include in its project of the Province proposals for inter-provincial and continental collaboration.
- The Council of the Congregation asks that the Executive Committee propose for the next General Chapter structured models of General Government and the procedures used by other Congregations.
We also reflected on the Congregation in its entirety, on the elections and the future General Council. We took an historic decision in terms of the body rather than on power. We adopted a structure for ourselves that shows that we are not autonomous, distinct and isolated Provinces, that we are not islands, but that we form one Congregation, one body. This new structure—an Executive Committee of the Council of the Congregation—is a structure ad experimentum, whose work will be evaluated before the General Chapter. It will be necessary to make all the religious aware of this initiative. Not every religious will appreciate it. It will be necessary to explain its motives and objectives.
Erection of an Executive Committee of the Council of the Congregation
The Council of the Congregation believes it is necessary that certain issues be assigned for study and implementation to a supraprovincial body endowed with real power emanating from the Council of the Congregation. This group is composed of the General Council and four members nominated from and by the Council of the Congregation. This “task force” will possess real power delegated by the Provincials.
This Executive Committee of the Council of the Congregation is called upon to work on precise issues determined by this Council, and has the ability to make the necessary decisions. This group will work for a specific length of time (between two Councils of the Congregation). It will give an account of its decisions and results to the Council of the Congregation.
This experiment will run ad experimentum from now until the General Chapter.
This Executive Committee is composed of the Superior General, the General Assistants and four Provincials chosen by the Council of the Congregation. It has the power to invite help from experts. It will meet at least twice between now and the General Chapter.The Council of the Congregation assigns to the Executive Committee five issues: the future of Le Vigan, the concrete implementation of the orientations taken concerning our implantations in Asia, the elaboration of possible schemes concerning the composition and mission of the General Team at the service of the entire Congregation (this reflection will also take into account the function of the General House and its staffing), and the re-launching of the Mission of the Orient (linked with the Canonical Visitation of the Superior General) as well as the definition of the status of the representative of the Province of Africa in the councils of the Congregation (the General Chapter and the Council of the Congregation).
The members elected onto the Executive Committee are respectively Fathers André Antoni, John Franck, Mart Lemmens and Marcos de Souza, the Provincials of France, North America, Holland and Brazil.
We also considered the situation in Africa. We expressed our deep solidarity with our brothers there. The Province of Africa has a long journey to make in organizing itself in a more rigorous way and in taking a fuller part in the Congregation as a whole. This was a delicate topic. We addressed it with simplicity and were able to make very concrete decisions.
Collaboration with the Province of Africa
To encourage solidarity between the Congregation and the Province of Africa:
The Council of the Congregation proposed that the Superior General call religious from various Provinces to volunteer to help with formation. The particulars of this call, made in conjunction with the Provincials, will be spelled out by the Province of Africa.
- Taking into account the importance of the creation of the Emmanuel d’Alzon Superior Institute of Butembo (ISEAB), the Council of the Congregation expresses the willingness of the Provinces to study possible means of collaboration in various domains (teaching, setting up the project, financial support). For its part, the Province of Africa has been asked:
- to establish a complete dossier presenting all its needs;
- to submit this dossier to the General Council for authentication;
- to delegate the person responsible for the Institute to present the dossier to the Provinces and organizations able to offer them help.
- The Council of the Congregation encourages the various Provinces to continue to welcome young religious from Africa for formation (preferably specialized formation).
- The Council of the Congregation has no particular reservations concerning proposals for the novitiate and initial formation of African candidates in Madagascar. With one exception, however, that an African religious formator be present with the young Africans in formation there.
- Finally, the Council of the Congregation reaffirms its decision concerning a foundation in West Africa. This is one of the prophetic gestures of the year 2000. The Council encourages the Provinces concerned to continue to study possibilities and make contacts in order to realize this venture after the General Chapter of 2005.
We expressed our solidarity through the Solidarity Fund. Great generosity was expressed once again to share our goods with those in greater need, especially the young. I dream that this solidarity be provided not just from our surplus but from all our goods. That everything we have be put to the service of the Project of the Congregation and not just what remains after we have met our own particular needs.
Inter-Provincial Solidarity Fund
After having approved the accounts of the General Curia for 2003 and its budget for 2004, the Council of the Congregation accepted the distribution of the subsidies from the Solidarity Fund in the amount of 664,868 $US.
Africa: formation: 445,743
Brazil: formation: 120,000
Chile: formation: 45,000
Madagascar: formation: 9,125
Chile: construction of Postulancy: 40,000
Madagascar: construction of Postulancy: 5,000* We were able to deepen our unity because of the quality of our discussions; the fraternity between us has grown over the last five years. We made good progress in terms of our work, our dialogue, our frankness, and our sympathetic ear. We worked efficiently on very complex dossiers like that of the Ratio Institutionis. There were moments of tension. Although unable to solve them, we were able to express them. It is important that we continue to dialogue. I especially encourage people to continue to meet and to discuss. Discussing face-to-face may be difficult, but dialogue between brothers is most efficacious.
The mission
The mission has become a priority for us. We began this Council around the altar, during the Diaconal Ordination of one of our brothers. All the readings of the paschal liturgy spoke to us of mission. The disciples learn the Good News and proclaim it to their brothers and sisters and to the whole world: “Go out to the whole world” (April 17), “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send you...” (April 18). Today, at the end of this Council, we are invited once again to think about our mission. The mission is a motivating force.
I believe that it is important to give priority to mission in the Congregation. But mission understood in a very particular way. When speaking of mission, I am not speaking of works or apostolates, I speak of the call to share Christ's Good News. I speak of the coming of the Kingdom. Let's not confuse our works with this proclamation. The works are only a means. The goal is Christ and the Kingdom.
This demands an asceticism of prayer and a discipline of faith so that Christ takes center place in our lives. This mission is not individualistic, but one assigned to us by the community. It is a mission beyond our own cultures and Provinces, but a mission radically inculturated that responds to the needs of our people, that goes beyond the religious community, and is fulfilled in collaboration with the whole family of the Assumption. It is a mission with a structure of animation that enlivens it. Internationality is not a goal in itself, a fashionable theme, but a necessary concern for us because the mission is on a global scale, open to today's needs, to the young, to the needs evident in those parts of the world where we are not yet present. The mission applies to people we don’t encounter in our parishes and whom we do not yet encounter. It is also a mission of awakening vocations in the area of communication and education.
“We are invited to a new missionary impetus,” René Mihigo interjected at the Council of the Congregation in Arusha, in 2001. How can we go further in this domain? We must put everything on the table. It will be necessary to speak about all our projects—just as we began to do during this Council—the Mission of the Orient, Asia, and various other projects. . . . It will be necessary for us to clarify our priorities and to determine our orientations for the future of the whole body. How do we harmonize Provincial projects with those of the Congregation, how do we harmonize priorities of the Provinces with those of the Congregation? The work that awaits us will not be easy, but very important for our future and for the mission.
We have twelve months left to work. We will not be able to do it alone. I ask you to keep this General Chapter in your prayers.
Suppression du Vicariat de Colombie et érection de la Région de Colombie
Étant donnée la situation actuelle et l’évolution très positive qu’a connue le Vicariat de Colombie,
Prenant en considération la démarche faite progressivement au long de ces deux ou trois dernières années, en vue de devenir une Région dépendante de la Province de Chili-Argentine, le Conseil de Congrégation décide la suppression du Vicariat de Colombie, afin que l’Assomption colombienne se structure en Région.
Aussitôt que possible, toutes les réalités assomptionnistes en Colombie sont destinées à faire partie de la future Région.
Loi électorale pour le Chapitre général
Le Conseil de Congrégation décide que le chiffre de base pour l’élection des délégués au Chapitre général de 2005 est de 40.
Approbation de la Ratio Institutionis
1. Une question de vocabulaire
Le formateur, ou l'accompagnateur, est le responsable désigné par le Provincial pour accompagner localement un candidat ou un religieux en formation.
La Commission formation est composée par des formateurs nommés par le Provincial avec le consentement du Conseil de Province (RC 193), et par le Provincial ou son délégué.
Le Responsable de la Formation dans la Province est nommé par le Provincial au sein de la Commission formation, avec le consentement du Conseil provincial (RV 95b)
Ses principales attributions sont :- aider les communautés et les responsables locaux de la formation en les visitant, en prenant à coeur leur difficultés, en favorisant rencontres et collaborations entre eux ;
- convoquer et animer la commission de formation ;
- suivre de près l'évolution des candidats et des profès, leur formation intellectuelle et pastorale aux diverses étapes ;
- réfléchir aux questions de fond qui concernent la formation et proposer des initiatives ou des projets ;
- aider les formateurs à mieux vivre leur mission (CG 99, n/180).2. Le diaconat
Le programme du stage diaconal sera élaboré par le candidat et son futur accompagnateur. Ce programme doit être approuvé par le Provincial et envoyé au Supérieur général (CG 99, n/167). L'évaluation du stage diaconal et la demande d'ordination presbytérale ne seront pas entreprises avant les six mois canoniques.
Le programme doit préciser le lieu, la durée du stage et le nom de l'accompagnateur. Il doit signaler clairement ce qu'on doit attendre du candidat : but à atteindre, moyens prévus, attitudes à développer, responsabilités apostoliques confiées au diacre et les évaluations à faire au long du stage diaconal.
Les pratiques locales étant sauves, le Supérieur provincial fera reconnaître officiellement la mission du religieux-diacre par l'évêque du lieu d'insertion.3. Rencontres pour les nouveaux prêtres (Ratio, 158)
Pendant les premières années, par Province ou par Continent, on prévoira des rencontres entre nouveaux ordonnés, sous la conduite d'un pasteur expérimenté et d'un bon pédagogue, pour partager expériences et questions, et ajuster la théorie à la pratique.4. Stage en dehors du pays (Ratio, 115)
Afin d'être un homme de son temps, en lien avec des mondes et des cultures différents, le candidat ou religieux en formation aura l'opportunité d'un séjour prolongé dans une communauté assomptionniste hors de son pays.Le Conseil de Congrégation approuve les modifications apportés au texte de la Ratio et accepte de soumettre le texte de la nouvelle Ratio au Chapitre général, après introduction des corrections qui lui ont été soumises.
Les laïcs au Chapitre général
Le Conseil de Congrégation décide que douze laïcs au minimum participeront au Chapitre général. On veillera à choisir de préférence des personnes non-salariés de la Congrégation.
Rafa Martinez Guizar participera à la préparation du Chapitre général ainsi qu’à la rencontre de la Commission préparatoire de fin janvier 2005. En cas de besoin, le Conseil général nommera un suppléant.Modalités de participation des laïcs au Chapitre général
Objectif : partager une vision/un esprit et une action entre laïcs et religieux.
Questions à poser aux laïcs :
- À votre avis, à quoi doit servir l’Assomption aujourd’hui dans le monde et dans l’Église?
- Qu’attendez-vous de l’Assomption ? Dans quel(s) domaine(s), sous quelle(s) forme(s) ?
- Comment s’organiser ensemble pour réaliser cette collaboration ?
Programme et démarche : La Commission préparatoire proposera un programme de travail avec les laïcs. Le groupe suggère de travailler avec les laïcs sur l’état du monde et de la Congrégation. Ils participeraient aussi à la réflexion avec le(s) intervenant(s). Un temps de deux-trois jours entre laïcs et religieux auraient lieu au début du Chapitre. Les laïcs feraient aussi le bilan de leur participation. Ils pourraient arriver un peu avant (samedi-dimanche) pour un temps de visite de Rome. Une invitation leur sera adressée en juin 2004 pour les inviter à commencer la réflexion sur des sujets définis (qui pourraient être intégrés dans les Chapitres provinciaux).
Approbation des comptes 2003 et du budget 2004
Le Conseil de Congrégation recommande de répartir les frais fixes de la maison généralice en l’utilisant davantage et en augmentant le nombre des résidents ;
Le Conseil de Congrégation demande à l'Économe général de se réunir avec le Groupe des Consulteurs afin d'envisager pour la Caisse générale d'autres revenus que les revenus de placements.
Le Conseil de Congrégation demande de rester attentif à l'éthique de nos placements ainsi qu'à l'influence du dollar US sur nos comptes.
Le Conseil de Congrégation demande de tenir compte du poids financier de la maison vide du Vigan. Les frais d'entretien de la maison du Vigan représentent annuellement 10% de la valeur du bien immobilier.
Le Conseil de Congrégation demande que le montant budgété pour les traductions soit porté à 20.000 $.
Le Conseil de Congrégation approuve les comptes 2003 ainsi que le budget 2004.Collaborations avec la Province d’Afrique
Suite à la demande du Supérieur Général d’encourager la solidarité de la Congrégation avec la Province d’Afrique,
Suite à l’exposé des besoins nombreux fait par le Provincial : accompagnement de jeunes religieux, collaboration avec l’Institut Supérieur Emmanuel d’Alzon de Butembo (ISEAB), demandes de financements divers, aide pour la gestion, etc...(1) Le Conseil de Congrégation propose que le Supérieur Général fasse un appel auprès des religieux des diverses Provinces pour solliciter des volontaires en vue de la formation. Cet appel, fait en lien avec les Provinciaux, s’appuiera sur les demandes précises formulées par la Province d’Afrique.
(2) Prenant en compte l’importance de la création de l’Institut Supérieur Emmanuel d’Alzon de Butembo (ISEAB), le Conseil de Congrégation exprime la disponibilité des Provinces pour étudier les collaborations possibles, dans divers domaines (enseignement, mise en place du projet, financements éventuels). Pour cela, il est demandé à la Province d’Afrique :
2.1. d’établir un dossier complet présentant l’ensemble des besoins ; Conseil de Congrégation 2004 29
2.2. de soumettre ce dossier au Conseil général pour authentification ;
2.3. de déléguer le responsable de l’Institut pour présenter le dossier auprès des Provinces et d’organismes susceptibles d’apporter leur aide.
(3) Le Conseil de Congrégation encourage les diverses Provinces à poursuivre l’accueil de jeunes religieux d’Afrique pour leur formation (de préférence supérieure).
(4) Le Conseil de Congrégation n’émet pas de réserve particulière à ce que soient envisagés le noviciat et la formation première de candidats Africains à Madagascar. Sous réserve toutefois de la présence avec ces jeunes d’un religieux africain formateur.
(5) Enfin, le Conseil de Congrégation reconfirme la décision concernant une fondation en Afrique de l’Ouest. Celle-ci est l’un des gestes prophétiques de l’an 2000. Il encourage les Provinces concernées à poursuivre études et contacts afin d’aboutir à une réalisation après le Chapitre général de 2005.
Implantations en Asie
Le Conseil de Congrégation confirme nos implantations en Asie, en particulier en Corée, aux Philippines et au Vietnam, en mobilisant les ressources humaines et financières nécessaires. Il confie cette tâche au Comité exécutif.
Érection d’un Comité exécutif du Conseil de Congrégation
Le Conseil de Congrégation estime nécessaire que certains de ces dossiers soient confiés pour leur étude et leur réalisation à une instance supra-provinciale dotée d’un pouvoir réel émanant du Conseil de Congrégation. Ce groupe est composé du Conseil général et de quatre membres du Conseil de Congrégation, ces derniers désignés par celui-ci. Cette “task force” représente ainsi un réel pouvoir délégué par les Provinciaux.
En tant que Comité exécutif du Conseil de Congrégation, ce groupe est appelé à travailler sur des dossiers précis déterminés par ce Conseil, et habilité à prendre les décisions nécessaires. Ce groupe travaillera pour une durée déterminée (entre deux Conseils de Congrégation). Il rendra compte de ses décisions et réalisations au Conseil de Congrégation.
Cette expérience est mise en route ad experimentum dès maintenant jusqu’au Chapitre général.
Le Comité exécutif est composé du Supérieur Général, d’Assistants généraux et de quatre Provinciaux choisis par le Conseil de Congrégation. Ce Comité a la faculté d’inviter des experts. Il se réunira deux fois, au moins, d'ici au Chapitre général.
Le Conseil de Congrégation confie au Comité exécutif les dossiers suivants : l'avenir de la maison du Vigan ; la mise en oeuvre concrètes des orientations prises concernant nos implantations en Asie, l'élaboration de schémas possibles concernant la composition et la mission de l'équipe générale au service de l'ensemble de la Congrégation (cette réflexion prendra aussi en compte la fonction de la maison généralice et son équipement en personnel) ; la relance de la mission d’Orient (en lien avec la Visite canonique du Supérieur Général) et la définition du statut du représentant de la Province d’Afrique dans les instances de la Congrégation (Chapitre général et Conseil de Congrégation), après une recherche historique et canonique du Procureur.Sont élus membres du Comité Exécutif : les Pères André Antoni, John Franck, Mart Lemmens et Marcos de Souza.
Critères pour devenir Région
Modèles existants
1. Modèle de la Règle de Vie (n/83-85) : Un groupe de communautés devient Région qui fait partie intégrante d'une Province.
2. Modèle d'Amérique du Nord : Trois Régions constituent une Province.
3. Des anciennes Régions gardent leur Statut : l'Italie, par exemple.Diversité dans la vitalité d'une Région
1. Une Province qui devient Région. Elle a des traditions, un héritage, une histoire, qui peuvent être lourds, mais qui gardent toujours leur valeur. La vie décroît.
2. Un groupe de communautés qui devient Région. Elle a des vocations, une possibilité de développement, un espoir d' avenir. La vie est montante.Critères pour devenir Région
1. Autonomie suffisante :
- Un nombre de communautés et de religieux capables d'une vie de communauté et d'un projet apostolique, c'est-à-dire capables d'incarner le charisme de l'Assomption dans la réalité culturelle, sociale, ecclésiale du pays.
- Une capacité à se donner des structures d'animation et de gouvernement.
- Une certaine autonomie financière.2. Pouvoirs délégués :
Les Statuts de la Région doivent au moins préciser :
- les pouvoirs ordinaires du Régional,
- les structures nécessaires à la vie de la Région,
- les liens avec la Province :
- la participation du Régional au Chapitre et au Conseil de Province,
- la Visite canonique de la part du Provincial,
- des rapports à présenter par le Régional au Conseil de Province sur la vie et la mission de la Région et sur l'état financier.
- L'engagement de la part de la Région à suivre les orientations et projets de la Province.
Le Conseil de Congrégation demande que les prochains Chapitres provinciaux révisent les Statuts de leur(s) Région(s) conformément aux critères ci-dessus.
Le Conseil de Congrégation suggère que les critères ci-dessus soient soumis à l’examen du prochain Chapitre général.“Solide”
Le Conseil de Congrégation demande que la structure mise en place par “Solide” soit maintenue (Conseil d’Administration formé des Provinciaux d’Europe et de l’Assistant chargé de l’Europe). Pour rendre opérationnel l’agence “Solide”, le Conseil de Congrégation mandate le Conseil d’Administration pour prendre les décisions nécessaires afin de déposer pour financement, avant le prochain Chapitre général, au moins un ou deux projets de développement.
Restructuration de la Congrégation
Constat
Le Conseil de Congrégation apprécie les collaborations concrètes qui existent entre les diverses Provinces. Il note aussi que la conscience continentale se renforce progressivement, notamment par la mise en route de diverses initiatives.Recommandations
1. Le Conseil de Congrégation encourage toutes les Provinces à poursuivre l'effort d’organisation et de collaboration continentale.
2. Le Conseil de Congrégation encourage les Provinces de France et d'Espagne à étudier les possibilités d’un rapprochement.Demandes
1. Le Conseil de Congrégation demande que pour le Chapitre général de 2005, les Provinces d’Europe du Nord proposent un ou des modèles d'organisation commune aux trois réalités.
2. Le Conseil de Congrégation demande que chaque Chapitre provincial inclut dans son projet de Province des propositions de collaboration interprovinciales et continentales.
3. Le Conseil de Congrégation demande que le Comité exécutif propose pour le prochain Chapitre général des modèles de structures de gouvernement général et des instances de Congrégation.Invitation d’une personne extérieure au Chapitre général
Le Conseil de Congrégation confie au Conseil général d’inviter une personne extérieure au Chapitre général et de voir avec elle le rôle qu’elle peut jouer dans la dynamique d’animation du Chapitre, pour une relecture des travaux et pour la rédaction du “fil rouge”.
ACTES DU SUPERIEUR GENERAL EN SON
CONSEIL
Nomination du Provincial de Chili-Argentine-Colombie
Avec l’accord de son Conseil, le 4 juin 2004, le Père Général a nommé le Père Edgardo Muñoz Gutiérrez Provincial de Chili-Argentine et de Colombie, pour un premier mandat de trois ans.
Nomination du Vice-Provincial de Madagascar
Avec l’accord de son Conseil, le 7 septembre 2004, le Père Général a nommé le Père Daniel Carton Vice-Provincial de Madagascar pour un second mandat de trois ans.
Nomination du Régional de Colombie
Avec l’accord de son Conseil, le Provincial de Chili-Argentine, le Père Miguel Fuentealba, a nommé Supérieur Régional de Colombie, le Père Tomás González, le 17 mai 2004, pour une période de trois ans.
Appel au Sacerdoce
Avec l'accord de son Conseil, le Père Général a appelé au Sacerdoce
le 13.03.04, Fr. Luiz Gonzagua Da Silva (Prov. du Brésil)
le 25.05.04, Fr. Sébastien Antoni (Prov. de France)
le 25.05.04, Fr. Thibault Van Den Driessche (Prov. de Belgique-Sud)
le 26.05.04, Fr. Yves Meessen (Prov. de Belgique-Sud)
le 07.09.04, Fr. Lucien Robia (Vice-Prov. de Madagascar),
le 08.09.04, Fr. Pierre Landu Safari (Prov. d’Afrique),
le 08.09.04, Fr. Samuelson Ramananadraibe (Vice-Prov. de Madagascar).
le 08.12.04, Fr. Pedro Elías Pedraza Zorro (Région de Colombie)
Appel au Diaconat
Avec l'accord de son Conseil, le Père Général a appelé au Diaconat
le 06.03.04, Fr. François-Xavier Nguyen Tien D.
(Prov. de France)
le 08.03.04, Fr. Léonidas Paluku Vyambwera (Prov. d’Afrique)
le 13.03.04, Fr. Oswaldo García Sánchez (Prov. d’Amér.
du Nord/Mexique)
le 27.05.04, Fr. Christophe Husson (Prov. de France)
le 09.09.04, Fr. Benjamin Kakule Kamwite (Prov. d’Afrique),
le 09.09.04, Fr. Jean-René Kasereka Bayengo (Prov. d’Afrique),
le 10.09.04, Fr. Jean-Baptiste Kasereka Kayisirirya (Prov. d’Afrique),
le 10.09.04, Fr. Frédéric Kakule Kavunga (Prov. d’Afrique),
le 13.09.04, Fr. Christophe Yongesa Mbunge (Prov. d’Afrique),
le 13.09.04, Fr. Jean-Raymond Rakotonirian (Vice-Prov. de Madagascar),
le 13.09.04, Fr. Fidèle Razafitapiaka (Vice-Prov. de Madagascar).
le 09.12.04, Fr. Vincent Leclercq (Prov. de France)
le 13.12.04, Fr. Juan Carlos Marzolla Laius (Prov. de Chili-Argentine)
le 13.12.04, Fr. Jorge Antonio Castro Barraza (Prov. de Chili-Argentine)
le 15.12.04, Fr. Diego Martín Nace Kote (Prov. de Chili-Argentine)
le 15.12.04, Fr. Mauricio Andrés Riquelme Valdebenito (Prov. de Chili-Arg.)
Admission à la Profession perpétuelle
Avec l'accord de son Conseil, le Père Général a admis à la Profession perpétuelle
le 06.03.04, Fr. Mwirawivu Kakule Fataki (Prov. d’Afrique)
le 08.03.04, Fr. Jean-Bosco Kakule Kitambala (Prov. d’Afrique)
le 08.03.04, Fr. Paulin Kakule Vyakuno (Prov. d’Afrique)
le 09.03.04, Fr. Remacle Kambale Kamavu (Prov. d’Afrique)
le 09.03.04, Fr. Jean-Paul Kambale Muthekerwa (Prov. d’Afrique)
le 11.03.04, Fr. Eric Kasereka Mukosa (Prov. d’Afrique)
le 11.03.04, Fr. Jacques Muhindo Kanzalya (Prov. d’Afrique)
le 11.03.04, Fr. Daniel García Rodríguez (Vicariat de Colombie)
le 12.03.04, Fr. Gersaín de Jesús Sinisterra Agudelo (Vicariat
de Colombie)
le 12.03.04, Fr. Jean-Marie Wayivuta Vihamba (Prov. d’Afrique)
le 13.03.04, Fr. Carlos Humberto Mira Restrepo (Vicariat de Colombie)
le 26.05.04, Fr. Marco Aurélio Florentino Gonçalves (Prov. du
Brésil)
le 27.05.04, Fr. Angello Nicolas Randrianarison (V/Prov. de Madagascar)
le 31.05.04, Fr. Bien Aimé Ratsihosena Razafimahavelo (V/Prov. de Madag.)
le 31.05.04, Fr. Chrysanthe Hajanirina Razafimaharavo (V/Prov. de Madag.)
le 01.06.04, Fr. Ovidiu Robu (Prov. de France)
le 02.06.04, Fr. Pierrot Velonkendry (V/Prov. de Madagascar)
le 13.09.04, Fr. Jean Sella (Prov. du Brésil),
le 14.09.04,
Fr. Jean-Claude Kasongo Mayamba (Prov. d’Afrique),
le 14.09.04, Fr. Jean-Guillaume Kavusa Kasoko (Prov. d’Afrique),
le 16.09.04, Fr. Joseph Mbusa Katusi (Prov. d’Afrique).
le 10.12.04, Fr. Viatcheslav Gorokhov (Prov. de France)
le 10.12.04, Fr. Iulian Prajescu (Prov. de France)
le 16.12.04, Fr. Luis Fernando Vargas Mora (Région de Colombie)
Agrément du Maître des Novices du noviciat d’Arusha
Après consultation de son Conseil, le Père Général donne son agrément à la nomination du Père Richard Brunelle (Province d’Afrique) comme Maître des Novices du noviciat d’Arusha, le 2 juin 2004.
REPORT of the Superior General (traduction
en espagnol, français, néerlandais et portugais.)
Introduction
1- This report has been drafted in view of the Congregation’s General Chapter and is addressed to the Assumptionists as well as to the sisters of the family and to the lay people with whom we collaborate. Because they are part of our larger family, their thoughts on these questions are important to us.
2- In the past the report of the General Chapter was published in two distinct parts: the first was sent to all of the religious, and the second distributed to the members of the Chapter. The first part provided an overall reflection on the Congregation, its life and mission in today’s world. The second gave a fairly factual account of the work of the General government and published statistics regarding the Congregation at the time of the Chapter.
3- I decided to send to all of the religious a fairly complete report on the activity of these last years (see Chapter two of this report), for it is on the basis of this effort of animation that we are able to evaluate the life of the Congregation (Chapter three of the report) and formulate a number of proposals for the future (Chapter four of the report). The members of the Chapter will also receive a dossier with the detailed reports of the Officers, as well as other information and statistics.
4- You will understandably want to jump to Chapter four of the report, but I encourage you to read the chapters in order. Only in the light of my analysis will the ensuing proposals make the most sense.
5- This report has been drafted by the Superior General with the active collaboration of the members of the General Council. Its point of view is consequently limited, but nonetheless based on a substantial knowledge of the entire Congregation and of each of its communities. With contributions from vice/Provincial
I. The Theme of the Chapter: « Many gifts
in one body »
United with one charism at the service of a common project
6- “Many gifts in one body”—the theme for the General Chapter of 2005 was chosen by the Major Superiors at the Council of Congregation in 2003. A year later, they talked together at length in order to understand as well as possible what the implications of this theme were for our religious family at this time.
A process
7- The choice of this theme is the fruit of a gradual discernment since the Chapter of 1999, which invited us to work on our charism. We realized at the Council of Congregation of 2000 that it was this charism and our common mission that united brothers scattered across the globe. Since the Jubilee year, the members of the Council reflected on the unity of our religious family, insisting on the international character of the Congregation, our cultural and linguistic variety, and our different ways of living out our Assumptionist vocation. We also realized that in a shrinking world and with diminished resources, we are called to an interdependence that is not only a practical necessity, but a witness to communion and a central feature of our own Assumptionist charism. Finally, at the Council of Congregation of 2003, it occurred to us that a common apostolic project for the Congregation could be the most concrete expression of our charism and of our apostolic vocation.
The light shed by St. Paul
8- We are not the only ones to be taken with “diversity”; it is a popular theme for many today. We talk about it, however, not in a spirit of claiming rights for oppressed minorities, but in the context of Paul’s meditation on the Body of Christ (especially in I Corinthians 12 and 13). Paul’s emphasis in I Corinthians 12 is not on diversity, but on the unique source of all gifts, the Holy Spirit. In the first eleven verses of the chapter, the Spirit or the one Lord is mentioned eleven times. For Paul what gathers the community together is not the agreement of its individual members, but the one Lord who brings the community and its members into existence. Paul’s concern is different than ours might be. His purpose is not political, i.e. he does not set out to defend the “rights” of any person or group. And it is not psychological; he is not concerned about promoting the well-being or “fulfillment” of anyone by liberating his or her inner potential. In discussions of diversity today, the emphasis and starting point is more spontaneously the individual rather than the community (the body). Just how deeply ingrained in us is this un-Pauline perspective?
9- Chapter 12 is also intent on drawing out the rich variety of gifts that flow from the Spirit (verses 4-11) and the interdependence of these gifts that together constitute the body (verses 12-26). Just as all of these gifts flow from one source, so they are all meant to serve the one body (verses 7 and 20-26). Chapters 13 and 14 insist on love and mutual service as the higher gifts to which we should aspire.
10- These chapters of the Apostle can be an inspiration for us today, and an evangelical perspective on the question of diversity, which sadly too often becomes divisive. They provide us with a metaphor for community and the Church that is very concrete. Paul speaks of the Church as a “body”, suggesting that a community presents all of the challenges that living in a body has for the person. They remind us of the wealth of gifts that each person and each culture has received, and the importance of discovering and “exploiting” those gifts for the well-being of the body. Finally, they avoid any suggestion that community imposes constraints or uniformity on its members by affirming that love is its sure foundation, love that expresses itself in respect for the person, in friendship, and in concrete support for living the life of faith and carrying out our Gospel mission.
11- St. Paul and the Assumption, I believe, go beyond ideology and superficial dichotomies.
Love presupposes and even produces difference…
Truth is by nature symphonic, as von Balthasar would put it.(4)
The kind of unity to which we aspire has its origin in the richness and variety of a Trinitarian God. It manifests itself in the diversity of persons and cultures and is expressed in a charism, a project and structures that nurture both diversity and communion.
II. What the General Chapter of 1999 asked
for
And What We Have Done since Then
12- The theme that we’ve chosen for the Chapter has emerged gradually over the past five and a half years, but its roots go back further in time: in our work on a new Rule of Life, on the invention or rediscovery of practices to nurture the principles articulated in that Rule, and on the intense reflection on our charism and mission that preceded the last Chapter.
13- The Chapter of 1999 asked that the “re-expression of our Assumptionist charism (be) the major theme in the animation of the Congregation for the next six years.” (#3) This desire manifested a renewed pride in our vocation, a conviction that it was a gift for the Church that we needed to explore and communicate to our friends and place at the service of God’s people. During these years we have become even more aware of our shared Assumptionist character and more convinced that only together can we live it more deeply and serve the Church and the world more effectively. And our lay friends, in those communities and Provinces that have made efforts to cultivate relations with the laity, have often been even more insistent than us on this priority.
14- The General Council and I, with the Council of Congregation, have taken this mandate very seriously. It has been the major theme of every report to the Council of Congregation since the Chapter, and at those meetings the members of the Council spent substantial amounts of time discussing the question. This mandate occasioned the publication of my three major letters on the themes that the Council of Congregation considered the three major elements of our charism: faith in Jesus Christ, apostolic community and the mission for the Kingdom.(5) These three letters were preceded by one that I consider particularly important, Falling in Love Again (25 March 2000), and another that explained the process to be followed in studying the charism (Reexpressing the Charism, 29 June 2000).(6) The Chapter of 1999 considered letters of the Superior General to be an important form of animation (#148). I have a sense that this is true, but the amount of direct feedback that I received on these letters was minimal. I have some concern that it is so difficult to gauge the effectiveness of an animation effort that requires such a heavy investment in terms of time, reflection, and even cost (for printing and distribution). The three major letters that I wrote invited the religious and the communities to reflect on specific issues and to communicate their thoughts in the Province and to the Superior General. These responses became gradually more numerous and substantial.(7) I know that various regions and communities in the Congregation also organized sessions with lay friends, celebrations especially on the occasion of the year-long 150th anniversary celebration and of the beatification of the Bulgarian martyrs, and retreats on Augustinian and d’Alzonian themes—so many ways of exploring the charism and appropriating it at a deeper level. The degree of effectiveness of these initiatives will undoubtedly be made clear in the kind of reflection that takes place at the upcoming General Chapter.
15- The emphasis at our last General Chapter on the charism colored most of the decisions that it entrusted to us for realization over the past five and a half years. Some of these were entrusted to those of us in General Government, some to the vice/Provinces and their Superiors, and still others to local communities. On the basis of a review of these decisions carried out (in compliance with #147b of the General Chapter) at the 2003 meeting of the Council of Congregation, I would like to report to the entire Congregation what the General Council and I have attempted to do, and to give you some sense of how the various vice/Provinces responded to these Chapter decisions. I will do so on the basis of a review conducted at the Council of Congregation in 2003 (as requested by the General Chapter in #147b).
16- At its first meetings, the General Council studied the decisions of the General Chapter and defined the four major priorities that would guide its work over the next six years. These four priorities were as follows:
1. to follow up on the General Chapter
2. to know the Congregation better
3. to form leaders
4. to deepen fraternal relations with the sisters of the Assumption family.
1) To follow up on the General Chapter has engaged us in a wide variety of activities.
Re-expression of the charism
17- We worked on the re-expression of the charism in different ways (I have already mentioned for example the letters of the Superior General), but this happened most of all through the more or less unexpected grace of the beatification of our brother martyrs, who enabled us to celebrate our vocation, which they lived in a heroic manner. This beatification was a feast for the entire Assumption family and enabled us to rekindle our passion for the mission in Eastern Europe. Initiatives in connection with the 150th anniversary of our founding were likewise helpful.(8) Finally, various communication and publication efforts (at the level of the Congregation, as well as at the Provincial level)(9) demanded considerable energy, but seemed important to us for deepening our knowledge of the charism and for encouraging a spirit of belonging to one unique religious family. Unfortunately, the impact of such efforts is hard to measure, especially since the readers’ reactions are rarely communicated even when this is asked for in a specific manner.18- During these years, work has continued on the designing of a logo for the entire Congregation. This work should be concluded at the upcoming General Chapter. The Chapter of 1999 also encouraged us to promote the founding and/or development of centers for the study of the charism (see General Chapter #25, #132). Some individual religious have continued to pursue their intellectual and pastoral efforts along these lines, but little has been done to promote centers to encourage these efforts.
19- In terms of the mission, a number of projects were identified as “prophetic gestures” to be promoted in the context of our 150th anniversary celebration (see General Chapter #58). We continue to pursue work on these projects, but at the General level we have not had enough time to solicit additional funds that would have been necessary to implement the projects as we would have liked. We also organized a development office (SOLIDE) (see General Chapter #63), which continues to evolve. The plan is to continue reflecting on the kind of office that we would need in this regard. In general, a number of the Chapter’s decisions under the heading “Justice and Peace” (#46-65) have not been pursued vigorously either at the General level, nor at the Provincial level. Is it because they were formulated vaguely or not entrusted to anyone particular for implementation? Is it because they were inadequately prepared? We must take seriously our commitment to the great causes of peace and justice in today’s world, particularly since we live in contexts where people are deprived of both. But it is important for us to give serious thought to these questions so that the next General Chapter will be in a position to help us in this regard and avoid making proposals that we do not implement.Ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue
20- Decisions regarding ecumenism were addressed in a number of ways. The Council of Congregation met in Istanbul in 2002 to familiarize all of the Provincials with this particular mission, and since then our Mission in Eastern Europe has been a regular item on the Council of Congregation’s agenda. I very much regret that we have not been able to give a clear orientation more rapidly to this mission that is so important for the Assumption and for the Church, but I understand that the situation is complex and the resources, lacking. It is to be hoped that the General Chapter will pronounce itself on this matter in the context of an overall project for the Congregation. Out of a concern for ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue, the General Councils of the family reflected together on the COIA (Commission Oecuménique Inter- Assumption) and decided to modify its goals and operation. It became the RIAD (Rencontre Internationale de l’Assomption pour le Dialogue), in order to emphasize inter-religious dialogue as well as ecumenism, and the pastoral dimension as well as the intellectual dimension (see General Chapter #40, #69g). This group has already met twice (August 2002 and August 2004).
Education and Media
21- The Chapter’s decisions regarding education and the media inspired a gathering of religious and lay leaders of our Belgian colleges (Rome, February 2002) and a Chapter preparation workshop on Education and Media (Worcester, July 2004). I sense a greater interest in education in the Congregation, as reflected in the apostolic ambitions of many young people in a number of vice/Provinces, in the increased involvement of Assumptionists in institutes of higher learning, and in the foundation of new educational establishments under our tutelage (in Africa, in Chile, and in Madagascar).
22- The same is true for our work in the communications media. Bayard continues to be strong and to expand internationally, involving more Provinces in its media activities. Publishing and media initiatives have been pursued vigorously in Africa (e.g. Radio Moto in Butembo, Congo, and a series of publications by the religious in formation), and young people in Africa and Madagascar often speak of journalism as a major need and interest. It is less clear, however, that there has been any systematic effort to implement other recommendations of the Chapter in this area (see, for example, #118a, #120).(10)
Intellectual life
23- It should be noted that little was done to implement the Chapter’s decisions regarding the intellectual life of the Congregation (see General Chapter #123-#135). Some Provinces have appointed religious responsible for intellectual formation and encouraged studies in disciplines up to the doctoral level. I have encouraged vice/Provincials to consider Rome as a formation center for brothers doing graduate study, and we have been able to secure scholarships for a number of Assumptionists studying in Roman universities. The Commission requested by the General Chapter (see #134), however, has not been created. Though I would not say that the intellectual life is forgotten in the Congregation, I sense that it is not the preoccupation of many. In a Church context where the urgent needs are many and where we want to have a tangible impact fairly rapidly, we need to consider seriously what the truly deep needs are and not be afraid to commit ourselves to an effort that does not bear immediate fruit but that has a real and long-lasting impact on society.
24- The General Chapter made a series of decisions regarding the laity involved in the life and mission of the Congregation. The Charter proposed by the Chapter (see #85) has been used in some vice/Provinces, and in general most vice/Provinces (with the exception of one or two) have worked closely with their lay friends: in Provincial Commissions, in apostolic projects, in vocation ministry, in the life of the individual communities, etc. Lay people have participated in special vice/provincial events (forums, chapters, sessions, etc.), and at the international level they have participated in at least one Council of Congregation (Mexico, 2004), in a number of Congregation sessions/workshops, and are being invited to participate in part of the General Chapter in 2005. It is hoped that this collaboration will enable the creation of the international layreligious commission asked for by the last General Chapter (see #87).
25- With regard to vocation ministry, some initiatives have been taken at the local, vice/Provincial and continental levels. The Triduum for Vocations (see General Chapter #107) has been organized annually by the General Council, and a workshop on Vocation Ministry (see General Chapter #106) has been foreseen in preparation for the upcoming Chapter. There remains much to be done in this area.
26- The General Chapter also made a number of decisions that have to do with the organization of the Congregation. At the Council of Congregation in 2000, the Province of England (see #212) and the Vicariate of Korea (see #214) were suppressed. The first became a Region of the Province of France, and Korea became the responsibility of a consortium of three Provinces and then of the Province of France alone. The decisions of the Chapter concerning Colombia (see #210) were implemented, and the Vicariate was dissolved in 2004 and erected by the Province of Chile/Argentina as a Region. In addition to these efforts at restructuring, a commission of European Provincials, created by the Chapter (see #45 and #211), met on a number of occasions to discuss common projects and to propose new structures for our European Provinces.
27- In terms of the organization of our religious family, the General Chapter urged greater international collaboration (see #40-45), and in particular the close collaboration of the Superior General and the other Major Superiors in the animation of our life and mission (see #147 and 151). As mentioned earlier, communion in the Congregation has been a constant theme since the first Council of Congregation after the last General Chapter. This led to the practice, each year, of meetings among vice/Provincials with common interests or apostolic proposals they would like to work on together. The practice has led, for example, to the creation of an international, inter-Provincial community in Quebec, to the assignment of religious for apostolic or formation purposes from one vice/Province to another, etc. We have also encouraged discussions at the Continental level, leading up to the most recent discussions (in 2003-2004) regarding restructuring in the Congregation. The Executive Committee established at the Council of Congregation in 2004 can be seen as an expression of this desire to work even more closely together within the Congregation.
28- Chapter decisions regarding the Apostolic Fund (see #219-223) were respected; further proposals will be made at the upcoming Chapter. The General Bursar has continued to work with a group of financial consultors (see #231), and although he has encouraged the creation of fund-raising centers (“procures”) in every Province, no new centers have yet been established. This is a source of some concern; we need to come to the point of financial autonomy in every Province.
29- The last item that might be mentioned, regarding the implementation of Chapter decisions, is the publication of the Acts of the Chapter in the four official languages of the Congregation within two months of the end of the Chapter.
2) To Know the Congregation Better
30- We have tried to know the Congregation better through
a variety of strategies.
31- The most important of these have been canonical visitations and the presence of members of the General Council through visits in the vice/Provinces or correspondence with the various Major Superiors or others in the vice/Provinces.
32- Canonical visits all followed the same format and were almost always made by myself with at least one other member of the General Council. I made the effort to write an individual visitation letter for every community, though I did not always succeed at this. I sent a visitation letter to the vice/Province at the conclusion of the visit and asked for the reaction of vice/Provincial and his Council(s). These letters sought to reflect on the life of the vice/Province and to make precise proposals to help the vice/Province make further progress. Approximately six months after a visit, an Assistant General visited the vice/Province to talk about follow-up that had taken place as a result of the General visitation.
33- The religious seemed to appreciate these formal visitations, and in particular the opportunity to know the Superior General and talk with him about their own life and that of their community. That being said, we would do well to evaluate the real impact of such visitations. They represent an enormous investment in time and funds. Could we imagine a less timeconsuming and costly format, one that would be more focused and perhaps more helpful to the various vice/Provinces?
34- The importance of the support provided by the Assistants General to the Major Superiors, the various Councils and Commissions in the vice/Provinces, and others cannot be underestimated. To mention only the Province of Africa, for example, in 2000-2001, every member of the General Council spent at least one month in the Province. Since then, at least one Assistant or I have visited the Province each year. We sense that this kind of presence is very important: general government needs to be “in the field” in order to know well the life and the mission of the brothers. Evidently, this is time-consuming. Unfortunately, with a reduced number of Council members, who also had to assume the work of Officers and animation of the local community, we did not do everything we thought necessary. The Assistants also wondered at times if their visits had the desired impact. They had the sense that after their visit, there was little follow through in the vice/Province, and in any case little reaction from the vice/provincial leadership. Nonetheless, we remain convinced that whatever structure we imagine for General government, it would be important to assure a substantial form of presence by the General Council in the vice/Provinces and to provide solid formation and accompaniment for leaders.
35- Publications also enabled us to nurture communication between the General government and the vice/Provinces. AA-Info (see General Chapter #240), the Directory of Religious (see #27), the creation of the Congregation’s web-site (see #28), the Necrology, the Documents Assomption, regular letters to the Major Superiors (called “SM”) are appreciated by the religious and help us to keep open channels of communication within the Congregation. In this regard, it would be important to mention the important work of translation that took place during this time (see General Chapter #241). We should be grateful to those who worked hard at this. We considered this to be a priority, though we feel there is still work to be done, especially in terms of simultaneous translation to facilitate sessions that are genuinely international. When I see what we have done and compare it to what other international Congregations have achieved, I wonder if we really have the will to move in this direction. How can we take more seriously this very real and concrete dimension of our international character. We need to translate our words into actions. What measures will we take?
3) to Form Leaders
36- The formation of leaders was another of our priorities
and has taken place in different ways.
37- We did good work in this area, I believe, but this continues to be a concern. To what extent are we preparing leaders for the future? How are we prepared to accompany them? It is not simply a matter of forming managers or functionaries. It is a matter of fostering a culture of responsibility and initiative, imagination and freedom. And then of helping especially young religious to acquire the tools needed for the work of leadership. A community can subsist for a while without an effort in this regard, but it will not develop and will not do its best work.
4) to Nurture Our Relations with the Sisters of the
Assumption Family
38- Finally, we have sought to nurture our relations
with the sisters of the Assumption family through a number
of means. Undoubtedly, the most effective efforts in
this regard have been on the local and vice/Provincial
level, where friendly relations and apostolic collaborations
have continued and intensified over the past six years.
At the General level, the Superiors General have continued
to meet every two years, in December of 1999, 2001, and
2003. They have also met more informally on other occasions.
The General Councils of the five Congregations met in
the alternating years, in September of 2000, 2002, and
2004. They have engaged in a number of common projects
(language courses, common sessions, the RIAD, etc.) and
organized two common colloquia: on the History of
the Family (January 2004) and Religious Life Tomorrow
in Europe and North America (October 2004). Religious
of the different families have also participated in various
Chapters and sessions and animated retreats for each
other.
III. What We Have Seen in the Vice/provinces
39- One of the priorities of the General Council has been to know the Congregation as well as we possibly could. We considered such knowledge as necessary if we were to be faithful to what the Rule of Life says is one of the major responsibilities of the Superior General: to help the Congregation grow in fidelity to their commitment as Assumptionist religious and in their service to the Kingdom (RL #103, #105).
40- Canonical visitations are one of the principal means we used to accomplish these goals. They made it possible for us to see the strengths and weaknesses of our religious family at this time in its history. What follows is a picture of what we have seen during these visits. This picture has been refined as a result of an analysis made by the Provincials at the 2004 Council of Congregation meeting.11
Our Strengths & Our Weaknesses
The Assumptionist charism
41- Everyone agrees, with varying degrees of conviction and enthusiasm, that our spiritual tradition and our Rule of Life are our greatest strength. We admire the founding intuition and the spirit of the founder. We are less troubled by his nineteenth century style than in the past (especially since we have discovered that this is less difficult for our lay friends than it has been to us) and more inclined to turn to him in our own personal prayer and study. We also refer much more frequently to Saint Augustine, introduce young religious to him during their years of formation, and use him as an inspiration in our preaching and in our various pastoral activities. Though fewer of us are engaged in research on Augustine than in the past, this is probably more due to our smaller numbers than to a decline in interest.
42- We continue to be inspired by our Rule of life and refer to it proudly. We appreciate its Christocentric spirituality and its focus on the essentials. For example, it insists on a deep love of the Church and a zealous dedication to the service of God’s people in a way that transcends easy polarities. We are challenged by the ideals to which it invites us: generosity, daring, freedom, openness, inventiveness in the mission.
43- Our love of the founder, of the Rule and of the charism in general was noticeable in the 150th anniversary events organized in the Congregation and in every Province and is evidenced in the efforts to study the founder and to publish and translate articles and books related to him.
But…
44- We continue to have great difficulty in expressing our charism, simply and in words that people who are not of our “tribe” can understand. We explain that too easily by saying that d’Alzon wanted us to have the “spirit of the Church”, without a distinguishing feature that sets us apart. While there is some truth to that, it provides no answer to the question: “Then why did Fr. d’Alzon bother to found a particular Congregation?”
45- Related to that, we continue to be very modest and often practically invisible. There may be something admirable in that, but our lay friends are asking for more, and service to the Church demands more.
46- While we are happy with the Rule of Life, we tend to quote the same few phrases, but need to spend more time studying and thinking about the whole Rule and especially making efforts to find concrete ways and practices that will help us be faithful to the ideal it presents. We run the risk of preaching a good sermon, but not putting it into practice.
Our life of faith
47- In every region where we are located, we are painfully aware of the challenges to a serious life of faith. This is a source of suffering to many, who nonetheless continue to struggle in their desire to remain faithful. Among the religious and in our communities, there is a desire to live the faith personally and with brothers in community and to give clear witness to this fact. Common prayer is a feature in the very great majority of our communities, even in smaller communities and in our retirement communities. In the way we pray and of course in our fidelity to a life of personal prayer, we provide an important witness to those who know us. Common prayer is one of the elements that younger religious say drew them to the Assumption. In a number of communities the brothers have found ways to talk with each other about their faith and continue to organize retreats and programs of renewal. Many individuals have committed themselves to a serious life of personal prayer. It is clear to me that the beatification of our three brothers in 2002 was a powerful reminder for us all that the call to holiness is at the heart of our vocation as Christians and as Assumptionists.
But…
48- I wonder how aware we are of the impact that contemporary challenges to the faith have on our own faith and our own capacity to live the demands of the consecrated life. Some of the brothers say our life has become too “bourgeois”, too consumerist. Is that the case? How much do we reflect on the impact that the ambient culture might be having on us? Perhaps we need to preach to ourselves more often the demands of the Gospel.
49- “Contemplation” is not a word we Assumptionists use too easily. It is true that some people say that Augustine was not a contemplative or that d’Alzon was something of an activist. But were they not both contemplatives as well? People readily see that we are very energetic and dedicated apostles. I think it is also important that they see us as men of deep personal prayer, men who spend substantial amounts of time in prayer both in private and in public. During my visits, I didn’t often see great numbers of religious engaged in personal prayer in the community’s chapel. Sometimes I wondered if personal prayer were a value for some, who more readily would have insisted on the importance of apostolic service.
50- It should be said that some communities of the Congregation do not gather for Morning Prayer and for Evening Prayer. I rarely if ever found any good reasons for that lack. More often, especially in communities whose members celebrated the Eucharist in other settings during the day, the brothers do not gather for daily Eucharist. As I wrote in “Witnesses to Love” (Letter #5, p. 21), I do not think we can say that the Eucharist is at the heart of our common life unless we gather as a community to celebrate it on a regular and frequent basis. The solution may not be easy, but if we admit the value of this ideal, we then need to struggle to find a way.
51- Related to this question of prayer, I think, is another phenomenon that I noticed on many occasions: religious who were tired, dispirited, discouraged, without passion or motivation. While acknowledging the difficulties that religious today often face, I noticed that in the face of this suffering a number of religious simply concluded that there was no hope and that the only “reasonable” response was to hold out as best as possible until the end or to “pull the plug”.
Our life in community
52- By community, I mean of course our Assumptionist fraternity (at the local and international levels), which is the context within which we live, but I broaden the definition by insisting that the sisters of the family and the lay people who collaborate with us are also part of our community in an important way.
53- We recognize that the fraternal life is one of our distinguishing features: it is both our strength and our daily challenge. It is perhaps the feature of our life that is most attractive to young men in discernment.
Fraternal life
54- Our Assumptionist communities are almost universally welcoming, and they inspire in people and in groups around them a certain “family spirit”. I sensed a good deal of fraternal affection in Assumptionist communities, among the different generations, and in particular for our sick and older brothers, who are cared for with great attention. This fraternal affection has been nourished in some Provinces with great effort (Provincial assemblies, dialogue strategies, etc.). While in some Provinces I sense that older ideological battles have left their mark and remain unresolved, nowhere did I witness any serious discord.
55- Work on and with our new Rule of Life has given birth to new community “practices”. The Local Chapter is now held in the great majority of our communities. In some communities, “obedience” has become a very helpful brief daily gathering to communicate useful information and even more substantial reflections. In the Provinces, some initiatives have been taken to provide formation for those with special community responsibilities, and a great effort has been made to publish regular news/animation bulletins.
56- Our Assumptionist “community” has become more and more conscious of its international character. We are now present on every continent. There is considerable inter-provincial collaboration, encouraged by regular small-group inter-provincial reflection at the annual Council of Congregation meeting. Such collaboration and international communities exist on every continent. Since the last General Chapter, at least one new international community was founded in Quebec. This sense of belonging to one international body has been enhanced by the continuing effort at sharing resources among Provinces: through the exchange of religious, financial support given through the Congregation’s Solidarity Fund, inter-provincial aid initiatives, and the creation of a substantial Apostolic Fund for the Congregation. The international character of the Congregation has been promoted likewise by an increased effort at translation and at making religious of every culture and language feel at home in the Congregation.
The broader community with the sisters of the family
57- This fraternal spirit extends beyond the Assumptionists. Almost universally, I encountered solid and often substantial relations with sisters of the family. Friendship, shared prayer, and collaboration in the mission (as well as in formation and vocation ministry) are more and more the practice where two or more branches of the family are present in one place.
The broader community with our lay friends
58- This is also true in our relations with the laity. With the exception of one or another Province, lay people are involved in many cases as equals in the mission and share at least to some extent the fraternity and prayer of the religious community. They have even made important contributions in our vocation ministry and formation programs. They are more and more asking to know better and share more deeply our charism and express gratitude for the openness of the community in their regard. Some Provinces have made substantial efforts to help “Assumptionist lay people” get organized, have foreseen formation programs for them, and have even assisted them in the drafting of a “Rule” for lay people. It should be noted that even where there are few vocations to religious life, substantial numbers of lay people continue to be drawn to our communities.
But…
59- Perhaps because it is such an important dimension of our life, we are very critical of the quality of our fraternal life. I find that there is some justification in the criticisms that are made.
Fraternal life
60- Individualism is the not-so-hidden disease that weakens our communities. This gets expressed in very concrete ways (like rooms so well equipped with computers, television, books and audio systems that no one would ever have to leave his room, were it not for the need to eat) and in less tangible ways (like apostolic assignments that no Superior or Provincial would ever dare to change). There is little sense that in one’s own work the religious is contributing to a larger project. We would need to rediscover the ideal of life that Augustine presents in his Rule. He encourages us to put all things in common, to avoid making of anything our “proprium” or private property.
61- One of the consequences of this individualism is a sense of isolation among many. Generations feel isolated from each other. Persons feel isolated within the community; communities feel isolated within Provinces; and the sense of connection with the Congregation is thin. As one person put it: there is warmth in the community, but how much real agreement is there about the important things?
62- Difficulties communicating are one of the manifestations of the problem. Honesty and fraternal correction are severely hampered, though this has been cultivated explicitly in a very few communities. Where brothers are honest, the honesty is too often manifested harshly and in a hurtful way. Communication at meetings often remains formal. In some communities (too numerous), meetings are avoided “because they are boring”, “because people don’t talk”, “because we’re too busy”, “because we see each other at table.” I find that we do not have much imagination when it comes to community meetings; they end up being too much like the business meetings we have to attend so often. As I said earlier, we are fairly faithful to our Local Chapters, but these are very often formal exercises, limiting themselves to organizational matters. They fail to articulate our overriding objectives for the year to come and are seldom very mobilizing for the community.
63- Transparency is a major dimension of our relations in community. Respect for “privacy” too often means that we don’t talk about what’s important to us, and we are not entirely forthcoming about our activities, our relationships and our use of money. As one young religious put it recently: “Sexuality is a forbidden subject of conversation in community.”
64- Freedom is an important value that we cultivate and defend, but freedom requires that we have a healthy relationship with authority and a strong sense of responsibility. It is often surprising to me to see how adults relate in an immature manner to Superiors and others in authority. By the same token, I find Superiors who have great difficulty genuinely ministering to brothers, limiting themselves too often to administrative matters, but not taking the pains to encounter their brothers at a deeply human and supernatural level.
65- Despite a greater international awareness, the number of international communities is not increasing in the Congregation. It is not simply a matter of welcoming others and integrating them into our own culture, but of being ready to leave our own country to go where the need calls. The challenge remains to learn languages (we have four official languages, but how many of those are operative at our international gatherings?), to be free enough to get out of our own culture and to be critical of it, and to be ready to consider what is going on in another part of the world and in another Province to be more important than what is going on in my back yard.
The broader community with our lay friends
66- Relations with the laity vary considerably from one culture to another and from one religious to another. In certain of our Provinces, collaboration with the laity is not a priority. Is it a question of culture, of lack of interest, of principle, of persons? It is difficult to answer the question, but it seems to me that this collaboration is a part of a vision of Church that is particularly dear to us at the Assumption. All of our Provinces should think seriously about their commitment in this regard. Lay people are not at the service of the clergy to respond to their commands; they are genuine partners in the mission of the Church. It is in that spirit that we need to involve them in our mission. Our lay friends are asking for even more. In those places where they are more involved in our communities, they are also asking to be accompanied more closely. They would like more formation and direction from us, as if they were brothers and sisters in the family and in the Church and not passive consumers.
Our shared mission
67- “Assumptionists, we are religious who life in apostolic community.” Zeal for the Kingdom is what inspired the founding of the Assumption. Over a century and a half, the Assumption has acquired experience in and a reputation for a number of major apostolates in the Church: education, higher study, journalism, ecumenism, pilgrimages, popular evangelization, and vocation ministry. And we have pursued this work in a number of institutions that continue to exert an important influence: Bayard (in many countries), the Nijmegen Institute (Netherlands), Études augustiniennes (Paris), Assumption College (USA), Kambali (Butembo, Congo) and Mahamba (Congo)… And this hardly does justice to the great variety of apostolates in which we are engaged; we are in fact known for this kind of variety. We are also established in some of the major capitals of the world: Moscow, Istanbul, Jerusalem, Rome, Athens, Santiago, Paris, Nairobi, London, Rio de Janeiro… And in the past especially, we have invested considerable energies in the service of “foreign” missions. These are not simply references to the past; still today, even if more modestly, we are engaged in all of these pursuits.
68- “Working like four”—an expression from the founder that we often quote; in fact, Assumptionists work very hard. There may be examples in our Congregation of Fr. d’Alzon’s famous image of false prudence in “bed-slippers”12, but they are rare. Assumptionists are known to be men of extraordinary apostolic energy. But they are also men who work willingly in collaboration with others. Extremely modest, they do not draw attention to themselves. Their primary focus is the Church, not their own religious family. They are driven by deeply held conviction, but are usually more preoccupied with communion and dialogue than with imposing their way, or style, or ideology. They have a strong desire to be present to men and women of this world and this time.
But…
69- The emphasis is currently on the individual and his commitment. In the past, it was on corporate commitments. The challenge in both cases, is to forge a genuinely common project. I find that most of our communities as communities have nothing to say about that which occupies most of our time and energies, viz. our apostolic work. We work as individuals, often enough pray as communities, and wonder why it is difficult to integrate our mission into our common prayer. As communities, we spend little time developing a common vision (because the emphasis is on the vision of the individual for his own work). And whether as communities or individuals, we spend little time planning, evaluating, and adjusting our apostolic activities to address better demands that are constantly changing. How discerning are we regarding apostolic choices to be made, how attentive to what the Spirit might be asking at a given moment? In my estimation, we commit too easily to an institution or activity (an agency, a parish, a school), and never ask ourselves what apostolic goal or vision we hope to achieve in such institution or activity. We can be singularly unimaginative and too little responsible to real needs. We invest our energy in maintaining what we have been doing for a long while and spend little time imagining if this is still meeting the needs.
70- For lack of vision and planning, our priorities are unclear (or too numerous and therefore meaningless), and consequently choices become impossible (because there are no clear criteria that allow us to say “yes” to one thing and “no” to another). The only alternative is to add continuously and never eliminate. The consequence is to become overextended and overworked. Our work-load becomes excessive, as individuals and as communities and Provinces, and often our life of prayer and our fraternity are the victims.
71- Finally, for lack of vision, as mentioned earlier, many of us are lacking in enthusiasm and direction. As someone put: we have no “fighting spirit”.
72- The need to reflect on our community project thus seems clear to me. Of course, such a project is not just the accumulation of each individual’s projects, a kind of “umbrella” that would include everything, but that in itself has little meaning. Rather than building a project on the basis of individual projects, we need to go in the opposite direction : from the community to the individual. The common project inspires, orients and even gives birth to the individual projects. If we want to fight against the individualism about which we complain, we need to take seriously this effort to build a common project. The autonomy of each individual has become so important that in the face of such a project we could be afraid, we could try to “protect” our interests. To succeed at this, you need courage and lucidity, and the role of the Superior in the process is indispensable. You need a Superior who can listen, who can discern, and who can give his opinion and render the service of making a decision.
Vocation Ministry & Formation
73- Young men continue to be attracted to the Assumption in a number of the regions where we are located. Original initiatives in vocation ministry have been taken in a few of these regions. Some Provinces more than others have invested personnel in this effort and have organized good programs for the accompaniment of young men in discernment. In general, I think there is a greater awareness that more effort is needed in this domain.
74- We are all pleased with the quality of the formation guidelines that the Congregation has given itself in the Ratio Institutionis. Novitiate programs have been organized systematically, in keeping with these guidelines. In general, also, there is a serious effort to provide a solid intellectual formation for our young religious; a number in recent years have been encouraged to pursue graduate studies, even to the doctorate. It should be recognized that for some Provinces, like in Africa, Madagascar, and Brazil, where young religious are numerous, the formation investment has been considerable.
But…
75- Vocation ministry in the “northern” countries is in crisis. Undoubtedly, the reasons are numerous, but it is important that we reflect on the problem and provide some response. We cannot simply throw in the towel. Among other questions that need to be raised is one regarding our own sense of vocation, our own faith in God’s intervention in a human life, our own conviction of the value of religious life, and the nature and quality of our own witness. What would attract a young person to our community today?
76- There are some evident needs in the area of formation. In countries where there are many candidates, as in countries where there are few, we have too few trained, experienced formators. Candidates and young religious today need to be closely accompanied and for long periods of time. Do we see the need? Will we provide the formators needed for the task?
77- Although the Ratio foresees a formation program for postulants, most Provinces admit that the formation provided to postulants is deficient. This is less true for novices and for those in temporary vows. What is more lacking at that level is accompaniment and the preparation of reports that will contribute to the formation process rather than “terrorize” the candidate. At that level, it is important to be educating young religious to freedom and responsibility. That can only be done in small groups and through close fraternal accompaniment by the formator. Also at that stage, we must invest more energy and be more systematic about apostolic formation. That requires not only time spent in apostolic activity by the young Assumptionist, but workshops, reflection, study, and supervision by someone more experienced in ministry. Finally, in the area of formation, a word should be said about continued formation. Ever since the disappearance of “probation” for religious fifteen and twenty years after their profession and ordination, we have not found an adequate way to encourage systematically the continued spiritual/religious education of our confreres. The need is great, perhaps especially today. I hope the General Chapter will consider this question seriously and initiate a response.
Administration and Management
78- The discussion in which we have been involved for a few years regarding structures for the government of the Congregation has already borne fruit. The goal of this kind of reflection is to find the best means possible to favor our life in apostolic community, for every structure is at the service of life. It is evident to us, in General government, that with the structure and the personnel currently in place we have not been able to render the service that has been asked of us. Consequently, we will propose some changes in this regard. In addition to this, we think it necessary to change our regional/provincial structures to allow for a greater flexibility in view of the common project of the Congregation, to assure better animation in all regions of the Congregation, and to permit the rich cultural variety that exists to express itself.
79- For a while now we have taken leadership training seriously. The work of the leader cannot be improvised; it requires preparation, even if on the job training is very effective. The “resources” that require the most careful “management” are our confreres. This requires that we discern carefully the gifts of each one and define clearly the priorities of the community so that every member can make his best contribution for the mission and for the good of all.
80- We continue to make progress the area of financial management. Little by little the younger province are being equipped with management tools that are better adapted than pervious ones. By attending various workshops, several provincial treasures have been able to acquire a competence which better allow them to exercise their role and, as a result, to better shed light on the decision of provincial councils. A system of accounting that is coherent and trustworthy allows for greater transparence in financial matters : this allows for more exact transmission of information, for the assumption of responsibility by appropriate parties, and the maintenance of confidence. Everywhere financial advisory committees have been formed.
81- In terms of the organization of our regions and the entire Congregation, a number of efforts have been made to adjust structures so that they are more responsive to actual community and apostolic realities and needs. Such changes have been or are being made for Korea, North America, England, Colombia, Europe, etc. At the level of the continents, various collaborations have been pursued, and more recently all have been involved in conversations regarding further adaptation of structures to suit our needs.
But…
82- Provincial councils do not always take into consideration the financial implications of their decisions. Since both human financial resources are limited, these decisions can often result in an unfortunate set of priorities. Each province must establish clear priorities – which is not always the case. Here and there, there’s still progress to be made in preparing a budget and keeping to it.
83- We have spoken a lot about financial self-sufficiency. Nevertheless, we have achieved little. The Chapter of 1999 invited Provinces without a development office to establish one. Alas, at a time when the Solidarity Fund cannot answer all requests, we’ve made little progress in this regard. Mention above was made concerning the partial failure of SOLIDE. In wealthier provinces the income from development efforts is diminishing while expenses are rising. Revenue from endowment has plateaued. At present, interprovincial solidarity is suffering the consequences. The General Chapter will have to look into the larger question of the financial stability of the Institute.
84- Certain older provinces, though well organized, have had problems in finding men willing or able to serve as treasurer. Fortunately, accounting work can be delegated to competent lay-people. On the other hand, responsibility for decisionmaking cannot be delegated. We are coming to experience here a new kind of fragility.
Conclusion
85- This provides a general overview of the strengths and weaknesses that characterize us at this time in our history. Little has been said about the demographics of the Congregation and some of the questions that these raise. The statistics that we are currently preparing and that will be distributed to the Capitulants will provide a quantified portrait of the Congregation, today and in the years to come. You can easily imagine what the portrait will look like: a certain overall stability in our membership, but the movement toward the newer regions of the Congregation will continue. The “older” regions will undoubtedly become weaker and weaker: they are always feeling considerable fragility. But what is there behind this quantified portrait?
86- When Cardinal Lustiger was asked how many priests his diocese needed, he responded: “As many as the Lord wants to give us.” How many religious does the Assumption need? Ours is a precarious situation, in the “north” as well as in the “south, and that could discourage us. It seems to me that a feeling of self-sufficiency could be even more dangerous for us. Precariousness is not to be sought after, but when it is “given”, should we not “benefit” from the experience to rediscover the deeper sense of our life and mission?
IV. Moving ahead
87- Aware of our weaknesses, I sense an urgent need to move forward, but I do so with confidence because I am also aware of the strengths that are ours and the grace of the call we have received. The suggestions flow from the preceding analysis of the Congregation, and from our familiarity of the issues we are facing in the Church and in society, in the different cultures in which we live and work.
In terms of mission…
88- …what is most needed are clear mission priorities or, as I have said at other times, an apostolic project. This is needed for the Congregation, for each Province, for each community, and I would say for each brother.
89- Such a project will allow us to address some of the problems that were identified earlier: the individualism that characterizes the way we live and work, a certain lack of enthusiasm and passion due to a lack of awareness of ultimate objectives, a kind of paralysis and lack of imagination for lack of ongoing attentiveness to the active presence of the Spirit in our lives and work.
90- So much has been said about apostolic projects. At every level, the project spells out the major apostolic objectives we want to achieve and indicates the particular means (or apostolic activities) that will allow us to achieve our objectives. The major apostolic objectives should be conceived in terms that are inspiring and mobilizing, but precise enough that they make the hard choices possible. The particular means should be very concrete, and indications should be given as to how these means will be implemented, evaluated, and adjusted.
91- At the level of the Congregation, the project should spell out priorities that orient the Provinces in their own choices. And if we are truly a community that goes beyond Province boundaries, should we not give a certain importance, if not priority, to the international initiatives of the Congregation and respond to the calls that go beyond our own interests? Of course there is a balance to strike between insertion into a specific place and concern for the universal Church, but I sense that an attitude which tends to be individualistic could blind us to the call to “strike out into the depths.”
92- In terms of the Province, it is a matter of elaborating a project that is inspired by the project of the Congregation, keeping in mind the cultures and the particular needs of each region.
93- The effort of discernment that an apostolic project requires will help us
- to address the genuine needs of God’s people, for only that will motivate us in any lasting way;
- to work and witness as a community “with one mind and one heart”, both among us as religious and with the sisters and lay friends who collaborate with us;
- to be good stewards of the call and the gift that we have received by imposing a more rigorous method of discernment, planning, and evaluation.
- And in particular to make the necessary chßoices in situations where resources are generally not unlimited.
94- I will not repeat here what I wrote in Letter #7, “Come, See This Man”. There you will find a fairly developed analysis of the charism as presented by the Founder and of the great causes that challenge us in today’s world. In the light of this analysis, therefore, I suggest that the Congregation adopt four major apostolic objectives for the years ahead.
1) Young people
95- We should be present to great numbers of young people, wherever they gather, and through a prolonged contact with them seek to have a lasting impact. Where we are involved in parishes, we should “specialize” in young people, make them the pastoral priority of the parish, invite adults to focus. on the accompaniment and formation of young people. Institutions of learning are obvious places for meeting young people. We should be looking for new ways to strengthen our presence in academic settings without delay if we are serious about wanting to be in contact with young people, and why not do so in collaboration with the sisters of the family who are still very involved in this area? We should strengthen our volunteer programs and aim to involve 50- 100 young people each year through the Congregation. I think these programs will remain weak if they continue to be operated independently in our various Provinces. Where personal charism and opportunity allow we should become involved in movements (Scouts, charismatics, etc.) and special events(World Youth Days, pilgrimages, etc.) The message is clear: young people should be a priority for us, the way they have been for John Paul II.
2) The world of learning: universities, media, research, publications
96- Education, publication, communication—if we want to have a deep, lasting and broad impact, these are apostolic activities to be taken seriously. This is the kind of impact that Fr. d’Alzon wanted to have on society. When he swore off politics in 184813, he turned to education to realize his desire to transform society. It is not the only Assumptionist apostolate, but it can be a particularly effective one.
97- In certain Provinces, a number of religious have been encouraged to pursue their studies in order to teach or pursue research at the university level. This is a special and rare charism, but when we find it, we should encourage it as much as possible in order to assure a permanent presence of Assumptionists at the forefront of learning. In my estimation, we should not limit ourselves to the disciplines of theology and philosophy, especially if we want to assure that men of faith with the perspective that is proper to them be present in every domain of human learning. In particular, it would be advisable for our brothers to pursue such work in collaboration with others and to be concerned about putting the fruit of their study at the service of their Assumptionist confreres.
98- It has often been said: an Assumptionist is a communicator. It is part of our genes. This remains true of young Assumptionists today. We would do well to encourage the modest publication and media initiatives emerging in various Provinces and to prepare young people to work in these domains. And does not the development of Bayard today invite the entire Congregation to respond and not simply one Province?
3) Dialogue among cultures and religions, and in particular among Orthodox Christians
99- Fr. d’Alzon would have us be men of communion, in society and within the Church. To respond to this insight of the Founder and to the call that Pope John Paul II has made along these lines, we should first of all pursue this objective by intensifying our efforts to be present among Orthodox Christians, which today will require patience and imagination. We have acquired an impressive reputation and experience in this domain and should put that to work today, albeit in a different way. Without abandoning an ecumenism of theological and historical dialogue, could this be the moment for pastoral ecumenism? Whatever form it takes, we should be answering the call to go East.
100- The dialogue with the Orthodox Churches might not be the priority of every Province (even if every Assumptionist ought to feel involved at some level), but the concern for dialogue and for the encounter of the other and of different cultures should find expression in every Province, by means of very concrete apostolic initiatives and by means of the effort within the Congregation itself to know well and to respect the different cultures represented in our communities. If we want do not want respect for diversity to engender division, ideology and even violence, if we want to take the cause of peace seriously, then we need to learn concretely how to discover the other, to allow ourselves to be discovered, and to broaden our spirit by means of such encounters.
101- This apostolic priority can also be pursued concretely by a greater presence in Asia, where practically half of the human race is located and where the call to the Congregation seems very clear.
4) Evangelization for today
102- Pastoral care is not enough. In many parts of the world, even in the younger Churches, our pastoral efforts are not reaching those many Catholics who rarely cross the threshold of the church building. For those of us involved in parish ministry, this should challenge us to re-examine our apostolic project. We could bemoan the absence of greater numbers in our churches, or we could see in this phenomenon an invitation to renew radically our understanding and methods of evangelization. It seems to me that evangelization today must of course help the faithful respond, in a manner appropriate to the laity, to the call to holiness, but evangelization must also focus on the marginalized, those for whom the Church has little meaning. They might be the materially poor, the socially outcast, or those who have difficulty seeing the relevance of the faith in the modern world. If we want to take seriously the call to promote justice and to transform society, it is to this world that we must look with great care.
103- And it is not only in the “classic” places, that is, in parishes, that we should invest our energies. On the contrary. In recent years, we have seen how effective great gatherings of people and special events can be for reaching a public that does not frequent churches. I am thinking of pilgrimage centers, youth rallies (like World Youth Days), pilgrimages. But this kind of presence requires careful thought and organization, good preparation and clear strategies.
In terms of apostolic community…
104- …what is most needed is a simpler, clearer witness to a life of discipleship lived in fraternity.
105- I sense that this witness has become obscured. Community relations are cordial, but wanting for human and spiritual depth. We respect the demands of the consecrated life, but are the vows lived as positive values that give meaning to our life?
106- As apostolic religious, if we want to counter the real temptation of “doing one’s thing” rather than God’s, then we need to focus on the common project as described earlier. We need to assure that our communities are small enough to make genuine dialogue at a personal level more likely to occur. I do not see how we can be sustained in our faith today unless we have this kind of support from our community in the form of ongoing conversation about the life of faith. We also need to cultivate what I would call truth-telling or what Augustine would call fraternal correction. It may be difficult, but it is a Gospel imperative. Struggling with this might teach us important things about ourselves, about others, about the truth itself.
107- To live poverty more clearly, we need to strip away some of the possessions and expensive habits, we need to put everything in common and “possess” nothing without the permission of the brothers (cars, allowances, personal bank accounts, equipment), cultivate transparency, and find ways to be present to the poor in an ongoing way.
108- To live chastity more clearly, we need to be attentive to our need for and style of entertainment, cultivate freedom in our relations with others, be genuinely affectionate toward the brothers, and encourage the growth of friendship in our communities.
109- To live obedience more clearly, we need a common project that calls us to transcend our personal agenda and Local (Provincial and General) Chapters that are precise enough to call us to obedience. Obedience is easy if we have never had to accept to do something that we would not have chosen on our own. We also need Superiors who invite us to talk with them at a certain depth, who challenge us from time to time, and who remind us often what our raison d’être and our common project are.
110- This call to a clearer witness as disciples of Jesus Christ is not simply a call to greater rigor. It is a call that engages the whole person and that appeals to our deepest desires. It is in fact a call to holiness and at the same time a call to genuine humanity. It is not rigor that gives effective witness; it is the joy of living as a disciple of Christ.
In terms of structures…
111- Every social body needs means and an organization to implement its project. A living body inevitably adapts these means according to changing conditions. Our community, at the local, Provincial and world levels, should have the structures that allow it to respond to the demands of the consecrated life and the mission. If we want a Congregation that responds to the rich diversity of cultures and at the same time to the charism and the project that unite us, then we need the structures to do this.
How do we assure, for example, the representation of different cultures in the Congregation in governmental bodies (especially the Council of Congregation and the General Chapter)? In the case of certain Provinces that become Regions in order to lighten their administrative structure, we need to find structures that will allow them to make their particular contribution.
- How do we encourage religious on the same continent to meet regularly for purposes of formation, reflection and apostolic planning?
- How do we assure that the various elements of our common, inter-provincial mission are effectively implemented?
- How do we assure that we have a sufficient number of religious on the General government team and in the community in Rome to meet the demands placed upon them? The detailed reports of the Assistants, who were required to be Officers as well as Assistants (as in the case of the Secretary General and the Bursar General), clearly show that this accumulation of duties made it impossible to do all that was required.
- How do we assure an ongoing effort to learn languages and to make it possible for everyone to participate fully in the life of the Congregation as long as he knows at least one or two of its official languages?
112- If we want to give flesh to our charism, we need to be sure that we have the right structures for the religious “body” that we are today.
In terms of formation…
113- …we need formation programs that help us be more fully human, more fully men of faith, and more fully Assumptionist. In order for this to happen, we will need to insist on the accompaniment of brothers.
114- The formation that is needed is not just for the early stages of our religious life. We need solid initial, professional and continuing formation. It should begin with careful vocational discernment for young men who express an interest in our way of life, and careful accompaniment should be provided even during the last stages of our life. We need formation as human beings, as religious, as men of faith, and as apostles.
115- Every departure of a religious makes us question the effectiveness of our formation and of the accompaniment that we provided for our brother while he was in community. At the beginning of my mandate, Cardinal Lustiger of Paris said to me: “Do not think that there are no young men interested in religious life and the priesthood. But those who do come need to be accompanied, accompanied, and accompanied.” The abbess of an Augustinian monastic community of thirty sisters (with four novices and four postulants) repeated the same thing: those who come are of extraordinary quality in terms of professional education and faith experience, but they are in great need of the most basic kind of human, religious and spiritual education.
116- Our problems in this regard are clear: too few formators, too few formators who are trained and experienced as formators, too little time spent in the personal accompaniment of young religious, and to judge by our actions too little conviction of the importance of this kind of formation. I understand the problems. In some cases, there are too few young people in formation, and consequently we are “out of practice” and not well organized. In other cases, there are too many people in formation or their problems are too serious and we do not have answers that we consider adequate.
117- We will begin to address these problems when we consider formation to be a priority. A Provincial long ago told me he assigned his “best” people as formators. I take that to mean that formators must be rich in humanity and experience, solid in their vocation, with a good knowledge of the Assumption and a gift for listening and discerning.
118- But, as I said, formation is important not only for young religious. It is important that we spend time forming leaders, people who can assume particular responsibilities in our communities as Superiors, treasurers, pastoral leaders. This is especially critical in our younger, expanding regions, but hardly less critical in the aging and at times depressed parts of the Congregation.
119- Finally, formation is important for religious who have been involved “in the works” for a certain number of years. They need time to think about the challenges to the faith of older religious, to re-discover first loves, and to study more deeply the charism and the theology of religious life. Taken up with professional and pastoral duties, will they take the time that is needed unless the Congregation helps them in this regard?
In terms of our life of faith…
120- …we need to develop a deeper, more explicit spiritual sense (see Letter #3 and Father d’Alzon’s constant invitation in this sense14)
The debate raged between a faith openly proclaimed and one lived more discretely. I am not asking the question in terms of pastoral strategies, but at the personal level: In what do I believe? What gives meaning to my life? 121- Already in 1970, it was René Voillaume’s opinion that the crisis of religious life was a crisis of faith.15 It was his contention that, unwittingly, religious had begun to put into question a series of fundamental beliefs that were at the foundation of the consecrated life: in a God who is Creator and Lord, in the eschatological orientation of human life, etc. The result has been a kind of “practical atheism” as Fr. Hervé Stephan used to call it.16 There is enough evidence to suggest that he may not have been wrong.17 Some of the observations I made in analyzing the state of the Congregation would corroborate this.122- It is time to re-discover our contemplative vocation (not in the mold of Teresa of Avila, whom Fr. d’Alzon nonetheless told us to take as a teacher, but in the mold of Augustine). A more explicit faith, that makes more regular reference to God in our daily life, which we reread frequently in order better to discern the work of the Spirit, which transforms work into a mission, a difficult human relation into an experience of mercy. Is it too simple to say, as I did to fifty young Congolese brothers who renewed their vows recently, that an hour a day at private prayer would transform their lives?
V. The Major Question That Remains
123- As I come to the end of this report, I remain somewhat dissatisfied. It is clear that there is much that is good in the life and mission of the Assumption today, but I sense that all that is good could blind us to the fact that we might not have a good answer to the most important question of all: “Why?”
124- It is the question that plagues me and that led me to write an editorial for the September 2002 issue of AA-Info, entitled “Why?” Permit me to quote a brief paragraph:
The greatest concern I have for the future of our religious family, even greater now than it was three years ago, is summed up in one word: WHY? Why did Father d’Alzon found the Assumption? Why does God want the Assumption to exist today (if He does)? There was a time when the Assumption did not exist, and there could be a time when it no longer exists. I do not take its existence for granted.
125- I have listened to so many Provincials, one again just recently, tell me that a good number of the religious in his Province seem tired, somewhat dispirited, even while they continue to put in a good day’s work. They are involved in interesting and worthwhile ventures, projects that render real service to people, making the world a better place to live. And yet they remain bored, tired, discouraged. Could it be because they don’t have an answer to the “Why?” question? Could it be that they do not even know that the question is important?
126- It is a very important question. It is clearly important for the mission. Answering that question would help us to define our “vision” and to devise apostolic strategies to bring it about. But I think the question is important most of all to help us address what I consider to be a gradual erosion that has taken place in religious life.
127- It is important to ask the question and urgent to find some answers. It is urgent in the “North”, where people are tired. It is urgent in the “South” where motivation for coming to religious life is often unclear and where freedom is hampered. It is a question that has to do with the meaning and direction of our life.
128- I urge you at the end of this report to take the question seriously. Of course, some have asked it and provided their own answers. I refer you once again to what Pope John Paul II wrote in Novo millennio ineunte18 regarding the source of all meaning for our mission. I also refer you to our motto… which, do not forget, is in two parts. Or have you forgotten the second part of the motto?
129- But what is your answer to the question?
Conclusion
130- A General Chapter is a kairos moment in the life of a Congregation. The agenda for our upcoming Chapter was already sketched out in Letter #6, “Many Gifts, One Body” and will be further elaborated by the Preparatory Commission, which is preparing the Instrumentum Laboris for the Chapter. Like any kairos moment, we need to be attentive if we are to respond to the grace that is offered.
131- In your prayer before the Chapter, individually and in community, I invite you to meditate two Gospel passages that address the same challenge: leaving everything behind (youth, age, illness, discouragement, wealth, poverty, self) to follow Christ.
132- Some of you may identify with Nicodemus (John 3), especially if you feel like an experienced and somewhat weary and cynical old man. This is a good text for Provinces that are getting older and where a certain interior poverty is imposed. Nicodemus needed to be reborn, but that could not happen unless he opened himself to the grace. Nicodemus had given up; he decided that God could do nothing. His was a serious spiritual problem, and because of his “wisdom” he was not in the best position to learn something new. What would being reborn mean for him? What would it mean for our older Provinces?
133- Others of you may identify with the rich young man (Matthew 19:16ff). We do not know how much money he had, but he had youth on his side. Perhaps this is a good text for our younger Provinces, where there are many vocations, even though material poverty is often a real fact of life. Jesus invites the young man not to be distracted by his wealth or his youth, but to focus on what is essential and to leave the rest behind.
134- Why not reread these texts, pray over them, talk about them in community. Jesus invites Nicodemus and the young man to find meaning in their lives in places that they had not considered until then. Do they help you answer the “Why?” question?
Richard E. Lamoureux, a.a., Superior General
4 October 2004 – Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi
Carte de Visite de la communauté de Margineni
6-9 octobre 2004
Le texte de ce document n'est ici accessible que dans l'Intranet du site, donc sous mot de passe.
Carte de Visite de la communauté de Blaj
9-12 octobre 2004
Le texte de ce document n'est ici accessible que dans l'Intranet du site, donc sous mot de passe.
Carte de Visite de la communauté de Plovdiv
12-17 octobre 2004
Le texte de ce document n'est ici accessible que dans l'Intranet du site, donc sous mot de passe.
Carte de Visite de la communauté de Kadiköy
17-20 octobre 2004
Le texte de ce document n'est ici accessible que dans l'Intranet du site, donc sous mot de passe.
Carte de Visite de la Province de Belgique Sud
7-20 novembre 2004
Le texte de ce document n'est ici accessible que dans l'Intranet du site, donc sous mot de passe.
Message de solidarité aux Frères d’Espagne
Le 14 mars 2004, le Père Richard E. Lamoureux, Supérieur Général, adressait le message suivant aux Frères d’Espagne :
Chers Frères, Nous avons suivi la nouvelle de la violente attaque qu'a subie votre peuple jeudi matin. Je veux que vous sachiez que nous vous accompagnons dans notre prière.
Il est clair, comme l'a dit votre Ambassadeur aux États-Unis, que ceci est votre « 11 septembre », un horrible rappel du mal que les êtres humains sont capables de s'infliger les uns aux autres. Rien, rien ne peut justifier pareille violence. Le récit, que nous avons lu ce matin à la messe, de ce que les frères de Joseph ont fait avec lui nous rappelle la méchanceté dont nous sommes capables. Il nous rappelle aussi que Dieu peut tourner même un tel mal en libération et salut. L'unité (le lien qui unit tous les hommes et femmes, au-delà des options politiques), la fermeté (dans notre lutte contre le mal) et la sérénité (fondée sur notre foi en ce Dieu qui nous accompagne) étaient le contenu du message inspiré de votre Roi. Puisse-t-il guider votre peuple en cette heure de deuil.
Un abrazo, Richard.
Homily
Funeral Mass for Father Wilfrid Dufault, a.a.128 February 2004 – Chapel of the Holy Spirit, Assumption College
READINGS :
Exodus 3:1-1
II Corinthians 5:11-21
Gospel of St John 14:1-7Not long ago, at a celebration at which he was receiving yet another award , Father Wilfrid mused: “You live long enough and just about every honor will come your way. You get rewarded just for staying the course.”
It’s clear that Fr. Wilfrid’s hardiness and energy were impressive, practically legendary. Since we’ve never had an Assumptionist reach the century mark, when I visited with him just a couple weeks ago, I encouraged him to hold out for another three years. But he didn’t seem so sure that he would make it. In fact, Fr. Marie-Charles Brochier is the oldest Assumptionist alive and proud of that fact. I was visiting his community in southern France when I heard of Fr. Wilfrid’s death. As we reminisced together about Wilfrid, Fr. Marie-Charles, also born in 1907, was quick to remind me that Wilfrid was born in December whereas he was born in January!
Father Wilfrid was a man of remarkable energy and accomplishment. Just before leaving Rome yesterday morning, I talked with Fr. Jean-Paul Perier-Muzet, the Congregation’s archivist and historian, and asked him to give me his impressions of Fr. Wilfrid. He quickly listed some of the most memorable things he could remember. Allow me to share some of these with you even though you know them already.
After initial formation with the Assumptionists, Wilfrid pursued graduate study in philosophy, Philosophy of Science I might add, and then began a teaching career at Assumption. His teaching was short-lived, however, because he was soon asked to assume major responsibilities. He became the 8th President of the College, and then in 1946, upon the creation of the North American Province of the Assumptionists, was named its first Provincial Superior. This was enough to make him known internationally among the Assumptionists, and at a fairly tumultuous General Chapter in the Congregation’s history, Fr. Wilfrid was elected the 5th Superior General in 1952 and remained in Rome at that post for almost eighteen years. They were challenging and remarkable years. As Superior General, Fr. Wilfrid was an indefatigable traveler. That would not be such a great feat in 2004, but in 1952, when it took almost twenty hours to fly cross the Atlantic, you can appreciate the depth of Wilfrid’s desire to know his religious family intimately. During his tenure, the Congregation reached its largest size, almost 2000 religious at the time of the Second Vatican Council. It was a time of expansion, but also a time of suffering, when the Congregation’s mission in Eastern Europe was openly persecuted and three of our brothers were killed by the Communists in 1952. Incidentally, though happy that Pope John Paul II decided to beatify these three Bulgarian martyrs, Fr. Wilfrid expressed some mild disappointment: “Father d’Alzon should have been beatified before!” It is clear that the founder, Fr. Emmanuel d’Alzon, was his principal source of inspiration. Shortly after his election, Fr. Wilfrid commissioned the publication of what has become the Assumptionist “bible”, the collected Spiritual Writings of the founder, a book that since its publication has served to form countless Assumptionists in the spirit of d’Alzon. Toward the end of his time in Rome, Wilfrid was appointed a member of the Ecumenical Council, Vatican II, that met from 1962 until its close in 1965. This was a time of major change for the Church, but also for Fr. Wilfrid, who understood that to preach the Gospel effectively in today’s world, the Church and his religious congregation would need to undergo important change. This led Wilfrid, in 1969, to offer his resignation as Superior General so that a new team could undertake the changes that would be necessary.
After so many years of important responsibility in the Congregation, Fr. Wilfrid returned to the ranks and for a time was assistant Master of Novices, pastoral assistant in Sturbridge, and spiritual adviser. Soon enough though, he was asked to serve on two occasions as Acting President at Assumption College and during those years was co-founder, with Dr. Clare Quintal, of Assumption’s French Institute. His focus during these later years has been on the spiritual heritage of Emmanuel d’Alzon, our founder. He traveled to Rome to help in the publication of documents that led to the declaration by the Pope of Father d’Alzon’s “heroic virtue”. This work also enabled Wilfrid to publish his own synthesis of d’Alzon’s thought and to share his insights widely in lectures and retreats.
And this is only the short list of Fr. Wilfrid’s activity during these many years. Up until six months ago, I was still receiving e-mail messages from him at St. Francis Home with suggestions on how I should run the Congregation. At the end of my visit with him earlier this month, he said: “Well, of course you’re coming back for another visit. I have things I want to say about that last letter you sent to the religious of the Congregation.” A week later, with some fear and trembling, I returned to that conversation. It was clear that he had carefully read the long letter I had sent, and he was able to ask probing questions and provide solid advice. At the Home, I understand a minor transformation was taking place thanks to Wilfrid’s apostolic initiatives. Perhaps the sisters are somewhat relieved that a little more peace and quiet will be restored to the second floor at St. Francis. So, you understand why Fr. Wilfrid is especially known for his tremendous energy and passion at the service of the Gospel. His zeal was truly extraordinary. It is no accident that he should have died on the 70th anniversary of his priestly ordination, as if to draw our attention to that event.
But all of this energetic activity makes us wonder what was at its source. As I thought about Wilfrid, I conjured up the example of Moses and especially the event we just heard about in the first reading. There are many similarities between these two men. Moses lived a long life: the event at the burning bush took place when Moses was already 80 years old, just before his forty year trek through the desert with the Israelite people! Moses was a tremendously curious and courageous man: as intimidating as the burning bush must have appeared, he was eager to approach it and find out what it all meant. And Moses was a great leader, but modest at the same time. He was never convinced of his powers of persuasion or leadership abilities and time and again enlisted the help of others. Moses and Wilfrid—the similarities are striking. But I come back to my question: what was at the heart of it all for these two men?
In the Exodus passage, the answer is clear. Moses was the man he was because of a powerful encounter with the Lord. His experience of God at the burning bush gave him what might even be called a philosophical insight into the nature of God: “I am who am”, the one who is from all time and is the source of all things. Wilfrid’s experience of God had its philosophical side. I’ve never heard anyone speak with more conviction and passion about the importance of seeking the truth and shaping one’s life in harmony with it. But the burning bush experience also revealed a God attentive to the suffering of His people. This kind of God inspired Moses, and I think Wilfrid, with a passionate love for God’s people. So, at the heart of it all, was a knowledge of God that inspired a life of dedication and service.
This was the case with St. Paul as well. His energetic preaching of the Gospel was born of an encounter with the Lord. The beginning of today’s second reading says this clearly: It is “the love of Christ that impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all; therefore, all have died… Since we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others…” I can hear Wilfrid saying that: “Since we have known the love of the Lord, we try to persuade others.” We sensed in Wilfrid a kind of burning love. It’s true that it could make him demanding, insisting, sometimes annoying. But isn’t that the nature of love. I’m reminded of what Father d’Alzon had to say about this. He called it “intolerant love”.
“We Assumptionists love Jesus Christ because he bring us true light and what is genuinely good… Some say our love is exaggerated or intolerant, but you know yourself that those who love a great deal tolerate little; their love is such that it is marked by great vigor and a certain frank intolerance. In our day, we neither love nor hate with much energy, and the tolerance we practice often looks like a form of weakness. We are not afraid to appear intolerant because our strength comes from love for Jesus Christ. This is one of our distinguishing characteristics.”
We’ve come together today to pray for Fr. Wilfrid, but also to celebrate his life. There is clearly much to celebrate. We would do well to give thanks as well. And I want to express the gratitude of Wilfrid’ religious family for all he has brought to us. He has been a major figure in our history. Since his death just a few days ago, I’ve received countless messages from lay friends and Assumption brothers and sisters, communicating their fond memories and expressing their indebtedness to Fr. Wilfrid.
By way of conclusion, I might sum this all up by quoting once again the eldest Assumptionist of our religious family, Fr. Marie-Charles. Probably recalling Wilfrid’s own love of his religious family and his winning smile, he added one final remark: “Father Wilfrid could be very demanding. He severely limited the number of cigarettes we were allowed to smoke. But you know: we really did have a great deal of affection for him.”
Fr. Richard E. Lamoureux, a.a.,
Superior General
Lettre of Indiction of the General Chapter of 2005
To Assumptionist Religious in all of the Vice/Provinces
Dear brothers,
In keeping with our Constitutions, I am notifying all of you that the upcoming General Chapter will be held in Rome, at the General House of the Christian Brothers, via Aurelia, from the evening of 1 May until the evening of 22 May 2005. I would ask vice/Provincials who have not already done so to convoke officially the vice/Provincial Chapters that need to precede the General Chapter. Among their responsibilities, these vice/Provincial Chapters should prepare the upcoming General Chapter and elect the delegate(s), who with the ex officio members will represent the Province or Vice-Province.
Composition of the Chapter
The base number for the election of delegates will be 40, as decided by the Council of Congregation. Every Province or Vice- Province that as of 30 December 2003 had 40 religious of fewer therefore has right to one delegate. If the Province has 41 to 80 religious, then it should elect 2 delegates and so on; every fraction of 40 entitles a Vice/Province to an additional delegate. The Chapter will consequently include 27 elected members. The following have right to:
1 delegate: Brazil, Spain
2 delegates: Chile-Argentina, Madagascar, Netherlands, North, America, North Belgium, South Belgium
5 delegates: Africa
8 delegates: FranceThese elected members will be in the majority, and to them will be added 21 ex officio members (the Superior General and his four Assistants in office, the former Superior General, the vice/Provincials and the two first Provincial Assistants of the Province of France). The Chapter of 2005 will consequently include 45 capitulants.
The Central Theme
My sixth circular letter “Many gifts, one body” (15 May 2003) has already announced the central theme for the next General Chapter. Allow me to quote from that letter:
“Many gifts, one body”. That is how I would state a theme that draws attention to the rich diversity of our small religious family, while emphasizing our awareness of belonging to a single deeply united fraternity. The theme is the fruit of our reflection over the years on the rich personal and cultural variety within the Assumption and the need to promote those gifts, whether they be the particular apostolic and spiritual charisms of each individual religious and of our lay friends or the various cultural manifestations of the Assumption spirit in many different countries in the world. We treasure both the fact of being present in twenty-seven countries in the world (our international character), yet cultivate a particular way of being present in each of these cultures (inculturation). That meditation, at least since the Council of Congregation of the year 2000, has at the same time focused on the need to deepen our sense of belonging to one world-wide religious family. “Many gifts, one body.”
The Council (of Congregation 2003) thought that the Chapter of 2005 could effectively foster that kind of unity by re-expressing the charism (as asked by the last General Chapter) not simply in a text (though that will be a part of the Chapter’s work), but in other ways as well. First, by attempting to articulate a “projet” for the Congregation. The French word captures well what we think is important for us at this time in our history: a statement of our Assumptionist mission for today, with the principal apostolic activities and the needed resources that we think will help us realize that mission… Second, by inviting a small number of lay people to join us at the General Chapter for part of our work: to share with us their perspective on the charism and the mission of the Assumption. Third, by adjusting the governmental structures of the Congregation so that we can be as united and as responsive as possible as we confront the challenging missionary calls of our day. Fourth, by providing ourselves with the formation tools that will be most helpful to us as religious and to our lay friends as well. Finally, even if it seems a minor point, by trying to identify an image (a symbol, a logo) that quickly and simply communicates to us and to others who we are and what we want to be for the world.
Many gifts in one body – the theme is in continuity with the major axes proposed for discussion at the Chapter of 1999(2), although there is even greater urgency now to address these concerns seriously.
- We want to be a religious family that is alert to the missionary calls of the day and is available and flexible enough to respond as a united body to these calls.
- We want to be a Congregation that takes cultural diversity seriously, but that thinks and acts like one unified body.
- We want to be a religious family that is eager to collaborate with others, religious and lay, in order to bring about God’s Reign.
- We want to be a community that cares for its brothers, being present to those among us who are ill or aging and working seriously to prepare well our younger members for the consecrated life and the mission.
Preparation…
in reflection and in prayer
The Chapter has full authority not only to take the decisions it wants, but to identify the questions it wants to include on its agenda. In that regard, I invite the entire Congregation to prepare for this event in prayer, in sacrifice, and in reflection. We must open our hearts and our minds to what the Spirit is asking of us, and not simply engage in a routine way in yet another General Chapter.
The way is best prepared by the work that you will do in your local communities and then in the vice/Provincial Chapters that will follow. This involvement at the personal and community level constitutes a major part of the grace that a time of Chapter makes possible. Think of this time as an opportunity to listen in a fresh way to God’s Word, to confront with hope the realities that are ours today. These are not always easy realities to face, but it is in this time and this place that God wants to manifest His presence today, through us, not in a past time or way that we might consider to have been more “favorable”. Think of this time as an opportunity to imagine new ways of proclaiming that Word, ways that are modest necessarily because of our means, but that will be effective to the extent that it is God inviting us to pursue them.
It is my hope that the preparation that takes place in communities and in vice/Provincial Chapters be free, unhindered, open, inspired. Take time also to think about the aspects of our life and mission that the Council of Congregation 2004 has asked that you consider:
- The “projet” of the Vice/Province
- Collaboration among Vice/Provinces and within the Congregation in general:
- projects to be foreseen with other Vice/Province or Regions, especially those with fewer resources
- the sensitizing of the vice/province to “Congregation missions”, such as the ecumenical mission among the Orthodox
- the adaptation of your vice/Provincial structures, keeping the continent in mind
- the strengthening of the General House community
- Formation:
- he new draft of the Ratio Institutionis
- formation to internationality in the Vice/Province
- Vocation ministry
- The responses to the various surveys on ecumenism, the parish, and justice and peace.
May our General Chapter be the opportunity for asking the questions that are truly important for the life of our religious family. I invite you to a discernment that will provide the light, the stimulus, and the encouragement that we need to “put out into the deep” (Luke 5:4)3, to encounter the Lord and their brothers and sisters in this time that we are given to live.
Fr. Richard E. Lamoureux, a.a.,
Superior General
30 May 2004
Feast of PentecostN.B. According to our Rule of Life, #14, and our Capitular Rules, #177, every religious is entitled to send requests, suggestions and proposals to the General Chapter. These should be sent before 1 April 2005, to the Preparatory Commission, Via San Pio V, 55, 00165 Roma (Italy).
Prière de l'Assomption en état de Chapitre
En cette période de préparation du Chapitre général, invoquons l'Esprit promis par Jésus pour que nos communautés recherchent la volonté du Père et acceptent de se convertir.
Refrain : Veni, Sancte Spiritus (ou une autre invocation à l'Esprit)
1 - Pour que l'Assomption se mette en quête de la volonté du Père ; pour que nous nous mettions à l'écoute de l'Esprit, de l'Eglise et du monde, en mettant le Christ au centre de nos vies et de nos engagements…
2 - Pour que l'Assomption apprenne à discerner l'appel de Dieu dans nos communautés, dans la vie des hommes et les événements ; pour que nous sachions discerner les grandes causes de Dieu et de l'homme de ce temps, et les faire nôtres à la manière du Vénérable Emmanuel d'Alzon…
3 - Pour être comme Dieu sensible à toutes les injustices, à toutes les faims et soifs des hommes et des femmes et pour devenir des artisans de communion et de paix.
4 - Pour que dans l'Assomption, frères, soeurs, laïcs se mettent ensemble au service du Royaume dans le monde d'aujourd'hui pour témoigner que notre diversité est richesse.
5 - Pour que, sous l'action de l'Esprit et à l'exemple de Marie, nous choisissions de risquer notre vie dans l'aventure de la rencontre de Dieu, pour devenir passionnés du Royaume et disponibles pour toute mission.
Que ton Règne vienne.
To Assumptionist postulants, novices, young professed & ordained
You Are The Body Of Christ
Dear brothers,
Let me tell you a secret. Of all the affirmations in the Creed, it’s not the one about the uniqueness of God, or the death and resurrection of Jesus, or the forgiveness of sins that most strikes me. It’s the one at the very end about the resurrection of the body. That sums it all up for me. I rejoice at that truth, even if each day it’s difficult to live by.
Perhaps you can guess why that truth is so important for me, given my interest in art. I was always more interested in sculpture than in painting, and in particular in Michelangelo. He spent his whole life trying to understand how the flesh could die and resurrect and still be flesh. The statue he was carving a few days before he died, the Rondanini Pietà, is, I believe, his answer to the question.
Human beings are naturally concerned about the body, and some of our cultures today are obsessed with it. We can be so taken up with the body and at the same time treat it with so little respect! That’s a mysterious paradox. The French expression (“qui fait l’ange fait la bête”) suggests that if you don’t give the body its due and try to live too “abstractly”, i.e. like an angel, you might end up being dominated by the flesh and living more like an animal than a human being. I do think that a great many people today are “angelistic”, that they don’t pay enough attention, the right kind of attention to the body.
It’s true that doing the opposite might have equally disastrous consequences: if you live in a totally carnal way, you might end up mistreating the body and doing it harm.
I wonder how young people today think about the body, and more importantly how you live in your body, as human beings, as vowed religious.
But what does all of this have to do with the topic of my letter to you?
At the Council of Congregation this year, we talked a great deal about the upcoming General Chapter, and the Provincials expressed the hope that their confreres would get actively involved in preparations for the Provincial Chapters and General Chapter. They were particularly keen about encouraging the involvement of the young people in their vice/Provinces.
Chapters are very formal events in the life of religious Congregations, and I have to admit that as such they don’t always stir up the greatest enthusiasm. But a community, every community, needs gatherings like these: family reunions, sessions of Parliament, ecumenical Councils.
A community is a lot like a body (St. Paul said it of the Church long before I thought of it). It is made up of different parts, all organized to make a harmonious functioning whole. It lives in history, passes through various cycles, has good moments and bad. Like a body, it is visible, tangible, experienced physically. And as such it can be very frustrating. St. Francis affectionately called his body “Brother Ass”, recognizing that at times it could be very obstinate and intractable. Sometimes I’m tempted to call my community by the same name. But as frustrating as imperfect brothers and formators and superiors can be, would I want to live in a “perfect” community, totally lacking in color and texture, in bright spots and shadows, in ups and downs, in contrast and complexity, in mystery and surprise?
Because a community is a body it needs to be cared for in very special ways: it needs people at its service, laws and traditions, symbols and celebrations. Without such care, a community like a body gets “out of shape”, ill, dysfunctional. A community, then, is not just an idea, and yet it does need a solid “doctrine” at its core, a thought constantly challenged and revitalized. I’m almost tempted to say that a community is an idea embodied (we often speak of the “body politic” of a city or country).
My word of advice here is very simple: do not neglect the body that is our religious community any more than you would neglect the body that is the incarnation of your person. The advice is important. It is said that we live in an anti-institutional and individualistic age. Is it because we are not fully “at home” in our bodies, our physical bodies and our social bodies?
Let me come back to the question of Chapters, just one of the means for keeping the “body” healthy. What expectations can we legitimately have of them? They inevitably produce documents, but could we not also hope that they give birth to some new thinking or original projects? And if we truly engage in serious conversation with each other and not just in formal (and formalistic) deliberations, could we not also hope that a Chapter might give birth to a common mind and a deeper unity of purpose? The consequences of a Chapter are in direct proportion to our expectations and our efforts.
What do I suggest you do as young people in the Congregation? Obviously, if I’m writing to you now, it’s because I think you have something particular to offer to our religious family. And while the future is in part shaped by the past, your decisions as young people will even more determine the direction that we will take in the years to come.
I encourage you, for example, to meet as young people in your vice/Province: hold a pre-Chapter assembly and talk about the things you consider important. Perhaps such a meeting would result in concrete proposals that you would send on to the vice/Provincial chapter. Even if you are not numerous in your vice/Province, those few of you should give serious thought to the particular perspective that is yours. Your knowledge of today’s world, the idealism that is yours—these things might inspire you with proposals that your vice/Province needs to hear.
And given the particular theme of the General Chapter, “Many Gifts in One Body”, I also encourage you to meet in cultural groups as well. What insights and what proposals does your particular cultural experience inspire?
As I’ve met with you during the various canonical visitations, I was struck by the originality of some of your perspectives. You are clearly different from my own generation, for example. Don’t be afraid to speak your mind clearly. Respect your elders, of course, but respectfully talk with them about the ways in which you as young Assumptionists are different. How do you think Assumptionist communities should be living today? How should our common life be organized and what demands should we place on ourselves? What are some of the difficulties you as young people of today have to confront as you try to remain faithful to your commitment (recall my letter “Lasting Covenant”)? How can the community help you confront these challenges? What are your international ambitions for the future? What proposals would you make in this regard? What are your apostolic ambitions for the future? What needs in today’s world especially touch you and what ministries should the Assumption take seriously in view of addressing these needs? Please, do not automatically look to the past for your inspiration. Be attentive to what the Spirit is saying to us, and to you, today. I’ve just returned from a visit in the Congo, where I had the opportunity to see what our missionaries imagined and realized in the town of Bunyuka, not far from Butembo. Schools, a parish church, a carpentry shop that furnished churches, schools, homes and institutions in the entire diocese! Imagination, vision, daring, courage. Are these the qualities that characterize us today?
All of this talk about Chapters, about “bodies”, about the roles we play as brothers in a community might not make a deep impression because I sense that our instincts, our unconscious inclinations, go in a different direction. Is not the bottom line for us a concern for our own well-being? What “sacrifice” are we prepared to make for the body that is the community? Is it possible to imagine that such a “sacrifice” could make us even happier than pursuing a “personal” goal?
But I still think that John Kennedy spoke the truth on the day he became President of the United States (20 January 1961), and I still believe his words inspire us at the deepest level. He was speaking about the “country”, but you might replace that word with “religious family” or “Church”. “Ask not what your country can do for you,” said President Kennedy, “ask what you can do for your country.”
What can you do to build up the body that is the Assumption today?
I count on you to make an important contribution to this Chapter. And I thank the Lord each day for what you bring to all of us, and to me in particular.
With prayer and affection,
Richard E. Lamoureux, a.a.,
Superior General
28 August 2004, Saint Augustine
Premier Comité Exécutif
Le Comité Exécutif est une instance de gouvernement mis en place par le Conseil de Congrégation de 2004, de façon expérimentale jusqu’au prochain Chapitre général, pour permettre au Supérieur Général de prendre des décisions sur des dossiers urgents. Le premier Comité Exécutif, qui s’est réuni les 4 et 5 octobre 2004, avait quatre dossiers à traiter, confiés par le Conseil de Congrégation : l’Asie, la Mission d’Orient, la restructuration de la Congrégation et l’avenir de la maison du Vigan.
Colloque d’histoire inter-Assomption
70 religieuses et religieux de cinq Congrégations de la “famille” de l'Assomption(*) se sont réunis en colloque, du 6 au 10 janvier 2004, chez les Petites Soeurs de l'Assomption, rue Violet à Paris, pour relire leur histoire, clarifier les conditions de leurs fondations respectives et renforcer leur communion.
Fondées au 19ème siècle en France, il fallait commencer par redécouvrir ce siècle foisonnant, passionnant, plein de combats, de débats, d'expérimentations. L'Église y invente, parfois dans la douleur, de nouveaux modes de présence aux hommes et un autre discours face à la modernité. Nos Fondatrices et Fondateurs sont de ce siècle et de cette Église.
Des historiens, canonistes, sociologues ont apporté l'éclairage indispensable pour éviter tout anachronisme. Les participants au Colloque ont pu ainsi mieux percevoir la vigueur et l'originalité de la pensée de Marie-Eugénie Milleret, Emmanuel d'Alzon, Marie Correnson, Etienne Pernet, Marie-Antoinette Fage, François Picard, Isabelle de Clermont-Tonnerre. Ce furent des femmes et des hommes à la foi solide, passionnés par la cause de Dieu et celle de l'homme. Un même esprit les animait : il est devenu celui de l'Assomption, riche, multiforme, partagé et à l'oeuvre dans le monde entier. Pour elles et pour eux, l'Évangile devait être un ferment de transformation des personnes et de la société.
Des amitiés fortes les unissaient ; ils s'entr'aidaient spirituellement et matériellement. Leurs vies furent des aventures humaines, mystiques, missionnaires, avec, parfois, des crises que leur audace, leur foi et leur esprit de liberté permirent de surmonter. Documents à l'appui, les Archivistes de chaque Congrégation ont éclairé ces moments de tension. À l'origine on trouve souvent un manque de clarté dans les objectifs, des modèles de gouvernement imprécis, des situations d'urgence suscitant des impatiences, des différences de sensibilité entre hommes et femmes. Ces difficultés ont marqué l'histoire des relations entre les cinq Congrégations de l'Assomption, sans altérer pour autant la confiance et l'estime mutuelles.
Ce Colloque a ravivé la conscience de former une même famille, unie par un même esprit et de larges pans d'une commune histoire. Il a permis de purifier la mémoire, dans un climat d'écoute, d'humilité et de foi. Une nouvelle page s'ouvre pour l'aventure spirituelle et missionnaire de l'Assomption au 21ème siècle.
8ème Rencontre de la CAFAL : Communauté Assomptionniste de Formation pour l’Amérique Latine
La Communauté Assomptionniste de Formation d'Amérique Latine (CAFAL), qui a lieu tous les trois ans, s'est réunie du 7 au 17 janvier 2004, à Riobamba, en Équateur. L’objectif de ces rencontres est - comme la CAFI - de permettre aux jeunes religieux en formation de vivre une expérience d'internationalité, au moins une fois avant les voeux perpétuels.
Sept Brésiliens, six Colombiens, trois Chiliens, deux Congolais, un Argentin, un Équatorien et un Mexicain participaient à l’expérience, accompagnés par les Pères Miguel Fuentealba (Chili), Tomás Gonzáles, Francisco Páez (Colombie) et Julio Navarro venu de Rome.
La nouveauté de cette CAFAL a été de partager ensemble des moments de réflexion et d'échanges, avec des temps de mission. Les matinées étaient réservées au partage autour de thèmes comme la réalité du diocèse de Riobamba, la mission dans la Bible, la réalité de l'Assomption dans les différents pays d'Amérique latine où l’Assomption est présente, les options de la vie religieuse en Amérique latine, l'appel à la mission dans la Congrégation aujourd'hui.
En après-midi, quatre équipes avaient la responsabilité d'une communauté de base sur la paroisse San Miguel de Tapi, desservie par la communauté assomptionniste de Riobamba. Les frères allaient visiter les gens maison par maison, organisaient des activités pour les enfants et pour les jeunes et, le soir, des célébrations liturgiques pour l’ensemble de la communauté chrétienne. Pendant toute une journée, le partage s’est fait aussi avec une douzaine de jeunes professes Religieuses de l'Assomption de la Province d’Équateur.
La mission a commencé à la cathédrale, avec l'envoi par l'Évêque et a pris fin avec une eucharistie festive dans la paroisse, où toutes les communautés rencontrées s'étaient donné rendez-vous.
Célébration du centenaire de la mort du Père François Picard
Le samedi 10 janvier, dans la suite du Colloque Inter-Assomption, les Orantes avaient invité la famille de l’Assomption et ses amis à venir célébrer le centenaire de la mort du Père François Picard. Tout le monde s’est donné rendez-vous à la maison généralice des Religieuses de l’Assomption, une maison que le Père Picard connaissait bien.
La chapelle était pleine lorsque Mme Jacqueline Decoux, une journaliste, nous présenta le livre qu’elle venait d’écrire sur le deuxième Supérieur Général des Assomptionnistes et le Fondateur des Orantes : François Picard, l’engagement d’un homme pour “faire en toute chose la volonté de Dieu”. Une projection très documentée nous présenta ensuite les moments importants de la vie du Père Picard.
Ce fut ensuite l’eucharistie d’action de grâce avec une longue prière d’intercession pour l’Assomption à partir de diapositives qui présentaient les grandes lignes d’action du Père Picard. Tout le monde se retrouva à la maison des Religieuses pour une rencontre très fraternelle, qui symbolisa bien l’esprit du Colloque qui venait de se terminer.
Première rencontre de la Commission préparatoire du Chapitre général
Le Conseil de Congrégation de 2003 avait demandé la création d’une Commission de préparation pour le Chapitre général 2005. Il lui fixait plusieurs objectifs : faire la synthèse des trois éléments du charisme (le Christ, la communauté, la mission), réfléchir sur l’état du monde et de la Congrégation, rédiger un instrumentum laboris pour un projet de Congrégation.
En décembre 2003, le Supérieur Général a nommé les membres de cette Commission préparatoire. Il s’agit des Pères André Brombart (Belgique), John Franck (Amérique du Nord), Roger Kasereka Syayipuma (Afrique), Rodrigo Mardones (Chili-Argentine), du Frère Bernard Jouanno (France) et des Pères Julio Navarro et Bernard Holzer (Assistants généraux).
Ces religieux - à l’exception du Père John Franck (États-Unis) - se sont retrouvés à Rome les 11 et 12 février 2004 pour faire connaissance, échanger sur le travail de la Commission et se donner une méthode de travail. Plusieurs propositions ont été faites au Conseil général et au Conseil de Congrégation.
La Commission préparatoire se réunira, au complet, en deux séances pour préparer les outils de travail qui lui seront demandés, du 6 au 12 octobre 2004 et du 22 janvier au 2 février 2005.
RIAD : 2ème Rencontre Internationale Assomption pour le Dialogue Inter-religieux et Oecuménique (20-30 août 2004, en Roumanie)
C'est en Roumanie, en terre d'orthodoxie, que la 2e RIAD a réuni au monastère orthodoxe de Darau, trente-cinq participants : des cinq familles religieuses (dix-huit Assomptionnistes, neuf Oblates, sept Religieuses et une Petite Soeur) de dix-sept pays. Cette RIAD fut à l'origine d'une rencontre au sommet, tout aussi fraternelle qu'heureuse, à laquelle prirent part le pasteur Geoffroy de Turkheim, Mgr Florentin, mais surtout Mgr Jean-Claude Périsset, Nonce apostolique à Bucarest et le Métropolite Daniel de Moldavie et de Bucovine.
Atelier “Éducation / Médias” (Worcester, 28 juillet - 2 août 2004)
Vingt-trois personnes ont participé à l’atelier "Éducation/Média", organisé du 28 juillet au 2 août 2004, à Assumption College (Worcester, USA). Le groupe, très international, comptait quatorze Assomptionnistes, deux Religieuses de l’Assomption, une Oblate et six laïcs amis de l’Assomption, oeuvrant en Afrique (2), en Argentine (1), en Belgique (2), en Colombie (2), en France (7), en Italie (1) et aux États-Unis (8)
L’objectif de cet atelier était d’élaborer des propositions en vue du Chapitre général de 2005, afin d'aider la Congrégation à aller plus loin dans sa mission à travers l'éducation et les moyens de communication. Aujourd’hui, l’Assomption y est active à travers une vingtaine d’institutions d'éducation, très différentes entre elles, partout dans le monde et, dans les média, par Bayard Presse à Paris, Montréal, Mystic (Connecticut) et ailleurs encore ; par Radio Moto à Butembo (R.D. Congo), et par différentes autres initiatives médiatiques plus modestes.
L'atelier a duré cinq jours. Il a permis aux participants de réfléchir sur la nature apostolique de ces activités professionnelles, sur leur caractère spécifiquement assomptionniste et sur les moyens pour développer et approfondir notre présence dans ces domaines. Voici quelques-unes des découvertes majeures de cet atelier : les réalisations dans ces domaines et en particulier sur le campus d'Assomption College, le nouvel emplacement de Bayard à Mystic et le courageux effort au Congo en ce temps de guerre ; la collaboration entre religieux et religieuses de la famille et des amis laïcs assomptionnistes; les convictions professionnelles des religieux (Assomptionnistes) et des collaborateurs laïcs ; la dimension internationale de la mission ; l'intérêt des jeunes assomptionnistes pour ces secteurs.
Cette rencontre n'a pas suffi pour aboutir à des propositions définitives. Une groupe de travail doit formuler des propositions et les envoyer à la Commission préparatoire du Chapitre général.
Rencontre des Conseils généraux de la famille de l’Assomption
Les Conseils généraux de la famille de l’Assomption se retrouvent du 27 au 29 septembre 2004. Trois sujets sont à l’ordre du jour : La mission de l’Église et de l’Assomption en Afrique, la préparation de nos Chapitres généraux, une évaluations des actions communes réalisées et des suggestions pour l’avenir.
Session des Économes provinciaux et des Procureurs
(11-16 octobre 2004)
Le 11 octobre, se retrouvent à Rome, les Economes provinciaux et les Procureurs, à l’exception des Economes provinciaux d’Afrique et d’Amérique du Nord, empêchés pour des raisons de santé. Un portrait fidèle de la situation financière de la Congrégation a pu être fait au cours de cette session.
Quelques points majeurs à noter :
- Une recommandation au Chapitre général pour l’accompagnement de la Caisse de Solidarité en 2005. Le Fonds apostolique entrera en fonction en 2006. Il prendra alors le nom de Fonds de Solidarité. Quelques lignes d’action seront précisées pour que les Provinces continuent à verser des fonds pour la solidarité.
- Une recommandation pour constituer une Commission de compétences pour analyser les demandes à la Caisse de solidarité et faire des recommandation au Conseil de Congrégation.
- En 2000, les redevances représentaient 24% du budget. Elles ne représentent plus que 11% du budget en 2004. Les Economes demandent qu’elles représentent demain 20% du budget.
- Les normes pour les voyages et les sommes-limite ont été reprises et s’appliquent à toutes les opérations budgétaires (audelà de ce que demande le Droit canon qui ne concerne que les aliénations).
- Une prise de conscience de la solidarité inter-provinciale et de la vulnérabilité de certaines Provinces. Mais il reste difficile de réfléchir au lien administration-pauvreté-justice. On ne bouge pas en ce domaine.
- Les participants à la session ont pris conscience aussi de la pauvreté en personnel de la maison généralice.
Du 2 au 5 novembre 2004, le Supérieur Général accueillait, avec le Père Marcel Poirier, une vingtaine de religieux soucieux des vocations, pour préparer un document de réflexion concernant les vocations à l’attention des membres du Chapitre général.
Au programme figuraient les points suivants : “Le Père d’Alzon et l’éveil des vocations”, “Le monde des jeunes, un aperçu continental”, “La vie commune”, “Le projet apostolique commun”, “Les grandes causes de l’Eglise et du monde”, “Les méthodes du Père d’Alzon”... Tous les exposés et interventions avaient pour objectif d’éclairer et de favoriser la réflexion.
Du 24 au 29 octobre 2004, une centaine
de religieuses et de
religieux de la Famille de l’Assomption se sont retrouvés à Paris, à
la Maison Mère des Petites Soeurs de l’Assomption, pour un
Congrès Inter-Assomption, dont le thème était : “Ensemble,
quel
avenir voulons-nous pour l’Assomption en Europe et en Amérique
du Nord ?”
Voulu par les Supérieur(e)s Général(es), il s’adressait
aux
Provinciaux et Provinciales d’Europe et d’Amérique
du Nord,
accompagnés de deux personnes de
leur Province, si possible les
responsables de la formation ou de la
pastorale vocationnelle.
Les participants ont envoyé un message à leurs Soeurs et Frères en Assomption.
“De Paris, où une centaine de membres de la famille se sont réunis
pour réfléchir à un thème commun : “Ensemble,
quel avenir
voulons-nous pour l'Assomption en Europe
et en Amérique
du
Nord ?”, nous voulons vous communiquer sans délai
un peu de
notre expérience ainsi que nos souhaits et notre joie d'être
ensemble.
Après cette semaine, nous sommes convaincus, plus que jamais,
que nous partageons un charisme commun
exprimé en cinq voix
différentes, don pour l'Église et le monde. Ce charisme,
nous
devons l'approfondir entre nous et avec nos amis
laïcs.
Oui, nous voulons redire que ce don de Dieu vécu
dans la
complémentarité peut agir comme levain
dans notre monde
d'aujourd'hui. Nous avons la conviction qu'il faut
trouver des
moyens concrets pour profiter de ce réseau encore trop peu
utilisé.
Après les apports des intervenants (Andréa Riccardi - Italie,
Philippe Lécrivain - France, Albert Dianni - USA, Mercedes
Navarro - Espagne), un dialogue riche et large s'est instauré entre
nous.
Nous avons privilégié trois thèmes qui nous paraissent
essentiels :
+ nos racines spirituelles
+ la communauté “fondatrice”
+ comment vivre en “Famille-Assomption”
Vastes réalités qui commencent à germer
et appellent la
participation créatrice de chacune
et chacun, en inter-assomption,
là où nous sommes.
Cette expérience porteuse de joie
et d'enthousiasme que nous
venons de vivre ensemble, nous vous
la souhaitons !
Nous sommes sûrs qu'avec vous, nous trouverons les chemins pour
que ce trésor que Dieu nous confie, puisse devenir un véritable
don pour nous, nos collaborateurs laïcs, l'Église et le monde.
Éphémérides assomptionnistes
À la suite du Cinquantenaire de l’arrivée des Assomptionnistes à Madagascar, la Vice-Province poursuit les recherches sur son histoire. Elle publie “Éphémérides AA - Madagascar”, fruit d’un important travail du Père Maurice Laurent qui rapporte les grands événements qui se sont produits durant ces 50 ans. Le livre de 125 pages (avec un index) présente aussi les portraits de tous les religieux qui ont travaillé dans l’île jusqu’à ceux qui ont prononcé leurs voeux perpétuels lors du Centenaire.
Assumption College. A Centennial History. 1904-2004
Pour le centenaire d’Assumption College, un professeur d’histoire,
M. Kenneth J. Moynihan, qui est aussi journaliste à ses heures,
s’est penché, dans cet ouvrage de plus de 300 pages, sur l’aventure
du Collège depuis le premier alumnat jusqu’à la prestigieuse
université. Un prologue présente le Père d’Alzon,
surtout
l’éducateur confronté aux défis
de son temps, ainsi que la
fondation de la Congrégation et l’implantation de l’Assomption
aux États-Unis.
Il nous présente ensuite, de manière très plaisante,
l’histoire
mouvementée du Collège, avec ses crises surmontées,
ses défis
relevés et ses évolutions.
De nombreuses photos illustrent ces
pages qui permettent de découvrir une “oeuvre” maîtresse
de
l’Assomption, des pionniers et des frères,
fiers de leur mission.
Vie Împaratia Ta - Augustinienii asumptionitti
1850-2004.
80 de ani de prezenta în România
1923-2003.
par Bernard Stef et Ionel Antoci,
aa.
À l’occasion des 80 ans de présence assomptionniste en Roumanie, le Père Bernard Stef et le Frère Ionel Antoci ont publié une plaquette de cent pages avec de nombreuses photos sur cette histoire. Après une présentation de la Congrégation et de sa spiritualité, chaque religieux roumain a droit à une notice biographique (largement inspirée des notices écrites par le Père Jean-Paul Périer-Muzet), avec leur photo.
Prosopographie alzonienne
Le Père Jean-Paul Périer-Muzet vient d’achever une oeuvre qui lui tenait à coeur et qui va réjouir tous les historiens qui s’intéressent à la Congrégation, à son Fondateur et au XIXème siècle. Elle va intéresser aussi tous les religieux et religieuses de la famille de l’Assomption qui y trouveront une mine de renseignements et de pistes de recherche. Il s’agit du tome XVI des “Lettres du P. Emmanuel d’Alzon. Prosopographie alzonienne : Lettres A-Z.” Cet épais volume de 1.155 pages, pesant 1,7 kilogrammes, contient une recension commentée de tous les noms propres de personnes des 15 tomes de “Lettres” antérieurs, classés alphabétiquement.
The Catholic Chaplaincy in Moscow.
A Short History
1934-1999.
par le Père Robert J. Fortin, a.a.
Le Père Robert Fortin, aumônier à Moscou de 1983 à 1986, nous livre dans ce document de 90 pages une histoire approfondie et peu connue de la plupart d’entre nous de l’aumônerie de Moscou Le livret actuel raconte les 65 ans d’histoire de cette aumônerie catholique. Le traitement accordé aux différents sujets est incomplet parce que l'auteur, qui habite à Jérusalem, n'a pas pu consulter les Archives des Assomptionnistes à Rome ni à Boston pour actualiser et compléter un travail qu'il commença il y a près de quinze ans mais ne put jamais finir. Il s'agissait alors de publier, continuer de rechercher, et compléter, un travail encore antérieur du Père Patrick Croghan a.a., décédé en 1977, sans avoir pu mener à terme l'imposant projet qu'il avait. De plus, ces études antérieures couvraient seulement les vingt-cinq premières années de l'Aumônerie (1934-59). Pour la période suivante (1959-99), les seuls documents à la portée de l'auteur étaient les réponses à un questionnaire envoyé à tous les aumôniers qui étaient encore en vie.
Pour les vingt-cinq premières années (1934-59), les événements
et
les situations sont présentés
dans un style narratif habituel. Pour
la période suivante (1959-99), on
a simplement reproduit les
“verbatim”, les questions et les réponses reçues,
avec un minimum
de retouches.
Le livret commence par décrire le contexte qui avait préparé le
chemin pour la création de l'aumônerie : les premiers
Assomptionnistes en Russie, l'église Saint Louis-des-Français,
la
présence de Mgr Neveu à Moscou,
et les accords
Roosevelt-Litvinov. Il expose
ensuite quelques-unes des situations
et certains événements qui ont eu lieu pendant le séjour à Moscou
de chacun des aumôniers. La conclusion souligne quelques aspects
plus significatifs de l'histoire de l'aumônerie.
CD et DVD sur les Congrégations de la famille
assomptionniste
publié par le Centre d’Alzon
CD Thesaurus (v.2 du 1er mars 2004) pour 64.427 pages indexées.
Le DVD contient les diaporamas de D 1 et de D 2, le thesaurus;
20.000 photos d’archives, 3.757 illustrations des contemporains
du Père d’Alzon, des Pères de Vatican I et des souvenirs.
CD diaporama (D 1), en français, anglais, espagnol, brésilien,
italien, néerlandais, c’est-à-dire six diaporamas de
100 minutes.
CD diaporama (D 2), français, anglais et swahili, c’est-à-dire
trois
diaporamas de 100 minutes.
Père Bernard GUILLET (AN), 88 ans 27/01/2004
Frère Alfons STERKEN (Nl), 73 ans 12/02/2004
Père Wilfrid DUFAULT (AN), 96 ans 24/02/2004
Frère Omer GEMME (AN), 81 ans 24/02/2004
Frère Jan van der LEE (Nl), 87 ans 29/02/2004
Père Anselm MORRISON (AN), 83 ans 08/03/2004
Père Pedro VARGAS (ChA), 81 ans 11/03/2004
Père Michaël LEE (F), 83 ans 22/03/2004
Père Willy WINTMOLDERS (BN), 81 ans 03/04/2004
Père Marie Charles BROCHIER (F), 96 ans 07/04/2004
Père M. Anthelme BUGNARD (F), 86 ans 08/04/2004
Père Ronan LÉON (F), 75 ans 24/04/2004
Père Gorazd KOURTEV (F), 84 ans 29/04/2004
Père Joseph-Marie FENAYROU (F), 92 ans 01/06/2004
Père Jef BERGMANS (BN), 73 ans 12/07/2004
Père Max CHEVALLIER-CHANTEPIE (F), 98 ans18/07/2004
Frère Leo FREDERICKX (BN), 77 ans 12/08/2004
Père Clovis TOUVRON (ChA), 91 ans 26/08/2004
Père Jac BERK (Nl), 77 ans 26/09/2004
Frère Wim KRUISWIJK (Nl), 78 ans 27/09/2004
Père Jean-Paul TROTTIER (AN), 86 ans 01/10/2004
Père Richard RICHARDS (AN), 81 ans 30/10/2004
Père Bruno Bastiaens (B.N.), 91 ans 11/11/2004
Père Jean Potin (F), 73 ans 17/11/2004
Père Joseph Laffineur (B.S.), 71 ans 28/11/2004
Père Pol Celis (B.N.), 80 ans 29/11/2004
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