Roma, June 24, 1999
Dear Brothers,
It’s getting warm in Rome. The tourists are coming in great number, but the locals are beginning to think about cooler climates. Even the General House is beginning to thin out. Fr. Claude Maréchal has been assigned to the community at Limas and just left Rome on June 20. Fr. Dominique Bouverot will soon be joining his new community at Vincennes in Paris and Fr. Louis Augustijns, at Leuven, after house-sitting here in Rome during the months of July and August. Bro. Emmanuel (“Manu”) Abarnou, who has been in Rome for 24 years, is eagerly awaiting his own assignment. Fr. Daniel Stiernon, in Rome for almost fifty years, will soon return to Belgium. We assure them all of our prayers.
But in the midst of all these changes, the General Council has held its first major meeting. Since Fr. René Mihigo is finishing out the novitiate year in Butembo, he will not be able to come to Rome until September. Julio will also finish out the year in Pomaire, but he was able to come to Rome specifically for this meeting. We met from Tuesday, June 15 to Friday, June 18. I’m sending this letter to you to keep you informed about a number of important decisions we took at our meeting and some plans we have for the near future.
Major items on our agenda included the naming of six Provincials and the review of requests by religious for ordination to the presbyterate and the diaconate and for final profession. The following brothers have been named Provincial for the next three years:
Fr. André Antoni, as Provincial of France;
Fr. Arnold Castro, as Provincial of North Belgium;
Fr. Jose Geraldo da Cruz, as the first Provincial of Brazil;
Fr. Jean-Marie Denis, as Provincial of South Belgium, for a second term;
Fr. John Franck, as Provincial of North America, for a second term;
Fr. Manuel Martinez, as Provincial in Spain, for a second term.Let me take the occasion publicly to thank all of these for the service that they have accepted to render to their Provinces and to the Congregation, and we’re thankful for the devotion and energy of their predecessors: Fr. Patrick Zago in France, Fr. Pedro Wouters in Brazil, and Fr. Jef Bergmans in North Belgium.
Because the General Chapter so strongly emphasized the importance of formation for those in positions of responsibility, the General Council decided to organize a formation session for these six Provincials, to be held in Rome before Christmas.
In addition to these nominations, Brother Ephrem Kasereka Kapitula (Africa) and Francisco Javier Paez Becerra (Vicariate of Colombia) were called to the priesthood and Brothers Salvator Kasereka Musande (Africa), Roger Kasereka Syayipuma (Africa), and Gerard Paluku Kyose (Africa), to the diaconate. Also, Brothers Daniel Blaj (France-Roumania), Claude Katembo Masimengo (Africa), Albert Emasintsoa (Madagascar), Joseph Etienne Rafanambinantsoa Ratalata (Madagascar) and Roger Syaminya Ngolama (Africa) have been accepted for perpetual profession.
We also reviewed progress on the translation and publication of the General Chapter documents. A master text of all of the approved documents has been compiled, and this is currently being translated. The plan is to publish the Chapter documents simultaneously in five languages (English, Spanish, French, Dutch and Portuguese) no later than the end of July. We are counting on the assiduous work of our translators, who we hope are able to respect the deadlines that have been set. Let me thank our Secretariat here in Rome for their efficient work on this project and for the translators (at work in the Provinces) whose work will make it possible for us consistently in the future to provide translations of Congregation documents in a timely manner.
The next meeting of the General Council, when all of its members will be present, will begin on September 20. I can’t overemphasize the importance of this meeting, nor ask too insistently for your prayers for us at that time. I think of it as a time for building an apostolic community. We in the Council want to take seriously this call to be apostolic community. Consequently, for the first part of our September session (as much as five days of our two-week long meeting), we will talk about the mission that has been entrusted to us and the vision that might guide our work as a Council. We will reflect on what we consider to be our own gifts, desires, and passion for the Kingdom in order to know each other better and, eventually, to be able to distribute our work as intelligently as possible. Finally, we will consider what it means for us to be community and how concretely we might nourish that common life in the months and years ahead.
The second half of our session will be given over to a rereading of the General Chapter documents, an identification of the priorities that have been set for General government by the Chapter and some of the strategies that we might use to implement these priorities. There will also be many very specific issues to address, not the least of which will be a specific calendar for ourselves for the year.
Our meeting will conclude with the local Chapter of the community at Due Pini and a pilgrimage to Nîmes and Le Vigan. There we will spend time with our brothers and sisters, close to Fr. d’Alzon and the air he breathed, a return to the source that we trust will nourish and inspire us in the years ahead.
All of us will be occupied in various ways during the months of July and August. Marcel Poirier left on June 20 for a month in Quebec, with the community there and with family and friends. Julio Navarro returned to Chile and his work at the novitiate, on June 21. Bernard Holzer will spend some time at home at the beginning of July and September. He will be in Turkey (July 7-18), in Paris (July 18-25), and in Jerusalem (August 19-31) for various sessions, and will preach a retreat for the Little Sisters in France and participate in the National Pilgrimage at Lourdes in the middle of August. I will be preaching a retreat at Valpré for the French Province (July 11-19) and attending their Chapter of application to be held just before the retreat (July 4-6). With Bernard, I will attend a session in Paris (July 19-25) for Assumption religious, with Fr. Goulven Madec, on Augustinian retreats. At the end of July, I will go to the United States to participate in a congress on base communities and for some days of vacation. I plan to be back in Rome by August 18.
So, our work has begun, and begun well, I think. I want you to know of the joy and enthusiasm with which we have begun this work at the service of the Congregation. The Chapter was the occasion of a generous outpouring of the Spirit on us all. Now, it’s our desire to put this to work in view of a conversion that is deep and lasting.
We hope you pass these months well and remember to keep us in your prayers. We think of you often.
F. Richard E. Lamoureux
General Superior
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