The Justice, Peace, Integrity of Creation Commission of the USG/UISG invites all member congregations to participate in a day of prayer and fasting for an end to violence and war in Darfur, Iraq, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Northern Uganda, Nepal, Columbia, Israel, Palestine, Lebanon and all those places in our world where there is discord and division. We are reminded of the words of John Paul II in his World Day of Peace Message 2002: “Prayer for peace is not an element that ‘comes after’ the commitment to peace. On the contrary, it is at the heart of the effort to create peace, peace with order, justice and liberty. To pray for peace means to open the human heart to the outburst of God’s renewing power. With the life giving strength of grace, God can open up paths to peace in places where only obstacles and impediments seem to exist. God can strengthen and broaden the solidarity of the human family, in spite of long histories of division and struggle. To pray for peace means to pray for justice, for right relationships among nations. It also means to pray for freedom, especially for religious freedom, which is a fundamental human and civil right of every human being. To pray for peace means to pray that we may receive God’s forgiveness and at the same time, grow in courage so that we are able to forgive others.”(14)
Dear Brothers,
May the grace and peace of Our Lord Jesus Christ fill your hearts now and forever!
The following are some of the matters that were treated in the tempo forte meeting and which may be of interest to the members of the Congregation of the Mission.
1. After a long and deliberate discussion, we named a new Secretary General, who graciously accepted to assume this position. He is Claudio Santangelo, originally from the Province of Rome. For the year and a half he has been serving in the Province of Austria. Most recently, he has been in Rome studying Islam. Claudio will finish he studies in June, when he will take up the role of Secretary General full-time. I am grateful to both the Provinces of Rome and Austria for their acceptance of this decision of the Superior General and his council. Claudio replaces Father Juan Carlos Cerquera, who, for reasons of health, was unable to continue in the role of Secretary General. On behalf of the whole Congregation of the Mission, I want to thank Father Juan Carlos for the generous service that he provided to the Congregation, as well as to me personally as Superior General, during his time in this position.
2. One of the issues to be discussed at the International Visitors’ Meeting in June will be the frequency, duration and content of the General Assemblies. Father José Antonio Ubillús generously accepted to head the Curia Technical Commission for that meeting. He informs us that there are still a number of Visitors who have yet to process their visas for Mexico. I would like to reiterate, after many warnings, how difficult it is to get a visa for Mexico.
3. We discussed the organization of Servant-Leadership in the Curia House. Father Giuseppe Guerra has been named legal representative for the Curia in Rome. He will continue in his position as Assistant to the Treasurer General for another period of three years, as well as continuing in his role as Postulator General. He will also assume, on a full-time basis, the role of Procurator General, which he has been doing pro tem, since Father Varghese Thottamkara left the Curia.
4. We discussed the Vincentian Historical Sites as a continuing effort to improve their visitor-friendliness, especially those of the Berceau and the Chapel of Saint Vincent in Paris. A project has been drawn up by Father Alain Pérez with regard to ongoing formation in the Berceau for the international Vincentian Family. There are hopes that we can put together some pilgrimage packages of tours to our different historical sites in France.
5. In the report on the Archives, we learned that 19 volumes of the General Councils from 1827-1969 have been recorded on CD and microfilm, as well as photocopies of the microfilm. We will continue the process of consultation in order to help us reorganize the Archives of the General Curia.
6. We received correspondence from the coordinator of the Think Tank, Father Robert Maloney. There are a number of things to report. The title of the Think Thank has been changed to become more language-friendly. It is now the Commission for Promoting Systemic Change. The Commission made a report at the annual meeting of the international heads of the Vincentian Family, at which it was decided to make Systemic Change the theme for this year’s feast of Saint Vincent de Paul. The Commission also recommended some new criteria for the Systemic Change Award, which were accepted by the council and will be put into effect in the next letter sent out for the Systemic Change Award. The Commission is committed to publishing a book, which will be entitled, Seeds of Hope. It will also develop a didactic kit for understanding systemic change, as well as offering workshops. Among the materials in the didactic kit will be information on the question of water, as it is becoming a enormous worldwide problem today.
7. We studied the final Financial Report of the former Treasurer General, Father Elmer Bauer. I want to take this opportunity, in the name of the entire Congregation of the Mission, and in the name of the Curia and my own name, to thank Father Elmer for his generous years of service to the Congregation of the Mission in this role. Through his leadership and pedagogical capabilities, the financial portion of the Congregation of the Mission continues to improve.
8. The Superior General and council made the decision that the Mission Distribution Fund would be for the internal needs of the different provinces of the Congregation of the Mission and will not cover social programs. It was recommended that such programs make petitions directly to the Vincentian Solidarity Office. The Visitors of the provinces that receive help from the Mission Distribution Fund, as well as the eligible Conferences of Visitors and some bishops of the Congregation of the Mission, received a letter on 13 February from the Assistant General for the Missions concerning the Distribution Fund for 2007. They are asked to return their requests and reports to the General Curia before 30 April.
9. Father José Antonio Ubillús, our liaison with the CIF Program, informed us of the mini-CIF that will be offered from 24 June to 21 July, with the option of an additional week to go to the Berceau and other places south, according to their usual itinerary. Their session on Leadership, which was to be offered from 25 February to 25 March, did not get a good response, so it was canceled, with the hope of offering it again in the summer of 2008. The regular Ongoing Formation Program of CIF will be from 9 September to 7 December in French, Spanish and Italian. The Vincentian Heritage Program will be offered from 15 April to 11 May in English. All are encouraged to participate in these wonderful opportunities to deepen our Vincentian spirituality.
10. The Superior General and his council decided to increase the number of provinces and regions that can be recipients of the Vincentian Solidarity Fund. The official list will be distributed and discussed at the Visitors’ Meeting in June and will become effective on 1 July 2007. Before that, each of the Visitors concerned will receive a letter from the Superior General, informing them that their provinces can now or once again present projects for financing by the VSO.
11. We had a report from the Director of the Vincentian Solidarity Office, Brother Peter Campbell. From 1 December 2006 to 28 February 2007, the VSO accepted six new projects. The new projects accepted are from the Provinces of Fortaleza, North India, South India, Congo, Madagascar and Nigeria. In that same time period, the Vincentian Solidarity Fund provided grants to four micro-projects from the Provinces of Costa Rica, Cuba, North India and Ethiopia. I invite you to take a look at the website of the Vincentian Solidarity Office (www.famvin.org/vso) and the most recent achievements in the March 2007 Bulletin.
12. We received a report from Father Manuel Ginete, the Delegate for the Vincentian Family. He gave us a summary of the annual meeting of the international heads of some branches of the Vincentian Family, which was held in Rome from 2-4 February. He also spoke of his visit to the Philippines with the Superior General. There they held a number of meetings with the different branches of the Vincentian Family. Father Ginete also participated in the National Missionary Days of COVIDE-AMVE and JMV-Spain from 2-4 March. He also participated in the General Assembly of AIC from 9-14 March.
13. In the report from the Webmaster, we first noted, with deep sadness, the death of Sister Gail Reith, RSM, who had been recently appointed to assist our webmaster, Father John Freund. She had a major role in expanding our internet presence beyond just being a newspaper to moving it into a major source of ongoing formation on-line. We have reached a new era in communication for the Congregation of the Mission. We did a video conference with Father John Freund, marking the first time that such had been used in an official report to the General Council. In preparation for the Visitors’ Meeting in Mexico, Father John Freund would like to illustrate how internet sites can serve as a vehicle for communication and collaboration, as well as advocacy on behalf of the marginalized and formation for those who seek to serve in the way of Vincent. They also can be a medium for fundraising to support our ministries. We also discussed the possibility of improving the efficiency of communication from the Curia to the provinces and vice-versa through the establishment of new email addresses. We will start out on a relatively small scale with just provincial officials, such as the Visitors and Provincial Treasurers. The addresses will be formed using the provincial nomenclature from the beginning of the Catalogue, Tabual Compendiorum. This matter also will be further discussed at the Visitors’ Meeting in Mexico.
14. We discussed a letter from the Visitors of the Midwest, South and West Provinces of the United States, outlining their plans for reconfiguration. The three Visitors will come to the General Curia on 26 April in order to discuss this process with the Superior General, the Vicar General and the Treasurer General in greater detail.
15. We received a report from the Assistant for the Missions. Among the many things worth mentioning is the good work that he has done in sending articles to missionaries throughout the Congregation, as well as promoting the possibility of participating in various workshops of ongoing formation for missionaries. We would like to recommend, at least for those of the Spanish-speaking world, the book that was published recently by CEME, entitled, Vincent de Paul and the Mission, a work by Father Mikel A. Sagastagoitia Calvo, from the Province of Zaragoza, a missionary in Honduras.
16. From the International Missions, the Superior General and his council approved the Community Plan presented by the missionary community of El Alto, Bolivia. The possibility of initiating a MISEVI international site in El Alto was discussed. We approved the revised contract between the Catholic Church in the Solomon Islands and the Congregation of the Mission. We are happy to announce that there will be a new missionary arriving in Papua New Guinea, Father Justin Eke from Nigeria. He will become a member of the seminary staff, freeing Father Homero Marín to move from the seminary staff to become the pastor of a new parish, which has been offered to the Congregation by the Archbishop of Port Moresby. With this new parish, the Congregation will have the opportunity to receive candidates for the Congregation of the Mission. The confreres have received several inquiries in this regard. I take this opportunity to remind confreres that there is still a need for missionaries; parish ministry in the Solomon Islands and seminary ministry in Papua New Guinea are our greatest needs at this moment.
17. From APVC, we discussed the second draft of the “APVC Responsibility for the Mission in the Solomon Islands Agreement with the General Curia,” as well as the third draft of the “Memorandum of Understanding Among the Visitors of APVC Regarding the Solomon Islands Mission.”
18. From CLAPVI, we received the announcement of its next activity, which will be from 22-28 April in Rio de Janeiro with the theme: Lectio Divina and Vicentina. The presenters of the topic will be Father Gabriel Naranjo of the Congregation of the Mission and Father Carlo Josafat.
19. From COVIAM, we received a copy of the minutes of the Assembly that was held in 2006. Their topics for the formation of formators in 2007 were presented: Saint Vincent de Paul as Formator, Human Development, Intellectual and Theological Formation, and The Five Virtues from the Perspective of Inculturation, given by Father Robert Maloney. The Visitors and Regional Superiors will be gathered for a meeting (1-3 August), at which they will have a workshop on the Ratio Missionum from the perspective of Africa. We also had reports from Father Sylvester Peterka on his visits to the Province of Congo and the Region of Cameroon. Father Sy is a confrere from the Eastern Province of the United States and pastor of an African-American parish in Baltimore. He had been proposed to COVIAM by the Superior General and was accepted. Father Sy will attend the annual gathering of the formation of formators in Nairobi. His collaboration is in terms of formation.
20. The Superior General and the General Curia will give a donation to contribute toward the development of a Chair of Frederick Ozanam at the Pontifical Angelicum University in Rome. One of the promoters of this Chair is the Frederick Ozanam Foundation of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society in Rome.
21. The final item discussed was the team evaluation of the General Council. The dates have been established from now until 2010. This revision of our mission as a General Council is intended to comply with our Council Project, which states: “Evaluate, revise and update this ‘Project of the General Council.’
Your brother in Saint Vincent,
G. Gregory Gay, C.M.
Superior General
Under the patronage of UNESCO, 350 AIC volunteers coming from 50 different countries met in Rome for the International Assembly from one week, from 8 to 14 February. They link the voice of the poorest of the poor at the National and International level. The AIC acts against the constraints of social injustice, especially those which affect women. The theme of the Rome Assembly was: “Women and Poverty in the Diversity of Cultures”.
Given that there are now more and more women living in poverty, the participants ere asked to reflect on culture either as obstacle or indeed enhancement for women’s development. They were also asked to reflect on the recognition of the fundamental human rights of women within different cultures. A theoretical response to this issue was given by Mr. Thierry Verhelst, a Belgian consultant on Inter-cultural relations. Throughout the week volunteers from the field gave personal accounts. Mrs. Bogaletch Gebre, an Ethiopian specialist on Women’s Rights, was one of the speakers. There were forums, workshops and cultural displays which showed examples of cultural and best practices.
After the election of the new executive board of the association, the conclusions of the meeting were formalised in the new operational guidelines for the next four years.
11. General Curia
Itinerary of the Superior General. Fr. G. Gregory Gay, Superior General, participated, from 2-4 February in Rome, in the annual meeting of those responsible for some branches of the International Vincentian Family. On 5 February, he traveled to the Philippines together with Fr. Manuel Ginete, delegate for the Vincentian Family, in order to participate in the 75th anniversary of Adamson University. He remained in the Philippines until 21 February and had the opportunity to meet with members of the Vincentian Family on several occasions. From there he traveled to Japan, where he remained until 25 February.
Resignation of the Secretary General. On 15 February, Fr. Juan Carlos Cerquera Trujillo (Province of Colombia) resigned as Secretary General for reasons of health. We thank Fr. Juan Carlos for the time dedicated to this important service for the Congregation.
Visits to the Curia. Fr. Robert P. Maloney (Eastern Province USA) was in the General Curia from 4-12 February, participating in the meeting of the Vincentian Family and the meeting of the Think Tank. Fr. Benjamín Romo (Province of Mexico), International Coordinator of the AMM, visited the Curia from 5-10 February; he participated in the meeting of the heads of the International Vincentian Family.
12. New Secretary General
Appointment of the new Secretary General. The General Council has named Fr. Claudio Santangelo (Province of Rome) as the new Secretary General, replacing Fr. Juan Carlos Cerquera Trujillo. Fr. Santangelo was born on 8 May 1964 in Rome. He entered the Congregation on 15 September 1992. He made his vows on 25 March 1996 and was ordained to the priesthood on 13 September 1997. He is presently taking courses in the Institute of Religions and Cultural Studies, specializing in Islam, at the Pontifical Gregorian University. We wish him success in his new service in favor of the poor from the General Secretariat of the Congregation of the Mission. Congratulations!
13. Vincentian Family
Annual Meeting. The International Coordinators of the Vincentian Family were in Rome for their annual meeting from 2-4 February. They reviewed the activities of 2006, as well as those planned for 2007. They dialogued on the motto and the theme for the celebration of the Vincentian Family Day around the feast of Saint Vincent de Paul. There were 19 people present: Superiors General and delegates from the Congregation of the Mission (CM), the Company of the Daughters of Charity (DC) and the Religious of Saint Vincent de Paul (RSV), respectively. Likewise present were the Presidents, Coordinators or delegates of the lay Vincentian branches: International Association of Charities (AIC), Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (SSVP), Association of the Miraculous Medal (AMM), Vincentian Marian Youth (JMV) and Lay Vincentian Missionaries (MISEVI). Also at the meeting were some auxiliary persons, either for secretarial service or for that of translation.
14. Commission for Promoting Systemic Change
Biannual Meeting. From 5-8 February, the Commission for Promoting Systemic Change met in the General Curia. The members are: Fr. Robert P. Maloney (USA – Eastern), Mr. Eugene Smith (SSVP), Fr. Norberto Carcellar (Philippines), Fr. Pedro Opeka (Madagascar), Fr. Joseph P. Foley (USA – Eastern and CM NGO Representative at the UN), Sister Ellen Flynn, DC (Great Britain) and Mrs. Patricia Nava (AIC). Mrs. Rosa María Casas (AIC) also participated as translator. The Commission has as objective to promote systemic change through the apostolates in service of the poor of the members of the Vincentian Family.
15. CLAPVI
Course of the Latin American School of Vincentian Spirituality. CLAPVI just finished the third course of the Latin American School of Vincentian Spirituality, with the assistance of 15 participants, belonging to 10 provinces of that Conference. CLAPVI proposed to have this first experience of three years in order to determine the need and convenience of the School. Today, we can guarantee such a need and convenience according to the evaluations carried out during those three years. We give thanks to the Lord and Saint Vincent for this inspiration, and we thank the Province of Curitiba for the generous way it offered itself so that in it and with it we could carry out this project.
16. Colombia
Internal Seminary. From this school year 2007, the Internal Seminary will be established in the house of Santa Rosa del Cabal, the oldest house of the province. This house was founded in 1894 and until a few years ago was the Apostolic School. The Internal Seminary of this province welcomes, as on other occasions, seminarians from other provinces. This year there are 20 seminarians: seven from the Province of Central America (five from Guatemala, one from El Salvador and one from Nicaragua) and 13 from the Province of Colombia (11 from Colombia and two from Rwanda). The formation team is made up of Fr. Marlio Nasayó, Director of the Internal Seminary; Fr. Rodrigo Restrepo, superior of the house, Fr. Pedro Nel Delgado, professor, and Deacon Nicolás Salazar, professor. We hope that these young confreres will use this time to clothe themselves with the Vincentian missionary spirit. May God grant them perseverance in this Vincentian vocation.
17. Ireland
Canonical Visitation. Fr. Jozef Kapusciak, Vicar General, made the canonical visitation of the Province of Ireland from 20 January to 9 February. This Province, erected in 1848, presently has 12 canonical houses (nine in Ireland and three in England) and 65 incorporated confreres. Fr. Kapusciak visited all the houses and spoke with the great majority of the members of the province. He also met with seven “foreign” confreres, who, for reasons of study or work, live in the communities of the Irish confreres. In every house, he had a community meeting during which he explained the purpose of the canonical visitation and dialogued with them about the situation of the Congregation in the world. Likewise, during his stay in Ireland and England, he made fraternal visits to the Visitatrixes of the respective provinces of the Daughters of Charity. Fr. Kapusciak noted that the Province of Ireland, in spite of the advanced age of its members and the lack of new vocations, is still dynamic. The confreres work with dedication, carrying out various activities and ministries: education and pastoral work in school settings, work in parishes, spiritual assistance to the Daughters of Charity, animation of the Vincentian laity, formation of the clergy, service to the sick, disabled, refugees, marginalized and elderly, preaching popular missions and missions ad gentes. The problems that the province is confronting are tied to the lack of vocations, the diminishing number of members and the median age of the confreres.
18. Philippines
Seventy-fifth Anniversary of Adamson University. On the occasion of the celebration of its Diamond Jubilee, Adamson University had various activities from 5-11 February. Among them, on 7 February, the University conferred the degree of Doctor in Humanities Honoris Causa on Fr. G. Gregory Gay, Superior General of the Congregation of the Mission and the Daughters of Charity. This event took place in the theater of the University of Manila, Philippines.
19. Naples
Canonical Visitation. Fr. José María Nieto, Assistant General, visited the Province of Naples and the mission in Albania from 22 January to 28 February. The province was founded in 1815 and presently has 50 confreres. It, like many provinces in Europe, suffers from the ageing of personnel. However, it has some candidates who, if formed well, will be a hope for the future. Naples is a province which offers help through personnel and financial resources to the foreign missions in Albania and Eritrea. The province needs missionaries for Albania and thus we make an appeal to the generosity of you, our confreres.
20. Orient
Canonical Visitation. From 2-26 February, Fr. Gérard Du Tran Cong, Assistant General, made the canonical visitation of the Province of the Orient, which takes in the communities which work in Egypt, Israel, Lebanon and Syria. In Cairo, he held an interview with the Patriarch Emeritus of the Coptic Catholics, Cardinal Stephanos II Ghattas, Vincentian. He also visited the communities of the Daughters of Charity who work in that metropolis, which has about 15 million inhabitants. The six confreres residing in Alexandria (seven million inhabitants), in the Northeast of the country on the Mediterranean coast, are in two communities: one in Menchié, founded in 1844, and the other in Miami. They have a primary and secondary school with more than 1000 students and a Coptic Catholic parish. The province has a house in Damascus, Syria, erected in 1827, where there are four confreres. They run a small “complementary” school and one of the confreres founded the Center “Land of the People – Syria,” in order to help handicapped children. The Provincial House is in Beirut, capital of Lebanon, where the confreres staff a much frequented Marian shrine, the Basilica of the Miraculous Medal. The province has a large school in Antoura, in the area around the capital. It has more than 3700 students, from nursery school to the last year of secondary school. This school, found-ed in 1783, maintains its national renown. In another area, not far away, there is the Technical School of Dahr-es-Sawane, established in 1964 on a hill which offers a splendid panorama. This school has 200 students coming from poor families. They are welcomed, fed and instructed without cost. Lastly, near Tripoli, the second largest city of the country, the community of Medilaya is dedicated to pastoral activities, catechetics and parish missions in the towns of the region. The Archbishop of this large diocese is Msgr. Georges Bou Jaoudé, a Vincentian confrere, former Visitor of the Province of the Orient.
21. Zaragoza
Meeting of Local Procurators. The province organized a meeting of local treasurers in Zaragoza-Casablanca from 23-24 January. The total number of participants of these days for formation and sharing was 17 (15 local treasurers, plus the Provincial Treasurer and the Visitor). Mrs. María Pilar Portaspana was responsible for the formation sessions. She spoke of general financial concepts and various taxes. Fr. Wilson Sitchon Figueroa, spoke on the functioning of the accounting program which the communities have and resolved some of the most frequent doubts. The Provincial Treasurer went over the concepts related to the presentation of Accounts, Budgets and various aspects of general interest. Fr. Julio Suescun reflected on “Vincentian Criteria for the Correct Administration of Goods.” The Visitor and the Provincial Treasurer gave reports on economic matters of interest for the province. All this time was supported by prayer and harmony among the participants. The welcome and atmosphere were highlighted by cordiality and simplicity.
NOMINATIONS
MOORE Brian 03-03-07 Visitor Ireland
SANTANGELO Claudio 05-03-07 Secretary General
GUERRA Giuseppe 05-03-07 Procurator General and Assistant to Treasurer General
PRIESTLY ORDINATIONS
INUEIUA CARAQUISSELACA Cinema Moz 27-01-07
FURMANN Jair Cur 04-02-07
SANTANA GARCÍA Luis Manuel Cae 10-02-07
NECROLOGIUM
SOETERBOEK Laurens Sac 05-02-07 Hol 82-61
MERINO RUIZ Áureo Sac 08-02-07 Mex 86-68
LÓPEZ ALARCÓN José Hipacio Sac 15-02-07 Col 97-48
MORA DAZA José Eulogio Sac 17-02-07 Bar 93-75
SLUTTER Bernard Sac 22-02-07 Hol 85-65
LARREA LAFUENTE Gerardo Sac 24-02-07 Cae 91-71
RIBEIRO MARQUES José Sac 09-03-07 Flu 84-65
CORNELISSEN Jacques Sac 11-03-07 Bel 85-66
WEBSITES:
Fr. Pedro Opeka, C.M. (Prov. of Madagascar): http://www.perepedro.com
http://www.paterpedro.de (in German)
Daughters of Charity (Prov. of Slovenia): http://usmiljenke.rkc.si
Sisters of Mary of the Miraculous Medal
(Province of Slovenia): http://marijine-sestre.rkc.si
Congregation of the Mission
(Province of Slovenia): http://redovi.rkc.si/lazaristi
Province of Mexico: http://vicentinos.org.mx
Vincentian Family of Portugal: http://cemporcentovicentino.blogspot.com
We ask the provinces which have changed information on their websites, please to send this to the General Curia (cmcuria@cmglobal.org), to Fr. Freund, Webmaster of the Vincentian Family site (freundj@cmglobal.org) and to the editor of Nuntia (vincentiana@cmglobal.org and/or vincentynuntia@yahoo.it) for their respective publications. Thank you very much!