mex01-23.jpgDuring the CEVIM Visitors’ Conference held at Istambul from April 27 to the 2nd of May 2006, the Visitors of the Provinces of Orient, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain had a conversation about the convenience of holding a meeting in order to think about the possibility of having an Interprovincial Internal Seminary on the basis of the experience of the previous years in Spain.

On the 9th and 10th of December 2006 Fathers . Antoine Douaihy, Provincial Assistant of the Orient Province, Yves Bouchet, Visitor of Toulouse, Biagio Falco, Visitor of Naples, Nicola Albanesi, Visitor of Rome, Erminio Antonello, Visitor of Torino; José Augusto Alves, Visitor of Portugal; José Vicente Martínez Muedra, Visitor of Barcelona; Corpus Juan Delgado Rubio, Visitor of Zaragoza; Joaquín González Hernando, Visitor of Madrid; Antonio Otero Froufe, Visitor of Salamanca, had a meeting in Madrid for a first working session. Fr. Pierre Cornée, Visitor of the Paris Province, sent his excuses for his absence. Fathers Santiago Azcárate Gorri, of the Province of Zaragoza, and Félix Álvarez Sagrado of the Province of Madrid, Director and Subdirector respectively of the Internal Seminary of the Spanish Provinces, were also present in the meeting. The last two presented their Internal Seminary experience during the last years so as the Statutes on which the experience was based.

Showing signs of their very positive evaluation of the experience of the previous years in Teruel, the Visitors asked Fathers Santiago Azcárate and Félix Álvarez to prepare a first draft of a new Statute keeping in mind their experience and the ideas contributed during the meeting.

The Visitors and Fathers Santiago Azcárate and Félix Álvarez met again in Madrid on the 29th of March. After studying each with his own Council the redaction of the new Statute, the Visitors showed their appreciation for the work done, and contributed some remarks with the idea of improving the text presented. Those ideas that substantially modified the text were examined as to whether should be introduced or not in a new redaction. Fathers Santiago and Félix were again entrusted with a second redaction of the text.

The Visitors met again on the 5th of June during the meeting of all the Visitors of the Congregation held in Mexico. We unanimously approved the Statute, which has been signed on June 10 by the Visitors of the Provinces of Orient, Paris, Toulouse, Naples, Rome, Torino, Barcelona, Zaragoza, Salamanca, Madrid and Portugal, together with the Superior General.

The Internal Seminary will begin, God willing, in Avila, with the following formation staff: Fr. Fernando Casado, Director; Fathers. Félix Álvarez and Salvatore Farì. The celebration of the initial date of the Internal Seminary will take place on the 26th of September. There will be this year 8 or 9 seminarians, according to the estimates of the Visitors.

Corpus Juan Delgado

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