Day 16, July 12: Moving Towards a Vision

Day 16, July 12: Moving Towards a Vision

After approval of the minutes, the assembly watched some greetings. First, Gary Mueller, superior of the Region of Kenya, sent congratulations to Fr. Tomaz, along with some other members of that mission. Then, there were videos of greetings from the seminarians in Brazil and the seminarians in Peru.

Vinicius Teixeira Ribeiro of Brazil then presented the summary of comments and reflections from the discussion yesterday regarding the fundamental elements of our charism. The floor then opened for comments. Again, for over an hour, almost all noted that they appreciated the spiritual underpinnings of the summary and that they underscored what is in our Constitution. Many also asked if something new or dynamic could be added, in addition to the traditional aspects of our spirituality.

After a break, the assembly then again had table discussions regarding the third part of the final document, on what commitments the Congregation could make during the next six years in living out our charism in the New Evangelization.

After lunch, Ramzi Jreige of Lebanon spoke on behalf of the synthesizers to summarize the morning table conversations. He noted three main points of the discussions: the reanimation of spiritual life through prayer and relationship with people in poverty, reinforcement of initial formation without forgetting ongoing formation, and strengthening community life. He also noted the need for greater collaboration, solidarity and partnership between provinces and cultures in terms of formation and resources. In another plenary session, several delegates again remarked that the final document needs to be fresh, focused and inspiring as we approach the 400th anniversary of the birth of our charism. They also noted the importance of being in relationship with people in poverty.

After a break, Ziad Haddad of Lebanon, the moderator, announced that the Central Commission wanted to assure the delegates that the final document would likely be only five or six pages. The assembly then once more went into small group discussions over the last part of the final document, on what commitments the Congregation could make regarding our missions and apostolic work. The assembly concluded with evening prayer and ended the day.

Jeremy Dixon, cm