APARECIDA and AEC Aparecida at Prayer AEC and APARECIDA

What is the AEC? The Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC) comprises thethe Roman Catholic Hierarchy ofof thethe Catholic Dioceses ofof ..thetheDutch and EnglishEnglish--speakingspeaking Caribbean (CARICOM) ..andand thethe FrenchFrench--speakingspeaking territories except HaitiHaiti.. IncludesIncludes1313 independent countries fromfrom:: .. Belize inin thethe West, ..Bermuda inin thethe North and ..Cayenne inin thethe SouthSouth--EastEast.. The conference’s 2121 ecclesiastical units includeinclude:: ..five Archdioceses and ..Fourteen Dioceses, ..total populationpopulation::88..44million,million, .. 22..44millionmillion::RomanRoman CatholicCatholic.. q Antilles Episcopal Conference: . Current President : Archbishop Donald Reece of Kingston, . . AEC Secretariat in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad: . Coordination activities of the Conference: . hosting Annual Plenary Meetings of the Bishops . Other frequent meetings: . Permanent Board , Regional Seminary Board . Finance Commission. q Other AEC Commissions: Catechetic, Doctrine Ecumenism Education Family & Life Justice & Peace Laity Youth Evangelization & Mission Liturgy & Ministry Tourism Migrants & Refugees AEC was at Aparecida AEC representation at Aparecida Total population ofof Latin America and thethe CaribbeanCaribbean:: ..600 million ..2222 Episcopal Conferences ..150150 Cardinals, Archbishops and Bishops participated inin Aparecida

§§ Population AECAEC:: §§ 88..44million,million, ((11%%populationpopulation LALA &&Caribbean)Caribbean) §§ Representatives atat AparecidaAparecida::

§§ Archbishop Don Reece, ofof Kingston, §§ Archbishop Robert Rivas ofof , §§ Bishop Luis Secco ofof Willemstad inin Curacao, §§ Bishop Robert Kurtz ofof Hamilton inin Bermuda ((33%%ofoftotaltotal Bishops atat Aparecida)Aparecida)..

§§ Other participants:: participants §§ 115 priests, sisters and laity, includingincluding:: §§ SrSr..PriscillaPriscilla Clement ofof StSt Lucia, §§ FrFr..CarlCarl Clarke ofof Jamaica ((22%%ofof thethe nonnon--EpiscopalEpiscopal participants)participants)..

§§ AEC wellwell--representedrepresented making important inputs toto Aparecida Document (AD) especially thethe section onon Catholic educationeducation.. AEC Review of Evangelization after Aparecida (SEE)

At the March 2008 Annual Plenary meeting of the AEC in Rome the Bishops assessed the current state of evangelization in the region following Aparecida. Conclusions For years local Catholic Churches in the Region have been experiencing a hemorrhaging in membership; Factors includeinclude:: . Catholic culture vs. Protestant culture . levels of poverty . effectiveness of Catholic formation/education. Catholics have been evangelized to: keep the commandments, attend Mass, be kind to others, But they were not trained or formed: . to become missionaries as lay people . only Priests and Religious portrayed as missionaries. Aparecida: evangelize differently: . to form dedicated Catholic Christians, missionaries. Focus on Key Priority for response (Judge)

Conference Theme “The Christian asas Disciple and Missionary” highlighted urgent doubledouble--barreledbarreled thrust toto 11..stemstem thethe hemorrhaging && 22..instill lifelife &&powerfulpowerful sense ofof mission/vocation inin each local ChurchChurch..

ToToidentify one priority area ofof thethe goals and objectives ofof thethe ADAD toto guide thethe joint pastoral efforts ofof AEC inin immediate futurefuture..

The AEC decided totofocus ononChapter 66:: “The Formative Journey ofofMissionary Disciples” with emphasis ononCatechesis --lifelife--longlonglearning process ofof adult faith formation totoaccompany religious formation ofof children &&youth”youth”(Paragraphs 276276--300300)).. Priorities for the AEC (cont)

Vocation &&commitmentcommitment toto bebe disciples &&missionariesmissionaries ofof Jesus inin Latin America &&thethe Caribbean require clear &&firmfirm optionoption:: ..forforformation ofof our communities ..forfor thethesake ofof allall baptized ..regardlessregardless ofof thethe role they play inin ChurchChurch..(AD(AD 276276))

Aparecida document highlights 55stepssteps inin thethe process ofof forming missionary disciplesdisciples:: 1.1. Encounter with Jesus Christ who calls usus toto follow himhim.. 2.2. Conversion toto following himhim through thethe Action ofof thethe SpiritSpirit.. 3.3. Discipleship, maturing inin love &&followingfollowing Jesus, enabling usus toto persevere inin Christian lifelife &&missionmission.. 4.4. Communion, since nono Christian lifelife except inin community &&withwith itsits pastors toto mature inin lifelife ofof thethe spiritspirit.. 5.5. Mission, asas disciples gogo toto thethe world toto proclaim Jesus Christ && practice love &&serviceservice ofof thethe neediestneediest.. AEC Pastoral Letter on Catechesis and Guidelines for Catechesis The Antilles Bishops noted that: “These steps are similar to those proposed by General Catechetical Directory, adopted by AEC in its Pastoral Letter on Catechesis, and applied in the region (2000): 1.1. Knowledge ofof thethe faith 2.2. Formation based onon Faith Knowledge 3.3. Commitment toto thethe Lord flowing from knowledge and formation 4.4. Mission asas aaresultresult ofof informed Commitment The AEC underlines that “each ofof thethe four elements must bebe present inin thethe lifelife ofof mature Christian”Christian”.. Their interaction isis thethe heart ofof thethe growth formula forfor aa ChristianChristian..(AEC(AEC Pastoral Letter onon Catechesis Art 2727)) Implementation of AD in AEC (Act) To Sensitize every Catholic Community in the Antilles:

That “The vocation and commitment to be disciples & missionaries of Jesus Christ,

today in Latin America and the Caribbean

require a clear & firm option:

. for the formation of our communities . for the sake of all the baptized .regardless the role they play in Church.” (AD 276) Methodology

Methodology agreed byby thethe AEC Plenary MeetingMeeting::

.. totouse almost exclusively alreadyalready--existingexisting Church Community groups and activitiesactivities:: ..Liturgy &&ChoirChoir groups, marriage encounter groups, prayer groups, RCIA, baptismal, confirmation and marriage preparation groups, youth groups .. bible study groups, daily mass and novena groups, ..parish management, laylay training groups, commissions, etc, totoimplement thethe programmeprogramme..

Missionary discipleship isis not anan additional activity, but rather aadimension,dimension, aaresponsibilityresponsibility &&vocationvocation totowhich allall Catholics areare invited ToTorecognize, ToTo embrace and ToTo expand inin what they areare already doingdoing.. ACTIVITIES TO DATE Facilitation of Translation in English, Publication of first English edition of Aparecida, Distribution of AD across the region

Spirit & message of Aparecida in Diocesan publications & regional Catholic Press, web sites

Theme of Missionaries and Disciples for Synods, Regional activities, AEC Commission programmes, for example: vv Castries Archdiocese. Theme of yearyear--longlong Synod ActActivities,ivities, 300 copies of AD to coordinators --studystudy & implementation.implementation. vv Regional Youth Assembly 99--1919 July 2009, Kingston vv Programme of Catechetical Commission supported Missionaries in North West Guyana vv Seminary training programmes vv Planned Regional Retreat for Diocesan Catechetical Coordinators , CATC activities, etc TRAINING AND FACILITATING TEAM Aparecida concrete challenge to: “foster thethe responsibility ofof laylaypeople inin thetheworld forforbuilding thethe Kingdom ofofGod” “continual concern ofofthose who areare lapsed and areare oblivious toto thetheLord inintheir lives” (AD 280280))..

Bishops also challenge themselves:: themselves .. Suitably prepared training teams --assure effectiveness ofof process .. totoaccompany people with dynamic, active, and open pedagogiespedagogies.. ..Participation --laylay men &&womenwomen onon training teams (AD 281281))

AEC Catechetical CommissionCommission:: ..CoordinateCoordinate and facilitate process ofof training missionaries && disciples inin thethe AEC regionregion..SupportedSupported USUS Bishops, CELAM, Expected Results Goal AEC programmeprogramme::

..totoimplement Aparecida producing missionary disciples inin allall church groups participating inin process &&keykey members ofof teams totomultiply thethe initial impact inin dioceses across thethe ConferenceConference.. WITH THE CONFIDENCE OF THE CHURCH AT APARECIDA THAT MISSION AND DISCIPLESHIP ARE THE WORK OF CHRIST

WeWe look toto Jesus, who personally trained hishis apostles &&disciplesdisciples..

Christ gives usus thethe methodmethod:: “Come and see” ((JnJn11::3939),), IIamam thethe Way, thethe Truth, and thethe Life” ((JnJn1414::66))..

With HimHim toto develop potential inin people and form missionary disciples .. Like HimHim persistent patience and wisdom, continual invitationinvitation.. ToTofollow himhim into thethe mystery ofof thethe Kingdom After hishis death &&resurrection,resurrection, toto preach Good News inin thethe power ofof hishis SpiritSpirit.. HisHis characterizes those engaged inin formation, Especially inin current challenging times The Church must respond toto thethe new sociosocio--culturalcultural context ofof Latin America and CaribbeanCaribbean..(AD(AD 276276)) THANK YOU

QUESTIONSQUESTIONS?? CLARIFICATIONSCLARIFICATIONS??

AND ESPECIALLY SUGGESTIONS FOR

11-- HOW CAN CATECHISTS BETTER RESPOND TOTO THE CHALLENGES OFOFAPARECIDA FOR AA NEW EVANGELIZATIONEVANGELIZATION??

22..HOW CAN AEC SUPPORT THE WORK OFOF CATECHISTSCATECHISTS,,ESPECIALLYESPECIALLY ININAREAS OFOFTRAINING && RECOGNIZING MISSIONARIES && DISCIPLES OFOF CHRIST ACROSS THE REGION?? REGION