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Antillas Episcopal Conference Response

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Antillas Episcopal Conference Response APARECIDA and AEC Aparecida at Prayer AEC and APARECIDA What is the AEC? The Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC) comprises tthheeRomanRoman Catholic Hierarchy oofftthheeCatholicCatholic Dioceses ofof ..tthheeDutchDutch and EnglishEnglish--speakingspeaking Caribbean (CARICOM) ..andand tthheeFrenchFrench--speakingspeaking territories except HaitiHaiti.. IncludesIncludes1133independentindependent countries fromfrom:: .. Belize inin tthhee West, .. Bermuda iinntthheeNorthNorth and .. Cayenne iinntthheeSouthSouth--EastEast.. The conference’s 2211ecclesiasticalecclesiastical 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, Jamaica. 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 Castries, §§ Bishop Luis Secco ofof Willemstad inin Curacao, §§ Bishop Robert Kurtz ofof Hamilton inin Bermuda ((33%%ofoftotaltotal Bishops atat Aparecida)Aparecida).. §§ Other participantsparticipants:: §§ 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 aass Disciple and Missionary” highlighted urgent doubledouble--barreledbarreled thrust toto 11..stemstem tthheehemorrhaginghemorrhaging && 22.. instill lliiffee&&powerfulpowerful sense ofof mission/vocation inin each local ChurchChurch.. TTooidentifyidentifyone priority area oofftthheegoalsgoals and objectives oofftthhee AADD toto guide tthhee joint pastoral efforts ofof AEC inin immediate futurefuture.. The AEC decided totofocus oonnChapterChapter 66:: “The Formative Journey ofof Missionary Disciples” with emphasis oonnCatechesisCatechesis --lliiffee--longlonglearning process ofof adult faith formation totoaccompany religious formation ofof children &&youth”youth”(Paragraphs 276276--300300)).. Priorities for the AEC (cont) Vocation &&commitmentcommitment ttoobbeedisciplesdisciples &&missionariesmissionaries ofof Jesus inin Latin America &&tthheeCaribbeanCaribbean require clear &&ffiirrmmoptionoption:: ..ffoorrformationformation ofof our communities ..ffoorrtthheesakesake ooffaallll baptized ..regardlessregardless oofftthheerolerole they play inin ChurchChurch..(AD(AD 276276)) Aparecida document highlights 55stepssteps iinntthheeprocessprocess ofof forming missionary disciplesdisciples:: 1.1. Encounter with Jesus Christ who calls uussttoofollowfollow hhiimm.. 2.2. Conversion toto following hhiimmthroughthrough tthheeActionAction oofftthheeSpiritSpirit.. 3.3. Discipleship, maturing inin love &&followingfollowing Jesus, enabling uussttoo persevere inin Christian lliiffee&&missionmission.. 4.4. Communion, since nnooChristianChristian lliiffeeexceptexcept inin community &&withwith itsits pastors toto mature iinnlliiffeeoofftthheespiritspirit.. 5.5. Mission, aassdisciplesdisciples ggoottootthheeworldworld toto proclaim Jesus Christ && practice love &&serviceservice oofftthheeneediestneediest.. 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 oofftthheefaithfaith 2.2. Formation based oonn Faith Knowledge 3.3. Commitment ttootthheeLordLord flowing from knowledge and formation 4.4. Mission aassaaresultresult ofof informed Commitment The AEC underlines that “each ooff tthheefourfour elements must bbeepresentpresent iinntthheelliiffeeooffmaturemature Christian”Christian”.. Their interaction iisstthheeheartheart ooff tthheegrowthgrowth formula ffoorraa ChristianChristian..(AEC(AEC Pastoral Letter oonnCatechesisCatechesis Art 2277)) 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 toto which allall Catholics areare invited ToTo recognize, 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 tthheeresponsibilityresponsibility ooffllaayypeoplepeople iinntthheeworldworld ffoorrbuildingbuilding tthheeKingdomKingdom ofofGod” “continual concern ofof those who aarreelapsedlapsed and aarreeobliviousoblivious ttootthheeLordLord 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 --llaayymenmen &&womenwomen oonntrainingtraining teams (AD 281281)) AEC Catechetical CommissionCommission:: ..CoordinateCoordinate and facilitate process ofof training missionaries && disciples iinntthheeAECAEC regionregion..SupportedSupported UUSSBishops,Bishops, CELAM, Expected Results Goal AEC programmeprogramme:: ..totoimplement Aparecida producing missionary disciples inin allall church groups participating inin process &&keykey members ofof teams toto multiply 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 WWeelooklook toto Jesus, who personally trained hhiissapostlesapostles &&disciplesdisciples.. Christ gives uusstthheemethodmethod:: “Come and see” ((JnJn11::3399)),, IIaammtthheeWay,Way, tthheeTruth,Truth,and tthheeLife”Life” ((JnJn1144::66)).. With HHiimm toto develop potential inin people and form missionary disciples .. Like HHiimmpersistentpersistent patience and wisdom, continual invitationinvitation.. TToofollowfollow hhiimmintointo tthheemysterymystery oofftthheeKingdomKingdom After hhiissdeathdeath &&resurrection,resurrection, toto preach Good News iinntthheepowerpower ooff hhiiss SpiritSpirit.. HHiissstylestyle characterizes those engaged inin formation, Especially inin current challenging times The Church must respond ttootthheenewnew 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 REGIONREGION??.
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