COMBONI MISSIONARIES OF THE HEART OF JESUS XVII GENERAL CHAPTER REPORTS FROM THE CIRCUMSCRIPTIONS English Versions Rome, 29th June 2009 1 2 Index Page 1 Distretto della Curia 5 2 Asia 9 3 Brasil Do Sul 21 4 Brasil Nordeste 31 5 Centrafrique 43 6 Delegación de Centro América 51 7 Colombia 65 8 Congo 73 9 Deutschprachige Provinz 75 10 Ecuador 85 11 Egypte 97 12 Eritrea 105 13 España 111 14 Ethiopia 127 15 Italia 137 16 Kenya 151 17 Khartoum 161 18 London Province 169 19 Malawi-Zambia 177 20 México 185 21 Moçambique 193 22 North American Province 199 23 Perú-Chile 217 24 Polska 227 25 Portugal 229 26 South Africa 239 27 South Sudan 247 28 Tchad 255 29 Togo Ghana Benin 263 30 Uganda 275 3 4 Distretto della Curia Report of the Curia District at the Generalate to the XVII General Chapter 2009 Introduction Juridically speaking the Curia District is not a province or a delegation as such but a legitimately constituted structure, recognised by the Institute’s tradition and the RL 103.3. To the Curia District belong the communities that are housed in the headquarters of the Generalate in Rome (Curia Community, Community of Fathers/Brothers students, Community of the Renewal Course) or linked to it (Community of the Comboni Year, Paris community and the two communities of Warsaw and Krakow in Poland). This ‘belonging to’ refers, in a special way, to the communities in Rome. The Polish community, the Paris community and the community of the Comboni Year will present their own reports. REPORT OF THE CURIA DISTRICT 1. Personnel situation on 1st March 2009 1.1 Total number of confreres belonging to the Curia District: 60 (Rome 38, Poland 21, Paris 1) 1.2 Total number of priests: 42 (Rome 29, Poland 11, Paris 1) 1.3 Total number of Brothers: 10 (Rome 9, Poland 1) 1.4 Number of confreres according to their nationality: I=28, PO=13, E=5, P=4, T=3, M=2, BS=1, CN=1, DSP=1, ER=1, LP=1 1.5 Number of scholastics: 9 (Poland) 1.6 Number of Brothers in CIF: 1 (Poland) 1.7 Novices: 0 1.8 Postulants: 2 (Poland) 1.9 Communities: 6 Rome 3: Curia, Fathers and Brothers students, Renewal Course Poland 2: Warsaw, Krakow France 1: Paris 2. Basic aspects of our being missionaries The Curia District’s communities have tried to live their missionary vocation in line with the capitular indications. The specific role of the Curia community, namely that of being at the service of the whole Institute and in particular of the General Council, is undoubtedly a strong motivation to live the Comboni charism with authenticity and dynamism but, at the same time, is a challenge to go beyond the local context in order to be open to the Institute’s situation in its complexity and diversity. In this sense there has been a growth in sensitivity and 5 attention, even if at times greater enthusiasm and personal involvement in our welcoming and service would have been required. The canonisation of our Founder, which marked the beginning of the six-year period, was an occasion for reflection, sharing and prayer for all: Comboni ‘saint’ has evidenced the need for renewal in our life and has guided the community to review its commitments according to the Gospel and the requirements of mission. Collaboration with the General Council, the general secretariats and the various offices has been a good motivation for living out in a personal way our missionary consecration. Contacts with so many confreres passing through and news from our missions in various parts of the world have helped the Curia community to feel close to the apostolic work of the Institute. Attention to world events, the many contacts with people responsible for the Church, the ecclesial service we have carried out, have helped the community to feel in a special way the missionary spirit of the whole Church and of the Institute, whose part it is. 3. Journeying with the Institute and the Church As a community, we have done our best to carry out projects and initiatives that the Institute had planned for this six-year period, in particular with regard to the process of the Ratio Missionis. Following the indications of the GC and of the secretariat for evangelisation, we organised workshops and meetings that saw the active participation of a good number of confreres, offering in this way our contribution of ideas and life experiences. These occasions helped the confreres to improve communion and mutual appreciation. In preparation for the General Chapter 2009, the reading and sharing of the ad hoc documents (Ratio Missionis, Formation and Government) helped us to deepen important themes with some liveliness and enthusiasm. On the occasion of Synods and other meaningful events in the life of the Church, the community became involved by organising meetings of reflection and study and by inviting speakers and experts (for instance, Comboni Bishops, participants in the Synod on the Eucharist and on the Word of God). Trough these motivating experiences the communities of the Curia made an effort to look at the real situations and problems, to review them and to identify practical ways to better implement collaboration and communion. 4. Community life Concerning community life, the communities of the Curia have somehow improved, even if we still need to improve in our community spirit and to strengthen collaboration and co-responsibility among us. The year planning was always an important occasion to review and re-qualify our community life. The orientations and basic aspects of community life were set down in our Yearly Community Project, which also contained the priorities for each year. Furthermore, in this six-year period we have worked together to review and revise the Community Charter (2006): it was an important time to deepen and renew fraternal life. The community rhythm is well organized and intense (prayer, community councils, meetings and conferences of ongoing formation, Comboni celebrations, times of sharing and fraternal life…). The presence among us of different nationalities and cultures has underlined the need to grow in interculturality and inculturation. 6 In general we have experienced a basic serenity: tensions have been faced in a spirit of fraternal confrontation. The planning of the confreres responsible for the various communities of the Curia and services is carried out in a spirit of subsidiarity and availability, though the coexistence of different communities under the same roof may be a source of tensions inherent to the structure and not always easily ironed out. The lifestyle of the community is basically simple. In spite of the complexity in the running of the house, there has been collaboration in order to encourage participation and to witness poverty and simplicity in our lifestyle and economic sector. Also our community life is affected by the usual problems of large communities, namely the tendency to monotony and routine to the detriment of spontaneity and creativity. In our community councils we have tried to positively respond to such challenges. The effort has to continue so that, especially for the Curia community, the structure does not weigh too heavily on community life. 5. Spirituality and prayer Prayer is the heart of our life as missionaries. The daily, weekly and monthly rhythm of prayer is practiced in a regular manner and with creativity: at least there has been a constant effort in this direction. The community celebration of the Eucharist, on Wednesdays, and the sharing of the Word are important moments in our life. It would be desirable at times to show better participation and sharing. We have also experienced, for some time, a weekly Lectio divina on the Word. Some confreres today regret the fact that it has been interrupted. The service the community provides for the good of the whole Institute helps us to live and celebrate the important values of Comboni spirituality with great intensity. The example and witness of personal prayer are important. 6. Mission and mission promotion * Various confreres arrive and depart for the mission, stopping over at the Curia. It is always an occasion of welcome, joy and prayer, of interest concerning the various places we are. * For the Curia community it is becoming clearer and more meaningful our presence in and collaboration (mission promotion) with the local Church (San Vigilio’s parish, diocesan mission centre, Vicariate, Conference of Missionary Institutes in Italy - CIMI, Presbyteral Council…). * Collaboration with the Comboni Sisters is rather good at the level of celebrations together (especially for Comboni celebrations), at the level of exchange of services (retreats, meetings, Eucharistic celebrations…) and at the level of reflection and assessment (General Councils). * In the Curia community what is missing is a true and real mission promotion in the area of Rome. We only have sporadic requests to give talks on specific occasions. Mission Sundays are very few, also due to the lack of a confrere in charge of this sector. There is a very intense work in keeping contacts with the benefactors of the house and of the missions. For a number of years we have started the experience of the GIM, animated by the Scholasticate (even though it has moved to Casavatore) and in collaboration with the Comboni Sisters. We are open to prayer groups and to groups of young people for retreats. We make our hall and rooms available for meetings and panel discussions for 7 people who are associated with us. The celebrations and homilies in the Chapel of the Curia are an effective way of mission promotion among the many people who come to us.