July-September 2014 GENERAL CURIA CONGREGATION OF THE MISSION Year - N. 3 INCENTIANA th 58 on “Evangelii Gaudium” Vincentian Bishops Reflect Vincentian V VINCENTIANA — 58th Year - N. 3 - July-September 2014 Table of Contents VINCENTIANA Journal Published quarterly Introduction Congregation of the Mission 225 Editor’s Nore General Curia - Rome - Italy In our next 227 About our Authors 58th Year - N. 3 July-September 2014 issue... From the General Curia Editor 229 Meditation Moment. Reflection on the Vow of Obedience by the General Curia John T. Maher, C.M. 236 Tempo Forte Summary (June 2014) Editorial Board 243 New Appointments at the General Curia Jean Landousies, C.M. Javier Álvarez Munguia, C.M. Jorge Luis Rodríguez, C.M. From the Superior General Giuseppe Turati, C.M. 245 Letter to the Vincentian Family for the feast of St. Vicent Publication 249 Letter to the Vincentian Family on the Plight of Christians in Iraq General Curia of the Congregation of the Mission 251 Sunday Mass Homily for JMV Moderators (Paris, 20 July 2014) Via dei Capasso, 30 00164 Rome (Italy) Tel. +39 06 66 13 061 Spotlight Interview The Fax +39 06 66 63 831 255 An Interview with Fr. Manuel Ginete, C.M. Member of Province of the Philippines [email protected] John T. Maher, C.M., with Manuel Ginete, C.M. Authorization Ratio Tribunal of Rome Theme: Vincentian Bishops Reflect on “Evangelii Gaudium” 5 December 1974 - N. 15706 Formationis 263 The Social Dimension of Evangelization Legal Representative Bishop Vicente Bokalic Iglic, C.M. (Argentina) Giuseppe Carulli, C.M. 272 The Social Dimension of Evangelization Bishop George Bou Jaoudé, C.M. (Lebanon) Printer Tipolitography Ugo Detti 278 Meditation on “Evangelii Gaudium” Via Girolamo Savonarola, 1 Bishop Jorge García Isaza, C.M. (Colombia) 00195 Rome (Italy) 282 The “Francis Effect”: One Bishop’s Impression Tel./Fax +39 06 39 73 75 32 Most Reverend David M. O’Connell, C.M., J.C.D., D.D. (USA) [email protected] 288 Reflection on the Fourth Chapter of “Evangelii Gaudium”: The Social Dimension of the Gospel Subscriptions for 2014 e Bishop Rolando C. Santos, C.M. (Papua New Guinea) 55,00 296 “Evangelii Gaudium” and the Social Dimension of Evangelization Vincentiana is published Bishop Luis Solé Fa, C.M. (Honduras) in English, French and Spanish, 302 “Evangelii Gaudium” and the Vincentian Charism thanks to the collaboration ✠ Abune Varghese Thottamkara, C.M. (Ethiopia) of a team of translators Cover: Fabio Elias Lorada INNTRODUCTIONTRODUCTION Editor’s Note John T. Maher, C.M. A new papacy is always a subject of great interest and discussion. Since assuming the Chair of Peter, Pope Francis has certainly caught the attention of a very enthusiastic audience across the world. Catholics and non-Catholics alike watch his many gestures of good will, listen to his words, and fi nd his way of exercising papal ministry inspiring. When the Holy Father issued his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium in November 2013 to close of the Year of Faith, it seemed a fi tting way to inaugurate the themes of his new pontifi cate. Perhaps it could be called putting the ‘Francis effect’ on paper! In this issue, you will fi nd refl ections on Evangelii Gaudim by seven confreres who serve the Church in the Episcopal ministry as bishops. They were asked to refl ect on the relationship between Evangelii Gaudium and our Vincentian charism, particularly, the fourth section of the document, which discusses the social dimension of proclaiming the Gospel. These bishop-confreres took time to refl ect on their role as shepherds and put to use their rich pastoral experience in service to the universal Church. They have provided us with much “food for thought” on our charism and the social dimension of the Gospel in the light of Evangelii Gaudium. Our confreres took Holy Father’s ideas and expounded upon them, discussing evangelization, service to the poor, and living our charism today as a Vincentian Family. Bishop David O’Connell of the USA offers an analogous summary of a progression in papal ministry in Evangelii Gaudium. “John Paul II told us what to do; Benedict XVI told us why we should do it; and Francis is telling us to ‘do it’ ”. Bishop Luis Solé Fa of Honduras reminds us that “all social activity undertaken by the Church should be decisively and clearly a part of the process of evangelization. We are not the only ones who go out to the poor in the name of Christ. They also come to us in the name of Jesus and represent Him to us”. Bishop Vicente Bokalic Iglic of Argentina believes that “the poor are the sacrament of Christ. Our option for the poor is not something ‘extra’, but rather an essential element of our faith. This is a command of Jesus, namely, that we do what Jesus did and teach what he taught”. Bishop Rolando C. Santos observes that: “In today’s world, with its emphasis on success and self-reliance, there is not an investment in efforts to help the slow, the weak, or the less talented. Governments 226 John T. Maher, C.M. give more attention to the economic development of the people. Little is done for the poorest of the poor”. Bishop Varghese Thottamkara notes “Pope Francis urges us to come out of ourselves and reach out to others in love. To preserve our security, remain in our comfort zones, to withdraw from others, or not to reach out to others, is to become spiritually dead”. Bishop Jorge García Isaza of Colombia believes Evangelii Gaudium reminds us that “our life together as members of the Vincentian Fam- ily must be carefully cultivated. It is not enough to say so often that we are brothers and sisters. We must accept the responsibility of being a brother or sister to others”. Lastly, Bishop Georges Bou Jouadé of Lebanon noted that, “The Pope emphasizes the relationship between evangelization and social involvement. He affi rms that religion cannot be relegated to the private lives of people”. All these essays from our bishop-confreres treat the “Vincentian angle” of Evangelii Gaudium from different perspectives, but with great respect and a thoughtful discernment about how we might integrate this apostolic exhortation into our lives and, by extension to those whom we serve. It is good for reading, refl ection, and a fruitful discus- sion. Hopefully, they will also inspire us into action on behalf of the poor, whom St. Vincent remains us, are always our ‘portion’. Fr. Manny Ginete is profi led in the regular interview section of this issue. His is a life marked by education, teaching, provincial and Curial administration, and now service to the poor in one of the most volatile regions of today’s world: South Sudan. Fr. Manny’s journey through the Congregation and the various ministries he has undertaken serve to remind us of the many ways our charism can lead us to be “creative unto infi nity”. Our next and last issue for 2014 will be a special one, as it is a pub- lication of the revised Ratio Formationis. This long-awaited document, ‘under construction’ for quite some time, is now in translation. A future issue of Vincentiana in 2015 will publish a commentary by confreres on the sections of the Ratio so we can all benefi t from their insights into such an important document. Vincentiana, July-September 2014 About our Authors Vincente Bokalic Iglic, C.M., is Bishop of the Diocese of Santiago del Estero in Argentina. Born on June 11, 1952, he entered the Congre- gation for the Province of Argentina on March 1, 1970, and was ordained a priest on April 1, 1978. While serving as Visitor of the Province of Argentina, he was named bishop for the Archdiocese of Buenos Aires, he was ordained on May 29, 2010. On March 9, 2014, he became the Ordinary in the Diocese of Santiago del Estero. Georges Bou Jaoudé, C.M., the Maronite Archbishop of Tripoli, Lebanon, was born on December 27, 1942. He was received into the Congregation for the Province of the Orient (Lebanon) on November 11, 1961, ordained to the priesthood on February 9, 1968. He was ordained Archbishop for the Diocese of Tripoli del Libano on February 11, 2006. He is a member of the Syriac Maronite Rite, which includes a majority of Lebanese Catholics. Jorge García Isaza, C.M., Bishop Emeritus of the Apostolic Vicariate of Tierradentro, Colombia, was born on July 2, 1928, and entered the Congregation through the Province of Colombia on July 18, 1946. He was ordained a priest on February 14, 1954. On May 5, 1989, he was appointed Prefect of the Apostolic Vicariate of Tierradentro, and later, he was ordained bishop on March 26, 2000. He retired at the mandatory age of 75 in 2003. David M. O’Connell, C.M., Bishop of the Diocese of Trenton, New Jersey USA, was born on April 21, 1955. He entered the Congregation through the Eastern Province on July 15, 1975, and was ordained to the priesthood on May 29, 1982. After serving as the President of Catholic University in Washington DC from 1998-2010, he was named co-adjutor Bishop for the Diocese of Trenton NJ, and was ordained on July 30, 2010. On December 1, 2010, he assumed the offi ce. Rolando C. Santos, C.M., Bishop of the Diocese of Alotau-Sideia, Papua New Guinea, was born on March 21, 1949. He entered the Congregation through the Province of the Philippines on June 18, 1966, and was ordained a priest on June 1, 1974.