EUROPE
Italy - MGC Rome: encounter with the Superior GeneralA joyful climate
and deep sharing: these are the words that characterize most clearly the Sunday
that the Movimento Giovanile Costruire (Youth
Movement: to build) of Rome spent with the Superior General of the
Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, Fr. Louis LOUGEN.
Eagerly awaited
by one and all, the meeting began very simply with a short video recalling the
time we spent together in Malaga last August for Oblate World Youth Day. After
telling him a little about the national MGC and sharing our activities in the
area of Rome, we were expecting to hear his ideas and shower him with
questions. Instead, Fr. Lougen took a pen and paper and began to ask questions
of us, especially about our lives as young Christians and about MGC. He took
notes on each answer he heard from us.
Holiness,
community, the poor, living the Gospel: Fr. Lougen allowed us to share our
personal and communal experiences on these themes, helping us, through his
questions, to develop a deep personal reflection on what it means in practice
for us to be Christians and especially Christians who fully participate in the
Oblate charism.
In the last part
of the encounter, it was also possible to ask him some questions about his
personal experience as a missionary and as Superior General.
The morning
continued with the celebration of Mass, during which Fr. Lougen put into our
hands the crucifix of St. Eugene so that we might be able to reflect on God’s
mercy for us.
The time spent
together concluded with an abundant lunch served outside, during which we
shared what each had prepared. (Angelica
Ciccone in www.omi.it)
Interprovincial Conference of Europe - The annual meeting of the ICECome
together to exchange ideas and experiences, but also to pose questions about
the future, plan projects, and share our life in a fraternal and prayerful
climate. Is it possible to do that within the Interprovincial Conference of
Europe? Why not?
From
May 28 until June 2, we had our annual meeting of the ICE (Interprovincial
Conference of Europe) in Rome, at the General House, with the participation of
the provincials of France, Central Europe, Anglo-Irish, Poland, Belgium-Holland
and the new Mediterranean Province. Present also were the superiors of the
delegations and missions of Ukraine, Byelorussia, France-Benelux and Romania.
Fr. Adriano TITONE helped us in the role of facilitator; Fr. Chicho ROIS,
General Councillor for Europe, animated an entire day with both personal and
group work on the themes of Community Life, Religious Life and Mission. Always
the same things? Yes, because one can never stop digging into the fundamental
questions of our life! So we began our meeting with a presentation of the
challenges that our life and our Oblate mission face in Europe. Fr. Yves
CHALVET, the president of ICE, presented us with a synthesis of these
challenges about which Fr. Louis LOUGEN, Superior General, followed up with a
much appreciated spiritual outlook on the same topic. Notable was the presence
of some members of the General Administration who listened to us and
participated in our discussions.
Our
work on the proposed themes has produced some concrete proposals. The
reflection on and the project concerning interprovincial scholasticates in
Europe moved forward. A new commitment to ongoing formation was clarified, with
the opportunity to profit from the Aix experience, once the work there is
finished and the new community is in place. There are also projects concerning
the whole Region which is still committed to the pastoral challenges of
Lourdes, while looking for new personnel and new ideas for the animation of the
pilgrims and youth who come in great numbers on pilgrimage.
Our
discussions also included projects which each Unit can act upon and which would
then be shared with other Units.
In
order to “function,” the ICE also needs other collaborators who meet regularly
in different offices, commissions and committees. There were many new nominations
and we thanked those who have rendered service in the previous years: Frs.
Willie FITZPATRICK, Nicola PARRETTA, Otilio LARGO and Kazimierz JEDRZEJCZAK. We
welcomed the new provincial of the Mediterranean Province, Fr. Albert GNEMMI
and we wished him good luck in this new adventure.
We
had two special evenings, one at the International Scholasticate, with a
Eucharistic celebration, a meal and a fraternal get-together. The other was
with the members of the General Administration.
The
next ICE assembly will take place at Aix on June 3-8, 2013. Progress has been
made, but other challenges await us. We do not lack energy and confidence: we
need to keep going! (Fr. Angelo CAPUANO,
Permanent Secretary of ICE)
