SUPERIORE GENERALE
SUPERIORE GENERALE
CONGREGAZIONE DEI SACERDOTI
DEL SACRO CUORE DI GESÙ
________
Prot. N. 458/2003
2003-2009
Planning Document
SCJs on Mission:
A Heart Open in Solidarity
for a New Civilization of Love
To the Superiors of Provinces, Regions, and Districts
their Councils
and all Dehonian Confreres
Peace and Joy in the Heart of the Lord Jesus!
Presentation
1. The 21st General Chapter of the Congregation took place in May and June, 2003 and centered its reflection on the topic: “SCJs on Mission: A Heart Open in Solidarity.” The chapter reflection continued that of the preceding chapter which developed the topic “We, the Congregation.”
We were called to serve the Congregation as the General Administration by the chapter assembly for the 2003-2009 term. We take up responsibility for leadership which we wish to exercise collegially according to the Rule of Life for the well-being of everyone and in fidelity to the specific spiritual and apostolic nature of the Institute.
Our first task has been to examine and deepen what the chapter worked through in order to draw up a plan for the next six years. The outcome of our examination is this planning document which should serve as a tool for animating the entire Congregation.
We look upon all the documents proceeding from the chapter and already published as an integral part of this animation plan, particularly the text: SCJs on Mission: A Heart Open and in Solidarity for a New Civilization of Love because of its operational proposals.
We have divided up this planning document in the following way: animation sectors within the Congregation, organization and services, and a calendar for anticipated international meetings.
Prior to everything, we have placed an objective: this is the goal which, in our view, the chapter directed the path of the Congregation toward.
We hope that this tool will prove useful for drawing up various approaches of “refoundation” – at the personal, community, province, and general levels.
1. Objective
2. The Spirit called forth our congregation’s existence in the Church 125 years ago through the means of Fr. Dehon and united us to the oblation of Christ to the Father so that we could participate in the evangelizing mission of the Church for the coming of the kingdom of God through our dedication of life and apostolate.
In the effort to be faithful to this vocation, the 21st general chapter invites us to be: SCJs on Mission with an open heart and in solidarity.
Conscious of the changing temporal situations that the world experiences and of the actual reality of the congregation, we are aware that it is no longer enough to make a simple effort at renewal; instead a work of re-foundation is what is pressing. Such a work of re-foundation is the pathway which ought to be undertaken by everyone and it calls for a eagerness for conversion. This conversion involves our spirituality which is its life, our community which is its subject, and our mission where it expresses itself.
3. Today we are called to participate in the evangelizing mission of the Church, opening ourselves up to the process of the re-foundation of our consecrated life by means of:
· effort and commitment to living Dehonian spirituality in depth;
· witness of fraternal communion in SCJ religious community;
· apostolic choices that suit our place in the mission of the Church;
in order to make significant contributions to the building up of new civilization characterized by the love of the Lord Jesus, a civilization where dialog, respect, service, solidarity, communion are values that are shared and lived.
4. In a spirit of fidelity to the Gospels and to our Foundation and to the men and women of our era, as a General Administration we accept the task of being animators of the Congregation in order to:
· rediscover the faith experience of Fr. Dehon (ecce venio…ecce ancilla) in order to understand the Gospels and “This Day of God.” Without this faith experience, our spirituality would be reduced to a collection of concepts and practices (Cf. Cst 9).
· maintain fraternal life in community (Sint Unum) as a criterion for belonging to the congregation and working for its upbuilding as a privileged place to live our oblation and achieve our mission; give testimony of our faith to obtain a place in that communion of Spirit that exists between Christ and the Father. Without this communion, our attempt to build community would be reduced exclusively to interpersonal dynamics (Cf. Cst. 59)
· live the mission (Adveniat Regnum Tuum) as a requirement of our consecration and as a response to the call to announce to everyone the love of God in solidarity with the love that impelled Christ to become one of us. Without this solidarity, our mission could be reduced to mere social activity, more or less effective (Cf. Cst. 38-39)
To achieve the objective we have just described, a number of activities have been considered which we intend to set in motion over the next six years and which we present in this planning document.
2. Sectors
2.1 Spirituality
5. Our participation in the mission of the Church is characterized and made specific according to our fidelity to the evangelical inspirations of Fr. Dehon.
The 21st general chapter emphasized the pathway of re-foundation as a setting forth from a very deep experience of the love of God, from a truly fraternal community life, and from an apostolate which characterizes us by its singular specificity.
6. Accordingly, we consider it important:
a. to maintain and promote the experience of God and his love through the celebration and adoration of the Eucharist, the lectio divina, personal and community retreats, and the other means of our tradition.
b. to enliven a deeper sense of the dynamics of community life.
c. to support the Centro Studi in Rome and to coordinate its activities with other spirituality centers in the various geographic zones and to continue the process of computerizing the materials in the Dehonian archives (Motion 6).
d. to set up a group of experts/specialists for providing theological-spiritual assistance for revitalizing SCJ consecrated life.
e. to arrange for seminars to deepen the chief elements of Dehonian spirituality, their understanding, their re-statement in current language, and their dissemination.
f. to make people aware of and to celebrate the story of the SCJ martyrs and to come to appreciate other persons important in the history of our congregation as a tribute to them and as a step on the pathway of our re-foundation (Recommendation 8).
2.2 Vocations and Formation Ministry
7. The congregation is a work willed by God and it is He who continues to call persons to his service, consecrates them, and sends them forth; but the task of witnessing and promoting the foundational charism, of receiving new candidates, of arranging for their initial and ongoing formation at different moments of life belong to all religious and communities.
In the task of giving witness, we consider it very important to renew our commitment to the young and to vocational promotion, to keep an eye on formation to religious life, to promote the ongoing formation of everyone. We wish to give special attention to the men who are ill or on in years and to whom we express our gratitude for their faith witness and perseverance. We count on their help, their spirit of oblation and prayer.
2.2.1 Vocations Ministry
8. Vocations ministry, understood as a service rendered to the Church in the diversity of vocations and as a proposal for sharing our way of life, proceeds from community life as concrete witness to the Gospel (Cf. Cst. 86).
9. For this reason we believe it opportune:
a. to encourage a policy of life-giving that promotes an effective youth and vocations ministry throughout all the entities of the congregation.
b. to promote among the entities of the congregation an exchange and sharing of vocations’ services and animation, including drawing up and swapping suitable promotional aids.
2.2.2 Initial Formation
10. The specific nature of our mission in the Church and in the world requires a gradual and directed introduction of those who feel called to SCJ religious life.
11. Consequently, we believe this requires the need:
a. to esteem inter-provincial formational experiences, especially during the latter phases of formation.
b. to set up a formation course for our formation personnel that pays particular attention to the Dehonian dimension.
c. to stimulate an exchange of formation directors and professors among the various entities of the congregation.
d. to encourage the opening up of our structures and formational means to formation of religious, priests, and pastoral agents in collaboration with and service to the Church.
2.2.3 Ongoing Formation
12. Formation is a dynamic process of re-foundation that we all should embrace. The key to our fidelity and meaningfulness is found in formation (Cf. Cst. 104).
13. For this reason we believe it is useful:
a. to promote and present mechanisms for ongoing formation for all our religious, paying special attention to younger members.
b. to support those ongoing formation initiatives that are prepared by various entities or geographic areas and to assist awareness and availability of them to the members of the Congregation.
c. to support the affective formation of members of the Congregation with the help of specialists and to pay special attention to the reality of sexual abuse in society and the Church so as to arrive, in this matter, at a congregational style of intervention that is in keeping with justice and compassion.
2.2.4 Attention to the Ill and Elderly
14. Physical and psychological aging of themselves do not prevent participation in the mission of the Congregation (cf. Cst. 68).
15. Accordingly, we will set about the following activities:
a. to engage our elderly brothers actively in congregational works in keeping with their abilities.
b. to organize suitable forms of spiritual support and community life for the elderly and the ill.
c. to encourage all the entities of the Congregation to undertake healthcare insurance and support for all members in their old age.
2.3 Justice and Peace – Social Commitment
16. Social commitment is the expression of our reparatory spirituality (cf. Doc. XIV, IV General Conference at Brusque). As a constitutive element of our Dehonian mission, social commitment is expressed “by involving ourselves without reserve for the coming of the new humanity in Jesus Christ” (Cf. Cst 32, 39). We are grateful for the witness of SCJ men who work alone in works of social commitment, but re-foundation requires us to be present in the social order as committed communities, aware of grievous human problems with a meaningful and creative response.
17. In harmony with choices made at the general chapter we are determined:
a. to prepare a listing of current social initiatives and of support for justice and peace existing at all levels of the congregation so as to enable sharing, collaboration, common response, formation, and solidarity.
b. to assist the translation, study, and publication of the social writings of Fr. Dehon and the dissemination of the social teaching of the Church, to foster its sharing and greater involvement in social renewal activity.
c. to foster and assist groups from every entity in the Congregation that promote interest in justice, peace, and integrity of creation, encouraging collaboration with ONGs and other persons involved with these topics.
d. to stimulate information about and analysis of significant world events from the aspect of justice, peace and integrity of creation.
e. to engage in bringing the priorities of General Conference VI Economy and the Kingdom of God of Recife to fulfillment.
2.4 Culture, Education and Communication
18. Fr. Dehon affirmed that to respond to challenges arising from historical situations in his time – socio-economical, political, and ecclesiastical – he had to resort to learned, apostolic, and saintly people (Cf. Oeuvres Sociales, III, p. 367).
We recognize that re-foundation needs to be rooted in an enculturation of our charism and the Dehonian spirituality. Following the footsteps of Fr. Dehon, to do this we feel the need to be open to the world of learning and communication which shape today’s mindset and to pay close attention because these means serve toward building communion.
19. In this section, we believe it is useful:
a. to create a list of Dehonian activities in the world of learning and communication, keeping before us the differences among commitment to publishing, use of mass media, education, etc.; all this to promote sharing, collaboration, and common action.
b. to convoke an international meeting among Dehonians who work in the field of publishing and communications for the sake of finding more common forms of presence and activity.
c. to provide continuity to the meeting of educators held at Salamanca in 2001 for the sake of coordinating our pastoral activity in the field of education.
d. to foster the preparation of persons capable of having an impact in the field of culture and to see to the development and coordination of institutions of higher learning in the Congregation.
e. to foster communication within the Congregation and with various systems of mass media making use of a coordinator at the general level.
f. to encourage the entities of the Congregation to prepare Dehonian personnel professionally for a more effective kind of service and to assist knowledge of a second language.
g. to pay special attention to making the International College at Rome provide service in specialized formation, in updating, and in developing the spirit of “We, the Congration.”
h. to encourage the entities of the Congregation to make critical use of the internet and to prepare persons to make competent use of the means of social communication for evangelization.
2.5 Mission and “Mission ad Gentes”
20. In the spirituality of Fr. Dehon are found the motives and attitudes that provide the proper characteristics of our “mission ad gentes;” in our style of authentic community life are found its primary and basic format and the confirmation of our proclamation.
With the characteristics of “go out toward the other”, of being open to dialog with other cultures and internationality, our “mission ad gentes” is an essential element along the pathway of re-foundation and of “We, the Congregation” that we SCJs wish to walk at this moment of our history.
21. Respecting the criteria established at the 20th General Chapter and confirmed and enriched at the 21st General Chapter, we intend:
a. to take as the theme for the next general conference the relationship between the Dehonian mission and the “mission ad gentes” and to set up a missionary policy for the congregation.
b. to involve various interested geo-cultural areas in the process of planning, attaining, and supporting new initiatives.
c. to set the mission in Angola in motion.
d. to determine the do-ability of making the plan for Vietnam work.
e. organize formation courses for missionaries.
f. support the process of acculturating the Gospel and the charism into the different situations where we are found.
g. to foster preparation for and participation of SCJs in ecumenical and inter-religious dialog.
h. to support the missions that exist and to examine the usefulness and possibility of new missionary presences.
i. to promote and encourage the exchange of personnel among the different entities of the Congregation so that the possibility would exist of spending an adequate period time in pastoral work in an entity different from that of one’s origin.
j. to set up a three-year plan for financial initiatives and support on behalf of the missions.
2.6 Dehonian Family
22. Aware that the spirituality of Fr. Dehon is not lived by SCJs alone but that there are many men and women who live it as lay or consecrated people, we welcome with open hearts the reality of the Dehonian Family as a grace that can serve to reinforce our own identity and the sense of belonging to the Institute.
The pathway of re-foundation works its way through an appreciation of new brothers and sisters given us by the Lord. “At the center, it is not the SCJ Institute but the project of Dehonian evangelical life in which we participate” (Cf. Decision of the 21st General Chapter on the Dehonian Family, I).
The life of our communities are the way we witness to other members of the Dehonian Family the inheritance left us by Fr. Dehon. Within the mystery of Church-Communion, the various components of the Dehonian Family contribute toward a deepening and enrichment of the understanding of our common birthright.
23. Accepting the recommendations that issued from the chapter, we see the necessity:
a. to sensitize SCJs to take this reality to heart.
b. to animate and direct efforts at setting up structures, particularly among laity at the local level.
c. to assist laity in their formational processes by promoting formulation and publication of documents on lay Dehonian spirituality with the help of SCJs, lay and consecrated people.
2.7 Structures and Administration
24. As a living life form our Congregation is increasing in some parts of the world and decreasing in other others. What is going on in it is the dynamic of geographic areas. In such a context, the pathway of re-foundation requires us today to make community life and intercommunity dynamics possible in order to achieve our mission. For this reason we are called to adapt structures to the new, real situations.
25. In the process of restructuring we hold fast to what has been decided by the 21st chapter and assume responsibility:
a. to guide the processes of restructuring by making use of the general councilor charged with the zone, leaving the initiatives to the superiors and religious concerned.
b. to promote the process of re-qualification as region or district to the present realities of FIN, ACR, MAR according to the indications of the 21st General Chapter (Cf. Motion 2).
c. to accompany these new entities in their formation by fostering insertion into the geo-cultural area to which they belong in addition to any relationship with a mother province.
d. to proceed to the editorial and juridical revision of the the Rule of Life (Constitutions and General Directory (cf. Motion 3).
e. to prepare for the second meeting of major superiors those proposals which treat of a system to nomination of the General Treasurer (cf. Motion 5) and of the time for the General and his council to begin their charge.
f. to revise the Norms for the Administration of Goods (NAG) by bringing together experts from the Congregation and presenting a document at the first meeting of major superiors for an “ad experimentum” approval by the Superior General and his Council to last till the next General Chapter(cf. Motion I).
g. to anticipate moments of formation for major superiors and to prepare something to assist them in their service.
2.8 Finances
26. It is not possible to undertake a road to re-foundation without paying particular attention to the use of goods. Their use should be orientated according to Gospel criteria (Cf. Cst. 137) so that they can function totally in service of the mission for which our Congregation exists. Here so, more than in other sectors, the communion that makes our life of religious consecration ought to be evident. This means that, beyond putting our goods in common service, we ought to plan, manage, and verify things in common.
27. To go in this direction we are committed:
a. to maintain sharing organisms like the GAF, internal loans, support from individual provinces to other entities throughout the Congregation.
b. to make financial planning effective keeping to a three-year plan beginning in 2005.
c. to promote the financial autonomy of the various entities of the Congregation by support of the efforts that many make by: meetings of the General Finance Commission in the different geographic areas, visits from the General Treasurer, technical assistance in management and in researching possible sources of sustenance.
d. to promote the formation of treasurers to assist them in managing the goods that Providence puts at our disposal with technical expertise and according to Gospel criteria.
e. to urge reflection on and favor the path of a single community and provincial fund of reserves.
3. Organization and Services
3.1 Geographic Areas
28. For some time now our Congregation has been organizing in geographic areas to have greater coordination, collaboration, and planning among its various entities. This is manifest in Africa, Latin America, North America, Asia and Europe.
29. It will be our endeavor to guide the development of the Congregation in each of these areas along the following lines:
a. each area will be followed up on by one of the general councilors who will work with the major superiors respecting the autonomy of each entity.
b. an effort will be made for each area to promote those ways of coordination that are most functional, stable, and suitable.
c. collaboration will be promoted particularly where new establishments are to be opened, in the formation and search for common structures.
d. sector meetings at the level of geographic areas shall be promoted.
e. it shall be the task of the general administration to oversee the links among the areas for the sake of promoting “We, the Congregation” and achieve our common mission.
3.2 Pastoral Visits to the Congregation
30. One indispensable tool for maintaining communion and fostering a common re-foundational pathway are the visits of the Superior General and his council members to the entities of the Congregation. Therefore,
a. The visits of the general administration between 2003-2009 shall pay special attention to work of re-foundation which should become a reality in the life of every SCJ, of every local community, and of every entity.
b. During this period, the superior general shall visit each province, region, and district at least once in the company of the general councilor responsible for that area or entity; his scope shall be to obtain knowledge of the local situation and to provide reflection on the three aspects of this re-foundation objective chosen by the chapter: spirituality, community, and mission.
c. Special importance will be given those visits to districts directly dependent upon the general administration. Communion and co-responsibility will give the SCJs on mission reinforcement: a heart open to solidarity.
d. When possible, the general treasurer will visit entities of the Congregation in conjunction with the visits of the superior general.
e. We believe it important to have the general councilor charged with oversight of an entity present on important moments in the life of that entity in coordination with its respective superior.
3.3 Letters to the Congregation
31. As a method of deepening the path taken to achieve our objective given us by the 21st general chapter for this six-year term, we intend to write letters to the Congregation.
3.4 Role of Councilors for Sectors and Areas
32. To meet the needs of oversight for the various geographic areas and keeping track of indications given us from every entity in the Congregation, we have made the following arrangement among councilors.
a. geographic assignments:
Africa Fr. Claudio Dalla Zuanna
North America Fr. Peter McKenna
Latin America Fr. Claudio Weber
Asia Fr. Andreas Madya Srijanto
Europe Fr. Zbigniew Bogacz
b. certain European provinces will have special arrangements:
BH Fr. Peter McKenna
HI, LU Fr. Claudio Weber
IS Fr. Andreas Madya Srijanto
c. occasionally, other councilors can work with the councilor with the charge.
33. In addition to being charged with geographic zones, we have made the following arrangements for overseeing sectors. Each sector will have a coordinator and an assistant:
Spirituality: Frs. Claudio Weber and Andreas Madya Srijanto
Formation and Vocations Frs. Claudio Weber and Andreas Madya Srijanto
Justice & Peace, Social Ministry Frs. Peter McKenna and Claudio Dalla Zuanna
Culture and Communication Frs. Claudio Dalla Zuanna and Peter McKenna
Mission and Missions Frs. Claudio Dalla Zuanna and Zbigniew Bogacz
Dehonian Family Frs. Andreas Madya Srijanto and Claudio Weber
Structures and Administration Frs. Zbigniew Bogacz and Peter McKenna
Finances Fr. Aquilino Mielgo Dominguez
(assisted by the General Finance Commission)
3.5 Workers at the General Curia
34. The work of the general administration to animate would be impossible without the compelling assistance of men in the various areas of the general administration. Hence,
a. The presence of persons coming from various entities of the Congregation will be necessary to work for: Centro Studi, communications, the secretariat, assistance in logistics and finances. Such a presence will enrich our service, reinforce the spirit of “We, the Congregation” and assist achievement of our common mission.
b. When individuals and entities are solicited for this purpose, we appeal to their availability in order to have the necessary personnel rotation and to meet new requirements.
c. We are convinced that the service given to assist animation of the Congregation is an opportunity for growth and development for the one so engaged and an investment by the provinces who release such personnel, we shall strive to promote the formation and specialization of general curia workers.
4. Planned Events
35. Meetings already scheduled:
2004, 18-29 October Major Superiors Meeting in Rome
2006 General Conference (date/place to be determined)
2007 October-November Major Superiors Meeting in Rome
2009 May-June General Chapter in Rome
36. Sector meetings mentioned in this letter shall be scheduled after consultation among the men and the entities involved. The date and places shall be fixed at the first meeting of the major superiors.
37. We are considering holding a formation program for formation directors lasting for at least a year, starting in October 2005, and possibly in Rome.
38. Residence in Rome for the entire General Administration is fixed accordingly:
April 1 through May 30
October 1 through November 30
At other times of the year, at least several council members shall be present at Rome to handle current affairs.
5. Conclusion
39. The General Chapter has called us all to a re-foundation of our personal life, our community life, and our congregational life. This planning document makes no pretense to treat all the aspects of our life, nor exhaust the list of means for renewing the Institute; instead it should serve as a common guideline along the road we wish to walk together with everyone participating.
We are aware that any re-foundation must start in each one’s heart, in being open to the Spirit of God and in availability of service to God’s kingdom, with the fraternal life of our communities as the place to begin.
Thus, the process is one of communion and participation, of discernment, of listening and the quest for pathways to renewal, of making of apostolic choices which draw us in at the level of each one of our communities and at the level of each one of the entities of the Congregation.
Consequently, we invite each member, community, province/region/district to re-examine their own rule of life, their own pastoral plan in light of the recent chapter and the road to re-foundation which was considered there.
We commit the future of this re-foundation process to the Sacred Heart and ask Him to make our hearts like his own, available in fidelity to discover and fulfill the Father’s will.
Following in the footsteps of Fr. Dehon, whose beatification we hope will be very soon and which will be for us a sure benefit and help in walking this road in fidelity to the Spirit, after the manner of Mary, model of discipleship in hearing and keeping the word of God, we want to be:
Men whose hearts are open to God
Men whose hearts are brotherly
Men whose hearts are in solidarity and available for the mission.
Rome, 8 December, 2003 – on the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception.
Fr. José Ornelas Carvalho, scj
Superior General
Fr. Claudio Weber, scj
General Councilor
Fr. Zbigniew Bogacz, scj
General Councilor
Fr. Peter McKenna, scj
General Councilor
Fr. Claudio Dalla Zuanna, scj
General Councilor
Fr. Andreas Madya Srijanto, scj
General Councilor
Fr. Aquilino Mielgo Domínguez, scj
General Treasurer