67. The statistical survey carried out by Father Bernard Rosinski gave us an idea of the Congregation in numerical terms. Such information has brought to the fore themes and questions that we need to answer in order to better understand our religious life and our way forward as a congregation in terms of our tendencies, values, problems and challenges.

The Development of the Congregation

68. As of 1968, the Congregation has experienced a progressive decline in numerical terms. The previous year, we had attained the highest number of members in history, that is 3,255 (2,718 religious clerics and 537 religious brothers). There has been some respite in this lapse of time: in 1979 and 1981-1983, in which we registered a slight increase compared to the previous year. The same is true for this year, for we have grown by 7 members compared to 1995. However, these are sporadic fluctuations which do not mark an inversion of trend or a change in the tendency towards this recession. On the whole, in this sessennium, the Congregation decreased by 99 members.

69. A comparison of the data draws our attention to both positive and negative elements which are singificant in the interpretation of our reality, namely:

- This sessennium was not characterized by a shortage of vocations: suffice it to consider that we had 461 new professions, a two-fold increase in the number of perpetually professed scholastics (from 26 to 52), and the simply professed scholastics increased by 40.

- 6 provinces registered an increase in numerical terms: Portugal (LU) grew by 34 members, Poland (PO) by 17, Indonesia (IN) by 13, Southern Brazil (BM) by 10, Zaire (ZA) by 7, and Southern Italy (IM) by 3. All of the other Provinces are experiencing a decrease in the number of members.

- It is worthwhile to note that the four Provinces having registered the greatest increase (BM, IN, LU, PO) account for 38% of the Congregation's members, 32% of finally professed religious, 73% of annually professed religious and 57% of the novices. Given their geographic distribution, therefore, it cannot be asserted that the Congregation is increasing its presence in the south of the world and decreasing it in the north. Yet, it should be considered that the growth is concentrated only in a few countries. However, the adoption of a development policy in Asia and Africa and a greater emphasis on formation in the other provinces, may singificantly improve the picture in the near future. The highest degree of perseverance is registered in LU (67%) and in PO (56%). It is lowest in IN (38%) and BM (29%).

70. - The number of religious brothers in this sessennium suffered a considerable 16% decrease. The 26 professions that were registered was accompanied by the departure of 7 finally professed and 18 annually professed brothers. It is too early yet to ascertain whether the Hales Corners meeting will determine an inversion of trend in this area.

- The high number of members leaving the Congregation continues to be a concern: 302 in this sessennium, including 69 priests, 2 deacons and 12 finally professed religious, while the rest were annually professed religious. 75% of them leave the Congregation before their 10th year of profession and before the age of 35. However, the number of religious confreres that leave the Congregation with more than 30 years of religious life behind them is also high; they especially belong to the generation that suffered the crisis immediately after the Second Vatican Council. In this sessennium, some Provinces registered more departures than new enrollments (AU, CG, FL, GE, HI, NE, US).

- In this sessennium, the total number of departures ranges between 10 and 15% of the total number of members. It is a reality which debilitates the Congregation and whose causes should be explored in depth. All of the provinces, especially those in which the loss is obviously disproportionate, must engage in a serious analysis of the situation and on the causes of such departures. It is a constant concern for the General Administration.

71. Another aspect which should be taken into account and that is also the cause of concern, is the situation of the religious that belong to the Congregation from a juridical point of view, but that are not part of a congregational project. They live in a rather isolated manner, and maintain a very weak or a purely formal relationship with the Congregation. Several of such members are valuable people from an apostolic point of view, but complex circumstances have led them to become estranged from their provinces. It is not easy to quantify their number; they are a scattered all over the place, especially in Europe. The Congregation can no longer rely on them, although it would very much need to be able to do so.

Ageing and “ars moriendi"

72. Although the mean age has remained unchanged in this sessennium, and actually it has slightly decreased (51 years), the Congregation is suffering from an ageing process. The statistical index is greater than the corresponding mean.

This is more obvious in certain provinces, where no new enrollments have occurred for some years to replace the older generations, and where almost all of the religious are over 50 years of age. Realistically speaking, they must be prepared to close down, at least for the time being.

Ageing occurs in the provinces with a limited number of new entrants and where there are wide generational gaps; the result of this process is an imbalance in terms of age. As a consequence, direct apostolic presence is reduced, it becomes difficult to find members for animation and government and the vocational appeal of the younger members is also diminished.

On the whole, the Congregation has reported that the age group between 35 and 55 years is especially weak from a numerical point of view, for these confreres received their formation in the Post-Council period, which was a time of crisis and renewal.

73. It would be of little benefit to engage in great analyses over our ageing. The important thig is to live this phenomenon in full obedience to the Spirit, living our charism to the end. Indeed, since our charism is not directly related to a functional purpose but to a “spiritual perspective" (cf. Const. 26: “visée spirituelle"), it has a great potential for being fulfilled even in this stage. In its dimension of oblation, self-giving, reparation, worship, cooperation to the salvific mission of Christ, eucharistic sense, etc.., always marked by love, our charism may be fulfilled fully at all ages. It may be fulfilled in a peculiar way in old age, when the individual has reached a certain maturity and is in special conditions to be assimilated to Christ, like a grain that dies so that it can bear fruit.

The ability to experience this situation in a positive way gives meaning to death even when the local institutions are involved. Managing this reality is not easy, it is a true “art"; a great human, spiritual and charismatic quality is required, to make fruitful the time in which a province that may have had a glorious past, dies.

It may be hard for certain provinces and works to enter in this frame of mind. However, it is an unescapable challenge, if they want their religious life to be significant until the end.

However, these provinces must not preclude the path of life that the grace of God may unexpectedly bestow on them in their old age, as happened with Sarah (cf. Gen. 18,9-14), who in her old age became the mother of many generations (cf. Letter 14.03.97, Prot. 20/97).

In such cases, the candidates must be accepted and formed in other provinces.

74. This “transition" from one age to another must be accompanied at a spiritual level. Many other practical aspects, which must be anticipated in time, must also be addressed. They include: assistance in old age, health care, pensions, the administration of goods, contacts with the other provinces, the ability to follow world events with serenity, the reality of the Church, the SCJ life which continues elsewhere, etc... Some provinces are doing this with positive results and with an attitude of serenity, showing an excellent vitality and spirit of faith in their old age.

The congregational shift

75. Several changes are taking place in the Congregation. The most significant is a certain geographical, social and cultural shift. It is a slow movement towards Eastern Europe and towards the south of the world, towards the poorest countries with new cultures. This shift is not a merely external phenomenon of a geographical origin, rather it is a more profound cultural change occuring in the Congregation itself, to the extent in which it is beginning to live, think, express itself and be conditioned by new realities. It is conditioned by the presence and leadership of religious whose means and style of life are departing from the western model because they do not have an inclination for it.

The Congregation is acquiring a new identity; it is necessary for this to happen in order for the Congregation to be enriched by a greater vitality. So far, we have been prevalently western. Even outside of Europe, in South and North America, we have developed in a rather European-western cultural environment. The charism, which by its very nature has a universal dimension, is impoverished and depleted when it remains closed within a single cultural model. Now, however, an Asian and African presence is beginning to take shape, which God willing, will be able to grow in future years. Latin America is also undergoing an internal change with the entry of more indigenous vocations.

This is a challenge and an element of enrichment, which we must be able to accept. It requires us to engage in a conversion capable of making room for and conferring leadership upon these members and their cultural expressions. We have to be willing to modify administration officials and relations between clutures. We must enhance the new symbols and the ways of expressing spirituality.

76. The Congregation's new presence in the south and in the east and its development, pose the need for urgent action:

- plan adequate personnel support for the next few years, so that the confreres may rely on their own local resources as soon as possible;

- look after formation so that the young religious acquire a certain maturity and autonomy and are capable of strongly sustaining the SCJ heritage;

- ensure the necessary economic resources and structures for these provinces to manage their ordinary life on an independent basis.

New Provinces and Regions

77. In this sessennium, the Congregation has established itself in certain areas for the first time. The General Administration juridically established 3 Provinces and 3 Regions.

It became present in:

- Albania, upon the initiative of the IM Province;

- Slovakia, upon the initiative of the PO Province, in concert with the FL Province. At the end of the previous sessennium, PO had started an apostolic work in Belorussia and Moldavia, in response to requests by the local churches. This presence seems to be growing, thus better defining the specific SCJ service. The PO Province is also planning to establish a house in the Ukraine for strategic reasons related to security, to the future and to its proximity to Moldavia, in addition to normal apostolic motivations.

- India, upon the initiative of the General Administration with international cooperation.

- The HI Province is considering the possibility of establishing a house in Ecuador.

- The initiative taken by the General Administration in Lithuania lasted only 13 months due to the reasons of which you are aware.

78. The newly created Provinces were: Chile (19.12.91), which was separated from the NE Province; Southern Africa (28.11.94) as a result of the merger between the Regions of Aliwal North and De Aar, respectively related to the GE and US Provinces; Cameroon (30.11.95), which up to that time had been a Region of GA and which had a significant international presence.

The newly established Regions were: Maranhao (18.11.91) and the Southern Brazilian Region (08.10.94) as part of the BM Province; the Austrian-Croatian Region (27.12.1995), which depends on the GE Province and is the result of the cooperation between the GE Province and the PO Province.

These six new realities, with a juridical configuration of their own, have not been the result of improvisation. Their process stemmed from within and was guided by the Mother Provinces and General Administration, which set the criteria. For all of them this is the end of a long process, often lasting several years, which in most cases started in the previous General Administration.

79. The main guiding principle for us was the need to foster the local life of these parts of the Congregation. The form and criteria followed are indicated under no. 119 of our Rule of Life (Constitutions and General Directory), namely:

- a territory ready to have a government and an administration of its own;

- with works and structures that can guarantee an independent evolution;

- with a fairly defined apostolic project;

- and reasonable hope for local vocational development.

To guarantee a reasonable economic support, in view of self-sufficiency in ordinary life, the Mother Provinces were asked to provide for the creation of adequate assets or of a start-up fund, and to also continue providing regular support for the first years.

In Southern Africa, a contract was stipulated with the PO Province, which has committed itself to providing assistance in terms of personnel for a number of years. In other cases, this cannot be required from the Mother Provinces, for they have a shortage of vocations. Actually, this was a factor that determined the speeding up of the process towards a local autonomy.

80. These realities (Provinces and Regions) at the outset are rather weak in numerical terms and have a shortage of economic resources (they are poor). However, they come into the world with great hope for the future, with a clear consciousness of our religious identity and the wish to play a specific role in the local churches, according to our SCJ charism. It will now be up to them to make appropriate and priority choices, conscious of their strengths.

81. Another significant event at a juridical and practical level, was the transition of the Finnish Province from the NE to the PO Province, which occurred on January 10, 1997, 90 years after we first established our presence in Finland.

Other Regions, namely Mozambique and Venezuela, are taking steps to become Provinces. Our method is to help them to make sure that this happens as the result of a process of internal maturation based on joint responsibility.

Our presence in Madagascar, in the Philippines and in India constitues a community reality, which has not been described previously and does not fall within any currently existing juridical formula. They may be considered as territorial communities (or special communities, as we sometimes call them, not to confuse them with the local communities). Madagascar depends upon the IM and LU Provinces. They have established a rather strong cooperation in the area of formation, with an intermediate animation and government figure, in view of Madagascar's future development as a Region or Province. As they await a further definition of their status, the Philippines and India directly depend on the General Curia. In the meantime, with the support of international cooperation, they continue to serve the local Churches and seek their future in the area.

82. It should be noted that our 22 Provinces vary greatly as far as the number of members is concerned: 8 Provinces have more than 100 members; 6 have between 50 and 100 members, while 8 have les than 50 members. Of these 8, 4 Provinces have even less than 30 members. Therefore, we are a Congregation with small provinces. This implies the need for a more targeted setting of priorities and a more careful form of administration, to avoid excessive red tape and wasting of energy. This is a challenge upon which we have to reflect carefully, if we want to have a future.

Missions and Missionary Spirit

83. Although we are not a specifically missionary Institute like others, our Founder has instilled in us a missionary spirit which is always alive within us and continues to stimulate in a positive way the members of the Congregation.

It has been a grace and a constant service in our history ever since 1888, when Father Dehon sent his first religious to Ecuador. It has continued as such in Zaire for 100 years, in the other African missions, in Indonesia, in America (North and South) and in Europe itself.

One of our distinctive features is that we go to places where there is need, that are difficult, where others do not want to go..., where the Church sends us. We go with a sense of gratuity and generosity, to places where we have run risks and even paid with our life (“martydom", diseases, early death and hardship). Actually, in this we do not differ greatly from many other Congregations, but according to the Founder, what distinguishes us is choice and a conscious acceptance. Zaire today is evidence of this, with its troubled contemporary history; the Philippines, with its permanent challenges of poverty and dialogue with the Moslems; Mozambique, with its recent experience of Marxism and war; Albania, with the struggle of a people seeking its own identity; South Africa, with its minorities and drought; Belorussia and Moldavia, with our total service to the local churces, etc...

84. Our 100 years of service in Zaire, the evolution of the theological and pastoral concept of the mission, many new situations in the worlds, the limits and possibilities of the Congregation today... should induce us to engage in a serious congregational reflection on our “missionary policy today". We have come to a stage at which we are required to review our evolution so far and project it in a new light. We must support the transformation under way by reviewing our concept of mission, our methods of evangelization, our style of presence, our cultural insertion, the use of the media at our disposal, our concrete choices on site.

85. In the course of this sessennium, in the General Administration as well as in the Provinces and Regions, we have often discussed certain criteria, which must be analyzed and experimented with in greater depth:

- set up our missionary presence with a smaller staff but with a more apostolically qualified activity, considering our possibilities and limits;

- the committed Provinces should guarantee the necessary turnover of personnel for a certain period of time;

- we should guarantee the presence of missionaries capable of living the SCJ communion in community on the basis of a continuous project;

- the future should be sought on site, both in terms of human and economic resources. It would be ideal for the missionaries to adapt to the local culture and pace of life; they should give up their roles as leaders as soon as possible and choose to become the servants and co-workers of an increasingly autonomous, indigenous and adult local church. Excessively delaying the handing over of leadership roles harms the Church and stunts the inculturation of the missionary;

- before being introduced in new realities, missionaries should receive adequate training, possibly in a neutral country, where they can experience their first impact with cultural diversities.

86. Almost all SCJs express a positive evaluation of the missions, open to international cooperation. Without denying how difficult it is to harmonize different cultures, we must have a positive view so far of the experiences that have been carried out in India, the Philippines, Zaire, South Africa, Cameroon, etc...

We do not intend to limit or remove the possibility that each province has to open up new foundations. However, we believe that it is important for such foundations to be established in a spirit of openness to international cooperation, in agreement with the rest of the Congregation, through a common discernment.

87. The Congregation is experiencing a certain missionary awareness, which is extended to all of the Provinces. A clear example is Cameroon and Northern Brazil, which for the first time have sent out one of their members beyond their borders. Something similar also happened in Chile, but within the country itself. The missionary spirit is an essential feature or all of the Church and must be furthered and experienced in the entire Congregation. Historically, many SCJ realities have sent their members beyond the national borders, from the very beginning; for instance, the first Polish religious was sent to Cameroon; the same happened with the first Italian brother, etc...

This means that the sending of missionaries cannot be restricted only to large provinces; all of our provinces and regions must include it in their plans, according to their possibilities. It cannot merely be the consequence of a surplus of members, nor the fruit of an uncautious decision that neglects to consider the situation as it really is. It must be a conscious gesture of communion and co-responsibility with the whole Church. The provinces that are excessively closed up in their own reality do not render themselves good service.

88. The missionary spirit does not merely consist in sending members from the Congregation beyond their national borders. It is a way of conceiving Evangelization and of committing onseself to presenting a testimony and announcing the Good News everywhere. It is up to the Secretaries for missionary animation, both at a provincial and regional level, to encourage this spirit.

A lot is already being done in the Congregation. By better defining the “missionary policy", more can be achieved today. India's experience shows that even the older provinces and senior members are able and necessary to carry out new demanding mission projects, according to their possibilities. Measures should be taken to further encourage missionary mobility in the provinces that have a lot of personnel, where the risk is that the staff won't have enough to do, or that their tasks will not be very motivating.

The social commitment

89. The awareness of our social commitment continues to grow. It is now seen as a component of our spirituality of reparation, as a characterizing apostolic activity and as an essential element of Evangelization. It is strengthened by the belief in the possibility to reconcile the mystical and social dismension of our charism to a unity of life, as Father Dehon did personally. In our opinion, the dichotomy that separates or opposes these two aspects has diminished. This change was influenced by a consistent and insistent approach which the Congregation adopted several years ago.

There are many initiatives and commitments existing in all of the Provinces and Regions. As in the past, in some countries we have significant works that give name to and specify the local identity of a province or region. We also have people who are known for their courage, creativity and commitment in this field.

90. However, as an Institute (province or region) we could and should do more, especially by accentuating the challenge of some forms of modern poverty that call us to action. A broad overview of the Congregation will reveal that we do not do more than other religious, priests or lay people in this area. We all know of many initiatives existing all over the world; however, we have the thrust of a charism that as people and as an institution we must encourage to bear fruit.

In many countries, we are lacking a significant work, managed on a community basis and with a tradition of service, which may express the SCJ-social facet of the province or region. There is the impression that we fear works that require a constant and uninterrupted commitment of little gratification, where adequate training is also required.

There is also the feeling that the “prophets" do not have a lot of room among us, or else they are unable to involve their brothers in a co-responsible way in the changing of structures.

91. However, it appears increasingly clear that SCJ candidates and young religious must be formed to take on a social commitment. In vocational and formative discernment, the attitude towards social commitment becomes a decisive element; indeed, it has become part of the Ratio Formationis.

92. The social teaching of the Church is held in high esteem. There is the awareness that we must engage ourselves in the formation of clerics, religious and laity, as Father Dehon did. There is a critical conscience which is growing in evaluating the present economic, political and social reality; however, there is still a long way to go. The Justice and Peace Commission, on several occasions, has proposed themes that should not escape our reflection; neo-liberalism, for example, the current trend towards globalization, how money is used and the way investments are made, the defense of human life, the rights of migrants, the problems related to the culture of peace, etc... These are themes that must guide our judgements on the realities in which we live or when apostolic choices are to be made.

In general terms, our service to the poor is good, our presence among them with our apostolic works is positive, especially in the Third World. We should associate our name and our apostolate with specific works in this field. We should form specialists in the Social Doctrine of the Church to provide this service, thus promoting international communion and cooperation.

Formation priorities

93. Initial and ongoing formation was proposed as the top priority in this sessennium. This priority was taken seriously, in general, and we are seeing the results, for there has been a greater rate of perseverance and maturity in our young religious. This is especially true in the Provinces and Regions that have succeeded in preparing formators, and where the formators dedicate themselves generously to this service.

Now there is a clearer conscience, albeit unfortunately not in all SCJs yet, that formators cannot improvise; personal experience is not sufficient. The need is felt increasingly for a deeper analysis of and a systematic approach to the contents (human, religious and Dehonian) to convey pedagogically.

94. In spite of this, there are still points that have not been assimilated adequately, and which are the following:

- The usefulness for formators of being exposed to an international experience of the Congregation, so that they can appreciate the experience of our Order in its quest for increasingly consistent formation approaches.

- The inadequacy of forming one or two candidates on an isolated basis, or of forming them in non-SCJ communities. In the short or long term, this proves to be negative and requires difficult solutions subsequently. It is best to form such candidates in other provinces or regions, and play down the excessive importance attributed to the culture of origin.

- The need to review without anguish but deeply the formative process of one's province or region, when a high rate of departures is registered. It is obvious that not everything depends on formation, but when there is a high number of departures, formation and the general approach cannot but be examined.

- Attribute due importance to qualification and specialization. It is not a good policy to settle for the minimum level of study or for a generic preparation.

These are the problems that need to be tackled at the level of initial formation. They are indicative of a formation policy that has not been sufficiently defined or that has not been chosen as a due priority.

95. There is a growing interest for and awareness of ONGOING FORMATION.

Some provinces and regions foster it and plan it for the members that request it. Others have organized periodical courses, to offer everyone the opportunity to participate. There seems to be a readiness on the part of the members of the Congregation to take courses or take some time off for a sabbatical.

However, there are some members that are not too keen on updating their knowledge; they remain on the fringes of the present evolution in theology, spirituality and pastoral renewal. There are quite a few religious who have not participated in a course on spiritual exercises for quite a few years. There are also some very zealous confreres who, however, have fallen prey to an apostolic pragmatism and feel that the time devoted to reading and study is wasted or is not spent fruitfully.

Ongoing formation should thus be more related to life and daily challenges, which may be met with the customary means of prayer, meditation, reading, study, fraternal dialogue in the community on daily events, the use of certain space and of cultural opportunities within reach, the critical analysis of certain life experiences, etc...

It would also be advisable to look after the library more and subscribe to certain especially formative publications. In certain provinces and regions, we have been pleased to observe the setting up of a library and of appropriate environments, usually in the main house, at the service of all of the members.

It is up to the superiors to raise the awareness as to the need for and appropriateness of ongoing formation, by creating opportunities in order for it to be practiced. The danger of a spiritual and cultural impoverishment and depletion is great, especially if religious do not have any time for themselves during the day or time to prepare the message accompanying each one's ministry.

Apostolic commitment

98. The Congregation has a living conscience of being an Apostolic Institue, committed to Evangelization from the outset, with many different forms of presence and of service.

Wherever we are, we are able to insert ourselves in the local Churches, of which we are active members and in which we are strongly committed at a pastoral level, according to diocesan plans and orientations. There is a communion with the bishops; in many cases, we also get along with them very well and work together closely, on the basis of dialogue and mutual esteem. There are some exceptions, but they generally derive from problems of a wider scope and are not strictly related to our religious.

Our reference to the universal Church, to the Pope and to the Magisterium is respectful and serene more than in the past. It occurs on the basis of faith and ecclesial communion. Our relations and cooperation with the diocesan clergy, with the other members of consecrated life and with the laity are generally good. We normally participate in and work with national, diocesan and religious life entities.

We work with great generosity and availability. Many elderly members as well still carry out certain activities with enthusiasm and vitality.

We greatly suffer from the uncertainty of the present age, characterized by rapid changes and by many challenges to which there is no response. We feel the weight of certain issues, especially within the framework of the management of the Church and of the moral pastoral ministry, which are yet to be faced adequately. What prevails is a certain fear of centralism, of a return to conservative positions, of involutions of different kinds, in almost all areas and all over the world. The challenge is thus felt of being faithful to “the today of God" and to his Gospel, which is difficult to reconcile with so many present achievements imbued with secularism.

97. With our apostolic work, we are mostly present in the middle classes; we are almost absent in upper class and in decision-making circles. The Congregation's presence among the poor and the way that it serves them with different ministries is significant.

We have some qualified works in the area of culture and formation (Seminaries, Schools at all levels, Publishing Centers, our presence in MCSs), in the national bodies of Bishops'Conferences and Dioceses, and in certain social and evangelization fields. But we are largely responsible for ordinary and generic pastoral ministries, where our works do not differ from those of others, nor do they offer anything peculiar in accordance with our spirit.

98. However, provinces and regions are increasingly asking about the way in which we can charismatically specify our presence and service in the local Churches. We may be helped in this endeavour by the definition of a Provincial Project; indeed, in the areas where a project has been developed with apostolic choices that are more consistent with our spirit, the face of the Congregation becomes clearer and more attractive.

Within the Church we are identified by our spirit, often manifested in the accentuation of certain values, which translate the “culture of the Heart of Christ", and by certain characteristic works in the line of the heritage which we received from Father Dehon (cf. Const. 30-31). This happened in the past in the history of many provinces; their identity rested on a characteristic spirituality and apostolic works. It is necessary for this to happen again today, in order to once again acquire a meaning among the people of God and in the world.

The lack of an apostolic project and of specific works determined the generic character and the dissipation of energy which took place in certain provinces, preceisely at the time of renewal and change of religious life brought about by the Council.

Lights and shadows in the experience of SCJ religious life

99. We would now like to express how, in the Congregation, we perceived the experience of its religious and Dehonian being. Religious life in the Congregation is a complex phenomenon which is hard to interpret. It is impossible to summarize it in such a way as to completely reflect its reality. Each province and region, and often each community as well, have their own characteristics, with common elements and aspects that cannot be reduced to a single model. They are influenced not only by cultural, social and ecclesial differences, but also by broader external factors, like secularism, materialism, individualism, social and political conflicts, etc... which in one way or another modify the historical and sorrounding reality, and penetrate the fabric of religious life. However, we can provide a general overview and point out the lights and shadows, as elements that we can examine.

1. The lights

100. Generally speaking, it may be said that we are experiencing a very positive time in the Congregation, which has grown over the years; in other words, ever since, as a Congregation, we accepted the invitation of Vatican Council II to undertake a path of renewal together with the whole Church. We too experienced a crisis, which inflicted pain on us and left some marks. But the Congregation experienced God in a significant way and was able to rediscover herself and its mission.

- It deepened its mission, which was more integrated in the local Church and in the universal Church. Today it is increasingly clear to everyone that we must be present within the Church with our CHARISM and not only to share the pastoral work and help the local forces in trouble.

- There is a growth in terms of our Identity, which is completely different from the pre-Council era. It is not a pecualir aspect, the reason for triumphalistic considerations; rather, it is lived as a ministry carried out in communion with the People of God. SCJ values give content and form to our experience of God and to our mission.

- Our configuration as an Apostolic Institute is clear, motivated by a great “Spiritual Perspective" rather than special needs or emerging activities, especially attentive to the world's challenges. As a result, a certain insertion in the world and a style of being close to the people is strong in the entire Congregation. This explains our social awareness and readiness to evangelize on the basis of our specific reading of the mystery of Christ (cf. Const. 16).

- Increasing importance is being attributed to our community life. We often hear our members say “we are religious missionaries, and not the other way around". Many provinces, regions and communities, albeit it with some difficulty, have developed a plan of life in which they define the essential signs of communion that must always be present among SCJs. In the Congregation, we have beautiful examples of fraternity, in which the common vocation and mission are shared, with great respect for individuals.

- Part of the Institute is experiencing the new phenomenon of the “SCJ Family". Our charism and spirituality have gone beyond the sphere of the Congregation to inspire the Christian life of other people, both consecrated and lay. Like us, they share the same “Spiritual Perspective as Father Dehon", which they fulfill through different vocations and styles of life, independently but in communion with us.

These broad parameters in the Congregation are developed in many significant details, which we do not wish to go into; however, they affect the daily, personal, community, institutional, ecclesial, apostolic etc... life of SCJs. We can state that in general terms, there is a growing tendency on the part of our brothers to subscribe to these values of SCJ religious life. This process is accompanied by inconsistencies, temptations and crises, but their belief and good spirit grow.

101. As far as we can see, the “Spiritual Vision or Perspective" which we inherited from Father Dehon (cf. Const. 26.16) is especially expressed as follows:

- The SCJ values most deeply felt and easily identifiable, and often invoked by all, seem to be the spirit of oblation, of availability and of self-giving, related back to the spirituality of Ecce Venio and Ecce Ancilla. These are values that are developed in a climate of intimacy with Christ.

- At a pastoral level, frequent and clear reference is made to and emphasis is placed on the love of God, mercy, compassion, solidarity, the service of reconciliation and assistance. We want a heart like that of Jesus to be at the base of our Sint Unum and of our ministerial relations.

- We are increasingly rediscovering the social dimension of our charism. It is viewed as being more in tune with the mystical dimension, and emphasis is placed on the unity of life that characterized Father Dehon. In light of this dimension, we are rediscovering a new sense of reparation, especially as of the Brusque Conference.

- Reparation, as a spiritual attitude of acceptance of the Spirit, of cooperation in Christ's work of redemption, of reconstruction of humankind... in the offering of our own suffering in communion with Christ's suffering and to serve the Gospel (cf. Const. 23-25), is felt most deeply by the elderly. For many of them, who are at the twilight of their existence, it sometimes is a dominant motivation. On the other hand, it is difficult to propose it as an element of spirituality to the younger members.

- The eucharistic adoration is still heading towards a recovery in the Congregation, although this is taking place in different ways. In certain apostolic communities, especially in the Third World, it has become the strongest time of common prayer, which begins the working day. In many places, the laity is also involved.

- The Congregation is felt to be a work of God, as Father Dehon perceived it. This is experienced without triumphal attitudes and without hiding the reality of poverty and weakness that we carry with us, though knowning that we have “such a beautiful vocation", as Father Dehon himself used to say.

2. The shadows or problems

102. Our way is always the way of pilgrims. We proceed towards such a high ideal, which the grace of God makes us appreciate and helps us live, albeit it with many inconsistencies.

We would like to point out some problems that we must become aware of, and propose some choices in terms of life and government. As far as we are concerned, these problems indicate the continuity of a crisis affecting religious life, which has not entirely been overcome; they call for a more targeted and deeper renewal. Some of the realities that we denounce have remote and long-standing roots and stem from historical events that have marked the institution and people.

103. Here is a very general analysis:

1. The time of review of religious life occurred when the epochal changes were taking place in our society, which determined the collapse of many points of reference. As a result, rather than renewal, we often sought to adjust or modernize religious life, which did not bear the fruit hoped for by the Council. Today, we are still faced with the challenge of being faithful to the signs of the times, but in the evangelical dynamics of a radical following of the Lord. If this radical attitude at an evangelical level is not clearly visible in our style of life, in the attitudes of the heart, in the apostolic choices and in concrete signs... our religious life loses its effectiveness and appeal. There is the risk of being overwhelmed by secularism, consumerism and by the global vision of neo-liberalism, which today prevail.

2. Now that the old signs and symbols which expressed our spirituality have collapsed and have not been replaced by adequate or updated alternatives, a certain privatization of religious life seems to have occurred. In other words, the experiences and contents of faith, for many religious, have been confined to the private personal sphere. This phenomenon greatly debilitates religious life, and places it on the verge of ineffectiveness and death. Religious life is a “community" experience of God. We should reflect on the fact that some religious, although they have a personal spirituality, do not pray together, that in certain communities the religious limit themselves to a cold and formal prayer, to a rather uncreative liturgy, and to a very limited sharing of their own life.

3. The humanization of religious life and the overcoming of rigid community patterns has been accompanied by the great development of individualism, seen as the exaggerated quest for personal fulfillment, to the detriment of a community project at the service of the Kingdom. Individualism, which is very strong in western culture, is a great obstacle to the availability and the participation on the basis of co-responsibility, of all of the religious in the common mission.

4. The dissipation of many energies with the isolation of too many brothers, who for years have lived on their own outside of the Provincial Project. Many of them are valuable people, but they only entertain formal relations with the Congregation. Sometimes they are emotionally involved, but not enough to be led back into the context of a community project. This happened in two historical moments: when the seminaries were closed and when many religious returned from the missions. At these times, the individuals were not presented with the proposal of provincial choices. This led them to seek individual apostolic ministries and consequently determined a dissipation of energies. These events should be reconsidered, because they have partly contributed to the dissolution of certain provinces, which due to a lack of project of their own, lost valuable people, which they never recovered.

5. Our spirituality is beautiful but difficult; not everyone is able to synthesize it at a personal level. It has undergone a theological reformulation, but it must be constantly translated into a more comprehensible language, into more modern signs and expressions, into consistent and significant choices, into a more organic spiritual path. We have the testimony of our life, but that is often insufficient. We need spiritual teachers and directors, who are able to present our spirituality in a systematic and balanced way, in fidelity to the charism of the Founder and to the Signs of the Times, which does not always happen. The so-called double belonging phenomenon takes place. This creates an internal division in the person, a psychological and spiritual estrangement from the Congregation, both at the level of spirituality and of the mission. We have registered several cases of this sort in the course of this sessennium.

6. The generic quality of our apostolic work, which we have already mentioned, is another problem. The spirit needs a body; spirituality must be expressed through consistent and significant choices. Our contribution to the local and universal Church is more significant if it is small but in accordance with our specific nature, than if it is great but generic and atypical.

7. A certain lack of government. It is easier to coordinate and delegate than to take on a service of animation, communion and government. We cannot go back to outdated authoritarian models which are detrimental to a fraternal religious life. But we need an authority at all levels (General, Provincial, Regional, Territorial and Local) at the service of fraternity and capable of relating the word of God “to the individual situations, according to the spirit of the Institute", “promoter of unity" and “that knows how to make the final decision and ensures its implementation" (VFC 48-50).

In our Institute, the shadows which were mentioned are partial and circumscribed realities, which must play a positive role as warning signs to call our attention to aspects that challenge us and require a more adequate action or presence on our part.