The 2nd days report

The following is a summary of the second day's activities at the 20th General Chapter. Those reading these summaries are reminded that the chapter also maintains a web page at: http://www.scj.org

*****

Since there was no "business" conducted during the second day of the chapter, today's report will be brief. Thursday, May 15, was a day of reflection for chapter delegates and lay Dehonians, led primarily by Fr. Camilo Maccise, OCD. Fr. Maccise is originally from Mexico, but is currently serving as superior general of his religious congregation. Fr. Virginio Bressanelli knows him well from their days together in various organizations in Latin America.

Fr. Maccise gave a presentation titled "The Mission of Today's Religious in the Light of Vita Consecrata." Reflecting on the document, he said that religious communities must not allow themselves to be stuck in the ways of the past, but always adapt to the needs of society. Religious life, he said, was developed to respond to situations in society and the church. Religious communities must continue to adapt to the changing needs of the world.

He continued, saying that the Spirit encourages the development of new groups and challenges established groups to change. Fr. Maccise gave the example of early missionaries who went to new lands to "conquer and save," he said. Now, missionaries work to inculturate the faith in the countries where they serve. They no longer impose a church, but instead try to share a faith. By doing so, they follow the example of Jesus, who was the first evangelizer.

However, Fr. Maccise stressed that evangelization must not happen in a vacuum. It must be combined with action. The church, he said, has always helped the poor but it must also look at the structural roots of poverty -- accept the preferential option for the poor as Jesus did.

The key to defining a congregation's work, he said, is a constant re-examination of its charism, its spirituality. He likened the charism of a community to the water in a glass. "The glass that holds it can take on different shapes, but the water inside of it is still the same," he said. "We need to maintain the water, but change the vessel as needed."

Following his morning presentation, Fr. Maccise was the main celebrant at Mass. In the afternoon he took time to dialogue extensively with the delegates.

The final session was held in linguistic groups. Each general councilor, as well as Fr. Bressanelli, led an interactive prayer service. Each group developed a prayer, which was shared during evening adoration.

****