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XVII CAPITOLO GENERALE

Tavernerio (Italia) - Agosto 2017

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GENERALEXVII GENERAL CHAPTERXVII GENERAL CHAPTER

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101

XVII Capitolo GeneraleXVII General Chapter

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XVII CAPITOLO GENERALE • DocumentiB

Foglio di informazionedei Missionari Saveriani

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Edizioni: CDSR (Centro Documentazione Saveriani Roma)

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XVII GENERAL CHAPTER • Documents 39

Xaverian Missionaries

ChapterDocuments

Tavernerio (Como) - Italy1 - 19 August 2017

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What response can we give, as Xaverians, to the mission ad gentes?What future is there for the “audacious project”?

Dear brothers,

1. The early convocation of the XVII General Chapter was made necessary by the return to the Father’s house of our beloved Superior General, Fr. Luigi Menegazzo: “whether we like it or not, this painful event has placed us in a state of emergency and, therefore, it demands that we all respond with the ability to start again”1. We are grateful to God for giving him to us as our brother and father. The legacy he leaves us is his enthusiasm for the first proclamation and his example of missionary life.

2. The XVI General Chapter (July 2013) invited us to a new beginning, restruc-turing and repositioning. “These guidelines are full of hope because they aim to offer our Family a program that will give us the courage to review our presences and activities, but, above all, our ability and willingness to renew ourselves according to the demands of the mission today” 2.

3. Given the extraordinary nature of this Chapter, and the rich contents elaborat-ed by the previous one, we believe that the Congregation must continue to focus on a “new beginning based on the first proclamation”, by maintaining the principles and foundations laid down in the Documents of the XVI General Chapter.

1 Letter of announcement of the XVII General Chapter, 27 January 2017, iSaveriani 99, 2017, p. 20.

2 3rd Circular Letter of the General Direction, “A missionary family called to consecrate its life to God”, iQuaderni de iSaveriani, 83, 2014, p. 15.

Sharing in God’s dream:to make of the world a single Family1

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XVII GENERAL CHAPTER • Documents48

4. We Xaverians understand the “first proclamation” as the kerygmatic procla-mation of the Gospel to the hearts of all peoples: “it is first in a qualitative sense be-cause it is the principal proclamation, the one which we must hear again and again in different ways, the one which we must announce one way or another” (EG 164). It also specifies how we should be poor, powerless, always on a journey, just as God acted in history by becoming human in the incarnation (Ph 2:5-11). Furthermore, the “first proclamation” invites us always to be audacious, to “take the initiative” (EG 24), to reach out to others and the excluded, and thus discover the presence of God in the places, persons and situations to which we are sent.

5. We address this proclamation ad gentes to the non-Christians beyond our na-tive milieu, culture and Church (cf. C 9). Pope Benedict XVI declared that “today the mission ad gentes must be the constant horizon and paradigm of every ecclesial endeavor, because the identity of the Church herself is constituted by faith in the Mystery of God who revealed himself in Christ to bring us salvation, and by the mission of witnessing and proclaiming him to the world until he comes”3.

6. In this sense, we could say that the entire Church is called today to engage in a profound missionary conversion ad gentes, which will free it from its often isolated conscience and reach out resolutely to an encounter with people until the very ends of the earth, allowing itself to be challenged by new situations, new problems and new challenges.

7. Pope Francis’ repeated references to the mission and missionary identity invite us on the one hand to collaborate in a process of “ecclesial conversion” (cf. RMi 49) and, on the other hand, to admit that we too stand in need of a profound conversion. Indeed, we must recognize that we are no longer leading the field but, rather, we are being challenged by the papal magisterium to review once again our visions, our way of being, our spirituality and our projects. We too, therefore, need to “shake off the urge to wallow in comfort, relaxation and idleness”4 and engage in “a resolute process of discernment, purification, and reform” (EG 30).

8. Taking these premises as our starting point, we now wish to take stock of the Congregation’s situation and then suggest some possible future prospects.

3 BENEDICT XVI. Message for world mission day 2012.4 Fifth General Conference of the Latin American and Caribbean Bishops, Aparecida Docu-

ment, 29 June 2007, 362.

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What response can we give, as Xaverians, to the Mission ad Gentes?9. The XVI General Chapter took us back to the nucleus of our charism and

asked us to make some consistent operational choices. The demands of the charism exhorted us not only to a personal and community conversion, but also to take some concrete steps towards choosing activities and structures that are more in line with the goals we wish to achieve.

10. Some courageous attempts at repositioning emerged from the reports pre-sented by the Chapter Delegates. In some Circumscriptions where Missionary-Vo-cation Animation is a priority, our confreres have tried to boost sectors of service, or open new communities to facilitate the animation of the local Church to the mission ad gentes. In other Circumscriptions where the first proclamation is a priority, new presences have been opened for this purpose. These decisions were not taken with-out sacrifice and suffering.

11. In other Circumscriptions, although the process of repositioning has not led to structural changes, the communities nevertheless have begun to reflect on the activities that need to be boosted in view of fulfilling the specific priorities of every Circumscription.

12. Overall, however, it seems that this process of renewal, restructuring and repositioning has yet to be grasped in all its urgency. We seem to think that we can survive the anthropological crisis and the cultural and existential upheaval with su-perficial changes that leave things pretty much the same as they were. The Chapter invites us to courageously move up a gear.

A look at the world and the Congregation13. As Xaverians we are part of the contemporary world with its challenges and op-

portunities, and we are members of a Congregation that has its strengths and fragilities.

CHALLENGES FOR THE MISSION TODAY

14. Socio-cultural phenomena. As religious and missionaries, we compare our-selves with secularized societies and values and ideas that are in conflict with each other. We are faced with a persistent socio-cultural, political and moral crisis, a lack of trust in the institutions, insecurity and corruption at various levels. Pope Francis speaks of the culture of indifference, narcissistic individualism, relativism of values and the idolatry of money, which undermine the dignity of human life, relationships and the sense of the common good.

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15. Poverty and the exploitation of natural resources. The previously men-tioned U-turn in values fosters inequality and indifference, which prevent us from focusing on the victims and the excluded and from hearing the cry of the earth, which is the same cry of the poor. The Encyclical Laudato Si’ invites us to examine and reflect on the current system of development that calls for “a radical change in the conduct of humanity” (LS 4).

16. An epochal anthropological change. The anthropological change involves everyone: the criteria for understanding life in all its dimensions are changing, in-cluding how we relate to God. We are being challenged in a special way by young people, who are increasingly digital natives, and immersed in a world with languag-es that are foreign to us.

17. Fear of the other. We are also witnessing alarming processes that are leading people more and more to a religious, ethnic, cultural and national fundamentalism, which look upon alterity as a threat and generate attitudes of violence and rejection.

OPPORTUNITIES

18. Prophecy. We are called to bear witness to radical evangelical choices in socio-cultural contexts that profess other values. The history of religious and mis-sionary life is full of examples of prophetic and courageous communities that pro-claimed the Kingdom of God against the tide.

19. Lifestyles and ecological conversion. The financial crisis and the financial difficulties of many families, and the dramatic destruction of creation, call upon us to review our lifestyle, consumer mentality, structures and personal and community choices. We need an ecological conversion “whereby the effects of the encounter with Jesus Christ become evident in our relationship with the world that surrounds us” (LS 217).

20. First proclamation. There are new mission opportunities in the various Cir-cumscriptions, which can be planned with simple instruments and structures, invest-ing our resources in areas that are more in harmony with the urgency of the mission ad gentes.

21. Spirituality. The modern world seeks interiority, it longs for a spirituality that can give meaning to life, something that can help us to transcend mundane materiality. Today we feel the need to enter into contact with the mystery. This area too offers various opportunities for us missionaries: a pastoral ministry based on friendship, presence, humility and accompaniment, shedding clericalism and pro-tagonism.

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22. The excluded. Various confreres share the life of groups of people who are victims or marginalized from global society. Their relationship with creation, their experience and their battles are salt and light for another possible world. Also those who are persecuted for their faith, whatever religion they profess, ask for our sup-port. Finally, there are groups or social movements that fight on behalf of all that is human in order to propose solutions to the problems of today’s world.

23. Migratory flows. Migrations bring to our own doorstep the privileged in-terlocutors of our mission and they give us the opportunity bear witness, proclaim and offer models of intercultural life together, which we already experience in our communities. Our missionary experience makes us natural mediators among the peoples. Human trafficking is a phenomenon that demands our response for the defense of life.

STRONG POINTS OF THE CONGREGATION

24. God’s fellow workers. Mindful that we have been chosen by Christ, “we can do all things in him who strengthens us” (Ph 4:13). We do not look upon ourselves as the “protagonists” of the mission, but rather as “God’s fellow workers” (1Cor 3:9) in a Church that is entirely missionary by virtue of the Baptism received by every one of its members (cf. EG 120).

25. Charism and participation. Our Congregation has some essential strong points, such as the modernity of the Charism given by the Spirit to our Founder, pre-cisely as a response to the problems of modern humanity. The members of the Xaverian Family are often also open to a faithful and creative interpretation of the charism. The echoes of the Founder’s canonization, our martyrs and the example of other confreres who have dedicated their lives to the service of the Gospel all inspire us be faithful to our charism. We are grateful to God who continues to bless us with the gift of new vo-cations that enrich our family with their human, spiritual and cultural gifts. Our Found-er’s charism also calls other people (lay, benefactors and friends) to become a spiritual extension of the Congregation. These are all signs of hope and encouragement for us.

26. Fraternity. Our sense of belonging to the Xaverian Family consolidates our relationships and there is also an effort among us to reflect in order to reach a conver-gence on a common missionary project. There is a new community sensitivity among us that sees the mission from the perspective of relationship, rather than activities; holiness as a community process, rather than as a personal virtue. We are more con-vinced of the necessity of ongoing formation in order to respond better to the chal-lenges of the present. Our intercultural communities witness to a possible evangelical fraternity and an attempt to update the charism by proposing new and richer visions of the mission.

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27. Walking with the Church. We are convinced that we cannot act alone and that we must collaborate with the local Church, which we animate according to our specific charism and by which we are also challenged. We are more open to collabo-ration with other missionary agents with whom we are engaging in research, service and missionary animation.

FRAGILITY

28. Xaverian identity. Although we are aware that the Congregation’s sole and exclusive purpose is the proclamation of the Gospel to non-Christians (cf. C 2), we do not always agree on the interpretation of this charismatic identity. This uncer-tainty is also reflected in the interpretation of the ad extra and ad vitam dimensions.

29. Family spirit. Although we are aware of the family spirit that characterizes our way of life and witness to the evangelical life, there is among us a persistent individual attitude towards the mission, with personal programs and projects. Al-though we are aware that much time is needed in order to build deep relationships, our impression is that our relationships could be less superficial. We do not always offer adequate support to the members of our communities, especially at times of fa-tigue or personal crisis. Human respect is an obstacle to sharing positive experiences and fraternal correction. The relationship with authority is sometimes not serene.

30. Interculturality. Interculturality is sometimes not lived as a richness and source of witness in the face of a world that struggles to accept alterity.

31. The Xaverian Brothers. In spite of the clarity of our documents, we often forget to promote the animation of the vocation to become a Brother. The unique nature of this call in relation to the mission needs to be further strengthened and appreciated.

32. Financial dependence. Although we recognize a certain degree of growth in this sector, some confreres still understand the mission as a way to create structures and initiatives that require consistent and disproportionate financing in relation to the possibilities of the local economy, thus generating paternalism, dependence and passivity. At the same time, we are aware that we struggle to set in motion the pro-cess towards the self-sufficiency of the Circumscriptions and creatively seek forms of local financing.

33. Resistance to change. We have observed that only some Regions embraced the invitation of the XVI General Chapter to strive for a repositioning by taking concrete steps. This resistance to change seems to indicate the necessity of a general reform of our mentality, as well as of our activities and structures, in order to be in harmony with the “audacious project”.

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What future?34. “The ‘darkness’ of this humanity in which we live gives us a unique chance

to find ourselves, like St Guido Conforti, before the Crucifix. It was at the foot of the Crucifix that our Founder listened to and learned many things; for him it was the “book” from which he learned, just like many saints. Through that contempla-tion and dialogue we have all become sons. To recognize Him, and then “console” Him in the countless situations in which He suffers in our humanity, will be the inspiration of our action. Among all His sufferings, we privilege the suffering of the absence of God, in order to reveal the merciful face of the Father” (From the report of Sierra Leone).

35. The eyes of faith help us to interpret the challenges of the world, our personal fragilities and those of the Congregation with total trust and creativity. With Saint Paul we too repeat “when I am weak, then I am strong” (2Cor 12:10), mindful that in fulfilling his plans, God manifests his power in human weakness and fragility. Beginning from this faith, and confirming the journey proposed by the XVI General Chapter, this Chapter strives to interpret the challenges we are facing and offers some possible responses in view of an even better collaboration with the Kingdom of God.

The results of the XVII General Chapter’s reflection are contained in the follow-ing pages, divided into thematic areas: charismatic identity; Xaverian formation; Xaverian lay missionaries; financial management and government; mission, com-munication and culture.

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“The Spirit of the Lord animates the Church and constantly renews her awareness of her mission in the world. The same Spirit inspired Bishop Guido Maria Conforti to dedicate himself to the evangelization of non-Christians, and to gather into one missionary community men called to consecrate their lives to God for the same ideal” (C 1).

“The Missionary is the most beautiful and sublime personification of the ideal life. He has contemplated Jesus Christ in the spirit, who shows the apostles the world that they must conquer for the Gospel, not with the power of weapons, but through persuasion and love, the same per-suasion and love that conquered him” (12th Address to departing mis-sionaries).

36. The first proclamation The sole and exclusive Charism of the Xaverians is the first proclamation.This charism “envelops our entire life because, with the expression ‘first procla-

mation’ we mean the purpose, inspiration and the heart of a variety of activities that go from animation and missionary formation, leaving our own milieu to go out to the non-Christians, the various services to the Congregation and the local Churches, and the witness of a life consecrated to God even in illness and infirmity’ (XVI GC 50). The first proclamation, therefore, rather than a series of activities, is defined as a ‘point of reference … for our entire life’ (XVI GC 53). Everything that each one of us does must be done solely for the first proclamation”5.

5 cf. Introduction to the 2nd Letter of the General Direction, “Sharing in Conforti’s dream, the ‘first proclamation’ calls us all to a new beginning!”, iQuaderni de iSaveriani, 80, 2014, p. 25.

Charismatic identity2

Called to the “first proclamation” ad gentes, ad extra, ad vitam

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37. Our charismatic identity, which is expressed in the ‘first proclamation’ ad gentes, ad extra and ad vitam, is described in detail in the Documents of the XVI General Chapter (nos. 46 – 55), in the Constitutions and in the Ratio Missionis Xaveriana.

The XVII General Chapter invites us to rediscover the beauty and the joy of being missionary disciples6. Furthermore, it encourages us to value the community and the Congregation as subjects of the mission because “the Lord’s disciples are called to live as a community which is the salt of the earth and the light of the world (Mt 5:13-16). They are called to bear witness to a constantly new way of living together in fi-delity to the Gospel. Let us not allow ourselves to be robbed of community!” (EG 92).

38. Ad Gentes, ad Extra, ad Vitama) We address the ‘first proclamation’ ad gentes to non-Christians, giving prefer-

ence to the poor and the last. These interlocutors define our sole and exclusive commitment, our essential characteristic and our entire being to the extent that our Founder asked his missionaries not to become absorbed by activities of ser-vice to Christians7.

b) Furthermore, we live the ‘first proclamation’ ad extra because the dynamics of the mission always entail going forth and departure. We are sent out of our own native milieu, culture and Church (cf. C 9) to live as guests among other peoples8. We live our being foreigners as a “fundamental and essential characteristic of our vocation” (RMX 12). Pope Francis insists that the mission does not only consist of a plan of activity, but it is also a fundamental impulse for the Church that is called to go forth beyond itself. For Jesus’ disciples, ‘going forth’ also means ‘going beyond’, transcending themselves and their limits, a crucial time of pilgrimage towards the world of others, an essential process of Paschal kenosis (cf. Ph 2:5-11) that implies life, death and resurrection in order to restore humanity to its original dignity9.

c) Finally, we dedicate ourselves to this proclamation for our entire life (ad vitam): for us, the mission takes the concrete form of living and serving that inspires us to total self-giving instead of limiting ourselves to an experience ad tempus. The past and present experience of many confreres, especially the witness of our mar-tyrs, is an inspiration and example for our living and celebrating our consecration to the mission until the end.

6 cf. EG 119-121.7 cf. FR 8; RMX 11.8 cf. RMX 12.2.9 cf. EG 17a; 20; 24; 46.

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The ‘first proclamation’ invites us always to “take the initiative”10, to reach out to others and the excluded and to “see God, seek God, love God in all” (TL 10).

39. Charismatic identity and interculturality“In our Congregation’s journey, interculturality is ‘the’ most visible character-

istic, especially in the formation reality. The Founder wanted the Xaverian Family to be composed of conferees of various nationalities, even though he was unable to fulfill this desire personally. (...) We are aware that interculturality concerns us all. Our being consecrated to Christ through the charism of our Founder shows us the direction in which we must head if we are to grow in mutual acceptance as bearers of different cultures. Intercultural Xaverian fraternity, therefore, is not something “incidental”, but a Christian and charismatic choice (cf. RFX 92 – 96).

On the other hand, the intercultural ‘problem’ must in some way be relativized. The central nucleus of our missionary consecration is Jesus Christ and the procla-mation of his Gospel. The most profound causes of self-reference, intolerance, the spirit of independence, the use of cultural categories as a shield to protect one’s personal individualism and the weak love for others lie in the weakness of our iden-tity as Xaverians. It follows from this that, ultimately, interculturality is not the real problem of our Congregation, but, rather, the rediscover of our charism and our identification with it”11.

40. ConclusionFinally, the XVII General Chapter reminds us that Xaverian life today calls for

a prophetic holiness that puts God and His Kingdom in the first place, openness to ongoing conversion and total self-giving; a holiness visible in the evangelical wel-come of the last, whenever human beings are humiliated; a holiness of apostolic zeal in favor of the first proclamation to non-Christians; a holiness of fraternal witness by the Xaverian community in living united in the diversity of nations and cultures, with the sole priority goal of serving the Kingdom of Christ12. “It is a matter of al-lowing ourselves to be transformed in Christ through a life lived ‘according to the Spirit’’’ (EG 162).

41. Proposal. The XVII General Chapter proposes that we introduce a ‘day of the Xaverian Martyrs’.

10 cf. EG 24.11 cf. Acts of the VI Meeting of Theology Rectors, Rome, October 2016, vol. 1, pp.97-98.12 cf. Report of the Democratic Republic of Congo to the XVII General Chapter, p. 5.

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“Lay people are, put simply, the vast majority of the people of God. The minority – ordained ministers – are at their service. There has been a growing awareness of the identity and mission of the laity in the Church. We can count on many lay persons, although still not nearly enough, who have a deeply-rooted sense of community and great fidelity to the tasks of charity, catechesis and the celebration of the faith” (EG 102).

Introduction63. The sacraments of Christian initiation are the foundation of every vocation

according to the different charisms. The proclamation of the Gospel is the vocation of all Christians. The mission of the laity is fundamentally important for the life of the Church and its call to evangelize the entire world.

64. We must make the confreres ever more sensitive to the world of lay people, volunteers, collaborators and the Xaverian lay missionaries who are in communion with our Xaverian Family. It is important to reassert and specify more and more the role and the laity’s contribution to the mission ad gentes and Missionary-Vocation Animation (cf. RMX 85.2). There are many lay people in our Circumscriptions who collaborate with us in different ways and share the call to be missionary disciples according to our charism. There is a great and rich diversity that we must bear in mind and it is important to reassert what emerged from the XV General Chapter, which declared the necessity of collaborating with the laity (XV GC 21).

65. It is vitally important that we overcome any difficulties and obstacles we may encounter in the collaboration between Xaverians and Lay Xaverians, in view of ini-

The “audacious project”in communion with the Xaverian Lay Missionaries

4

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tiating a common work. “It is time to work together, it is joyful to work together and it is constructive to work together. We exercise patience when we encounter various kinds of difficulty that could undermine our collaboration. These are moments of weakness, but the intention does not change. It is an ideal that will encounter many obstacles, but this is not important …”22.

66. Beginning from the reports of the various Circumscriptions and the Xaverian documents, we believe we can subdivide the laity into 2 categories:

a) Lay collaborators, associates, volunteers and friends, GAMS, former Xaverian students, etc.

This first group is made up of all the lay people who collaborate with the Xave-rians at different levels, by sharing our work in Missionary-Vocation Animation and in the mission ad extra. We invite all the Circumscriptions to organize these groups in view of a missionary service ad extra and help to meet the needs of other Circumscriptions engaged in first proclamation.

b) Lay Xaverians By Lay Xaverians we mean the lay people who share the Founder’s charism,

whilst maintaining their own autonomy.

Foundations of the Lay Xaverians67. The Lay Xaverians form a family made up of lay missionaries (single people

and couples) who wish to live the missionary dimension as a vocation in the place where they live and work.

68. The Lay Xaverians participate in the Xaverian charism by privileging be-ing over doing, as a Christian commitment in the world, the family, professional activity, pastoral service, commitment to justice and peace and wherever there is social marginalization. A characteristic of the Lay Xaverians is the fact that they are inserted into the social and ecclesial context in which they live, and they live their commitment as active members of the local community.

69. A characteristic of our Xaverian charism is the missionary identity lived as an evangelical itinerancy and actual departure. The Lay Xaverians also live the missionary impulse of the ad gentes, ad extra and ad vitam.

22 Fr. Luigi Menegazzo, Address to the Council of the Lay Xaverian Missionaries of Italy, Rome, 12 November 2016.

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70. The Lay Xaverians maintain their own autonomy in their management, or-ganization of the various activities and internal structure. They are the protagonists of their journey and the implementation of the Xaverian charism based on their own specific identity (XIV GC c. 3).

71. The Lay Xaverians collaborate with the Xaverians in Missionary-Vocation Animation and in the first proclamation. In communion with the Xaverians of the territory in which they are present, they search for ways to fulfill common projects and offer a concrete and efficacious service to the Church they are called to serve together.

72. The XVII General Chapter, while it encourages all the confreres to strengthen the collaboration between the Lay Xaverians and the Congregation, invites every-one to bear in mind the following guidelines:

A. Every Circumscription should appoint a confrere to act as a contact person for the Lay Xaverians (cf. XIV GC c. 3) and animate the communities to live in communion with the Lay Xaverians.

B. A General Councilor should be entrusted with the task of stimulating and coordinating the work that the Congregation does throughout the world with the laity, volunteers, collaborators and the Lay Xaverians.

C. The General Direction should set up a team for the Lay Xaverians, made up of confreres and Lay Xaverians, whose task is to help the General Councilor and promote communion with the contact per-sons for the laity in every Circumscription. The first task of this team is to gather the significant experiences of collaboration between the Xaverians and the Lay Xaverians in our various Circumscriptions, and to help the groups of Lay Xaverians to interact with each other.

D. The Chapter invites the General Direction to draw up a Vademecum, in dialogue with the Lay Xaverians, that establishes the terms and the modalities of collaboration between the Xaverians and the Lay Xaverians.

E. Every Circumscription should promote periods of convivencia be-tween Xaverians and Lay Xaverians in view of a deeper mutual knowledge.

F. We should study the possibility of a missionary presence with mixed communities (Lay Xaverians and Xaverians) in places where the culture and circumstances allow this (cf. C 36.3).

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98. “The Social Media are a new continent to be inhabited, with its own lan-guage, new instruments, new mentalities and new dynamics: the Xaverians, by vir-tue of their mission which sends them out to all peoples, must open themselves to this immense digital continent and to the persons that inhabit it” (Report of the General Direction to the XVII General Chapter, p. 28).

99. The XVI General Chapter asked the General Direction to consider “setting up a social communications office or team” and it also indicated the aspects to be taken into consideration: evangelization, information and digital missionary formation in its various aspects (cf. XVI GC 73)25. In its program, the General Direction wel-comed this orientation and stated that in the animation of the Congregation, “some confreres, and other experts in this field, will help us to find the best way of using the social media” (Program of the General Direction for the six-year term 2013-2019, iSaveriani 76, 2013, p. 7). In the guidelines “Sharing in Conforti’s dream, the first proclamation calls us all to a new beginning”26, the General Direction recognized not only the enormous development of the Mass Media and the Social Media, but also the necessity of using them for presenting the Congregation’s missionary activ-ities (cf. XVI GC 53.1d).

25 “The General Direction should consider setting up a “social communication office or team”, to follow matters concerning evangelization, information and digital missionary formation in its various aspects (challenges, opportunities and problems). In taking advantage of the potential of these new instruments, we should bear in mind the prudential measures that are necessary in order to guarantee that they are used in an appropriate manner”.

26 cf. Quaderni de iSaveriani 80, 2014, pp. 35-36.

Mission, Communication and Culture6

Xaverian charism and social media

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Against this background, the General Direction organized a Conference on “The Xaverian Charism and the Social Media” in January 2016, with the purpose of seek-ing a future strategy with all the representatives of the various Circumscriptions, in view also of a greater attention to the world of young people.

100. In connection with this, the General Chapter entrusts the General Direction with the following practical guidelines:

A. Consider setting up a Mass Media and Social Media team whose task, among other things, will be to draw up a Statute that bears in mind its organization and the contents to be elaborated and transmitted, not only within the Congregation, but also to society in general, with special attention to Missionary-Vocation An-imation.

B. Each Circumscription should appoint a contact person for the Mass Media and the Social Media and put him in charge of animating the confreres in this sector. It is also necessary to promote the formation of all the confreres (beginning from initial formation) to a correct use of these instruments of communication, bearing especially in mind an ethical and deontological code that will guide their con-crete use. We believe that the modern means of communication, without exclud-ing paper communication, are useful for reaching many people, but we are also convinced that they do not replace in any way a direct encounter with persons and reality.

C. At Congregation and Circumscription levels, some confreres should be chosen to train in the sector of the Mass Media and the Social Media because this area is constantly developing, not only in a technological sense, but also in an anthro-pological sense, since it influences the culture and mentality of the people who use these instruments.

101. The Chapter appreciates the work carried out by the Centro Documentazi-one Saveriani Roma (CDSR) and by the coordinator appointed to reorganize the General Direction’s website. The websites of the Circumscriptions are now connect-ed on this common web space. Furthermore, the Chapter emphasizes the desire to continue to improve this sector of the Mass Media and Social Media, even though we are aware that the development of this area is diversified, nor do we ignore the fact that some places still do not have access to rapid internet connections.

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Mission And Culture

102. From the various Chapter documents and the resulting exhortations, there emerges the constant necessity of always maintaining a high degree of fidelity to the charism through study and research, which will enable the Xaverian “to possess broad vision, a rich and balanced personality capable of adaptation, and a cultural formation consistent with the demands of our mission” (C 4). Indeed, evangeliza-tion requires people who are familiar with God’s Word, and who have achieved an appropriate degree of cultural maturity, so that they may read the signs of the times and bring reality into line with the demands of the Gospel.

103. Speaking of today’s challenges, the Church highlights some cultural ones that the missionary is called to deal with: attacks upon religious freedom, the prima-cy of what is transitory and superficial, religious fundamentalisms, secularization which reduces faith to the private sphere, the crisis of the family and postmodern and globalized individualism (cf. EG 61-67).

104. Bearing these concerns in mind, and faithful to our vocation to inculturate the Gospel wherever we find ourselves27, the General Chapter proposes the follow-ing practical guidelines:

A. In compliance with the recent teaching of Pope Francis, we should promote the formation of the confreres to the culture of encounter (cf. XVI GC 51)28: with

27 RMX 47: “The missionary is not the principal architect of inculturation, but he can help to make the process smoother by collaborating with the local Church which has the primary responsibility for inculturation. We undertake our role of facilitators through our own ac-culturation and a contextualized missionary activity that takes the local people, their history, culture and symbols as its starting point”.

28 “The word ‘encounter’ is the best possible way of expressing what we mean by ‘first procla-mation’. It includes different concepts: the journey and the effort to draw closer to each other, the joy of recognizing and accepting each other, dialogue and the exchange of information and the re-building of distant, broken or difficult relationships. The model for this can only be the Trinity: the Father encounters every person in Jesus Christ and, in the Spirit, this encoun-ter becomes possible and intimate as time goes by. After experiencing this in our own lives, we will be able to promote it in the lives of others: ‘that act of Jesus’ love which brought new life to the world, comes down to us through the memory of others — witnesses — and is kept alive in that one remembering subject which is the Church’ (Lumen Fidei 38)” (XVI CG 51).

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the poor, the reality of marginalization (cf. EG 53), the victims of injustice and oppression, the existential outskirts and non-Christians, etc.

B. We should continue with the qualification of the confreres with specializations in the theological and human sciences, in harmony with the Regional project and the needs of the Xaverian Family and the mission.

C. Unless they have already done so, the Circumscriptions should appoint someone to animate the confreres in the cultural sphere. Those appointed could carry out the following activities among others:

a) Projects of cultural animation in agreement with the superiors, which aim towards a greater sharing of studies, documents, formation courses, further language studies;

b) Coordinate courses of introduction to the local culture for young missionaries;

c) Attention to the academic curriculum of the young confreres in line with the Ratio Studiorum Xaveriana;

d) Communication of information and resources, sharing of mission experiences also through our internal publications;

e) Attention to our paper and digital material, libraries, historical archives and small museums of the Circumscriptions;

f) Contacts with Xaverian and local cultural centers (Seminaries, Universities, radios, etc.)29.

D. Beginning from initial formation, the confreres should be encouraged to create and cultivate the attitudes that will enable them to insert themselves into new cultures (cf. Ad Gentes 26)30.

29 cf. Vademecum 2015 SF 17, no. 25 and ACTS of the Xaverian Mission Conference 2012, p. 77.30 “Anyone who is going to encounter another people should have a great esteem for their pat-

rimony and their language and their customs. It is very necessary for the future missionary to devote himself to missiological studies: that is, to know the teachings and norms of the Church concerning missionary activity, to know along what roads the heralds of the Gospel have run in the course of the centuries, and also what is the present condition of the missions, and what methods are considered more effective at the present time. All these different kinds of formation should be completed in the lands to which they are sent, so that the missionaries may have a more thorough knowledge of the history, social structures, and customs of the people; that they may have an insight into their moral order and their religious precepts, and into the secret notions which, according to their sacred tradition, they have formed concern-

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E. As XVI GC 70 emphasizes31, dialogue with cultures and religions remains an essential aspect of the Xaverian charism. Therefore, unless they have already done so, the Circumscriptions should appoint an animator for interreligious and ecumenical dialogue. Wherever possible, they should also set up spirituality of interreligious dialogue centers. If this is not possible, they should take advantage of every form of involvement with the local Church in this sector, and encourage insertion in the already existing experiences in their own dioceses.

F. The Circumscriptions that believe it is necessary should promote forms of dia-logue with Islam, traditional religions, the secular world of agnosticism, human-ism and postmodern and posthuman reality.

G. The Chapter asks that a General Councilor be appointed to follow intercultural and interreligious dialogue and act as a contact person in this sector.

H. The Continental Study Centers should be supported and promoted so that they may continue to animate and encourage the confreres in the sector of intercul-tural dialogue. The European Circumscriptions should be encouraged to set up a European Study Center.

ing God, the world and man. Let the missionaries learn the languages to such a degree that they can use them in a fluent and polished manner, and so find more easy access to the minds and the hearts of men. Furthermore, they should be properly introduced into special pastoral problems” (Ad Gentes 26).

31 “Dialogue is the common search for God and the signs of His presence in human history. Dialogue ‘is part of the Church’s evangelizing mission’ (RMi 55), ‘it does not originate from tactical concerns or self-interest’ (RMi 56) and is considered today as an essential element of the mission. It must not be regarded as an activity entrusted solely to the personal sensitivity of some confreres; instead, it must be inserted into the missionary project of every Circum-scription and given the necessary personnel and resources. The General Direction should promote the development and coordination of the Centers for intercultural and interreligious dialogue, so that they contribute to the theological and missiological reflection and offer new proposals of missionary methodology to the confreres” (XVI GC 70).

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XVII CAPITOLO GENERALE

Tavernerio (Italia) - Agosto 2017

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GENERALEXVII GENERAL CHAPTERXVII GENERAL CHAPTER

Foglio di informazione dei Missionari Saveriani

Documenti Capitolari

Chapter Documents

Numero

101

XVII Capitolo GeneraleXVII General Chapter

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