Summary from the Drafting Commission: 25 October

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Masses this morning were celebrated in language groups.

The sessions in the aula, which was chaired by Fr Denis Travers, began with a prayer reflection on the theme ‘The Seed of the Passionist Charism Scattered in Many Places’, which recalled the sixty different countries in which our Congregation has been established.

The first session was devoted to the second part of the report of the Superior General, Fr Ottaviano D’Egidio, entitled ‘Starting afresh after Cuernavaca’, a summary of which is given here:

Fr Ottaviano listed the various stages gone through in the process of restructuring, beginning with the General Chapter of 2000. A turning point in the process was the 2008 Synod at Cuernavaca during which six new configurations were established, responding to a new awareness that every part of the Congregation is responsible for the other. During the two years leading up to this Synod, the task of the configurations was to evaluate and experiment with the viablity of the composition of each configuartion as a hypothetical structure for the future. However, the process of examining the feasability of the new configurations will not end with the present Synod. During the next two years, we will move towards defining conclusively the new entities and the model of government to be used both at General level and at the level of the configurations. The juridic consequences also need to be clarified during the next two years.

The General then spoke of the meetings of co-ordinators which have taken place and summarised the different directions in which the six configurations are going forward. As, at the level of the configurations, discernment should result in decisions, he suggested that the configurations should be able to make decisions and act on them and, on behalf of the General Council, proposed a text to this effect for the evaluation and approval of the Synod. He also reflected with the Synod on the Congregation’s history of expansion and development, the meaning of solidarity in practice, and the means for achieving a culture of solidarity within the Congregation.

The Report Fr. Ottaviano D’Egidio, General Superior of the Passionists: 2nd part

In the second part of Fr. General's Report for the Synod, he described the journey made from the last Synod in Cuernavaca to the present day, describing what has since been achieved and underlined the decisions which must yet be made. In his address he also talked about some of perplexities and the resistances to the process of renewal that affect us and made references to the spiritual and personal attitudes that are necessary to go on peacefully and resolutely, towards the next stages.

Report of the Superior General to the XIV General Synod (part two)

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Starting afresh after Cuernavaca

Dear brothers,

I am continuing my reflections following the first part of the report that I gave last Friday which sought to open up and encourage a spiritual context connected with the opening liturgy of the Synod. Yesterday the reflections of Fr. Aquilino Bocos Merino shed further light on our journey and encouraged us to continue the search for choices that will give us new vitality and energy.

We must afresh again after Cuernavaca and following the decisions that the 2008 Synod made and the direction that it provided. However, in order to understand as well as possible what happened and its meaning we need to review, even if only briefly, the period “before” Cuernavaca.

1. There were twelve provincial Chapters that were celebrated during the two years between the Synods of 2008-2010. There were a significant number of changes in provincial government and therefore it is good to review the steps that were taken in furthering the process of Restructuring because even if it is true that the Congregation is trying to involve all of the religious in the process, it is also true that when someone is called to the ministry of authority the religious understand and perceive him differently and he assumes a greater responsibility for the phases of discernment and the consequences of the decisions that were made.

2. The initial inspiration for the process of Restructuring originated at the General Chapter of 2000: “The capitulars noted the need for an organizational renewal of structures in the Congregation.” (C.D. 4.7); “‘Solidarity’ is the word chosen to describe a new way of being together as Passionists in the mission for the life of the world. New realities call for new responses in faith…Solidarity calls us to a profound conversion of mind and heart. We grow in awareness that life is a gift to be shared.” (C.D. 4.6)

However, the true and actual beginning of the process took place at the Synod of 2004 during which it was recognized as a call from God to conversion and to new, creative fidelity in community life, in mission and in solidarity within the Congregation, giving preference to the poor. [...]

| Download | Report of the Sup. General to the XIV General Synod (part two)

| Download | Report of the Sup. General to the XIV General Synod (part one)

The Passionist presence in 60 Countries

At the beginning of the day's events and on the occasion of the anniversary of the Passionist foundation in Brazil, we all watched a video about the Congregation's presence in 60 different nations.