I.
GIVING OUR LIVES TODAY
A
courageous theme
6. The General Chapter
has not entrusted to us an easy theme for
the next six years. Giving our lives for plentiful
redemption is
an ambitious and, perhaps, unfashionable
program, since it runs counter to a contemporary
suspicion of anyone who gives himself unreservedly
to anything.
7. At a time when it is
so difficult to commit oneself fully and
definitively to any vocation, the Chapter
urges us to the apparently impossible project
of giving our lives for ever. At a time
when many see unshackled personal freedom
as a criterion for a successful life, the
Chapter invites us to make our life a gift.
At a time when salvation risks passing from
being a locus theologicus to simply a manifestation
in economic or political spheres, the Chapter
proposes anew that the promise of plentiful
redemption is something worth giving our
lives for.
8.
If "giving our lives” calls into play
the very structures with which we realize
our mission, then the choice of the Chapter
appears to us as a daring response to the
challenges of our time. We are increasingly
aware that ours is a globalized world, where
the problems of one region have immediate
repercussions in others, and where one culture
risks dominating others; one has only to
think about the influence of the Internet.
In this world, where communications and
the speed of change form the foundation
of a new anthropology, where the massive
migrations of whole peoples allow us to
glimpse a mosaic of different groups living
and relating side by side, the Chapter takes
up the challenge to consider our structures
and to revise them to face the new demands
of mission. At a time when the collapse
of ideologies has left the oppressed with
even less hope for a better future and increasingly
creates an unmistakable chasm between the
poor and the rich, an epoch in which the
exploitation of the labor of the poor nations
by multinational corporations reaches scandalous
dimensions, the Chapter pushes us to take
a stand and to give our lives – not just
a part of us – to the most abandoned.
What
mission justifies new structures?
9. In the midst of a world
that changes so quickly, many of us might
wonder if our Redemptorist mission still
has some relevance that really justifies
it. Is it in fact at the service of the
true redemption of humanity and, above all,
does it have prospects for the future? At
times we can be doubtful whether the spiritual,
missionary and theological intuition of
St. Alphonsus, together with the whole tradition
that has followed, still has a place in
the world today. We know well that much
depends on the answer to these questions:
our fostering of vocations, our formation
of young people; our missionary preaching,
our projects for social development, our
involvement in movements for justice and
peace and finally, the service we render
to our elderly confreres. Only a convincing
and positive answer to these questions can
justify the serious work that is involved
in a change of our structures.
10. Many readers might expect
this document to propose a comprehensive
solution, which is not the principal aim
of this Communicanda. Others would prefer
a naively optimistic declaration. We are
well aware that we are still in a time of
searching, trudging through a difficult
and often sterile exodus as we struggle
to mark out a credible future for our mission,
even for religious life in general and for
the Church itself. Nevertheless, we should
call to mind in these pages, however briefly,
some features of an investigation that is
being carried out by our theologians as
well as by our confreres working on the
front lines of the apostolate. In reality,
more than a superficial overview, this examination
allows us to glimpse some of the essential
elements which have to be considered. These
form the void created by the contradictions
of the world and are quite often our own
contradictions that however cry out for
salvation, which is an appeal to which we
must respond.
11.
For
example, how do we assess the ever increasing
dominance of the rights of the individual?
What kind of world is being created by this
movement? In what measure do these individual
rights risk a progressive erosion of a foundation
for solidarity, a unique reason for hope
in the future?
If, especially in the wealthier nations,
consumption and pleasure dictate the real
reason for living, one must wonder: is there
still room for compassion in the hearts
of the people of our time?
Furthermore, we consider the field of morality, where today a sense of guilt
is rendered practically meaningless by a
false understanding of personal freedom,
yet in public life there is a forceful call
for ethics, political correctness and transparency
in political morality. How does one reconcile
personal freedom while safeguarding the
common good? And in the face of the revelation
of past offenses, to what extent is one
capable of compassion and forgiveness for
the offender? If pardon and rehabilitation
are provided for, are not these seen somehow
as a shortcut to impunity?
12.
If
we look at the organization of the world
today together with the fact that we are
faced with the constant fear of terrorism,
we must ask whether this is really an invitation
to address the prevailing need for peace
on the one hand as well as the right to
justice.
If we move to the field of communications,
we can see an abundance of contradictions.
To the extent that mass media proliferates,
isn’t there frequently a lack of a meaningful
sharing, which produces an impoverished
and distant communication? What is more,
how many lonely and troubled lives hide
behind the incessant chatter of the internet
and cellular phones? Can’t we glimpse behind
the cult of communication the need for a
greater love that is capable of giving meaning
to life? And doesn't this invite us to announce
afresh God’s love in a way that overcomes
the fears and false images people have in
approaching God?
Christ
the Redeemer, the only response to many
questions
13. We are aware that we
have simply posed some questions because
we know that an answer is available only
in the person of Christ. Frequently we do
not succeed in deciphering either the questions,
because of the rapidity of change, or the
answers, because of our lack of faith. Yet
we believe that only Christ fully reveals
the mystery of man and makes his supreme
calling clear. [4]
14. Christ does not cease
being the path on which we walk in carrying
out our mission today and tomorrow. Rather,
he is the one and only way; to do without
him, to give less of our lives at the service
of redemption, is a betrayal of humanity
today. We admit that what is threatened
today is the vocation of human beings, their
very nature, the image and likeness in which
they have been made. It is in the face of
this threat that our mission finds its raison
d’être for the present and its prospects
for the future. It is against this scenario
that we discover an even stronger exigency
for our mission, together with the prerogative
of inviting young people and laity to share
our own vocation.
II.
ALLOWING OURSELVES TO BE SEDUCED BY GOD’S
LOVE IN CHRIST
An
appreciation of the journey of the last
years
15.
The
last decades have been a great occasion
for the Congregation to review and reflect
more deeply on our own charism. Much has
been said about the biblical foundation
and the theological riches of copiosa
redemptio. Voluminous texts, articles
in historical and theological journals as
well as masters and doctoral dissertations
have addressed the proper nature of our
mission.
16. We consider this search
as a foundation for our identity. This document
does not intend to summarize or discuss
such research, especially when we take into
account the divergent interpretations that
still exist among our scholars. Perhaps
in the future it may be necessary to offer
an evaluation or a synthesis, but at this
time we prefer not to dwell on this issue.
17. However, the latest stages
of the journey call our attention to an
essential point, one which we have already
noted at the beginning of this Communicanda
and which should inspire any restructuring
in the Congregation. The 1997 General Chapter
had already called us to evaluate “….how
we nourish and express our relationship
in faith with Jesus.” [5] The circular letter sent
to the Congregation at the beginning of
this new sexennium emphasized the “…need to allow ourselves to be seduced again and again
by the utter bounty of God’s saving love
that is given in Jesus Christ, the Redeemer.” [6]
18.
In
other words, if "Christ is the same
yesterday, today and forever” (Heb 13:8),
what really changes is our relationship
with him, the ‘idea’ we have of God and
therefore our very life itself. [7] The examination of this relationship
is at the basis of any transformation, even
that of our own structures.
Therefore, the crucial question is: where
do we find ourselves in the search for the
face of Christ? How do we think about him?
Have we given up trying to understand him?
Do we coexist with him as with an illustrious
stranger or, in the best of cases, according
to the images fashioned by others?
Our
pilgrimage to discover the face of Christ
19. Even Alphonsus de Liguori
frequently had to correct his own ideas
about Christ and, as a consequence, change
his relationship with him. His childhood
and adolescence were shaped by the religious
ideas of his time: on the one hand was a
God who was a severe judge and on the other,
a Christ who was closer to humankind than
to the Father. It was Christ who established
peace between humankind and God and calmed
the divine wrath, thanks to his expiatory
suffering. This is the lacerated Christ
whom we see painted by Alphonsus in 1719.
Beginning in 1723, the year of his ‘conversion’, Alphonsus comes to realize
that his life is a call to love, and therefore,
a call to self-giving. He begins to discover
the importance of the heart in his relationship
with Jesus Christ and then, especially as
a result of his first missionary experiences,
he discovers room for hope and joy. When,
after much consultation and searing doubts,
he finally decides to found our Institute,
one thing becomes clear to him: ‘to make
of the city of Naples a total sacrifice to Jesus Christ.’ [8] But his spiritual journey
does not end on the hills of Scala. There
followed the missions, teaching moral theology
to his students, the writings of works like
the ‘Visits to the Blessed Sacrament’
(1745) and ‘The Practice of the Love
of Jesus’ (1768), all of which would
lead him into a more mature and biblically
founded Christological synthesis. It was
a synthesis that can be defined as follows:
the love of the Father finds its maximum
expression in giving us his Son, who in
turn is the faithful image of a loving God.
Therefore, the mysteries of the Incarnation,
the birth, the passion and death, and the
Eucharist are necessary passages to understand
the infinitely loving tenderness of God,
even though other aspects of the image of
Christ, dear to the theology of his time,
are not totally obscured, such as the idea
of the sacrificial victim.
20.
All
this could be considered undisputable and
accepted on a theological level. In any
case, it is part of how we understand our
founder. Yet, what is difficult to imagine
is the historical, existential and spiritual
journey that Alphonsus accomplished over
the course of his long life. In the presence
of Christ, whom he discovers in ever-new
ways, he does not adopt the attitude of
a speculative theologian. His objective
is above all pastoral. He listens, reads,
gathers texts, reflects and above all preaches
that which he discovers. Everything is aimed
at carrying this Christ, discovered
by him, to those who need him, that is,
to the abandoned, who are excluded from
the theological and intellectual circles,
deprived of the normal pastoral care of
the Church and impervious to sophisticated
preaching. Before all else, he shares the
image of Jesus that he has discovered with
his own Redemptorist community, since the
community is the first sign of plentiful
redemption and the place to which the poor
can freely hasten to experience this discovery.
21. It is not by chance that
the General Chapter has decided that the
Congregation should live the theme “Giving
our lives for plentiful redemption” first
and foremost in continuity with the theme
of spirituality, chosen for the last sexennium.
[9] And it is not
by chance that – in addition to restructuring
– religious profession and our proper way
of living it today [10] were among the
great concerns of the Chapter. Although
some would want to add solidarity as a central
concern, after studying the documents of
the General Chapter, we have come to believe
that solidarity represents one of the dimensions
and part of the rationale that should guide
the Congregation towards a process of restructuring,
rather than an end in itself.
Religious profession is another theme
that we hope to reflect upon during this
sexennium with the cooperation of the Center
for Redemptorist Spirituality. Right now,
we want to develop the theme of restructuring,
a process in which every confrere is called
to participate and anchor it on a constantly
renewed relationship with Christ, which
provokes the question: how to give our
lives for plentiful redemption today?
III.
RESTRUCTURING AT THE SERVICE OF OUR
MISSION
Called
to Conversion
22.
We are called to conversion. We are called
to examine anew the journey that we have
made until now and to review our response
to the present demands of our Redemptorist
mission, calling into question our lifestyle,
our mentality and our organization. We are
invited to respond with creative fidelity
to the challenges of mission in today’s
world. We are called to be faithful to the
charism of the Congregation in the spirit
of our founder. We are invited to deepen
the search for new ways of responding to
the demands of proclaiming the Gospel and
the witness of the “plentiful redemption”
that we find in Jesus Christ. This is not
done by means of a new vocabulary but rather
through the witness of a renewed life.
23.
Since Vatican Council II, our own Congregation
and religious life itself has embarked on
a process of conversion. We revised our
Constitutions and Statutes, made efforts
to establish priorities and, with the grace
of God, have tried to seek coherence between
our profession of faith and our life, between
religious profession and a community life
dedicated to apostolic charity. We have
tried to respond with apostolic charity
to the demands of our shared vocation.
An
impetus which began long ago
24.
Already in 1965, the decree Perfectae
Caritatis stated clearly that “the adaptation and renewal of the religious life includes both the constant
return to the sources of all Christian life
and to the original spirit of the institutes
and their adaptation to the changed conditions
of our time.” [11] But the Council
also issued a stark warning that “…
the best adjustments made in accordance
with the needs of our age will be ineffectual
unless they are animated by a renewal of
spirit. This must take precedence over even
the active ministry.” [12] It confirmed
that, “an effective renewal and adaptation
demands the co-operation of all the members
of the institute.” [13] And that “the
manner of living, praying and working should
be suitably adapted everywhere, but especially
in mission territories, to the modern physical
and psychological circumstances of the members
and also, as required by the nature of each
institute, to the necessities of the apostolate,
the demands of culture, and social and economic
circumstances. According to the same criteria
let the manner of governing the institutes
also be examined.” [14]
25.
Many years have passed since Vatican
Council II. Circumstances, culture, mentality
and human self-understanding have changed
tremendously and continue ceaselessly to
change. This means that we cannot simply
tread the beaten path. The following of
Jesus Christ and fidelity to the charism
of the Congregation demand of us a new evaluation
of our lifestyle, our missionary response
and the way in which we organize ourselves.
The structures that we have, the ones from
the beginning and those of today, are only
instruments that help us to better fulfill
the goals of our mission.
The
path proposed by previous General Chapters
26.
Since 1979, General Chapters have insistently
called us to conversion, always linking
successive themes and the need for coherence
to a review of the structures through which
we fulfill our mission. We could say that
these Chapters have represented for the
Congregation a persistent search for identity
and a way of accentuating a principle already
codified in our Constitutions, that “…[Redemptorists] cannot allow themselves to settle down in surroundings
and structures in which their work would
no longer be missionary.” [15]
27.
If we were to take into account only
the last decade, it is sufficient to recall
the General Chapter of 1991, which asked
the General Government to start a process
of restructuring, so as: a) to help units
that have fallen below the personnel requirements
of General Statute 088, as well as groups
of units that are showing serious signs
of decline in personnel; b) to stimulate
renewed pastoral initiatives not easily
managed by single Units alone”. [16]
28.
The XXII General Chapter (1997) affirmed:
“We, the members of the XXII General Chapter,
affirm our commitment as a Congregation
to the themes of recent chapters. This is
a gradual development still in process for
all Redemptorists. […] We believe that the
living out of this theme demands a contemplative
outlook on life, which helps us to read
the signs of the times. This is not easy,
and requires a conversion which is a gift
of the Spirit. For this reason, we ask that
Redemptorists concentrate on our Spirituality
as foundational so that the work of the
new Evangelization may be built on rock
and not on sand”. [17] To explain the
sense of this option, the Final Document
recommended that “…the Congregation take
Spirituality as the theme of the next Sexennium.
[…] That attentive to the spiritual hunger
of so many in our society, we seek new and
creative ways to share our spiritual heritage
with others”. [18] Even this Chapter
insistently asked the General Government
to continue the restructuring process which
was initiated in 1991. [19]
29.
The XXIII General Chapter chose as its
sexennial theme Giving our lives for
plentiful redemption. [20] The Final
Message says: “We see this theme in continuity with the theme of
Spirituality adopted by the last General
Chapter. […] We believe that there is no
Redemptorist Spirituality which is not missionary
and no Redemptorist mission which is not
rooted in the ‘depths of God’”. [21] It insists:
“We would like to draw attention to some
of the implications and challenges which
Giving our lives for plentiful Redemption
raises”. [22] It
also confirms the need to examine our lifestyle,
our community life as well as the witness
that we give and to review our structures,
ascertaining whether they serve our mission:
“As the Chapter progressed it became
clear to all that the Congregation should
take up the challenge of restructuring for
the sake of our mission. Solidarity may
provoke many imaginative new structures
at every level in the life of the Congregation,
especially in the field of formation and
pastoral initiatives. Fr. General challenged
us to think along the lines of new international
communities and new forms of Regional government.
Giving our lives for plentiful redemption
will make unexpected demands of us all”. [23]
The
need to review our present structures
30.
Historically the structures of the Congregation
were created in order to respond to a concrete
expression of the Redemptorist mission.
By their nature our structures are different
and more dynamic than the structures of
monasticism. Hence, they should be periodically
reviewed and changed, when necessary. We
are all aware that the demands of the mission
today are unprecedented and therefore we
must ask ourselves whether the present structures
respond to the needs of the mission. This
important question was raised during the
last General Chapter and the capitulars
detected a number of new challenges and
wanted to respond. In the decision regarding
restructuring, the Chapter said: “The government structures of the Congregation are not an end in themselves
but rather a support for the mission. There
is at present a general agreement among
Redemptorists that the structures of the
Congregation at times prevent a creative
and effective response to present-day pastoral
needs”. [24] The
Chapter asks “the General Council
to continue the restructuring of the Congregation”. [25] At
the moment we are in the phase of reflection,
analysis, openness and research with a view
to the decisions we must take.
What
do we mean by “restructuring”?
31.
It is not our intention to give an exhaustive
definition of restructuring; what we propose
here is only a description, the way we comprehend
it. We see restructuring as a process, a
dynamic of personal and corporate transformation,
which examines our present situation, evaluates
the structures we have and is ready to change,
if necessary, for the sake of faithfulness
to the charism and at the service of our
mission. Restructuring fundamentally consists
in finding new ways of organizing ourselves
through new structures in order to respond
with greater fidelity to the charism of
the Congregation. It demands a new sensitivity
to the present challenges. It calls for
a new mentality, a way of proclaiming the
Gospel afresh and a new way of giving witness
to “copiosa redemptio”. Obviously,
in this process we need to consider the
spirit of brotherhood that must characterize
our structures, the fact that our structures
must be places of fraternal living rather
than simply a boarding house. We should
evaluate our interpersonal relationships
and the method of leadership in communities.
We need to reexamine the anthropological
foundation for our structures, which are
meant to be at the service of the person
and his vocation. In any case, we cannot
conceive restructuring except as a serious
process of discernment that signifies an
attitude of conversion and a profound search
for the will of God.
32.
Restructuring cannot be simply a reaction to the situations we face, especially
since some situations tempt us to provide
an immediate solution or a knee-jerk response.
The process of restructuring requires a
proactive attitude. It does not make sense
to consider restructuring as merely an administrative
procedure. Its urgency is not linked to
the reduced number of vocations or the uncertainty
of the future. Nor is it motivated by the
fact that there are diminishing numbers
of Redemptorists in some Regions and an
increase in others. Restructuring is not
a solution for units who judge themselves
to be near extinction or a decision to allow
existing structures simply to subsist without
any reference to the mission of the Congregation.
Restructuring is not meant to save a house
or a ministry to which we are particularly
attached by asking another Unit to send
confreres to shore it up. Restructuring
is not an antidote to our fears or a way
of adapting in order to make us feel more
comfortable. It is not simply a redistribution
of personnel.
33.
Restructuring is a process that permits
the Congregation to better respond to the
challenges of today’s world. To enter into
this process, we need to ask ourselves seriously
whether our present structures are effective
and efficient means to serve our Redemptorist
mission. How do these structures function?
Do they really help us fulfill our charism
and to respond to the urgent pastoral needs
of today’s world? What are those urgent
pastoral needs to which we are called to
respond as a Congregation? What sort of
structures would serve better to answer
these urgent needs? What criteria do we
employ to evaluate our commitment to the
poor and most abandoned? What helps us discern
the true pastoral urgencies?
34.
If these questions seem to be abstract and far removed from real life, we
offer some examples to help us understand
the urgency of the restructuring process.
Let us consider initial formation, which
is one of the main priorities of the General
Government and the entire Congregation.
The latest Ratio Formationis CSSR properly
applies a principle, already written in
our Constitutions, and underscores the value
of collaboration among (Vice) Provinces [26]
in order to ensure the requisite quality
in formation: “….if a Unit lacks the necessary
personnel to build communities of formation,
or the appropriate structures needed to
guarantee the adequacy of a formation process
with all its essential elements, it should
seek the help of other Units in the region”. [27] How can we address this
urgent need in the restructuring process?
35.
Let us also think of the new scenarios represented
by the migration of peoples. More and more
ethnic groups from the South or East of
the world are coming to the countries of
the North and West. These peoples find themselves
in the need of pastoral assistance. Let
us also think of the present situation of
Africa, which
is abandoned not only from a socio-economic
point of view but also by the Church and
Redemptorists. Some of our Units, which
in the past have worked generously in Africa, now see themselves to be limited or needing to withdraw
from their earlier commitments. Do these
situations represent a cry for salvation
that calls out to us? How do we show ourselves
to be heirs to the generosity and creativity
of the Redemptorists of past centuries?
36.
What is more, in the northern hemisphere there are Redemptorist Units which
for years have not received or accepted
any new candidates; even in (vice)provinces
which have received new confreres, the overall
number of confreres continues to decline.
Some of these Units have resigned themselves
to fading away. Others interpret their own
situation as sign of the death of the Congregation
or religious life in their region. Is there
a danger of adapting ourselves to this feeling
of defeat and to judge that the Redemptorist
mission in affluent countries is impossible?
Doesn’t all this provoke us to search for
new ways of presence and proclamation?
37.
A final example is the economic disparity
that we find in the 77 countries where the
Congregation carries out its mission today.
There are some Units which have no economic
problems while others are forced to refuse
new candidates because they do not have
the necessary resources. Is this situation
an appeal to create new structures for sharing
and for fostering a more effective and permanent
solidarity among us?
Some
criteria for restructuring
38.
It seems decisive to determine, with as much clarity as possible, criteria
for evaluating our fidelity to the charism.
This fidelity is not measured by our talents,
our personal interests or our ability for
this or that type of ministry. It is not
personal or corporate success or the brilliance
of what we do. It is even less our personal
tastes or doing that which is most convenient
for the community that defines us as faithful.
The criterion of fidelity in the Congregation
is the following of Christ in the evangelization
of the poor and most abandoned. Therefore,
we ask ourselves: are we where we should
be? Are we where there are most urgent pastoral
needs?
39.
Furthermore, it is vital to ask ourselves:
what does the restructuring process concretely
mean for each Unit and Region of the Congregation?
What types of structures favor a better
relationship between the General Government
and the Units of the Congregation? Is it
necessary to create new intermediate structures
between the (V) Provinces and the General
Government?
40.
We are aware that we are posing a good
number of questions but we also are convinced
that the reflection on the steps of this
process should involve all Redemptorists:
each Unit, every Region and the whole Congregation.
Restructuring is a result of a process of
conversion and a concrete expression of
the conversion of the community but it is
also a journey towards conversion. And this
process cannot be imposed from outside.
It must be born out of a missionary mysticism,
a new way of witnessing to the love of Christ.
41.
The last General Chapter said: “The broad objective for such restructuring is to positively direct in a
spirit of solidarity the apostolic dynamism
of the Congregation in fulfilling its mission
in the Church. The Congregation exists for
the mission and it should adapt its structures
accordingly.” [28] With this restructuring,
we look for “a more effective functioning
of General, (V) Provincial, and regional
structures; greater solidarity in initial
and ongoing formation; a more effective
exchange of personnel between Units of the
Congregation in order to address new challenges
which present themselves to our mission;
greater coordination of financial resources;
and greater ease to respond to provinces
faced with specific crises of whatever kind.” [29] Other proposals that emerged before and during the Chapter
will be taken into consideration at the
opportune time; for instance, new criteria
for representation at the General Chapter,
the number of the General Consultors and
the kind of their relationship with the
Regions, a new division of the Regions,
etc.
A
deeper change
42.
Restructuring clearly demands a change of mentality, attitudes and our own
standards. We cannot stay forever attached
to present structures. The Congregation
existed for many years without provincial
structures. In the first century of our
history great efforts were made to form
international communities. At a later date
the structure of provinces was implemented
and enjoyed rapid growth. Vice-provinces
and missions were born as expressions of
the missionary spirit of provinces. In the
past few years, we have been working with
continental Regions as a sort of intermediate
structure between the General Governments
and the (V) Provinces. Certainly, we should
not fall into the trap of narrow provincialism.
We cannot consider the Congregation as a
simple confederation of provinces. Redemptorists
constitute a great international community
of missionaries, whose purpose is
to "follow the example of Jesus Christ,
the Redeemer, by preaching the word of God
to the poor, as he declared of himself:
'He sent me to preach the Good News to
the poor'" […], a community which
“does so by responding with missionary thrust
to the pressing pastoral needs of the most
abandoned, especially the poor”. [30]
43.
It is obvious that anything new, any
invitation to change, produces a certain
fear and insecurity within us. It is certainly
much easier to live with timeworn habits.
We have a natural inclination to avoid questioning
a mentality or way of life in which we have
grown very comfortable over the years. We
should not deny our fears nor should we
allow them to paralyze us. We are called
to dialogue with trust and hope. The invitation
to think about restructuring is really a
call to conversion to plentiful redemption.
It is a means to grow in solidarity within
the Congregation in order to show an outward-looking
solidarity in apostolic charity and thus
give witness to the love of God and plentiful
redemption.
A
process that involves all of us
44.
We believe that the entire Congregation,
that is to say, every Region, every province
and vice-province and every community should
begin this process of restructuring. In
many cases, it is a question of appreciating
the structures that still remain valid and
put into practice those decision making
processes that the Constitutions and Statutes
already provide, but which often are not
used (e.g. the principle of subsidiarity,
a review of life that is more than simply
a planning exercise, etc). Furthermore,
we need to discover ways to identify the
new challenges and then determine the steps
which we must take in this process of personal
and corporate conversion. Each of the Regions
should determine a process to identify the
most urgent pastoral needs and the obstacles,
which impede us from giving a prompt and
generous response to such challenges.
45.
The process of restructuring is meant
to be, at the same time, global and local.
During the process of discernment we should
be very attentive to global criteria, taking
into account the great changes that the
world is going through so as to design a
worldwide response for the future. But the
Redemptorist mission must always be inculturated,
recognizing and consciously responding to
the local situation in accord with Constitutions
8-9; 17; 19. In the same way, the search
for the situations of great need on the
global stage cannot lead us to forget the
obligation to look for the most urgent pastoral
needs at the level of each Region.
46.
A change of mentality requires time,
yet we believe that some attempts have already
begun. We ask everyone to follow the steps
indicated by the XXIII General Chapter.
We are invited to rethink the structures
of initial formation and community life.
We need to become willing to learn the languages
that are most used in the Congregation.
We are urged to grow in solidarity and to
make serious efforts in the creation of
international communities; every Region
should attempt to start at least one such
community during this sexennium. There is
some way to go in developing economic solidarity.
Redemptorists should be available to respond
to the pastoral needs at the international
level without necessarily resorting to bilateral
and exclusive agreements between Units.
There is an urgent challenge to think in
more global terms by putting our resources
at the service of an international cooperation
that springs from a more expansive vision.
We are not proposing a new centralization,
and we should be very careful to avoid falling
into an extreme type of decentralization
which leads to dispersion. We propose a
path of sharing, dialogue, solidarity, inculturated
evangelization and a prophetic and liberating
community witness, without forgetting that
our present unity within diversity is already
an important testimony in the eyes of the
world.
How
do we proceed with the process of restructuring?
47.
The General Chapter has indicated a path.
It says that “the General Council will set up a commission
that will offer models and strategies to
enhance or realign present congregational
structures”. [31] The Chapter
also defined some of the criteria for the
work of this Commission: how it is to be
formed, the need for constant dialogue and
close collaboration with the General Government,
the value of consulting the confreres and
other Congregations so as to learn from
their experience, the reports to be presented
and the possibility of creating new structures
“ad experimentum” even while the
Commission is still working. [32]
48.
Many details remain to be clarified,
e.g., the precise responsibilities of the
Commission and the relationship between
it and prospective delegates of the Superior
General for the Regions and sub-Regions. [33] The different
competencies and specific deadlines in the
process of restructuring as well as strategies
for involving the different Regions are
still to be defined. We continue our reflection
on these concrete details and we hope to
communicate our progress by July 2004.
49.
In the face of such an imminent challenge
as restructuring, there is always the risk
of discouragement, to say nothing of direct
resistance to change. It is good to remember
that the first "restructuring” is redemption
itself, and that Christ himself participates
in our process. It is he who draws us into
one family and who gives a salvific meaning
to the structures with which we work. Together
with him, we shall be able to look more
confidently to the new horizons that history
throws open before us and be able to determine
which road we should follow. With him and
through him, we also shall be able to give
our lives so that the world may have life
in abundance (John 10:10)
Conclusion
50.
We repeat our most cordial greetings
which we extend to our Redemptoristine sisters,
to all religious who share our spirituality,
to young people who feel called to our Institute,
to the laity who are in close partnership
with us in our mission, to the people of
God, and above all to the poor and the most
abandoned.
In the name of the General Council
In Christ the Redeemer
Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R.
Superior General
(The original text is the
Italian.)
