Easter – Letter from the Coordinator, No. 26
“Do not be frightened! I know you are looking for Jesus the crucified, but he is not here. He has been raised, exactly as he promised.”
Mark 16:6
Alleluia! May the Lord be with us as he was with the faithful on that first Easter.
Keep the joy of Easter morning in your spirits throughout the Easter season and all your life!
Fr. Jacek
Letter from the Coordinator, No. 26 (10.04.2017)
Dear Confreres,
Dear Lay Missionaries of the Most Holy Redeemer,
Dear Partners in Mission.
We are living in a challenging time in the history of our Congregation. One of the reasons is that for the first time we are experiencing the General Chapter in three Phases. The Third Phase of the General Chapter of the CRE will take place in Perth in Scotland (UK) from 4 to 8 September 2017. Immediately after the Third Phase there will be the X Assembly of the CRE also in Perth (9 September 2017).
From time to time we hear that it is too complicated and too long a process. So I would like to write a little about the next steps of this restructuring process in the CRE. The Third Phase is called the “implementation” Phase of the General Chapter. The Canonical Phase gave us 52 decisions which must be implemented (some of them on level of the General Government, some on the level of the Conferences and some in the Units).
What are the goals of the Third Phase:
- To communicate to the entire Congregation, the spirit of the Canonical Phase of the General Chapter (there will be 38 capitulars in Perth, of whom 12 did not take part in the Canonical Phase in Thailand).
- To seek ways of implementing the Decisions of the Canonical Phase of the General Chapter in such a way that these decisions will:
- Revitalize the Apostolic Life of the Congregation
- Continue the Process of Restructuring for Mission
- Deepen the spirit of Solidarity throughout the Congregation.
- Provide an opportunity for the General Government to communicate the Vision and Plan for the Congregation for the Sexennium 2016-2022. This plan will be presented to the capitulars in Perth and the capitulars should suggest the main points of a coherent Programme for the Sexennium for the Conference.
It is obvious that these tasks cannot be done adequately during the 5 day of the Third Phase. So each Conference will set up a Commission for the Apostolic and Restructuring Plan for the Conference which will prepare an Apostolic Plan for each Conference, based on the apostolic priorities of that Conference and a Plan for the necessary restructuring of the Units of that Conference in order that the Apostolic Plan be implemented.
The Apostolic Plan:
An Apostolic Plan will show the apostolic priorities decided on by the Conference and list the ways the Conference will address the priorities in line with the Congregational charism and the resources of the Conference. The apostolic priorities are chosen in relation to the urgent concerns of the “wounded world” of the Conference and are guided by the criteria offered by the General Government.
Plan for the necessary restructuring of the Units:
This plan for the restructuring of the Units will facilitate a more effective response to the priorities. The capitulars in Perth have to give clear indications to this Commission concerning the necessary restructuring of the Units. This plan may be hopeful for some and fearful for others. For example the decision nr 3, which talks about the necessity to meet the criteria of GS 088 means that the CRE will begin a process of union/fusion/federation with other Unit(s) within the CRE or maybe with other Units in other Conferences. How many Units will there be in the CRE in 6 years? Nobody can give a response now, but perhaps there will be only half the number of the present ones, or less. At present there are 14 Units in the CRE.
After this, each Conference Commission will prepare a revised draft of the Apostolic Plan and the Plan for Restructuring of the Conference for presentation at the mid-sexennial meetings in 2019. After further discussion and possible revision, each Conference will be asked to accept the Apostolic Plan and the Plan for Restructuring of the Conference as the Working Document for the Conference. If accepted, it will be submitted to the General Council for approval. Once approved, it becomes a plan for implementation.
Of course this is a very brief description of what we would like to do. Our lived reality may show us the way. So please pray for wisdom for all our capitulars and for a blessed fruits of the Third Phase of the General Chapter in Europe.
Easter is close. May we rejoice with the risen Lord. Like Mary Magdalene may we with eager hearts tell our sisters and brothers what we have witnessed.
Jacek Zdrzałek CSsR
