Saturday, May 10th, 2014
This day’s work continued to be guided by Fr Maloney. Today we studied and compared strategies which could become instrumental in bringing about
systematic change especially affecting the lives of people who
live in poverty. This was organized into four categories:
I. Strategies oriented to mission; II. Strategies oriented to
the people themselves; III. Strategies oriented to the problem; IV.
Strategies oriented to co-responsibility and participation.
We used this afternoon for a general clean up of our common
areas, and to explore the city.
Monday, May 12th, 2014
We worked together today, the CIF directors along with all
the participants. Each missionary had
been asked earlier to prepare two reports - oral and written – concerning his
particular ministry and experience working within other cultures or along with
others from diverse backgrounds. We hoped
that their written reports might provide material for a future article. However, due to time limitations of our three
weeks together, much of the day’s presentations had to do with the wider issues
of our confreres’ provinces, their region’s challenges, successess, and plans
for the future. Work continued through
the morning and afternoon sessions.
Photo: CIF group in the Salle Ozanam
Tuesday, May 13th, 2014
In the morning, our guide was P. Bernard Massarini CM. During the morning session he outlined
critical Vincentian documents concerning evangelization and mission
activity. Above all he highlighted our
own Constitutions, our Ration Missionum, and the final texts of our most recent
General Assembly 2010.
Photo: Fr. Dan Borlik introduces our
presenter, Fr. Bernard Massarini (Province of Toulouse, France)
In the afternoon, we continued the tasks remaining from
Monday, our participants reporting on their provinces, their works and
experiences in mission.
Wednesday, May 14th, 2014
In the morning, our presenter, Marcelo Manimtim (past CIF
Director, member of the Province of the Philippines) introduced a conference
called « Transforming community living to Community for the Mission ». With
references to previous conferences and in the history of the Congregation of
the Mission, he showed the importance of how we live together in becoming a
community for the mission. At the same time, he spoke about thos factors which
assure commumity living in a correct way.
Photo: Fr. Marcelo Manimtim,
Province of Philippines
This afternoon, all participants were invited to work in
language groups to reflect on modifying or re-directing our current practices
of life in a community in order to enhance our mission and efforts at
evangelization. After this group work, all gathered in the Salle Ozanam to
share our thinking.
On this day we were visited by our Superior General, Fr.
Gregory Gay. First of all, we enjoyed an
informal conversation with him in work space (the Salle Ozanam) and then,
later, during our “aperitifs” each of us had opportunity to speak personally
with the Father General. Indeed, his visit with meant very much both to us
personally in our understanding of this CIF program.
Photo: CIF group with Fr. Gregory
Gay, Superior General (Rome)
Thursday, May 15th, 2014
Our task today was, as previously requested, to reflect on
our own formation in preparing for the
mission and our early experiences of support and development while in the
mission fields. Our work began with
quiet, reflecting personally. Then in language
groups, we discussed what preparation seemed helpful for mission, those
opportunities for training in the course of mission and finally, what we would
recommend to our leaders for the future.
Before dinner, Fr. Elie Delplace (Provincial Visitor, Paris
Province) and Fr. Philppe Lamblin (Provincial Econome, Paris Province) invited
us to their newly refurbished headquarters, on the opposite side of the Maison
Mère's building complex. While
enjoying aperitifs together, they showed us a precious and original book –
still used to this day, listing those confreres (both ordained and lay
brothers) who signed their names (along with their written vows) to the Congregation at
the Maison Mère. On the first page we were delighted to find the signature of
St Vincent de Paul himself !
By the afternoon, we were back to work. The secretaries of each
linguistic group reported to the wider group the results of the morning.
Friday, May 16th, 2014
Before midday, during a general meeting in the room of B.
Ozanam, all participants assessed our session. Speeches were divided into three
parties: what you appreciate most; can what be changed or ameliorated;
recommendations for a future session. Meeting ended with practical information
in departure of Paris.
The afternoon began with a cleaning of our complete area –
all our common space, work spaces, corridors, etc. Our goal, to bring back the halls and workrooms
to their original splendor… or as close to it as possible!
Saturday, May 17th, 2014
Continuing our general cleaning, we concentrated this morning on our personal
quarters. At 11:00 am we gathered in the
large chapel of the Maison Mère.
Photo: Sharing the Eucharist in the St. Vincent de Paul Chapel
In front of the tomb of St Vincent we
celebrated the Eucharist, giving thanks for our time together and concluding this
session.
Photo: Vietnamese confreres sing a special hymn after
Communion
In afternoon we began preparing the final feast. The team of
cooks, on the direction of our CIF Director, Fr.Dan Borlik, prepared delightful dishes. The feast began at
7:00 pm in our common room (the Salle Pouget) where we were joined by our
distinguished guests : the House
Superior, Fr. Bernard Schoepfer, the
Provincial Archvist, Fr. Claude Lautissier, and one of the CIF founding Directors,
Fr. John Rybolt.
After dinner, every participant received a certificate of
completion of this program. We would soon to part ways, which, in our case, would
mean to all four corners of the globe, but we will not forget our time together
here where Vincent de Paul started it all!
Photo: the 2014 CIF Missionary Session
Chronicle and Photos by the CIF Directors
