FIRST MEETING OF THE COMMITTEE
FOR REFLECTION ON THE FORUM CENTER

Members who took part, concerns and expectations

Fr. Ottaviano D’Egidio, Superior General
Fr. José Agustín Orbegozo, Sacred Heart Province (CORI), Coordinator of the Forum Center.
Fr. Stanislas Breton, St. Michael’s Province (MICH) (France)
Fr. Tito Amodei, Presentation Province (PRAES) (Italy)
Fr. Ernest Henau, St. Gabriel’s Province (GABR) (Belgium)
Fr. Donald Senior, Holy Cross Province (CRUC) (Western United States)
Fr. Adolfo Lippi, Presentation Province (PRAES) (Italy)
Fr. Octavio Mondragón, Christ the King Province (REG) (Mexico)
Fr. Christopher Monaghan, Holy Spirit Province (SPIR) (Australia)
Fr. Tarcisio Gaitán, Santa Fe Vice Province (FID) (Colombia)
Fr. José Luis Quintero, Precious Blood Province (SANG) (Spain)

Also present were: Fr. Luigi Vaninetti (CORM), Italian General Consultor, by special invitation, Fr. Enzo del Brocco (DOL) as a translator, and Fr. Luis Enrique Bernal (FID) as Secretary.

The Superior General opened the proceedings as he joyfully recalled the 308^th anniversary of the birth of St. Paul of the Cross. He reminded everyone that in order to launch this experience we already have a site, namely the old novitiate house of San Giuseppe (St. Joseph) on Monte Argentario with someone who is responsible for coordinating the work, Fr. José Agustín Orbegozo. We also have the full support of the Passionist Congregation as is stated in the documents of our 44^th General Chapter. This Forum Center is meant to be an initiative pertaining to and for the whole of our Passionist Family, and is rooted in the real experience of the Memoria Passionis in as many places as where this charism is lived, the objective being to draw-up a theoretical formulation.

Fr. José Agustín moderated the meeting. He began by reminding everyone of the decision adopted by the General Chapter to set up "a centre or forum for the study of the Memoria Passionis" (Chapter Document 5.2.b.1,) as well as the Superior General’s letter convoking this meeting. He thanked everyone for their willingness to take part notwithstanding their various commitments in their respective Provinces, after which he proposed the following questions: What exactly do we want to do? What does our Passionist Family most need? And what is our job as a reflection group? Members of the group then proceeded to express their concerns.

1. There is an impression that the work done in various parts of the Congregation has so-far not been sufficiently effective. There has been no serious communication between the divers areas of the Congregation in either the experiential nor the theological fields, nor do we know much about present-day work initiatives within the Passionist Family, nor about the life experiences in the realm of the Memoria Passionis.

2. Bearing this in mind, the General Chapter invites us to find spaces for reflection on the Memoria Passionis for the entire Passionist Family, spaces to be derived from our charismatic experience and theological reflection, going down into the very roots of our Christian being: in faith, within a world which seeks meaning; in Sacred Scripture, the Word of God revealed to humanity; in the Passionist charism, the original source of inspiration. Nevertheless such spaces should not be the exclusive preserve of theologians nor of the Theology of the Cross. On the contrary, the Forum Center must remain open to the laity as the reflection space for the whole of our Passionist Family which has its own vision of life and our charism.

It is precisely where there is a challenge to action in those difficult zones of our Passionist life that spaces for experiential reflection are born. This happens in an inverse direction: from experience to reflection and from there to a theoretical formulation. We find concrete examples of this in the lives of lay Passionists who have been and continue to be spaces for reflection of the Memoria Passionis: e.g. Gemma Galgani, Lucia Mangano, etc. have understood the Passion in life and are thus living guides for everyone else. Like the aforementioned there are any number of examples worthy of being cited in the various parts of our Passionist world. We’re talking of people who believe in our Passionist spirituality and make a choice to follow this style of life as lay vocations.

3. Today we speak of a "re-founding" of the religious life. This is a symptom of an aggiornamento of all Christian life as it attempts to throw open the doors to the Holy Spirit. The Forum Centre ought therefore to be the very soul of the process of re-founding our Passionist life: we’re speaking of the entire Passionist Family on an equal footing, with no distinctions whatsoever; a family called upon to live all the problems of modern society as challenges to our life, charism and spirituality. Because of this, the Forum Centre must see its task as one of listening to and discovering the experiences of Memoria Passionis from within the Passionist family in accordance with the role of each member.

4. The focus of all this is the Passion of Christ, the forma mentis of the whole process, which commences in that natural reflection space which is Sacred Scripture. Without this charismatic point of view the whole experience would be invalid and consequently there would be no reflection space on the Memoria Passionis, which permits the process we are attempting to carry out. Framing all our work within this forma mentis is the finest service we can offer. Ambience, focus, our point of view, experience, forma mentis: all this contributes to define the Forum Center as a space for reflection on the Memoria Passionis from which we should look upon ourselves and look at reality, a place for listening to the Word, for communication and for paying careful attention to the reality of the world and of the Church. This implies integrating our already lived experiences with those which other members of our Passionist Family are at present living through, in order to project ourselves toward a growth in life, in line with the theme of the General Chapter.

5. In order to avoid the dichotomy between "reflection" and "experience" we need ongoing formation as our key word. In this sense it is not intended that the San Giuseppe house should be a house for classes and retreats: rather it should be a place of experience and reflection, which is to say of life and formation, as if in a state of ongoing novitiate. The house itself is not the Forum Centre but rather a small seed to start with. It should become a place which will attract everyone, capable of transmitting experience and life from within our Passionist charism. After all, it’s not the place itself which matters but rather the time, as in Sacred Scripture, like the Israelites trekking into exile, taking their tabernacle with them, creating a place and a time for God without any reduction, in continual movement. It’s a matter of emphasizing the paschal form in which this formation is carried out, as individuals and as a people, from within a qualitative depth, not from any particular quantity or space.

6. It is likewise urgent that we should define the terminology we employ: when speaking of the crucified we don’t refer exclusively to the economically and sociologically poor and marginalized. There is also a profound suffering in other areas of a human being: sickness, loneliness, the absence of God, marriage, ecclesial life, etc.

Basing ourselves on all this, the thematic tasks we must assume as reflection perspectives for the Forum Center are: the Word of God, the Memoria Passionis and life experiences. Parallel to these there are likewise other concerns which crop up: a decision as to the proper mission of this group, what it is meant to do, the next steps to be taken and those who will be engaged in doing so. Also, such themes as modern thought, culture, theology and even philosophy should find a place in the reflections and, finally, all these ideas should be presented to the Congregation and the Passionist Family as life and challenge, so as to animate its projects and hopes.

The group has attempted to produce a work synthesis, employing only key and fundamental terms free of accompanying phrases, in order that what is most important should stand out. The end result: Memoria Passionis, Formation, Ongoing Formation, Passionist Identity, the Word of God, the passion of man as the Passion of Christ, Experience, Reflection Space, Passionist Family, Creative Fidelity, the process of Listening-Reading-Reflecting-Living-Commmunicating, Context, Process, the incarnated word, Inter-generation, forma mentis, Welcome, Sharing, Life with Lay people, Tent (tabernacle), Listening, Hidden Suffering, Place of Pilgrimage, Place, Moment and Time.

"The Poor" and "Option for the Poor."

The group thought it would be worthwhile reflecting on the meaning which Passionists wish to attribute to the words "the poor" and "option for the poor" so as to better grasp what each one is referring to when discussing these topics.

First and foremost the poor constitute the theological place within which Passionists live their charism, it being there that they recognize the presence of God in the suffering. This option has theological roots but also denotes historical action. Nevertheless one cannot overlook the fact that so-far a majority of the Passionist Family have merely made a theoretical option, not a real one. For the most part the experiences which have been lived fail to illuminate the lives of the poor. Only when one has had the experience of standing before God does one begin to grasp just what their passion is and what the option consists of. Observing the world, one begins to understands what God is and what he is not. It’s at that moment when one experiences a loving sense of distress and realizes that one shares a brotherhood with those whom God loves, the suffering. And it’s here where we begin to identify the poor of God.

The option for the poor is of a theological nature, not a sociological one, even though it’s not easy to distinguish the difference. It’s true that human suffering transcends history and cannot be reduced to an economic dimension; human suffering as a personal and intimate experience is something considerably more than a mere lack of goods and services. Nevertheless the option for the poor doesn’t spring from a theory but rather from an experience of human suffering. Global society, through the market economy, has marginalized concrete groups of men and women from development, somewhat like a tyrannical God who demands a bloody form of worship from the world’s suffering (the poor, racial minorities, women, children, and so many who are left on one side or persecuted.) Option for the poor speaks of an option for these suffering people. All this changes our mental and theological categories so that we begin to see the world in another way.

We see today’s world which, while providing food and development for everybody, actually reaches very few. Most people lack sufficient food and access to the most elementary means of subsistence. There is huge inequality which is causing distress to both the wealthy and the poor, given that there’s a patent unhappiness amongst those who have not experienced the joy of giving. Liberation for everybody ought to be found here, in sharing the much or the little that one has with others. Yet as long as there are those who are slaves to market forces, there will be plenty of unhappiness for all.

In a word, one needs to understand that the greatest poverty of all consists in not grasping how much God loves each and every human being, in having it all yet really possessing nothing and in ignoring love. Hence an option for the poor is born within the heart and the experience of God’s love for each human person. When one has the experience of sharing in the poverty of those who have nothing, one begins to feel in one’s own life precisely what that life shouldn’t be. And it’s here where we perceive the invitation to think over those last questions. It’s the poor themselves who help us to answer them since their historical situation goes well beyond any reasoning.

This is an essential element for a proper Passionist identity and will be a theological support for the work of the group. Notwithstanding different concepts it should be possible to meet at the center: the truly poor person is one who is loved by God, who suffers and who bears the imprint of the face of the crucified Lord.

The role of the San Giuseppe house on Monte Argentario

The group discussion turns to the theme of our Passionist laity and their integration into the Forum Center, as well as to the suitability and divers characteristics of the community on Monte Argentario.

We should start by forming groups within the Passionist Family in order to foment an experience of Forum Center, at key moments, following the example of other religious Congregations who meet at their respective inspirational sites (Assisi, Loyola, etc.) which become places of pilgrimage, affording a powerful experience of their own spirituality, where they study and delve into their charism. This ought to be done integrating people from divers regions and forms of Passionist life: lay people and men and women religious.

According to our last chapters and documents, the laity has entered into the Passionist charismatic ambience, notwithstanding a certain resistance due to a lack of information. Hence the importance of doing away once and for all with our customary clericalism. The presence of lay people at these meetings is necessary in order to mutually absorb our experiences of Passionist life. The overall direction of this process won’t depend on Passionist clerics. There were a number of questions posed by committee members: How do we reflect with them? How should we accept their presence in our midst?

The house on Monte Argentario should become a point of reference for the Forum Center; to this end it should be imbued with a special aura all its own which would confer on it a distinct character and thus increase its visibility. We find the charismatic center in the Memoria Passionis, yet there needs to be something more, such as, for example, a thematic program leading to the development of a study of the Memoria Passionis, with clear objectives, directed toward initial and ongoing formation within the present-day Passionist Family as well as for future generations. This will necessarily require proper communication between the provinces of the Congregation and communion within the entire Passionist Family. It should begin with a process of returning to our origins, imbibing in the inspirational founts of our charism a dynamic of creative fidelity.

It should be possible to create an open community at San Giuseppe which would be continually renewed, consisting of lay people and religious, within a family experience. At the same time the Forum Center would provide a research group supported by the fundamental experience of this Passionist family life. The community together with the research group would organize workshops and seminars on formation as well as on theological and charismatic thought, the proceedings of which would then be published and distributed throughout the Passionist Family. These two groups would likewise be able to occasionally live together for mutual enrichment and life experience.

With all this said, what the center for Passionist spirituality ought to offer is not a historical study of the Congregation but rather keys for interpretation conducive to a re-creation of the Memoria Passionis. Its work would be more in a sapiential line than in a theoretical one. To this end it should be based on narratives of life and experiences which have been transmitted to others. Thus the dichotomy separating lay people and religious clerics will be superseded, since everything will be directed toward what is essential, toward life, where every human being is a teacher who at the same time needs to learn.

An experience of this sort implies a number of things, such as the availability of religious and lay personnel and the necessary organization and financial support; in a word, a whole structure which is at present inexistent. It won’t be easy to find people willing to live out this ideal, with all its implications of hard work and sacrifice, with no clerical superiors and with paltry means of subsistence. The first requirement therefore must be an acceptance of the fact that the enrichment which should be offered to those who come will not be produced there; rather it will be up to the research group now in its birth pangs to produce the necessary catechetical, biblical and theological material which will in turn be made available to the various comers. The reflection group must make itself present to those who come in the way of an in-depth study of the Memoria Passionis in the various languages, redacted in such a way as to be comprehensible to all, favoring the recipients rather than theoretical precision. At certain times and in various circumstances this presence will also have to be physical. We need to seriously question ourselves as to whether this project is at all viable and, regarding the personal availability we can count upon. On this basis the various loads can be adjusted along the way. Is the availability there? Should a small community be constituted on Monte Argentario?

From all the above it stands clear that no project will ever come to fruition without a direct and decisive support from the reflection team. This small community to be established on Monte Argentario will have neither the intellectual capacity nor the necessary degree of availability necessary to offer a plan for Passionist formation. Such a task will be up to the reflection group. It is they who will have to set the Passionist Family on a process of living out the Memoria Passionis, which in turn presupposes the need for an adequate catechesis for all the Congregation and the entire Passionist Family with the objective of creating the necessary availability in favor of this experience as well as collaboration at the different stages of its development. This would be somewhat similar to the catechesis carried out after the approval of our new Constitutions in the eighties.

At this point we can speak of three different yet complementary work groups: a group for experience or life in the Congregation; a community group on Monte Argentario and a reflection group entrusted with developing a catechesis of the process experienced by the other two groups. Obviously we’re not speaking of a work in phases because these will be parallel groups integrated into one single overall process. The whole experience would be doomed to failure were the community up on Monte Argentario saddled alone with the enormous volume of work necessary to get the process going and then keeping it up. The direct and illuminating involvement of the Congregation as a whole plus the reflection group is essential.

We need to also define the relationship between the Monte Argentario community and the reflection group, the concrete manner in which the group will illuminate the various aspects of our Passionist life, its inter-cultural aspects, its fraternal life and its own reflection and spiritual life. In a way this is nothing less than a challenge to set up a "laboratory" community. Hence its initial characteristic must be a spirit of welcome, a fraternal framework within which the Passionist Family can develop an in-depth experience of its charism, the Memoria Passionis. Later on, within the dynamic of the process itself, the Holy Spirit will suggest further steps.

Passionist "catechism"

The word "catechism" was suggested as necessary for the Monte Argentario community, as an aid to those who come to the community. A catechism which included the fundamental themes of our charism would also be useful to the entire Congregation and it should be flexible enough to be adapted to our divers regions and cultures.

In order to carry out a work at this level it would be necessary to awaken the interest of all our Passionist Family, taking advantage of what already exists. Each member of the Committee could contribute according to his specific field of interest: biblical, pastoral, theological, etc. Obviously it should be centered on the Memoria Passionis and cover all the themes of our Passionist spirituality − theology of the Cross, the passion of humanity, the option for the crucified, etc. − in accord with what our last General Chapter called for. It should likewise include testimonials of Passionist life and concrete examples of the Memoria Passionis experienced through suffering. This Committee could sketch out a first document which would include the principal themes, after which the various collaborations could then be requested, edited and published.

It should be noted that this would not be a repetition of now obsolete publications based upon categorical imperatives. The idea would be to gather together everything referring to the spirituality of the Cross so as to be able to provide material for everybody. Putting together such a thematic guide to our charism would constitute an important step forward, especially for our Passionist Family and for all men and women who would be interested in living out the Memoria Passionis.

Directed toward the whole of our Passionist Family

In accordance with the Chapter Document, we have now entered into the ambience of a Passionist Family. We note that this expression is being used ever more frequently throughout the Congregation. From now on it will be necessary to overcome clerical terminology and attitudes, getting away from the arrogance of feeling ourselves intellectuals called to pontificate to others. The Passion of Christ is lived first and foremost as an experience from which will later follow the theology and theoretical definitions.

We have a duty to respect the experience of suffering and passion of the laity. They wish to live the Passionist spirituality, but in their own way, different to the experiences of Passionist religious. The religious vocation and a theological formation afford a diversity of parameters for Christian living. Certainly the laity need formation but they are not necessarily on the road to a convent and they may have no desire to become religious since their vocation is a lay one and they have their own identity and their peculiar role in the life of the Church. It’s most important that we clearly distinguish between the roles of one and the other.

Faced with this challenge, the group must ask itself how it may best help to exploit all the wealth of values to be found in our Passionist Family in its diversity of callings. It’s ever more clear that our first task is to listen to and get a sense of each one’s experience in order to better understand what it is they want. This includes not only lay people but also the members of the Congregation who likewise have a rich personal and community experience of the Memoria Passionis. We need to also undertake the task of getting to know the ongoing life experiences in so many Passionist and ecclesial places throughout the world, describing them and making them known to everybody through life-enriched material which will be a powerful help in their formation.

Task of the Reflection Group

Our first step must be getting to know the existing reality and then reflect upon it. Regarding this we are reminded of the experience of the Apostle Paul. When writing his letters, especially I Corinthians, after making a reading of reality he placed it, in contemplation, in the presence of God, and finally he spoke of the Christian halakká. He first formulated verbs, then adjectives and then placed the nouns at the end. The group in their task should stick to this: take up a few experiences of Memoria Passionis, place them in the presence of the Crucified Jesus and then offer them to the community. This will require a twofold thrust in our work: first ask ourselves how we should make a reading of reality together with the laity without ending up in the usual old places, and then carry out an investigation − profound, obviously, yet imbued with wisdom, the wisdom of the heart − so that the in-depth study-reflection of a theme done by all, lay people and religious, might produce answers and concrete proposals.

In the course of everything discussed, certain terms surfaced indicative of a road to be followed: "experience," "confronting reality," "reflection" and "catechesis." Yet it appeared necessary that we should adopt a work methodology if we were to make a concrete contribution to the Passionist Family. An attempt has already been made to gather together the written experiences of each Province and area of the Congregation. Unfortunately we have only received thirteen replies to this request. Perhaps there’s a need for better organization, or maybe there’s just difficulty in putting down in writing what is, essentially, life.

There exists a desire among members of the Congregation and Passionist lay people to share our many life experiences. Were we to collate all this in writing we would have an important source of information, allowing for better communication, a better knowledge of different needs and expectations, and material for reflection by the Forum Center. The question then is, how to combine "experience" with "reflection."

Added to this the group voiced another concern: What happens after all the reflecting; what results might we expect? It seems obvious that the process must involve a good deal of vision and life experience, due reflection on this, and finally the crafting of a catechetical document which would help illuminate the life experiences and then allow for an in-depth study of the same. All this would take place within a formational framework which would include all the Passionist Family and would be applied to the initial formation of young Passionists and the on-going formation of everybody else, lay people as well as religious.

To summarize all this, there are a considerable number of narratives about living the Memoria Passionis which have been around since before the General Chapter and, notwithstanding the fact that it could well be enriched, there would be no need to repeat it all. From it however we could extract keys to interpret reality, which are illuminated by Sacred Scripture, tradition and the years of experience of Passionist life. Within this dynamic the process of feedback is initiated which should give rise to the formulation and adoption of concrete positions.

Finally, some very basic questions: Is the group really ready for this? Are we capable of taking on the task? The reply poses further for the Committee: What is it we want to do now? Have any requests been received from the laity? How do we plan to cover the process financially? Is this a group which reflects or is it meant to just help others to reflect? And what are the concrete themes we must reflect upon?

An initial work plan

For a short time the Committee has worked by language groups in order to arrive at a plan which could help throw light on the process to be followed. After a presentation of the work accomplished, the Committee examined points of coincidence and of contrast from these groups and saw the convenience of producing just one single document which would integrate the work of the three language groups. The next step would be the editing of that single document (cf appendix.) Then more questions: Whose responsibility is it to activate the document? Is this a job for the Forum Center? What’s the relationship between this Committee and the work to be carried out, and between this Committee and the Monte Argentario community? Many suggestions were made:

It was the opinion of the Committee that drawing up this plan should be the immediate task of the Forum Center. The Committee will present it with a work methodology and the necessary material to work with. It should be born in mind that this is not a text which can be easily understood by the whole Passionist Family. The laity in general find it difficult to follow our theoretical structures.

The Forum Center should make the key texts of the spirituality of the Memoria Passionis available to the Passionist Family. This is a sine qua non condition in order to carry out the process.

We need a process of ongoing formation based on the four proposed phases, with a prior, sufficiently clear explanation of what we’re trying to do. The four phases should not appear to be static as this would freeze the whole dynamism of the process. It was mentioned that the plan should serve as a guide and not a straightjacket; it should be a function of the catechesis.

In this in-depth fathoming of our charism care should be taken to keep a clear distinction between the role of the laity and that of the religious. Withal, the natural framework within which the process must be developed should be that of contemplation and, hence, prayer, solitude and silence.

The Reflection Committee assumes the role of Forum Center

Faced with the work to be done the Committee decided to concretize its participation in the process. Up to this point it has been a Committee for reflection on the project of a Forum Center. Now the Committee itself becomes the Forum Center and this requires a few clarifications:

The laity must be integrated into the process as soon as possible. It will be the immediate task of the Forum Center to go out and find them.

All our Passionist communities − religious and lay − enter into this, but it is necessary that San Giuseppe should remain the pilot community for the experience, coordinating and taking the initiative; nevertheless, until this is organized the Forum Center might as well begin its work alone.

From the moment it has assumed the responsibility of becoming the Forum Center, everything so-far written becomes the task of this group, i.e. the due motivation of the communities, the selection of key texts for the lectio divina, the communication of the various experiences of the Memoria Passionis, the elaboration of a catechesis and coordinating the initial phases of the work.

And it should be duly noted that what we are attempting to provide is a service, with certain predetermined conditions, yet which obliges nobody.

The members of the Forum Center locate their particular work in the plan drawn-up. Each one offers his personal participation in taking this first step in the process. Finally, the group asks Fr. Octavio Mondragón to give a general outline of the work we intend to carry out, which for all purposes will be an explanation of the four stages of the plan that has been adopted for the benefit of our Passionist Family.

The group goes on to discuss the characteristics and methodology of the studies to be undertaken.

The results of this study should arrive in Rome during June of this year at the latest so that they can be translated and edited for publication in August, before the General Synod.

Each submission should be approximately 12 pages in length on standard format.

Regarding the lectio divina, the usual thing would be two or three pages for each Scripture text. In this scriptural context, the ideal would be to be able to publish a book in which the Bible scholars of the Congregation present an analysis of the main texts referring to the Passion.

The nature of the reflections should be more in the line of wisdom than theology so as to better foment the catechesis in the communities of the Passionist Family; hence the type of language employed is most important, considering the recipients and what is sought.

Regarding publications, the mere translation of the studies won’t be sufficient; we will need to have a vision of the whole work being undertaken, so as to allow for the process of publishing the books as the catechesis of the communities progresses.

The need for centralized coordination is foreseen, so as to better integrate the studies undertaken into a thematic process, thus avoiding repetitions and disparities.

We mustn’t forget that it will be necessary to involve the Passionist Family throughout the elaboration phase of the material rather than just at the end, as if mere recipients. Anything else would be a return to the traditional way of things.

In bringing to a close this first meeting of the Forum Center, the Superior General thanked everyone for their work, especially Fr. José Agustín for making his time and energies available, even at the cost of postponing his own projects aimed at helping give life to the Congregation. In some way the "secret" of this Forum Center has now been unveiled to the Passionist Family. This is a most important task for the ongoing formation of us all. "The Memoria Passionis will become prophecy through our work."

A recommendation of the General Chapter

"The Congregation should promote study at all levels of the Biblical, theological and social meaning of the Memoria Passionis and its implications for the Passionist Family. The general Council shall study the feasibility of setting up a center or forum at the level of the Congregation for the study of the Memoria Passionis. (CD 5.2 b.1)

As a response to this recommendation the reflection group proposes:

1) That ongoing formation is necessary for all the members of the Passionist Family.

2) Essential elements:

a. Passionist formation, carried out in a context of common prayer, study and reflection.

b. Identification of the key texts, making them available as soon as possible by means of workshops on Passion narratives, Passionist spirituality and the life and letters of St. Paul of the Cross.

c. Regarding the Memoria Passionis, we propose a four-level formation process:

I. A contemplative look at reality, to take place in silence and solitude.

II. A contemplative reading of the Word of God (lectio divina), beginning with key texts taken from the Old Testament followed by the history of salvation.

III. An encounter with the living God through Jesus Crucified. We recognize that the following of Jesus has various dimensions (ethical, political, ecclesiological, anthropological and spiritual.)

IV. The Passionist charism has a diversity of expressions (holy orders, religious profession, laity and single life) yet a one and only mission: to keep alive the memory of Jesus Crucified.

d. The suggested method of theological reflection is essentially dialectical: from experience to reflection, in the light of the key texts and themes, and then back again to experience.

3) Regarding Monte Argentario:

a. It is our hope that this community will be able to offer opportunities for formation complementary to those already extant in the various local and linguistic contexts.

b. We support and encourage development of the San Giuseppe community. As an aid to this development it might be worthwhile were Father José Agustín Orbegozo to visit those places of the Passionist Family where they already have experience with mixed communities.

c. We hope that Monte Argentario, as a place of formation, can become part of the initial formation experience of professed Passionists and that it will become a place of pilgrimage for the entire Passionist Family.