XII GENERAL SYNOD OF THE CONGREGATION OF THE
PASSIONISTS
3 December,
Today we have listened:
- P. Battista Ramponi, General
Treasurer, with his relationship about economy, later on, we will have the
aspects of economy approved in the Synod.
- P. Kevin Dances, Representative of the Passionists at the United Nations. You can find all the
information of his work in:
http://www.passionistworld.org
- P. Christopher Gibson, General Secretary for the
Missions:
Report from the General
Secretary for the Misiones
Orientation on what to expect from the new G,S. for the Missions:
Some qualities to expect:
-Identification with the vision of
re-structuring of the Congregation. “New wine in new wine
skins”.
-Missionary experience in various
countries.
-Multicultural formation and experience.
Sense of ones country is the world and home is the Passionist
Family.
-Bi-lingual (English and Spanish)
-A certain degree of electronic technical
knowledge.
-Knowledge and experience in vocational and
formation issues.
Some limitations to expect:
-Lack of linguistic abilities, especially
in Italian. Not a natural linguist, but a lot of effort is placed in learning.
-Not much financial experience and less in
questions of fundraising.
What I envision up to now what my ministry entails:
-Encourage the missionary spirit within the
Congregation.
-Get informed and inform what is going on
in our missions
-Be on the watch that our missionaries are
being supported.
-Assist the Congregation in finding
realistic ways in which to help our missions to have the necessary resources to
develop the missionary outreach. The present historical circumstances, urges us
to re-think ways of doing this.
-Be a “BRIDGE” between mission secretaries
of the Congregation or the equivalent and the most significant agencies that
help us in funding diverse projects.
What has been done since assuming office in January,
2004:
+Continue, at least temporarily within my
possibilities what my predecessor Antonio Curto was
doing:
-The project of sponsoring
kids in
-Maintain contact with our
communities and benefactors
-Send money to our missions
in relation to projects and mass stipends.
-Fundraising.
-Keep updated the diverse
registers (six in all)
-Visit some of our missions
each year. Visits this year: to
-Participate in the
deliberations of the Solidarity Commission.
+ What’s ‘new’ this year:
-Envision a broader concept
of mission. E.g.: be aware of the ‘hidden’ missions which our more our
traditional mind set fail to notice
-Launching of the Missionary
Web page http://www.cpmissioni.org
with has the following objective:
-General information on our
missionary outreach both for Passionists as well as
for the general public.
-A place where useful ideas
are gathered in service of our missions.
-Information/ encouragement
for the benefactors of our missions.
-Vocational promotion. (note: a new reality to face: vocations applying from a
country with no Passionists).
-Digitalization of all the
registers and create conditions that office work can be handled practically
anywhere on the go.
-Gather photographic material
during the mission visits including historical for diverse usage and share
useful vocational and formational ideas and resources with those who have this
ministry.
-Visit the seat of operations
of our secretary of mission and discuss the possibilities of working together.
-Visit general secretaries of
other congregations to interiorize their in their ways of doing things and
including in some cases or speaking of our missionary needs. e.g.
with the sisters of St. Peter Claver.
-Find voluntary helpers that
can help me in my ministry: preparing mail to send off mail, translators, useful
advice on vital issues, etc.
-Think through with others
and share ideas of future possibilities of doing things. E.g.
possibilities of getting artifacts for sale made by the poor in our missions to
our spiritual centers.
+Looking towards the future:
-Move away more and more from
a model of secretariat that looks too much like a reproduction of a local
provincial secretariat so as to find time to serve the Congregation based on a
‘central office’ model.
-Find more time to dedicate
to the development of the
-Develop contacts with
agents/ agencies that have contact with our missions when their projects are
presented.
-Carry on searching for
people who can help me in my ministry.
Christopher Gibson, CP