Reflections on the Restructuring
of the Passionist Congregation
XII General Synod
When we began the Synod with the
liturgy in the garden, we used the verses from Mark’s gospel regarding the
institution of the Eucharist during the Last Supper of Jesus and also the
account of
“Take
it”, it is given, “Take it, this is my body” – He gives his entire life. “Then
he took the cup… and gave it to them… This is my blood of the covenant, which
will be shed for many…” He pours out
and gives his blood being certain of new life, “I shall not drink again…until the day when I drink it new in
the
In light of his immanent Passion,
Jesus demonstrates his absolute trust in God.
There is great harmony and continuity between the Last Supper,
There is the sadness and the anguish of Jesus the man and then the obedience of Jesus the Son. It would be death, a difficult death made even more so by loneliness and rejection, “he came among his own people and his own people did not receive him”, but it would produce new and abundant life. Jesus knows that his death is a plan for life.
New life, the fruit of his death
will be like something that is drunk in the Reign of God. But this does not exclude the fact that
Jesus, on the
Our task during this Synod is to discern “the project and the will of God” with regard to our Congregation and its structures; to reflect on our life, as a Congregation, from within the present globalized world and from the perspective and effectiveness of our mission in it.
We are all aware of the challenges to
unite our consecration with the Passion of Jesus even to its very roots and that
in many countries this is a challenge that involves the very survival of the
Congregation. With the
Together we must overcome the resistance and fear in our own hearts and in the hearts of the religious entrusted to us. It might seem to be about death, but it will be a choice for life. To keep grains of wheat in an alabaster or earthen jar is not about choosing life and defending it, rather over time the grain dries up and looses its capacity to generate life. The grain of wheat planted in the earth, as if lost, will sprout and bring forth new life. Likewise the olives in the olive-press are pressed and lose their form, but the perfumed oil that they produce served to consecrate the kings of the Old Testament, to consecrate the Sons of God and to serve as ointment to heal people’s wounds. Thus was Jesus during his Passion. It seemed as if all was ended on that darkest Friday in history – “we had hoped…” the disciples on the road to Emmaus would say. But then they learned to recognize him because new life was born within the empty tomb. It is within the context of this process of death and resurrection to new life that we situate ourselves in order to study the topic of Re-structuring and it is from within this context that I fraternally greet all of you here present.
It is good to be together once
again. But that which we are celebrating
is a Synod, traversed and obstructed by the Cross: presently there is the sickness of Fr.
Umberto Palmerini, as well as that of the presenter
Fr. Liberti, S.J. and that which occurred last
September when the Synod was to have been celebrated in
Changing the place and date of the
Synod was not an easy decision, and then the General Council, weighing the
various options, decided to hold the Synod in
At this time I wish to thank the all
of the religious of the
My dear brothers, this is not just any Synod that we are celebrating, a Synod like all the others, although they too were important, from a past that has oriented and supported our life and our on-going formation. I believe that this Synod is a vital event for the Congregation. With this in mind, more than merely to observe, considering my absence, and according to what is prescribed in the Constitutions at No.144 “a consultative body to help the Superior General”, is the explanation of the decision to reschedule the Synod from the end of September to the end of November. This is a topic that we must study together, in strength. It was necessary for all of us to be present to be able to understand and to consciously make decisions -- the General Council and the major superiors.
It is a topic that I take seriously
and I am convinced that we are a part, in this present historical moment, of a
plan of God for the Congregation and I say this humbly, with great trepidation
and a sense of responsibility concerning how difficult it is to surrender
oneself, as it was for Jesus in
All of us with our conversations and
our experiences, collected in communities, provinces, and vicariates and from
the people among whom we live, are the great resource of this Synod. We have to assume responsibility for the task
of identifying where and in what way the Holy Spirit wishes to direct the road
of the life of the Congregation and to make adequate decisions for its present
and for its future. We can enable life
or we can impede it, be defeated by difficulties or defeat them. There are
still possibilities for Rebirth and Revitalization. However, in order for them
to be concretely realized they must be grounded in innovation, in a creative
spirit and in the awareness of the power that is derived from our charism and from the living presence of God in
history. It is necessary to believe this
and to cross over the
During the past four years,
following the General Chapter of August-September 2000 in
Presently we are an international Congregation which, however, only lives out and works within this international dimension during formal events such as General Chapters and Synods, cultural meetings and celebrations, which are important and significant events, but which are limited to time frames and in their capacity to have any bearing on concrete, living situations.
We are called, in recognition of the signs of the times that are so obvious, to think about and to plan toward a specific goal, a Congregation made new in its sense of its international dimension lived in common. This does not diminish the positive aspects of life in a particular locality or region; however our lives need to be lived as a Congregation more than as Provinces or Vicariates, that is, with mobility, flexibility and a general plan.
Consequently, restructuring is about the juridical structures that guide the Congregation, made up of those that are responsible for the ministry of directing and governing the General Council and the Provincial Councils. This includes the manner of planning and acting in the various areas of their lives such as formation, community and spiritual life, cultural and social commitments, the managing and economic sharing with reference to the Missions and to the poor. Presently our organization of Provinces, Vice-Provinces, Vicariates and missionary stations, although sharing the same charism are like many separated islands. We have bridges, roads, from one island to another, such as solidarity, canonical and pastoral visits, General Synods and Chapters, legislation, information and exchange of religious which, recently, has even received more emphasis, but we do not and we cannot plan long-term projects and common programs that respond to the various situations of the world and the different regions.
Every Province has to solve its own problems. We are involved with living everyday life and working to support ourselves while being conscious that are inevitably destined for death. We even deny ourselves; talk about hope; but in various situations we act as if, in the depth of our hearts, we are heading toward exhaustion and death. No! The God of life invites us to break through the circle of isolation, to by-pass life, to realize the principle of physics of containers that are connected to point of becoming a single ocean of life and of apostolate in a globalized world. We believe in the God of life. Our presence here at this Synod is an act of faith in Him and of love for the Congregation.
At this point I think that it would be useful to make reference to some of the points in the Letter of convocation of this Synod.
The reduction of the number of religious and vocations in the Provinces of the western world and the development of the Congregation in Asia, Oceania, and Africa and also in areas of Latin America and the changing situations of the world as a result of the phenomenon of globalization, historically challenges us to at least address the topic of Restructuring. This is also one of the tasks assigned to us by the last General Chapter.
In fact, the renewal that originated in Vatican II has changed much of religious life both on a personal as well as on a community level, but is has left intact the structures of the Congregations. In a world that is ever more globalized and intercultural, with immigration trends from South to North and from East to West, we are still tied to structures that were put in place at the beginning of the last century.
During the last two decades the face of society and of the Church has profoundly changed, as has also the face of religious life. The world is more multi-ethnic, multi-racial and multi-religious.
The last General Chapter prophetically addressed the topic of globalization. The Chapter Document at #4.6 states: “’Solidarity’ is the word chosen to describe a new way of being together as Passionists in the mission for the life of the world. New realities call for new responses in faith…solidarity calls us to a profound conversion of mind and heart. We grow in awareness that life is a gift to be shared.”
The time has arrived to create “a new way of being together” in the entire Congregation.
Restructuring for revitalization, restructuring to allow for a better flow of life from one part of the Congregation to another, “in one body and one spirit.” The time has come to open ourselves to the gift of life in order to offer the entire Congregation the gift of new life. In giving we preserve ourselves; by preserving ourselves and refusing to be open we are not capable of preserving ourselves, of living, and consequently, the horizon of the future is closed: “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.” (Mk. 8:35)
The time has come to think more as a Congregation than as a Province, rediscovering the evangelical freshness and the capacity for dialogue among all the parts of the Congregation including an exchange of gifts among the various cultures and nations. Where there is authentic and sincere communication, there true communion takes place. It is necessary to enter into the “culture of the other” in order to understand his ideas, share his feelings, enter into his dreams. One of these dreams is that the Congregation might be transformed as if it were a single Province and as such live and be sent to all the ends of the world to announce the “Good News”. Jesus wishes us to be multicultural and multiethnic: “Go and teach all nations” (Mt. 28:19).
However in addition to asking ourselves, why Restructuring and arriving at the conclusion that it is inevitable to do so, it is necessary to ask ourselves and to discern which Restructuring is necessary today to revitalize the Congregation and to therefore be effective for the Mission. What kind of a Congregation do we want for the world of today with its secularization, violence, terrorism, its aggressiveness on a world and on a family level, which affect even the small, everyday aspects of life? There is much that originates in the Passion of Jesus and in the great human and Christian “values” as well as the inability to love and to be reconciled.
To combat the evils of our time and
for the very vitality of the Congregation we ask: what kind of a Congregation would
We will be assisted in the process of understanding this topic of Restructuring by Luis García Sobrado, the Vicar General of the Marist Brothers, who will guide us a Moderator. In preparation for this Synod together with him, we have had several meetings as a General Council and as secretariat. We thank him for his availability and his competency. His Congregation has already worked through a process of restructuring, although not completed, which has lasted close to eight years, and consequently he will share with us his experiences as well as those of other Congregations. He will help us to reflect and to discern: how to present the project of Restructuring to the religious; how to set the process in motion and how to deal with those who are resistant to the process.
I would like to share what Fr. Annibale Divizia, Sch.P. wrote in his report to the Union of Superiors General in November 2002 with regard to Restructuring.
“Another
difficulty arises from the history of the Provinces that are involved in the
process of restructuring. While this
process would appear to
be something easy to do for
recently formed religious Provinces, can the same criteria be used for those
that have a long historical tradition?
The forces of resistance are endlessly multiplied, because other collateral
areas of resistance are also at play: tradition, localism, the presence of
institutes and works with a glorious tradition. To this is added the fact that
many religious equate incardination in one’s own province as a priority with
respect to membership in a religious Congregation. The province comes to be considered more like
a Congregation in itself rather than a part of a Congregation. In these cases it is essential to establish
times and modalities for restructuring.”
But he continues with hope, affirming: “an objective analysis of the situation convinces the religious about the necessity of going beyond the old, inadequate juridical structures of the past: the diminishing number of religious, their advanced age, the new organizational demands of our ministries, the lack of vocations, etc. are motives that are more than sufficient to convince us of the appropriateness of this kind of a process.”
We are aware that we must also
address other difficulties and challenges that can enhance the capacity for inculturation such as openness in accepting differences, a
knowledge of languages in order to facilitate the internal communication of the
Congregation and for greater willingness to be assigned (and I believe that it
would be good to decide during this Synod that our young religious learn three
languages, including their own). Another challenge is that of being aware of
the other person, whoever that might be, and to whatever religion he belongs;
to have sense of what the other person is feeling. The master of this is the Crucified One. The above mentioned difficulties as well as
others that we will have to address should not intimidate or impede us if we
sincerely seek the Reign of God: twelve
apostles, unlearned, fearful and contradictory, strengthened by the Holy
Spirit, and transformed the world that was dominated by the powerful, pagan and
hostile
It will be the chief task of the General Council and the Major Superiors, with the adequate instruments, processes and appropriate stages that will be proposed to us and which we will discuss, to support and to inform the religious and the laity of the Passionist Family.
Events, which we call Divine
Providence, have directed the Congregation to celebrate the Synod during the
time of Advent, actually beginning on the first Sunday of Advent. Advent is a time of watching and of waiting
for Him who is to come, for Him who will surely come. He is without beginning and without end, who
was born in time and, if we have a humble heart, we can recognize the Child in
the arms of his mother Mary. The Mission
of Jesus, of Emmanuel, of the Prince of Peace, of the Son of God the Most High,
and of God Himself, is a great
I do not believe that the
celebration of the Synod during the time of Advent in close proximity to
Christmas is a mere coincidence; rather I believe that it is an urgent
invitation to rebirth from on high. It
is an opportunity that the Holy Spirit and the history of the world offer us,
together with its problems of peace, of justice and of the loss of the meaning
of life. We are called beforehand to
leave behind the refuse of life and of history in order to sow seeds of hope.
The youth of the Congregation also have great hopes for this Synod. In the absence of any great plan of action, they are fearful of a future that is always more limited and difficult. Without great visions or dreams that impact upon community and apostolic life that is often difficult and without motivation, young people quickly lose enthusiasm and frequently leave the Congregation. These are the concerns and the open and painful wounds of several provinces.
It is imperative to rediscover the meaning of religious life and of vocation: why should I become a Passionist? Why should I continue to be one? Redesigning and discovering new visions for our religious life and opening new horizons with new points of reference will permit us to more easily overcome fragmentation within the provinces and stratification due to problems that in the long run become unsolvable and which suffocate life in community, thereby discouraging the youth.
We are watchful, but not pessimistic. If we work hard and not waste time our future will be less unsure and more enlightened and give greater and more meaningful witness. The most radical witness and preaching, clearer and shared, for all people especially the “crucified”, will also increase our ability to enliven young people and to attract them to our life.
Before concluding I wish to thank the religious and all of you, including the monasteries and the laity of the Passionist Family for their prayers and their human and fraternal concern at the time of my surgery last September. A kind of Restructuring took place in my body: triple bypass heart surgery to resolve difficulties and blockages. The operation allowed the heart to function more efficiently and gave me a greater possibility for life and therefore permits greater efficiency and capacity for work. This is what we also want for the Congregation by means of Restructuring.
We entrust the Synod that we are celebrating to our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of Mexico, united with the rainbow of devotion to the Salus Populi Romani in St. Mary Major, where on 24/25 September 1721, St. Paul of the Cross, our Father, made the vow to live out and promote the Memory of the Passion of Jesus: the vow that qualifies us and identifies us in the Church and in the world.
This Synod is a time of grace for us
and for the Congregation because we are gathered in the name of the Lord in
order to discern his will as did Jesus in the
First Sunday of
Advent