Mission and Vocation Promotion

Conclusion and Resolutions of the Assembly

A. Being meaningful, as missionaries, in the Local Church.
Promoters: updating, qualifying, specializing and supporting the Mission and Vocations
Communities and Promoters: IMC & CMS (Consolata Missionary Sisters)
1 Enhance the performance of the personnel. Ways: to inform, sensitize and form everyone and every community.
2 Work in Missionary Centers (IMC/CMS). Establish specific commitments in the sectors: (Immigrants, Justice and Peace) that will “reveal” us.
3 Establish a specific MVP project IMC—CMS.
4 Together, look for a choice Ad Gentes IMC—CMS.

To make the following choice: To establish specific—qualified centers of Mission and Vocation Promotion:
1 in order to qualify and give priority to the proposals made by M&VP,
2 “sustaining” the M&VP personnel,
3 with a plan of action, made according to some specific objectives,
4 giving continuity to projects and initiatives,
5 working also with lay people.

To witness and to act in harmony with our charism Ad Gentes and with Consolation:
1 testifying to unity;
2 living communitarily a “visible” and incarnate spirituality;
3 collaborating with other missionary institutes (and other forces): together, to give answers and propose concrete actions to the Local Church and to society;
4 to publish, in the churches and in the public squares, our “messages—contents”, using every type of Media.

Formation and preparation of the M&V promoters
1 Let the Regional Governments of the IMC/CMS come to agreement on a program of formation of the persons and of the communities for M&VP;
2 At the regional and European level, let there be an exchange of meaningful experiences done by our M&VP centers;
3 develop the value of the proposals on formation for the promoters at the national level;
4 knowing which missionaries are assigned to MVP in Europe, let the Regional Governments be concerned in “introducing” them to the social-ecclesial contexts;
5 periodic meetings should be organized for promoters, at the continental level, on the themes that need this most;
6 the formation of the MVP should foresee:
-- a reexamination of their own missionary experience;
-- the contents that are specific to our own MVP;
-- the course of action of the Local Churches (pastoral and missionary choices);
-- the new problematics and the new parlance of the world.

MVP and European Regions
1 Let the MVP Regional Directors be in constant contact;
2 Promote some MVP activity at the European level.


B. Being meaningful, as missionaries, in the Local Church.
The Project: to requalify and to reelaborate our MVP.

Permanent MVP Reflection Group in Europe

-- Composition of the group:
1 person who knows well the present European and ecclesial cultural reality;
1 person who knows well the present vocational reality of today’s youth;
1 person who is well-versed in our concrete MVP world;
1 theologian;
1 expert in Mass Media.
-- Task of this group: to animate the promoters. It will help the promoters to understand the reality in which they find themselves; it will promote the master ideas and the meaningful modes of action. Every Region will then concretize these master ideas in its proper local reality.
-- The Regional Superiors of Europe have the task of:
forming the group by choosing the persons that will become its members;
determining the frequency and modalities of the meetings;
promulgating the reflections – via the Regional persons-in-charge of MVP;
seeking the cooperation of the General Offices when they will deem it convenient.

The MVP must continue, or begin to get involved in:
-- the diverse ecclesial and non-ecclesial entities (especially the Diocesan Mission Centers)
-- in a qualified way
-- always keeping our specificity as evangelizers
-- not only in order to participate in specific activities
-- but in order to stimulate a reflection on the Mission.

The youth groups of our centers must follow a serious itinerary of Christian, spiritual and missionary formation that will bring them to commit themselves to meaningful missionary activities.

Above all, our magazines must carry on a work of cultural mediation, in order to facilitate the living together of various races and peoples.

We have to achieve a sense of greater interest and attention towards the vocational aspect.



Justice and Peace
(J&P)

Conclusion and resolutions of the Assembly

Sensitization of missionaries and of the people:
1 Re the sensitization of missionaries: find the ways of gradually presenting to them the themes of J&P;
2 have the MVP and the “Mission of the frontlines” do the dialogue on J&P;
3 live justice within our communities: new styles of life, more moderation and respect for laws that have to do with our personnel;
4 participating in the meetings of the various organizations of the civil and ecclesial society;
5 in the area of ongoing formation, keep in mind the criteria for an authentic missionary cooperation (missionaries still have the tendency of insisting too much on economic help, without sensitizing the people to the themes of J&P). With this in mind, let the importance of the Regional meetings on ongoing formation be emphasized.
6 take advantage of the pastoral services that allow us a continuous contact with the people to present in our preaching J&P themes and material;
7 participate in the specific laboratories of J&P;
8 means and ways of sensitizing the missionaries and the people:
-- the J&P manual and our magazines, with appropriate contents;
-- participating in concrete campaigns that normally have a content that is both informative and formative;
-- let the missionary brothers, fathers and sisters already engaged in J&P communicate their experiences to their communities;
-- doing a work of sensitization through the Media.

At the regional and continental level:
1 To update J&P data and situations through adequate Internet sites;
2 Rather than launching our own campaigns, it is better to work together with other organizations, especially those of the Local Church;
3 We must never lose our own specific contents (faith and Word of God) as we treat and develop the themes of J&P;
4 To promote interaction between the ones in charge of J&P in Africa and America and those in Europe, and to insert them in the networks through a site;
5 To arrive at concrete and constant involvement in J&P (for example, participating in campaigns of the AEFJN);
6 Let the IMC/CMS persons-in-charge of J&P find strategies to sensitize the missionaries: preparing projects together, becoming voice that defends the immigrants, organizing ongoing formation regional meetings on J&P themes;
7 Every year, each Region must do a reading of the reality of the continent;
8 Our magazines could propose a school, or J&P material, for the formation of teachers and students;
9 Let each Region organize its own J&P Commission;
10 It is necessary to establish a coordination of all the IMC in Europe, and also with the CMS. Establishing and running this coordination is the task of the Continental Councilor and of the Secretariat;
11 Let the Secretariat send material that is useful to all persons-in-charge of J&P;
12 Use the renewal course in Rome to sensitize the missionaries on the themes of J&P.




IMC Lay Missionaries

Conclusion and proposals by the assembly

Identity of the Lay Missionaries:
The groups of Laity followed so far by the CMS follow a formative itinerary which will help them to define their own identity and their relationship with, or attachment to, the CMS.

Concerning the Laity followed by the IMC:
1 Let the choice of life be clearly for the Mission Ad Gentes;
2 Clear too must be their intention of working with the missionaries for a certain period of time;
3 These Lay missionaries must concretize the meaning of “To Leave”;
4 In their itinerary, they must be accompanied in what relates to charism and spirituality;

Format:
1 Each Lay Missionary should have a contact community or group;
2 The IMC must present to all the Laity a common standpoint for all of Europe;
3 The IMC should commit itself to open to the Laity other concrete courses of action in the Mission;

Bonds:
1 A preferential rapport with the IMC;
2 An official and public commitment through which a Lay person places herself/himself at the disposal of the Mission Ad Gentes, in foreign lands or in one’s own country.

In order to continue the discernment with the Laity:
1 Send to the IMC persons responsible for Lay Missionary formation in Europe the material produced in the last Lay Missionary congress (Malaga, Spain, August 2000) so that they may give their opinion on it; if they so wish, they can consult other missionaries;
2 Let the persons responsible for Lay Missionary formation in Europe meet with the Secretariat;
3 Promote occasions for the IMC and CMS Lay Missionaries to meet in order to exchange experiences;
4 Let the IMC and the CMS persons responsible for Lay Missionary formation meet to see how to collaborate in the formation of the Laity as well as their involvement in the Mission.







Means of Social Communication


Conclusion and Proposals by the Assembly

Internet site
1 We should choose the domain consolata.org as official site of the IMC;
2 All other sites should be connected with this official site;
3 There must be one person in charge (an IMC member, a CMS member, a lay person…?) in every Region to update the various sites;
4 The official site will be used also for the exchange of material that is useful to the MVP in an interactive fashion;
5 The purpose of this official site is threefold:
a) as a showcase for the IMC, in several languages,
b) to collect IMC documents and official publications,
c) to be used at the local level.
6 One coordinator at the general level is needed;
7 The coordination of the sites could be entrusted to the Director of Da Casa Madre.


MISNA
We must convince missionaries to promptly send news (of congresses, meaningful meetings, events, catastrophes, situations that have something to do with the Mission, J&P…)





Ad Gentes in Europe

In the light of the reports presented by the Regional Superiors of Europe, here are some conclusions that show how the discernment on the Ad Gentes has fared so far.

Italy:
1 The CMS are interested in an eventual opening together with the IMC. At present, however, they await the decisions of their coming Regional Conference (December 2000).
2 IMC: after the Regional Conference and the most recent meeting of the superiors of the various communities, four choices are being weighed:
-- an MVP presence in Cassano Ionio;
-- an evangelizing presence in the Locride;
-- collaboration with the Local Church in assisting refugees and immigrants in the Foggia district;
-- presence in the suburbs of a big city.
3 The opportunity is seen of a dialogue between the Regional Governments of the CMS and of the IMC.


Portugal:
1 The decision was made to form a commission to study a new opening;
2 Two areas are under consideration: urban poverty, and immigrants;
3 These are the criteria: involvement of the whole Region; gradual concretization of the project; if possible, together with the CMS; whatever choice, it should express our proximity to the people;
4 An assembly of the whole Region will tell the times and the modes of the concretization.

Spain:
1 We are studying the possibility of working with immigrants, and of interreligious dialogue with Muslims, in the communities of Elche.
2 This Ad Gentes activity is intended as a qualification of the MVP; it will involve youth, a help to the Local Church and a cultural mediation.
3 We hope to be able to have two missionaries working full time in this activity.

Comments:
-- According to the Chapter, these openings constitute a requalification of our Regions and must be done, if at all possible, together with the CMS.
-- The personnel needed for these activities must be found by redimensioning other activities.



Appendix: CONTINENTAL MVP INITIATIVES FOR THE CENTENNIAL YEAR

1. IMC Youth Meeting:

Date: August 1-8, 2001 (arrival in Turin no later than July 31);

Theme: “From the Father to the World”. From the places of the memory (Turin) to the place of sending-off (Rome). To tell the experiences that the young have made in our Institute. To send them out to share these experiences.

Participants: Young people who represent the ways that our Institute has trod in their areas.
Maximum, 120-130 young people. (2 per IMC African and American Region; 20 from Portugal; 20 from Spain; the rest, from Italy).
There was talk about a possible separate representation of Lay Missionaries. The decision was made not to do it. As compensation, some Lay Missionaries are invited to participate in the Youth Congress, so they can share their own missionary experience.

2. Pilgrimage to Turin for the Ladies Auxiliary, groups of Friends, FaCoMi, Parents of Missionaries, Collaborators…

Estimated date: October 7, 2001. Organized by the Italian Region. Invited: representations of other European countries.

3. Pilgrimages

The Italian Region communicates that the Turin Motherhouse is ready to welcome diverse pilgrimages to Turin (room, food). The ideal number for a pilgrimage is 55 people. For information, contact the Superior of the Motherhouse.

4. Kenya takes the initiative: Young people only (Centennial Year, 2002)

A representation is requested of young people at least from the European Regions.
The Regions of Italy, Portugal and Spain did not yet considered such a request. They will however give it their consideration.