My Dear Missionaries,

Visitation to your region coincided with the liturgical season of Advent and Christmas. The Word of God we heard each day and reflected upon in community or personal prayer was especially appropriate in creating an atmosphere of mutual attentiveness, discernment and sharing. Three passages from the prophet, Isaiah, were especially apropos. They provide a key to our understanding and discussion of subjects meaningful to missionaries.

1. “Lift up your eyes and look …” (Is 40, 26)

This is the primary and specific task of every canonical visitation – it is the task not just of those who conduct the visitation but of every member of the Region. Visitation is the appropriate time to lift up the eyes of our minds and hearts and to look about at the world that surrounds our missions. We should look beyond our own situation as Consolata Missionaries at the world of those around us, at the country in which we live, at the challenges and problems we all encounter. Our vision must be one of faith in the working of the Holy Spirit - He goes before us and is at our side. Our vision must be one of fraternal feeling for those we call our people and one of solidarity for this country in its efforts to come out of three decades of unspeakable suffering and travail.
In our opinion today’s Mozambique is a country of great promise in spite of the many problems left over from the struggle for independence and the sixteen years of civil war. Three months ago it celebrated its first ten years of peace with obvious enthusiasm.
There are so many reasons for rejoicing: the economic situation is gradually improving – even if the average income and general level of development is weak at present. There is much evidence of new vitality not just in Maputo but in so many other cities – housing, roads, agriculture, industry, places of worship, schools, universities. Everywhere there are signs of stability, peace and tranquility. Democracy has the upper hand in Mozambique in spite of a certain amount of discrimination on the part of the governing party – there is one party in power and a coalition in opposition. There have already been two free elections and it is possible that the next elections will bring about a change of leadership. Even if armed conflict has come to an end there is a certain amount of intolerance that sometimes results in abusing human rights.
In our opinion there are many reasons for concern – above all the threat posed by AIDS for the present and future of the people of Mozambique. If the appropriate steps are not taken urgently the average life expectancy of a Mozambican in 2010 will be twenty-seven years. There are so many other problems resulting from years of war – the corruption that hamstrings development and gives rise to widespread crime. The Government itself admits that its justice system is faulty, something that undermines the credibility of the country in the eyes of foreign investors.
In this game of contrasts the quality of life for the majority of people, unfortunately, has not improved. The poor derive no benefit from their newly reacquired freedom. Careful observers have noted that years of war, Marxist indoctrination and contact with modern secularism have resulted in the loss of many Mozambican values. For this reason many feel they are poorer than ever. The culture of forgiveness has survived, however, and produced the miracle of peace sealed in Rome, October 4, 1992.
After the turbulent and heroic years of war the Church of Mozambique is going through a time of intense and extensive growth. Statistics reveal that 24% of the population is Catholic; there are 12 dioceses and 15 bishops – 13 of whom are Mozambican. The 150 diocesan priests and more than 1,000 male and female religious and lay workers are overwhelmed by the pastoral and missionary needs of the country. This Church has a rich heritage and especially worthy of note are the two National Pastoral Assemblies (Beira 1977 and Matola 1991). They made the courageous choice for small communities, lay ministries, training leaders, educating the local clergy, inculturation and financial independence for the local Church.
The principal challenges facing the Church as it prepares for the third National Pastoral Assembly are: responding to new missionary demands: struggling against the poverty and injustice that afflict the majority of the population; deeper inculturation of the faith; serious and careful vocation recruiting for the diocesan clergy and the other ministries; fostering the independence of the local Churches; handling the proliferation of sects and the need for ecumenical dialogue.

2. “A voice says: Cry out! And I answer: What should I cry out?” (Is 40,6)

This second phrase from the Advent liturgy calls us to discernment. It is not enough to observe passively the world around us and our communities. We must always subject it to analysis and community discernment not just to understand the missionary situation and God’s plans better but to bring our response into conformity with His will.
For this reason the visitation dedicated much time to studying and practicing discernment on the life and mission of the Consolata community in the context of today’s Church. Here is an outline – with some detail – of what we perceived during visitation in your region’s sixteen communities and in the five dioceses where you are engaged in the missionary apostolate.
During the past six years the number of individuals working in the Mozambique Region has remained almost unchanged. There are 52 missionaries, 7 novices and 6 philosophy students. There has however been considerable turnover in recent years due to transfers and the arrival of new missionaries. The General Directorate was often requested to make these transfers in response to formation or mission promotion needs. Some transfers were made in response to specific requests from the missionaries themselves or for other reasons. This phenomenon may have weakened some communities but it has also been a source of fresh air in the Region.
On the whole the health status of our missionaries is normal. Even though there are no serious cases of malaria we cannot let down our guard – the whole territory of Mozambique is malarial. There are certain necessary precautions every missionary must take: well prepared healthy food, periodic medical check-ups, adequate rest. In his visitations to communities the Regional Superior must inquire after the health of his confreres. Effective prevention is always preferable to lengthy convalescence.
Our communities are gradually reaching the minimum number of members – three – that was prescribed at the Tenth General Chapter (XCG) and confirmed at the Sixth Regional Conference. This must be our goal if we are serious about community life and mutual support, and we must strive to reach this goal even if it involves giving up some of our missionary commitments. If this should be necessary we are convinced that our mission and the efficacy of our work will not suffer.
Finally we have witnessed a growing regional spirit – this was difficult to achieve in the past since meetings on a regional level were impossible. In spite of the enormous distance between communities improved travel conditions have made it possible for all the members of the Region to meet at least once a year. Other group level projects are no substitute for these regional events even if they involve useful, beneficial ongoing formation.

3. “This is the way, walk in it!” (Is 30, 21).

The Prophet’s exhortation to the people of Israel echoes in our ears as a call to be coherent in everything we observe, discuss and decide. In both the Church and the Institute there is a proliferation of documents, letters, studies and analyses of every aspect of our life and mission. We realize that the results of these efforts do not always match the work that went into them. Stopping the flow of these study aids and documents is not necessarily the solution to this problem. Frequent and methodical reconsideration of the community’s guidelines and decisions is a wise practice. This sort of review provides an opportunity to see if the guidelines are being followed and just how effective they are proving to be.
The canonical visitation studied the Acts of the Sixth Regional Conference carefully and urged the implementation of its recommendations. We are particularly interested in the first three recommendations which are designed to improve our mission apostolate.

MISSION FOR THE SAKE OF THE KINGDOM

In Starting Afresh from Christ we read: “Open to the needs of the world as seen through the eyes of God, they (the Religious) point to a future with the hope of resurrection, ready to follow the example of Christ who came among us that we might have life and have it to the full” (9). At this point we would mention – however briefly – certain elements which can give our life and our mission the “flavor of the resurrection.” In the context of a canonical visitation we feel the need to ask ourselves: Why are we here? What are we trying to accomplish? What is the basis of our missionary life?

1. “Spiritual life must occupy the place of honor in the programs of all families of consecrated life” (VC 93).
Blessed Allamano’s teachings have instilled in us the profound conviction that there is no consecration without a deep spiritual life and there is no spiritual life without continuous prayer. It was a great consolation to discover that almost all our communities have daily common prayer. Be faithful to this practice – it should not be thought of as something optional – even if you have to postpone urgent apostolic activities. Remember what our Founder used to say when he was interrupted at prayer: “I just let them keep knocking at my door …”. We cannot bring God to others if we ourselves have not cultivated deep and prolonged intimacy with Him.
We should also remember that periods of common prayer are not enough to give vitality to our spiritual life. Some of the means inherent in our Consolata Missionary Charism that foster a more intense spiritual life are: personal reflection on the Word of God, the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the centrality of the daily celebration of the Eucharist and fervent devotion to Mary, the Consolata.

2. “To make the Church the home and the school of communion” (Novo Millennio Ineunte 43)
Directives of the Mozambican Church repeatedly emphasize communion and collaboration. Because of our ministry and the charism which distinguishes it, we Consolata Missionaries feel the obligation to continue to be “a meaningful expression of communion” throughout the local Churches (VI Conf. Reg. p. 30).
The visitation urges everyone to continue on this path in spite of the inevitable setbacks, the slow pace of carrying out pastoral directives and the reluctance to collaborate on the part of some involved in pastoral work. The Consolata Missionary should be the first to commit himself to community planning and to working as part of a pastoral team. He should never lack filial devotion to his bishop and a spirit of fraternal collaboration with the local clergy. He should work willingly with other religious – especially those diocesan congregations that grew from our roots. We should assist these diocesan congregations generously both in the area of finances and ongoing formation.

3. Life-long Formation
Starting Afresh from Christ gives a clear and impressive description of the impact ongoing formation should have in our life: “Thus it will be important that all consecrated persons be formed in the freedom to learn throughout life, in every age and season, in every human ambient and context, from every person and every culture open to be taught by any fragment of truth and beauty found around them. But above all they must learn to be formed by everyday life, by their own community, by their brothers and sisters, by everyday things, ordinary and extraordinary, by prayer and by apostolic fatigue, in joy and in suffering, until the moment of death” (15).
Given the importance of ongoing formation certain aspects require particular attention on a regional level.

RENEW HOPE

Meeting with missionary communities and lay leaders led us to reflect on the reasons for hope to be found in our communities and in the Mozambican Church today. We mention those reasons not just to thank our Lord for their existence but to give each missionary something to think about.

1. Attention to Culture and Language
We perceived an increased interest in the culture and local languages of the region. This is certainly the first step in a commitment to in-depth evangelization. No form of evangelization can be considered authentic if it does not penetrate the culture of a people (Cf. Evangelii Nuntiandi 19).
We believe the Region’s requirement that all newly arrived missionaries spend an entire year studying language, culture and their new assignment at the Maúa and Guiúa centers is a step in the right direction.

2. A Mission in Harmony with the People
The newly established peace has allowed missionaries in Mozambique to reinitiate their visits and stays among even the most remote communities – something the recent war had greatly hindered. Our young confreres are becoming familiar with this practice and are discovering its enormous potential for evangelization.

3. Evangelization and Human Welfare Go Hand in Hand
Our charism – Consolation – allows us to join these two important aspects without difficulty. This is what Allamano taught his first missionaries; he called it “our method of evangelization” (Letter to Missionaries in Kenya, October 2, 1910). We have fostered heartfelt adherence to this traditional method of conducting missionary activity in all of our communities. Changing circumstances in the missions, however, require constant vigilance on our part lest one or the other of these aspects be neglected. Especially with regard to welfare activity we must exercise discernment to determine exactly which activities best meet current needs lest we burden our missionary centers with excessive bureaucracy. We find inspiration in the account from the Acts of the Apostles where deacons took over serving food so that the Apostles could dedicate themselves entirely to proclaiming the Word.

4. Lay Presence
Lay people are present and active throughout the Mozambican Region. They are part of the apostolic teams and carry mission work to remote and inaccessible communities. Lay involvement in evangelization received special impetus during the difficult war years when missionaries were restricted in their movements. Now in peace time it is important to move this process forward lest there be a return to old-fashioned clericalism. Lay people have a special vocation in the Church and we must continue to encourage their involvement in pastoral work and promote the valuable contribution they can make. The proliferation of lay ministeries and the growing number of lay people involved in parish communities are a source of joyful wonder. We must never forget that the laity needs guidance and formation in doctrine and in spirituality to reach the full potential of their ministry.

5. Educational Commitment in the Region
The Region has made a noteworthy commitment to youth education since the government has removed the obstacles to Church involvement in this area. Nowadays there is great demand for schools on all levels and many of our parishes are responding to this demand energetically. In certain parts of the country we and the Church are committed to training teachers and providing faculty to schools.
The Catholic University of Mozambique continues to expand and grow in strength due in large part to our confreres who have borne much of the responsibility for this phenomenon. It is time to ask the Episcopal Conference to assist our confreres by assigning more people to administrative positions in the university.
Education is of prime importance for renewing the fabric of Mozambican society; it provides future generations with indispensable cultural, moral and Christian values. This is the most important contribution we can make to the future of the country.

6. Consolata Missionary Sisters
In various facets of mission work: pastoral, mission and vocation promotion, justice and peace, education, there are relations of collaboration and communion with the Consolata Missionary Sisters of the Mozambican Region. The appeals of recent General Chapters for renewed collaboration have met with an eager response in the Region and the results of collaboration are becoming apparent especially in our fraternal relations and mutual assistance for ongoing formation.

CHALLENGES AND PROBLEMS

In this final part of our letter I would like to point out the challenges and difficulties that came to our attention during the visitation in Mozambique. Even if we are unable to offer solutions in every case we think it helpful to list and describe these problem areas.

1. Lay Missionaries
The Mozambican Region has accumulated vast experience in this area and has encouraged significant lay involvement. It has benefited from valuable lay collaboration in the missionary apostolate. The General Directorate’s new statutes for Consolata Lay Missionaries (CLM) should serve as the groundwork for a gradual consolidation of all the Institute’s lay activity; it is a framework that can provide greater support and training for our lay volunteers.

2. Vocations
The vocation situation in Mozambique continues to be a problem – both for the Institute and for the dioceses. It presents challenges in various areas: the ability to provide serious vocation direction; the power to discern the motivation of those who seek admission into diocesan seminaries and religious congregations; the capacity to provide early, authentic Christian formation that creates an understanding of vocation in families and in the entire people of God. There are complaints everywhere about the lack of perseverance, improper motivation, weak human and Christian formation, the inability to sustain a life of discipleship to Christ.

3. Mission and Vocation Promotion
The Tenth General Chapter urged all Regions of the Institute to become involved in this promotion. The African Circumscriptions were asked to assign full-time personnel to this work and the Chapter encouraged all our missionaries to learn how to kindle the fire of missionary zeal in the hearts of the faithful. Vocation promotion must go on in every parish – this is the most precious service we can render to the Church.

4. Basic Formation
This is another challenge to our missionary work; the future of our family and our mission is directly linked to this activity. Missionaries involved in formation must realize that they are called upon to provide an indispensable service to the Institute. They must be dedicated to this activity full-time and be willing – with the approval of their superior – to set aside any other apostolic commitment that detracts from this work. Everyone in formation should have access to the training their work requires.

5. What does the future hold for the IMC in Mozambique?
The visitation recognizes the enormous amount of pastoral work in which the Region is currently engaged. It is urgent that we study the geographical disposition of our personnel with an eye to the Institute’s current and future needs. We have no intention of making concrete and specific proposals – this is something that can be better accomplished in another forum; we would however like to propose certain guidelines:
- Have the courage to abandon activities when we are unable to provide sufficient missionary personnel.
- Never sacrifice quality to quantity in the area of apostolic commitments. We must never lose sight of the wise counsel of our Father Founder in this regard.
- The ad gentes criteria outlined in the last General Chapter in harmony with the indispensable needs of the Institute, should be our guide for continuing, giving up or assuming commitments.

6. Radio Maria and Radio Rurumwana
In its present state of development and expansion Radio Maria should be the preferred forum for evangelization in vast areas of Mozambique. A community broadcasting system, Radio Rurumwana, is being launched in Maúa. We urge full compliance with the guidelines set out by the Sixth Regional Conference for Radio Maria and we hope that these media will be exploited for the effective promotion of Christian values in vast areas of the country.

7. Community leadership - the local superior
Every visitation to local communities makes the importance of the local superior’s role ever more apparent. Internal cohesion in the community, commitment to formation and zeal for evangelization are to a large extent commensurate with the efficacy of the local superior’s service. The Tenth General Chapter entrusted other tasks as well to the local superior: “To assure continuity and cohesion in spite of our high mobility, the local superior should maintain the house diary and see that the archives and files are updated with information on our work and environment, evaluations and memoranda on our activities and projects, assignment of tasks, collaboration with local individuals and organizations and any other useful information” (59).

8. Poverty, finances and the mission
The Institute will study this subject throughout 2003. We urge everyone to consider and use prudently, for the benefit of the missions, those possessions Providence places at our disposition. Here are some items that came to our attention during the visitation.

9. Justice and Peace
The Regional Commission for Justice and Peace should keep abreast of new developments within the country and should provide our missionaries with appropriate study aids. It should also offer guidelines for proper relations with our workers.
Missionaries must be able to educate others in the social doctrines of the Church and be ready to launch appropriate projects to meet the challenges our people face today.
We suggest that the Regional Directorate together with the Justice and Peace Commission should discuss the possibility of projects on behalf of AIDS victims and of the many children being orphaned by this scourge.

CONCLUSION

In conclusion we would like to thank all the confreres of the Region for their fraternal welcome and willingness to engage in dialogue and share their thoughts with us. Our special thanks go to Father Artur Marques, the Regional Superior, for his willingness to accompany us on our long journeys and for having explained so many aspects of the country and the region of which we were unaware. Our sincere thanks go to the Regional Council for the two meetings we had with them.
We entrust the Region of Mozambique to Our Lady, the Consolata, in this year of the rosary. May She lead us to contemplate the face of Christ and to reveal that face to our people with the clarity and intensity of those confreres who preceded us in Africa – especially our own martyrs and those of Guiúa.
May Blessed Paul Manna, our patron for 2003, seek on our behalf holiness of life, the courage to make committed choices and the wisdom necessary to apply our Founder’s “enlightened method” to every missionary situation.