1. THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT

The General Government began its service with a prolonged period of living together. This allowed the councilors a chance to become better acquainted, to familiarize themselves with the task that lay before them and to prepare a program for the coming six years. It was in drawing up the Program for the General Government 1999-2005 that the Councilors had an opportunity to study the Acts of XCG in detail and review the General Offices and individual Regions one by one. This involved a good deal of hard work but the results were certainly useful; only then did they initiate plans for regional visitations and new projects to be launched for the whole Institute.
This effort was followed by participation in all the Regional Conferences. This gave members of the Council a first-hand acquaintance with those regions with which they were not familiar. These experiences and the exchange of ideas which followed were moments of great benefit for the members of the Council.

Let us mention some of the more significant elements of the General Government's service during these first three years.

a. Canonical Visitation of the Regions
In December 2000 the Regional Conferences came to an end and the Canonical Visitations began. As far as possible visitations followed the same schedule established in the previous six-year period. We put into effect immediately one of the decisions of the XCG: "The Canonical Visitation can be carried out by the Vice-Superior General as well" (p. 79). Up to now the Superior General has completed five visitations and the Vice-Superior, three. The General Council is in absolute agreement on the wisdom of this new norm. The opinions received from the regional councils involved - and the individual missionaries - have been favorable. This new norm not only exempts the Superior from a tour de force but also allows a deeper and richer examination of the regions being visited. Both the Superior General and the Vice-Superior are usually accompanied by the Continental Councilor during the visitation.
The style of canonical visitation has remained more or less unchanged. It involves and initial meeting with the regional council; a laying out of the regional problem areas; a visit to each community to establish contact with the local situation and missionary activity; one-on-one conversations with each missionary. The visitation closes with a general (or area) assembly during which the Visitors describe their impressions and offer suggestions which they will later make part of an official letter.
How to conduct a canonical visitation effectively remains an open question. In the past we tried to cut down on visits to communities by bringing together the missionaries of a given area. This didn't meet the approval of our confrères who preferred the more traditional form of visitation. Perhaps this present assembly could come up with ideas of how to make this very important contact between general government and the Regions more fruitful. Better visitations would not just increase communion within the Institute they could contribute to the effectiveness of regional programs.

b. Continental Councilors
Previous administrations had tried unsuccessfully to revitalize the role of Continental Councilors and the XCG made an effort in this area by assigning the direction of certain General Offices, traditionally entrusted to General Councilors to the newly established Mission Secretariat. It was further suggested that Continental Councilors spend longer periods of time in the area for which they are responsible. "In cooperation with the Regional Superiors this could contribute to the promotion and organization of continental and inter-regional projects in various areas of missionary life and activity" (XCG 80).
After two years of experimentation we can affirm that the councilors' role is not only becoming more clearly defined but also more relevant on the level of continent and Region. This is especially true in Africa and America. The councilors have been able to:
- spend more of the time they were free from Roman council or office commitments in the regions of their continent;
- take part in the annual continental meeting of Regional Superiors, study and agree upon appropriate continental or inter-regional projects for the following year;
- make frequent visits to the regions - beyond accompanying the Superior or Vice-Superior General on the canonical visitations;
- coordinate and contribute to improving local activities and the ongoing formation of our personnel; members of the Secretariat and frequently the Consolata Sisters helped in this work;
- maintain fairly regular written correspondence with the Regional Superiors and confrères;
- inform the General Government during the Council's three regular sessions a year in Rome about the activities and over-all situation of the regions and the personnel. Regional council meeting minutes were especially helpful in this regard.

The continent of Europe merits separate consideration. It seems to us that there is little need felt for continental coordination or for initiating formation or sector projects on a continental level. Some common centenary celebration and mission promotion projects were carried out. The school for mission promoters established this year is worthy of note.

c. Publications of the General Government
The General Government is in charge of four publications:
- Da Casa Madre: edited by Father Sergio Frassetto, is, in our opinion, the publication most read by our missionaries, relatives and friends. It does not always receive the collaboration from our confrères that it deserves. It provides useful information, creates communion and allows us to become better acquainted with each other. We must point out, however, the increasing difficulty our younger confrères have in reading this publication since it is only published in Italian. At the present time we cannot even contemplate the possibility of translating it into other languages because of the problems and expense this would entail.
- IMC Bulletin is nine years old. It comes out in four languages fairly regular two-month intervals and contains information and formation from the General Government. The Secretary General is the editor of this publication. The expense of translations is substantial, but we think is money well spent because of the role the Bulletin plays in our evermore international Family.
- IMC Documentation: up to now two issues in four languages have appeared yearly. The General Mission Secretariat is responsible for this publication. Translations, handled by the regions, make this publication accessible to all our confrères. The material provides rich resources for study of the missions, spirituality and our charism. We are debating whether we should confine contributions of Consolata Missionaries, or we should include material from other sources as well.
- Giuseppe Allamano - dalla Consolata al mondo is published by the Office of Postulation. To reach a larger public it is currently included as a supplement in Missioni Consolata and consequently reaches only the Italian readership. All our periodicals in other languages have been urged to use as much of its material as possible.
We cannot fail to mention the current importance of websites for communicating with the public - especially young people. The Institute has an official website [www.consolata.org] which is linked to other sites supported by the regions. Our website was created in Canada many years ago but was not adequately maintained. It is now the responsibility of the General Government; with the help of technical experts our confrères update the site constantly. It is an up-to-date source for the material produced by the General Government and provides access to a variety of other documents.
One might ask if it wasn't time to move away from paper periodicals and concentrate on the electronic distribution of information which is both cheaper and faster. What problems would this create for those confrères and members of the public who do not have access to the web? Could we find some sort of middle way? What would that be?

In discussing various offices and areas of activity we will follow the framework found in Program for the General Government 1999-2005. First of all we will speak about the General Mission Secretariat and the various sectors linked to it. We will then consider those other offices which are operationally autonomous and independent of the Secretariat.

A. The General Mission Secretariat

The Secretariat was established by the XCG. It assists the General Government in the leadership of the Institute, giving particular support to the Continental Councilors in carrying out formation and updating projects in various areas. It is directed by two missionaries; it plans and carries out its projects in close collaboration with the General Government.
The General Secretariat was able to initiate its work at the very beginning of the six-year term and has offered effective assistance to the General Government in planning activities for areas that fall within its competence. The past three years have been a breaking-in period; consequently it is difficult to make an exhaustive evaluation of its accomplishments at present. It seems to us that the effectiveness of its service, the number of its projects and its impact on the grassroots are all on the increase. The Regions are becoming aware not only of its existence but of the possibilities it can offer in the area of permanent formation. We must note, however, that a poor response from the Regions have rendered some of its projects less effective.
Because of a personnel emergency in Korea this year we have had to replace Father Diego Cazzolato with Father Francisco Lerma Martínez.

Permanent Formation Sector

The XCG enjoined both the General Government and the Regional Governments to "promote energetically the renewal of all our missionaries through permanent formation which involves not just updating, but the remotivation of individuals through the study and assimilation of our charism, the spirit of the Founder and the ideals of consecration, communion and the missions" (p. 47). After three years we can affirm that the General Government with the support of the Secretariat has devoted considerable time and resources to providing this sort of formation to our missionaries. In carrying out these various activities we have tried to keep in mind the perspective of "personal renewal" proposed by the XCG. We have at the same time endeavored to offer personal guidance to all those who felt the need of it. The following is a brief description of what we have accomplished up to now.
- Course for young missionaries: three such courses in the principal languages of the Institute have been planned, each lasting three months. They will take place annually in conjunction with the Consolata Sisters. The first such course in Italian took place last year at Nepi. In spite of unavoidable limitations the feedback from the participants was very positive. The second course - in English - is going on at present in Nairobi, Kenya. The third course - in Spanish and Portuguese - will be held in Brazil next year. We hope in this way to reach some thirty missionaries who have been ordained or made perpetual profession within the last ten years.
- Course for adult missionaries: these have been going on for some time now. After our experience in 2001 we decided to suspend these courses temporarily and determine why it was difficult to find a sufficient number of participants (14-15). We would pose certain questions: Should we continue these courses or should we suspend them for a few years? Are there any middle-aged missionaries (25 years of ordination or perpetual profession) left who have not had a chance to take part in these courses? How many would they be?
- Course for elderly missionaries: One is being held even as we write this report. We would only note that it was not easy to assemble a sufficient number of individuals since we had initially limited recruiting to confrères in Europe. We would like to ask the assembly's opinion of the following idea: should we hold a courses in Rome for some fifteen missionaries at six-month intervals, or should we organize courses on a continent-wide level involving a larger number of participants?
- Take advantage of missionaries who are specialists in permanent formation: we have drawn up a list of confrères who can assist regions that ask for help in this area. During the recent centenary celebrations the contributions of confrères with expertise in study, commemorative celebrations and preaching retreats were especially appreciated.
- Sabbaticals: at the same time the course for adult missionaries was cancelled, the requests for sabbaticals has increased. Rome is still the preferred destination; there are the many university courses available or the ad hoc course for missionaries prepared by the Pontifical Salesian University. There are excellent possibilities in London, Madrid and the United States; because of the current political situation going to Jerusalem would be inadvisable. Requests for sabbaticals ordinarily come from individual confrères who have spoken with their regional superiors. In some cases, the regional superiors themselves have taken the initiative. The General Government has prepared a draft statute for regulating sabbaticals and asks the assembly to evaluate it before it is approved ad experimentum.
- Special courses: participation in various courses has been especially encouraged in the last three years - especially courses in psychology offered by the St. Anselm Institute in England (17 participants). Similarly there has been a notable participation in courses of therapy. While on the one hand this has produced excellent results in some cases, we must note that lack of cooperation has in a few other cases has led to failure. We will speak more about this subject further on.
- General Secretariat aids. I will simply list those aids the Secretariat has prepared and made available to the Regions: a list of therapy centers, and other centers of a spiritual nature; a databank of various sorts of updating courses; publication of IMC Documentation.
- Support for regional permanent formation projects: there have been few requests for help from the regions in this area. All the same the meetings of continental councilors with the local superiors of various Regions deserve mention.

Mission and Vocation Promotion Sector

The XCG bemoaned the fact that mission and vocation promotion is considered secondary and marginal in the majority of our Regions. Our visits to the Regions confirm the validity of this evaluation. We gained the impression from many of our missionaries that these activities are not very important for the Institute or the local church. Chapter members, on the other hand, were convinced that mission and vocation promotion was an intrinsic part of our ad gentes vocation and the professional, specific service we provide to local churches. They strongly reaffirmed its importance and necessity.
The General Government went on at some length in presenting guidelines and methods in this area. They hoped that through the continental councilor and the General Secretariat these directives would act as an incentive for the Regions. The following are the principal suggestions that came up.
- Continental meetings for those involved in Mission/Vocation Promotion where they could review what they had done, exchange and compare experiences and plan continent-wide projects. These meetings have already taken place on all the continents.
- Organization of a school for promoters on a European level. This became a reality for three weeks last May in Turin.
- Canonical visitations should include reviewing progress in this area. No occasion was missed to underline the importance of this work and the need to assign sufficient and appropriate personnel. Missionaries engaged in pastoral work were encouraged to pay special attention to the area of vocations.
- Consider the possibility of establishing "a permanent Mission/Vocation Promotion study group" in Europe. The annual meeting of European Regional Superiors decided that they themselves - along with those responsible for Mission/Vocation Promotion - would constitute this permanent study group. They would commit themselves to studying this subject and to providing promoters with useful work aids, the chance to attend courses and the necessary support.

At this point we would like to pose some basic questions concerning individual continents. The assembly can take them up later for discussion so that we can agree on responses or common guidelines.
- Europe: for over fifty years our European Regions have been confined to Italy and the Iberian peninsula. The vocation crisis in the western world is making our current vocation work somewhat pointless and futile. In spite of this some two-thirds of those involved in promotion work in Europe. Is it wise to continue this concentration on Europe when other of our regions in the southern hemisphere chronically short of personnel are more promising for vocations? Could we conceive of a different geographic distribution of personnel on this continent? The European Superiors have already discussed a request from the Bishop of Vitebsk in Belarus - he would like us to come to his diocese primarily for mission and vocation promotion. Can we take this into serious consideration? What would be the necessary conditions for acceding to this request?
- Africa: today this is our most promising area for vocations. The majority of our people in formation come from the African Regions. Here too there is a dark side. How can the limited number of missionaries involved in formation respond effectively and with discernment to the large number of young people who knock on our door? Since the diocesan clergy is becoming ever more numerous should we not focus our attention on missionary promotion of the local churches? Shouldn't this be a priority of our ad gentes mission, especially in those regions where we have long been present? In spite of the fact that mission/vocation promotion is assuming greater importance and common direction throughout the continent, our efforts on behalf of the local church are still limited. Certain questions remain: How can we inspire the young Africans attracted to us with a missionary ideal that goes beyond the simple desire to become priests. How can we respond effectively to the Chapter's directive (86) to establish a full-time mission/vocation promotion team even if providing it with sufficient and qualified staffing involves a reorganization of our other activities?
- The XCG urged Latin America to make a genuine "effort to assign missionaries to this work - if necessary abandoning other commitments" (p. 87). Instead we note the increasing and chronic shortage of personnel for mission/vocation promotion. No change in direction has been noted in any of the continent's Regions in spite of promising mission and vocation possibilities. Shouldn't we be more courageous and demanding in reorganizing our work to ensure effective mission and vocation promotion? Why is it precisely our parishes that seem least committed to this work? Why should only young missionaries be involved in this work? Why is there so little support for the missionary press or for the distribution of our publications?
We noted in various Regions a return to parishes as the privileged platform for effective mission and vocation promotion in the local churches. Past General Chapters have displayed a certain skepticism in this regard. This skepticism was borne out by statistics regarding where our young people came from. Perhaps there is need for further and more intense discernment before increasing these commitments for mission and vocation promotion.

Initial evangelization and pastoral sector

"Ad gentes" was a central theme of our Tenth General Chapter and the Chapter issued precise guidelines on this theme. We believe that regional conferences and the majority of our missionaries received these guidelines favorably. All the Regions have engaged in a serious review of their commitments and of their style of evangelization. We still note occasional resistance. This is understandable - especially with our older personnel. It is almost as if the road we are now following in fidelity to our charism implies disapproval of what our confrères have accomplished in the past. We believe it necessary to make it clear to missionaries that this ad gentes element is not a criticism of missionary personnel, rather it is an attempt to help them see the new fields of the "harvest" in which the Spirit is calling us to work today. Some still feel an instinctive reluctance to enter areas of initial evangelization convinced that there is no work for us in places where there are no Christians!
The following is a brief list of support activities in which the Secretariat and the General Government have been engaged on behalf of those working in this area:
- At the request of certain regions we have prepared guidelines for reviewing our commitments to determine whether we should continue our involvement or pass them on to the local church.
- Together with the continental councilors the General Secretariat is promoting a series of discussions on pastoral work and evangelization for our "pastors." This project is being met with interest and a willingness to take part; it covers three areas of concern: understanding the world around us, returning to the sources and carrying out the Chapter's message.
- The new dimensions of our ad gentes pastoral work while stirring up interest among many of our missionaries is leaving others uncertain if not upset. Perhaps we ought to engage in Region-wide formation projects aimed at helping missionaries make the transition from simple "maintenance" to an ad gentes apostolate following on an organic plan.
- Finally it would be helpful to intensify the General Secretariat's interaction with regional secretariats and those in the regions responsible for Evangelization and the Apostolate. Some Regions do not yet have anyone charged with this responsibility; projects and proposals coming from the center meet no local response and fall by the wayside.

Justice and Peace Sector

The theme of justice and peace is beginning to find a place - however inconspicuous - in the thinking of our missionaries and the evangelization technique of the Institute. In almost all our Regions there is a functioning Justice and Peace Committee that fosters discussion among missionaries about relevant themes concerning our work areas, the civil government and society.
The General Secretariat has been able to assist the Continental Councilors in the following ways:
- Organizing continental meetings of regional Justice and Peace promoters. These meetings occur at two-year intervals and are held in conjunction with the Consolata Sisters.
- Distributing the Justice and Peace manual which has been translated into several languages.
- Transmitting information to regional promoters and maintaining contact with those interested in this subject.
Moreover the General Secretariat maintains contact with other religious and missionary congregations in Rome interested in promoting and raising consciousness in this area; it also takes part in practical activities and campaigns. The Secretariat plays an active role in three justice and peace organizations of which our Institute is a member: JPIC (Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation), AEFJN (Africa-Europe Faith and Justice Network), SEDOS (Service for Documentation and Study).
Currently regional promoters are studying justice and peace subjects from the perspective of our charism and are helping our confrères to do the same. Two weak points remain: promoters do not stay in office very long and many missionaries resist their leadership and efforts.

Consolata Lay Missionaries

Since an analysis of the draft statute prepared by the General Secretariat is one of the items on the agenda of this consultation we will have ample opportunity to study this subject in detail.
In reviewing our accomplishments over the last three years there are some subjects of a more marginal interest that we ought to consider.
- The XCG's efforts to increase commitment to lay collaboration and to draw up (with lay help) statutes that would channel all our current experimentation towards a single goal met with interest in all the regions. We very quickly realized that synthesizing so many different experiences into a single project would require careful attention, fraternal openness and active collaboration from everyone involved.
- Regional visitations and conversations with confrères made it clear that we have a long way to go to create the attitude towards the laity described in the Chapter Acts. The Acts speak of a change of mentality as the indispensable pre-condition "to understand and exploit the role of the laity, to engage in dialogue, to work willingly with lay people and to respect their specific contribution" (61). Discussion of our new statutes is a chance to move forward in this area - a chance that must not be missed.
- In their own chapter the Consolata Sisters have provided different guidelines for work with the laity. We can only hope that mutual and fraternal collaboration during this six-year period will lead to a gradual integration of our two experiences. In the future we could hope for "Consolata Lay Missionaries," instead of IMC Lay Missionaries and MC Lay Missionaries.

1. General Office for Basic Formation and Studies

The General Government thought it a good idea to divide this office into two sectors: Formation and Basic Studies; Higher Studies and Culture. The first sector is the responsibility of Father J.A.Benedetti, Continental Councilor for Europe; Father P.A.Bellagamba, Vice-Superior General is in charge of the second sector.
Since there are an enormous number of subjects that can be discussed with regard to this office we will confine our comments to those matters that cause some concern and merit special attention in this venue. The individuals responsible for these sectors can give a more detailed description of those elements and accomplishments omitted in this report.

Formation Personnel
The number and mobility of people involved in formation is striking. During the past three years many missionaries have been assigned to formation; half of these were engaged in formation for the first time. Finding an adequate number of individuals who were willing to offer this service for a reasonable amount of time (at least six years) has been a constant challenge for the General and Regional Governments. We believe that this will continue to be true for the immediate future. We believe that the General Government in collaboration with the Regional Governments ought to plan assignments in a way that will avoid - to the extent possible - last minute improvisations or assigning the newly ordained, the unwilling or the unprepared to formation work. Unfortunately the excessive impermanence of formation personnel creates frequent emergencies and endangers the very formation of our young people.
We have found that formation personnel is sometimes been involved in too many other activities that have nothing to do with formation. In spite of the good will of those involved excessive commitments undoubtedly have a deleterious effect on the formation of our young men.
Up to this point we have availed ourselves of two venues for training formation personnel: the six-month formation course at the Salesian Pontifical University (Rome) and the courses offered at the St. Anselm Institute in England. Besides this academic preparation we believe that hands-on work with an experienced team before assuming direct responsibility is always helpful - if difficult to arrange. We should not overlook formation training projects in the countries in which we work.
We have always recommended and hoped for formation teams but unfortunately they have proved difficult to create. We realize that it is almost impossible to set up teams with an adequate number of people. In the face of these difficulties certain questions are unavoidable: Do we have too many formation structures? Would it be possible to downsize these structures without having an adverse effect on formation? In those places where the number of students is small could we establish inter-regional formation communities - beginning with philosophy? What criteria can we establish to assure proper collaboration between the General Government and the Regions in assigning and training formation personnel?

Revising the Ratio Formationis
This revision was proposed by the XCG and is underway. For this purpose many missionaries (formation personnel, young missionaries, temporary professed) have already been consulted. They agree on the inclusion of certain new elements should be included in a revised Ratio Formationis:
- Clarity on the type of IMC Missionary that should be presented as a role model for young people. Naturally the guidelines of recent General Chapters will be helpful in this regard.
- The possibility of uniting in a single Ratio formation guidelines for brother candidates and priesthood candidates. Formation communities for brothers only seem more and more unlikely.
- Careful attention to the increasingly inter-cultural status of our seminaries.
- Special attention to the preparatory (propaedeutic) stage of formation.
- Guidelines that assist transition from one stage of formation to another - continuity in formation.
Once the Ratio Formationis has been revised it should be published in the languages of the Institute.

Propaedeutic Year
The propaedeutic year has been accepted in all the Regions but there are still some problems with putting it into effect. We would point out the following:
- Some regions are too quick to make exceptions, for example with candidates coming from diocesan seminaries. Experience has shown us that such candidates may well have a certain amount of spiritual and academic preparation but are unprepared to take on community life and even less clear on the subject of a missionary vocation.
- The propaedeutic program often suffers from too much improvisation, both with regard to its length and its contents. The propaedeutic year must be discussed extensively in the Ratio Formationis.
- On all continents those young people who knock on our doors today carry a certain amount of negative baggage along with an abundance of enthusiasm and talent. This is a brief list of the more obvious negative elements which must be considered beginning in the propaedeutic year: dysfunctional families are commonplace; affections and sexual attitudes are often unbalanced; fragmentation, instability and scanty cultural identification weigh upon young people; religious and faith experience is slight; motivation is usually weak and sometimes misleading; academic preparation is poor - often insufficient for advanced studies in philosophy and theology.

Pastoral Work Experience
This lasts two years and should not be confused with the deacon's experience of a few months which has been adopted by some regions. This is optional and it should not coincide with the end of basic formation. Fewer and fewer students, either on their own or at the suggestion of formation personnel, are involved in this work experience. The way theology is arranged academically makes the inclusion of this work experience almost impossible during basic formation. If it occurs at the end of basic formation its efficacy is greatly reduced and can involve certain difficulties (e.g. who will assume responsibility for admission of these young people to Perpetual Profession or Sacred Orders?) Some have asked if it wouldn't be a good idea to provide all our students with direct missionary experience during basic formation - even if it wasn't a true and proper two-year work experience.

Relations between Regions and Houses of Formation
The disconnect between formation communities and the region has been the subject of frequent complaints in the past - especially during canonical visitations. The absence of genuine integration of our seminaries into the life of the Region can have a negative effect on formation and the future of the missions. The opposite situation on the other hand would create a greater sense of belonging among our students; it would eliminate that lack of confidence missionaries often feel towards basic formation; it would reduce the discomfort caused by differences of generation and mission methodology; it would create a positive, dialectical relationship among all the members of the region which is a sure sign of a healthy family spirit.
On this occasion too we feel obliged to renew our appeal to regional superiors that they do everything possible to remove whatever is blocking a good relationship between the missionaries of a region and the young people in formation. Let the regional superior be the first one to establish contact and contribute to increasing communion.

Other Formation Structures
Due to a variety of factors, the number of students in recent years has visibly decreased. This is the principal reason the General Government thought it urgent to consider the future of our presence in London (something suggested by the XCG). We have already informed you that the Totteridge community will be closed at the end of June, 2003. We will continue our commitment to the Missionary Institute of London (MIL).
Eight years ago the Washington community was made a "House of Studies." This allowed newly ordained priests or those involved in graduate studies to pursue academic degrees. Experience has shown us the inadvisability of sending confrères into graduate studies before they have had adequate, direct missionary experience. Moreover the high cost to the General Government of maintaining this community inclines us to look for other venues for graduate studies.
Our house in Madrid which is not reserved to just graduate students is similarly experiencing a dearth of students - something that bodes ill for its future. We would appreciate any suggestions this assembly might like to make on these subjects.

2. Specialization Sector

The Vice-Superior General is responsible for this sector. His report presents impressive statistics. In the past three years:
- Six missionaries have been awarded the doctorate: Scripture Studies, Philosophy, Sociology, Moral Theology, Spirituality and Medicine.
- Thirty-six missionaries have been awarded the licentiate (Master's Degree). The majority of these degrees were awarded at the end of basic formation.
- Two missionaries have been awarded a diploma: one in Counseling and the other in Social Communications.
Through the appropriate offices the General Government has clarified guidelines for specialization and studies (Cf. Bulletin 95, pp. 21-23). In that communiqué (June 20, 2001) the Directorate reaffirms the Chapter directive that students finishing their basic formation should get an academic degree wherever that is possible. Students should then be involved in period of direct missionary work before going on to graduate studies. The pursuit of graduate studies can be at the request of an individual missionary with the permission of his Regional Government; it can be the decision of the Regional Government itself to answer the need for specialized personnel - or it can be the response of the General Government to specific needs of the Institute. It is always and only the responsibility of the General Government to plan and assign someone to doctoral studies.
We bemoan the fact that many of our confrères are excessively concerned with academic distinctions to the detriment of more important values such as the missionary vocation or belonging to the Institute. We cannot let this occasion pass by without emphasizing - especially to our young people - that the Institute provides all the philosophical and theological training necessary for them to carry out their mission in the best possible way. Only for specific needs will certain individuals be asked to pursue graduate studies - these studies must always be seen as a "means" and not an "end" in their lives.

3. Historic Office
This office will "guide research and critical studies into the life, teaching and writings of the Founder, the history of the Institute and of the missions. It has the task to collect and publish the memoirs of our deceased confrères" (General Directory, 132.8). Father Giampietro Casiraghi presides over this office. He is assisted by Fathers Candido Bona and Giovanni Crippa. During the past three years the following works have been published (they are part of the Studi e Saggi Series):
- volumes VIII, IX/1, IX/2 and X of Quasi una vita …, this completes the collection of the Founder's letters.
- Quando la Missione Diventa Contemplazione - Mons. Carlo Cavallera, by P.L.Zamuner.
- Concilio Vaticano II: o contributo do Episcopado de Africa e Madagascar, doctoral thesis of Fr. Diamantino G. Antunes.
- O Carisma do Instituto Missões Consolata na expressão de seu Fundador José Allamano, doctoral thesis of Fr. Luiz Balsan.
- Dispensatori dei Misteri della Salvezza. Atti del Convegno di Studio, Roma 2000.
- The General Government assisted by the Historical Office has made contributions to the following publications:
- G. Tebaldi, La missione racconta, EMI. This book has been translated into English, Spanish and Portuguese.
- A. Montonati, Due terre una missione - Mons. Luigi Santa, EMI.
- G. Tebaldi, La mia vita per la Missione - Giuseppe Allamano, EMI.
- S. Sabatini, Sangue nella foresta amazzonica, EMI. This is a translation of the original Portuguese, Massacre.
- Updating and re-printing Missionari Defunti, edited by Fr. A. Accoto.
We feel it necessary to involve still more collaborators in this office and would urge our students to do research on the Founder and the Institute.

4. The Office of Postulation

This office presided over by Fr. Gottardo Pasqualetti has done an outstanding work in promoting the cause of our Founder; this work resulted in the unforgettable celebration of his beatification on October 7, 1990. Later Father Pasqualetti was appointed Regional Superior of Italy; as a result the office suffered from not having someone assigned full-time to this work. Recently the need to renew personnel in the office led the General Government to appoint Father Francesco Pavese as Postulator.
While waiting for another miracle for Blessed Allamano's canonization the office of postulation - in collaboration with our confrères - could assume the following responsibilities.
- Promote veneration for our Founder in our two Institutes and devotion to the Founder among the people of God; publicize his example and holy life;
- Discuss with the General Government initiating the causes of other Consolata Missionaries whose lives are examples of holiness and mission work for the people of God throughout the world;
- Study the possibility of new publications about the Founder that take advantage of the vast amount of material gathered for his beatification process;
- Study the possibility of a smaller collection of the Founder's letters to missionaries. The letters collected by Father C. Bona in the Quasi una vita … series are a rich source of this precious material.
- Increase the frequency of publication for Beato Allamano - dalla Consolata al mondo; study the possibility of having it translated into other languages.

5. Office of Hospital Coordination

This office began work in the final months of 1998. The General Government issued statutes clearly outlining its parameters, goals and tasks. The General Council has reviewed the office's work during the last three years and has sought the opinion of those regional superiors most involved in supporting these hospitals; in view of the information gathered, the Council has decided to terminate the work of this office at the end of 2001. One very significant reason for this decision was the practical impossibility of reaching the goals or accomplishing the tasks the statutes had set out for this office.

6. General Administration

Father Marco Marini, the General Administrator, will present a detailed report on finances and the work of his office later on; we will confine our comments to certain general observations.
We believe that the financial situation of the Institute is currently satisfactory. Through the constant generosity of our benefactors and the hard work of our missionaries Providence continues to meet all the needs of our mission work throughout the world. We have shouldered the ever increasing financial burdens of our mission commitments with relative serenity. During the last three years the General Administration was in a position not only to support the expenses of the General Government and the works entrusted to it, but to distribute substantial financial aid to the regions. In distributing aid those Regions with special financial problems were a priority. The General Administration has endeavored to respond positively to requests on behalf of the poor and to augment regional endowments without touching the capital entrusted its care.
This positive turn of events should not cause us to lessen our frugality in mission finances nor should it diminish that austerity which characterizes the life of a missionary. So much money for evangelization and helping the poor passes through our hands. The XCG recognized the need for new and updated guidelines on the use of property and called for a new circular letter on this subject. It is the desire of the General Government that this document, currently in preparation, benefit from as much input as possible. It is only in this way that it can cover and clarify areas of concern that are obscure or have not been the subject of sufficient discussion.
Besides its considerable daily business the General Administration tasks we think most significant are the following: visitation of regions by the General Administrator; training regional administrators; study and eventual rearrangement of investments; the problem of a new headquarters for elderly missionaries at Alpignano; care for certain properties - some new and some to be sold.
We would call attention to certain items which are not strictly part of financial administration but do concern the use of property and financial activity within the Institute.

Preparation of Regional Administrators
It has become customary for all new regional administrators to spend a month in Rome with the General Administration before assuming responsibility for their office. The purpose of this stay is to become familiar with methods of accounting and the ordinary administrative practice of the Institute. Unfortunately this custom has been neglected in recent years and consequently negative results in the quality of local administration have become apparent. We would like to reaffirm the importance of this training for regional administrators and we urge the regional councils to insist on it. The introduction and use of electronic methods of accounting make this training for regional administrators even more necessary.

Employing Competent Lay Personnel
Financial administration in our time is becoming ever more demanding and requires personnel with uncommon skill. The good will of individual missionaries assisted by regional administrators can no longer guarantee compliance with the law in a given Region.
Regional Councils should not to hesitate to seek out the help and advice of experts in this area. This especially necessary for carrying out serious audits, deciding on projects that will be financially burdensome for the region or making investment decisions.
We would urge employing - wherever and whenever possible - lay people in our bookkeeping offices. Experience has taught us that this is the path to follow; missionary and religious personnel are used to greater benefit when they are engaged in work more in line with their calling.
Finally we should not exclude the possibility of inviting carefully chosen experts to take part in our regional and general administration council meetings.

A New Headquarters for Elderly Missionaries in Alpignano
We would like to mention this subject briefly - even if it is more properly the concern of the Italian Region - since it could help other regions which use it for their aging personnel.
For some years now - since the last visitation to the Italian Region - we have studied the possibility of bringing the buildings at Alpignano into conformity with building codes, especially with regard to accident insurance. Unfortunately the older part of the house falls under the jurisdiction of the Belle Arti (Italian government office for preservation of the arts) and nothing much could be done. Suddenly the municipality offered to buy all of our Alpignano buildings for a good price, and to grant us permission to build a new house. This seemed an ideal solution to our problems..
It took two years of discussions between the Institute and the municipality of Alpignano to resolve certain problems, but the papers were finally signed in July 2002. The money paid by the municipality was not sufficient to complete the new construction - somewhat higher than the current building - but the sale of other properties will allow us to pay for this new project without touching General Administration capital. We should bear in mind the fact that as the number of our elderly missionaries diminishes this building can be used as a retirement home for old people and thus become a source of income.

Distribution of Financial Aid
As is apparent from the General Administration report the amount of financial aid distributed in recent years is substantial. The principal sources of the General Administration's annual income are bequests from Italian benefactors, bank interest and large contributions from the Portuguese Region. We distribute financial aid each year at the end of March. This allows the General Government a chance to examine a series of documents: Region reports on how last year's money was used; ideas and requests from regional superiors; and special emergencies - medical expenses, disasters and training …
Recently the General Government has refrained from determining where exactly aid should be sent and has left it up to the General Administration to decide how much money should be earmarked for the poor, evangelization, the needs of a given Region or any other worthy cause.
The Program for the General Government 1999-2005 reaffirmed the principle that requests for money from individual missionaries should be addressed to their Regional Superior and not to the General Government. Unfortunately many of our confrères continue to write directly to the General Government asking for financial assistance. Some regions have suggested that the General Administration should assume direct and complete support for our formation centers and establish a fund for this specific purpose. Up to now we have avoided taking this step - we believe that regional participation in supporting our seminaries is something positive for both missionaries and students. This proposal is still open for discussion both here and elsewhere; we are willing to discuss this without entertaining any foregone conclusions.
Last year at the suggestion of the General Council of Administration we decided to increase the endowment of some of the more needy Regions. We note that there are some jurisdictions who receive considerable annual assistance but are unable to balance their budget. We think our confrères must be sensitized to the need not just to reduce expenses but to find new sources of income for the regions.