IN PROPHETIC MISSION (1997-2000)

XXII General Chapter

The XXII General Chapter of the Congregation was celebrated in Rome in the summer of 1997. Its main concern was to recover the prophetic dimension of the missionary service of the Word (PM). Fr. Aquilino Bocos was reelected Superior General. A special worth noting feature of this Chapter is the great variety of languages and cultures that reflect the presence of the Congregation in 56 countries.

Congregational Jubilee

The 150th anniversary of the foundation of the Congregation, the 50th year of the canonisation of our Fr. Founder and the centennials of the death of Frs. Clotet and Xifré have made of 1998-2000 a period of particular congregational activity. It was opened with a Meeting of Major Superiors of the entire Congregation in Bangalore (India) in October 1998, during which the Circular of Fr. General “Heritage and Prophecy” was launched. The celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Foundation was held in the cathedral of Vic, birthplace of the Congregation. On this occasion, the sepulchre of our Fr. Founder was remodelled and the body of Fr. Xifré moved to the crypt of the temple of Vic. Taking advantage of various circumstances, efforts have been made to emphasise the figure of our Founder by setting up several statues and memorial tablets: among them, those placed in the cathedrals of Vic, Madrid and Las Palmas and in the temple of the Holy Family in Barcelona.

Congregational Documents

The Congregation has always endeavoured to keep norms and life at a parallel level. For this reason the General Government has deemed it necessary to reform and update, in keeping with the times, some of the documents. Among them we must emphasise the new Directory (1999) and our particular liturgical books. At the same time intensive work is going on to publish the Vocational Directory and the Manual for Secretaries. To this must be added the effort to translate the most significant congregational documents to the various languages.

Re-classification of Organisms

Immediately after the Meeting of Major Superiors in Bangalore, some criteria were given to re-classify the major organisms of the Congregation. For example, an organism must have at least 40 perpetually professed members to continue being considered a Province. For this reason, the General Government decided to make into Delegations the Provinces of Antilles, Central Brazil, Equatorial Guinea, Venezuela, Canada and the United Kingdom-Ireland. In the same way, Central America was declared a Formed Province.

New Foundations

This is not a period of expansion but rather of consolidation of the new missionary fronts. However it is necessary to point out, in addition to those within the organisms, two significant foundations, namely Haiti and European Russia. The foundation of Haiti was due to CICLA’s initiative since, for the Congregation in America, their presence in the poorest country of the Continent presented itself as a real challenge. The foundation was carried out in 1999 with personnel from CICLA under the responsibility of Antilles. The foundation of St. Petersburg was implemented by the Province of Castile in 1998. This presence is a response to the Church’s call to evangelise this Russian zone where the work is especially difficult due to the situation of the country, the bureaucratic difficulties, the climate, the orthodox pressure and the absence of autochthonous Catholic clergy.

Interprovincial Noviciates

One of the initiatives lately promoted in the Congregation has been the integration of some formation institutions with the intention of pooling efforts in culturally neighbouring zones. Concretely we can mention the interprovincial noviciates of Iberia, Central America-Mexico-Antilles, South Cone of America, USA-Canada, India, French-speaking Africa and English-speaking Africa.

Congress of Spirituality

This is also an initiative that came out of the Meeting of Major Superiors in Bangalore. It consists in organising, on the occasion of the congregational Jubilee, a process of reflection on the missionary spirituality of the Claretians starting from their own experiences. This process would conclude with a Congress to be celebrated during the year 2000.

New persecutions

The persecutions in different places of the world have not come to an end. In the case of the Philippines, these persecutions have given the Congregation a new martyr, Fr. Rhoel Gallardo, tortured and assassinated in Basilan by Moslem extremists. To this persecution we must add that of East Timor, Indonesia, where not only the priests but also the students were hounded and persecuted like the rest of the population, and the churches and properties were destroyed. Also in Chocó, Colombia and in Peru the missionaries have shared the tragic fate of the people, with death itself frequently hanging about.

Presence in the Social Communication Media

Little by little and at a pace with society, the presence in the SCM has been increasing in the Congregation. In regard to the publication of books, it is necessary to emphasise the translation of the Pastoral Bible into Chinese both in traditional and in simplified characters, printed in China at the initiative of Claretian Publications of the Philippines. The Latin-American Agenda and the Biblical Diary, an initiative of CICLA, have also had a great international echo. In Manila the Religious Life review has started to be published. Great importance should be given also to the various initiatives that are being developed through Internet, with numerous Web pages throughout the world. Since 1998 the Claretian publication houses (Claretian Communications in the Philippines, Claret in Catalonia, Ave Maria in Brazil, Editorial Claretiana in Argentina, Ediurcla in Rome, Publicaciones Claretianas in Madrid and Claretian Publications in Bangalore) regularly take part in the International Book Fair in Frankfurt.

Presence in the Synods

Members of the Congregation have been present and have contributed in two Synods of Bishops held in this period. Bishops Angel Garachana and Romulo Emiliani and Fr. Francis Fierro participated in the Synod of America. Bishops Joseph Saraiva and Ferdinand Sebastián and Fr. General, Aquilino Bocos attended the Synod of Europe.

Justice and Peace

The General Government, in addition to continuing the various encounters and courses started in previous periods, is promoting, mainly from the Secretariat of Justice and Peace, workshops of congregational sensitising on themes of justice, peace and integrity of creation. The Secretariat’s aim is to promote communication and collaboration among the provincial secretariats and illumine both reflection and action from the viewpoint of God’s Word by means of subsidies and publications.

The Forge

Among the initiatives originated in the Provinces, The Forge must be stressed. It is a project of Claretian re-initiation that lasts 4 months, open to all members of the Congregation. It consists of four stages called, in Latin, “Quid prodest?,” “Patris mei,” “Charitas Christi” and “Spiritus Domini.” Its aim is to help the Claretian missionary relive the fundamental experiences of his vocation as a servant of the Word. The name is taken from the allegory used by our Fr. Founder to describe his own formation process as a missionary (Aut 342). It is carried out in Colmenar Viejo (Spain).