Inter-Chapter 2019 Obra, Poland

Rule 128e of our Constitutions and Rules directs that, “Between Chapters, the Superior General in Council, in plenary session, will call at least one meeting of the Provincials with the Central Government. After consulting the Provincials, he will determine the details of the convocation and the agenda of the meeting”.

In keeping with this rule and the practice, on March 1, 2018, Fr. Superior General convoked an “Inter-Chapter” meeting of the Provincials and the Central Government of the Congregation. The Superiors of Delegations and the Superiors of Missions in the Region of Europe were likewise requested to attend this gathering.

The Oblate Scholasticate of the Province of Poland, in Obra, is now ready to host the OMI Inter-Chapter 2019 from July 1-13. It will be an important time for the leaders of our Congregation,

to evaluate the extent to which decisions taken in Chapter have been carried out,
to encourage further implementation of such decisions,
to provide for the remote preparation of the next Chapter” (R 128e).

The preparation for the meeting had begun almost a year ago, as the Provincials, Superiors of Delegations and Missions, their respective Councils as well as the Regional Conferences, responded to a questionnaire sent to them by the Ad hoc Committee for the meeting.

The Inter-Chapter will certainly be a great opportunity for the Congregation in order to achieve greater effectiveness in responding to the directions set by the last General Chapter.

Day 1 – Opening Session

The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate Inter-Chapter held in Obra, Poland began on 01 July 2019. This Inter-Chapter session is the time for the congregation, through central government and the major superiors of the congregation from different provinces, to assess and evaluate the vision of the previous General Chapter.

Present at the chapter is the General Administration and all the provincials and delegation superiors of different provinces and delegations of the congregation. Superiors of two Missions in Europe (Romania and Belarus) were also invited by Fr. Superior General, as the meeting is being held in the region of Europe. The first day of the Inter-Chapter began with the opening Eucharistic celebration that was presided by the Vicar General, Fr Paolo ARCHIATI. In his homily Fr Paolo highlighted the significance of the 1^st of July, stating that in the old Liturgical calendar this day was the Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Jesus. He mentioned that for St Eugene the Feast of the Blood of Christ was important to the founder’s conversion. He stated that all participants have left their different Jerusalem to journey with Christ. The participants were invited to be open to the Holy Spirit without which “the Gospel becomes dead words, the Church becomes a simple organization, authority becomes power, and mission becomes propaganda”.

The official opening of the Inter-Chapter was followed by the procession to the Inter-Chapter Hall where all the discussions will take place under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. The provincial superior of Poland, Fr Pawel ZAJAC, and the Councillor for the European Region, Fr Antoni BOCHM gave the welcoming remarks. They invited the participants to feel at home within the Region and the province of Poland; they equally expressed the well-wishes and prayers from the local bishop. In his opening remarks, the Superior General mentioned that this is the time of grace given to the major Superiors since the last chapter. It was time to evaluate the 3 last years and to plan for the next three years. He invited the participants to give of themselves during these days of inter-chapter. He also mentioned that is not only a time of work but also to live out our Oblate spirit amongst ourselves.

Fr. Pawel Zajac, Fr. Louis Lougen (Superior General) and Fr. Antoni Bochm

The greater part of the first day was afterward dedicated to the participants meeting in small groups for a time of sharing and finalisation of regional reports to be presented on the second day of the chapter.

Day 2 – Regional Reports

The second day of the Inter-chapter began with a time of prayer animated by some Oblates from the Obra Scholasticate community. One of the objectives of the Inter-Chapter is the evaluation of how units have implemented the vision of the previous General Chapter. The major objective of the second day of the day was for the regions to present to the plenary session their regional reports.

The presidents from the regions of Africa Madagascar, Asia-Oceania, Canada-US, and Europe were the first to present their reports. They presented how the Oblates in their respective regions work to implement the strategies recommended by the General Chapter. They focused on the six areas of evangelization identified by the 36th General Chapter. These areas were: Mission and the New Faces of the Poor, Mission with Youth, Formation for Mission, Mission and Interculturality, Mission and Social Media, and Mission and Finances.

Different aspects came out within different regions. The Africa Madagascar region highlighted the growing number of vocation. In as much as this growth is a blessing to the region, it comes with challenges such as the formation of formators and the financial implications of this growth.

The Asia-Oceania region has done some great advancement in the interreligious dialogue, however, there are still major challenges that they face due to the diversity of the region.

The afternoon session began with a prayer in communion with the Scholasticate community of Yaoundé in Cameroon. It was time for the Canada-US region to present to the session their regional report. In their presentation, Frs Luc TARDIF and Louis STUDER highlighted the works done by the Oblates with the indigenous communities and migrants in Canada and in the USA. The region faces challenges of aging Oblates; nevertheless, they give their best in implementing the vision of the last General Chapter.

The day was concluded by the presentation from the European Region. The region highlighted the challenges of migration and how the Oblates are working to welcome migrants and the new poor within the region.

Published on the OMI World website