A perspective on Convocation 2018…from the back table!
We are back now from Convocation 2018 and it was a great gathering. Over 100 Oblates and Oblate Associates came together in Cornwall for a week of sharing, discerning and learning new approaches to ongoing difficult challenges.
Fr. Ken Forster, Provincial, opened Convocation with a warm welcome to men and women from across the country, including Fr. Louis Lougen, Superior General and Fr. Warren Brown, Counsellor for North America.
Day 1 was dedicated to the concept of interculturality and we were guided through an exploration of this topic by Fr. Roger Schroeder, SVD. He challenged our thinking of “the other” and helped us discover new ways of welcoming and living with men and women of different cultures.
On the second day of Convocation, several ministries shared their experiences and reported on their initiatives, including: JPIC, Kenya, MAMI, youth, prison, Oblate Associates, vocations, and the missions in the North. In addition, the leadership team for OMI Lacombe presented their lamentations, celebrations and priorities for the balance of their mandate. Great feedback and discussions were conducted at the tables and reported to the gathering at large.
The third day of Convocation started with a smudging ceremony, led by Tom Deerhouse. The presentation by Jennifer Henry of Kairos that followed focussed on how best to journey with the indigenous peoples in this time following the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. She provided models for walking with—not leading—and supporting—not speaking for—the indigenous peoples of Canada, strategies that enabled many to see a way of “breaking new ground together”.
As the Convocation came to a formal close on Thursday afternoon, Fr. Louis Lougen, Fr. Warren Brown and the Provincial leadership team were asked to provide final comments on the feedback received from the gathering.
After words of support and admiration, Fr. Louis put it so simply: as Blessed Oscar Romero once said, “We are the workers, not master builders.” Fr. Louis reminded us that the “mission” for the Oblates is not ours … it is God’s!
By McE Galbreath
Click on the picture below, to see pictures of our Convocation 2018!
