European Assemblies

Theme: Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation

From the 18th to the 22nd of August, 42 Missionaries of the Sacred Heart from the Provinces of Europe met in Issoudun for the Fourth European Assembly. The European Provincials had proposed to study the theme of justice, peace and the integrity of creation.

Representatives from each of the eight European MSC Provinces attended. The Assembly was joined by Sr. Esther Baselmans, a Daughter of our Lady of the Sacred Heart from Netherlands who is a member of the joint Dutch MSC/FDNSC JPIC Commission and by Mathieu Lobingo, a lay man from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who works with the Missionary Centre of the MSCs in Salzburg.

Fr. André Claessens, the Belgian Provincial was the moderator of this Assembly and had invited a French couple, Joel and Jeanine Lebillan, to speak to the group on the issue of immigration. The couple are members of CIMADE (a French network which works with and lobbies on behalf of migrants refugees) and are also from the reformed Christian tradition, which brought an extra ecumenical dimension to the Assembly.

Fr. Andre, in his opening address, refreshed our memory by recalling the different important texts of the Church and our own MSC Congregation on the question of justice, peace and the integrity of creation. This question has become more important in our Church over many years, especially since the Second Vatican Council.

Fr. Alfred Bour MSC, of the French Province, explored, in the context of our MSC tradition, the notion of ‘reparation’. As suggested in the documents of the General Chapter of 2005: could not justice, peace and the integrity of creation be a new way of understanding reparation? Fr. Bour deepened an idea close to his own heart; to think of reparation as “restoring the image of God a wounded humanity”.

Mr and Mrs Lebillan discussed the issues and challenges of immigration in Europe in general and in our communities in particular. This couple work in a number of different organisations that deal with this issue. There was an invitation for us to work in partnership with these organisations and with other Congregations.

On 21st August Fr. Andre took the time to introduce the group to an emerging development, that of ‘eco-spirituality’. On the occasion of the World Day of Peace both Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI have both referred to it. The safeguarding of creation was also a theme spoken of by the Pope at World Youth Day in Sydney, Australia in July of this year. There is then the need expand and deepen our theology of creation, incarnation and redemption in ntis regard. We recall that Fr. Chevalier himself had a cosmic vision of the spirituality of the heart.

After each input there were discussion groups arranged according to geographical areas which allowed for further reflection and appropriation of the material. At the end of each day we came together in a plenary session to share the fruits of our discussions and questions.

As we have done previously at each Assembly, we dedicated one session to receiving an update from the members of the European “Cordate” community of Aston, in Birmingham, UK. This is a European MSC project that was born of the first European Assembly in Issoudun in 2002. It is made up of three brothers (Ton Zwart, Carl Tranter and Mark Van Beeumen). Our confreres have already spent almost one year in Aston in a multicultural environment characterised by diverse religious outlooks. They offer a communal presence as MSC which embodies our own spirituality. In the heart of this city they live a community life based on reflection and prayer with a ministry of presence. They told us that little by little they are gaining the confidence and trust of the people who live in this neighbourhood, which has many of the problems of our modern society: drugs, violence, loneliness, etc. This community project is truly the product of a communal discernment and is sustained by all eight MSC Provinces of Europe. Their style of mission can be an inspiration even for our more classical communities. We are proud of this simple yet deep project, especially since it shows how our spirituality of the heart can help bring about the “new world” imagined by Fr. Chevalier. This project had a positive impact on our 4th European assembly. It is an encouragement for all of us.

During one of the evenings Fr. Joseph Hegglin (French Province, working in Nitra, Slovakia) and Fr. Pavol Baroš (South German-Austrian Province, working in the Irish mission in Russia) gave a report on our MSC mission in Russia. Fr Jo had recently visited Russia with the South German-Austrian Provincial. The Catholic Church in Russia is a minority. It is an important presence in a world that is a somewhat closed, but which has a great spiritual thirst. Pavol and his classmate Tomek Poterala (from Poland) are two young priests who have recently completed their formation in Nitra and who were appointed to the Russian mission two years ago.

The participants of the Fourth European Assembly wish to bring to the attention of our MSC confreres the following points:

We should have the desire to inform ourselves on the theme of justice, peace and the integrity of creation. Many texts relating to these issues exist in both the Church and our Congregation. This information is a part of the realisation of our charism.
We are the first beneficiaries of the blessings which flow from the pierced Heart of Jesus and in turn we must show this goodness to all human beings and creation. The cosmic vision that Fr. Jules Chevalier had immerses us deeply in this eco-spirituality. It challenges us to lead a simple lifestyle that respects both creation and people.
Immigration is now an increasing reality in our cities. We need to examine what this means for both our society and our Church. Immigration confronts us with new challenges of solidarity for which we must have an open heart.

From the 22^nd to the 25^th August 2006 fifty-five MSCs from the eight European Provinces, currently working in 14 different countries in Europe, gathered for the third MSC European Assembly. We were delighted to be in Issoudun once again for this third meeting, gathering in a warm atmosphere of encounter, of attentive listening, sharing and reflection, and of prayer, worship and thanksgiving. During the four days of the Assembly we focussed our attention on two of the themes of the MSC General Chapter of 2005; Prophetic Witness in the Face of Contemporary Challenges to Mission and A Common Vision and International Collaboration.

On Tuesday 22^nd August Fr Hans Kwakman MSC, in his conference entitled European MSC Communities Living in a Time of Transition, focussed on one aspect of the General Chapter theme of Prophetic Witness. He drew our attention to the fact that the Instrumentum Laboris of the 2005 General Chapter often mentioned individualism as an obstacle to community life. There is indeed a destructive individualism which hinders communion between brothers. Sometimes this form of individualism can be explained as a reaction to negative experiences of the exercise of authority and is characteristic of a period of transition not yet completed.

However, individualism can also be seen as the individuality of each person; their gifts, talents, their understanding of the Gospel, etc. Being able to bring together all of these diverse persons and gifts is a real enrichment of community. In this context new words for the vow of obedience are dialogue, communication, teamwork and mutual acceptance of who we are.

In the small group discussions which followed Fr Hans’ talk, members of the Assembly mentioned the following:

On Wednesday 23^rd August Carl Tranter MSC, Mark Van Beeumen MSC and Ton Zwart MSC, members of the New European Community from Birmingham (Aston), which is now called the MSC Cordate Community (cordate = heart-shaped), presented us with a concrete example of a European missionary project. The idea for this project and community was born at the first European Assembly in 2002. The project has been prayed about, reflected upon by many, and brought to reality step by step together as eight European MSC Provinces. We found the process used for establishing the community quite revolutionary and particularly helpful; building community first, then choosing a city and neighbourhood, then entering into a time of immersion and discernment, and only finally deciding on ministry. The community shared with us some of their learnings, particularly around the themes of a ministry of presence and what has been termed the “subjective turn” (a turn away from reliance on the established order of things and a greater reliance on the self and one’s own experiences). In the small group discussion which followed the presentation we shared on how we encounter and face the subjective turn that is so characteristic of Western European life and meaning-making.

On Thursday 24^th August André Claessens MSC addressed the Assembly on another of the themes from the General Chapter: A Common Vision of MSC Presence and International Collaboration. André began by calling our attention to the signs of the times discerned by the 2004 World Congress on Religious Life. Then, drawing on the Chapter documents and its Instrumentum Laboris he proceeded to invite us into a reflection on the challenges we face in our mission, our spirituality and our quest for a common congregational vision that would better enable greater international collaboration.

The small group discussion which followed raised many interesting points, among them;

On Thursday afternoon Michael Huber MSC addressed the Assembly and brought us up to date with developments in the community in Nitra, Slovakia. The international character of the community has undoubtedly contributed to its success. We were delighted to hear of the impact that the MSC community is having on the locality, particularly through the presence of the popular Retreat House in Lukov Dvor. It is also so encouraging to see an increase in MSC vocations from the surrounding countries.

On Friday 25^th August Rob Van der Zwan, director of the Missionary Service Centre, Tilburg (Netherlands) gave the Assembly another concrete example of a missionary project in the heart of Europe. The Centre, founded by the MSC and FDNSC, is now run by lay people, mostly volunteers, and reaches out to the marginalised and socially deprived (refugees, immigrants, asylum seekers, the unemployed and homeless) of the Tilburg area. After presenting some information about the project, Rob led the Assembly in a meditative reflection on the traditional corporal works of mercy and a contemporary parallel of examples of un-mercy in Western Europe today (loneliness, bitterness, depression, fear, confusion, anguish and i

ndifference).

The Assembly concluded with the celebration of Eucharist in the parish Church of St Cyr, Issoudun, presided by Fr Mark McDonald, the Superior General. At this Eucharist Fr. Ben Verberne MSC, the President of the European Provincial’s Conference (PEC), blessed and sent forth on mission the new MSC Cordate Community to begin their presence in Aston, Birmingham (England).

Once again the Assembly has provided us with a tremendous opportunity of crossing the borders of our eight MSC European Provinces, of encountering one another at a personal level, and sharing our lives, our hopes and our dreams for the future of our MSC presence in this continent. Praying and celebrating together in simple rituals and gestures has enabled us to overcome language barriers and share our common concerns. Undoubtedly the Assembly has helped us to continue on our journey of “thinking European”, the challenge put to us at the first European Assembly in 2002. We depart for our home Provinces renewed and encouraged and looking forward to our next gathering in 2008.

^1. An international network founded by the missionary religious Congregations for political lobbying at the level of European Governments and the European Commission. The network has its international secretariat in Brussels and branches in most of the European countries. The network desires to promote more just relationships between the two continents (www.aefjn.org).

From July 26th to 30th 2004, fifty-three Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, representing seven of our Provinces of Europe, met in Issoudun for the Second MSC European Assembly. They were joined by two invited guests; the Provincial of the United States Province, Fr Joseph Jablonski MSC and the Provincial of the Canadian Province, Fr Marc-André Gingras MSC, both of whose challenges are not so dissimilar from our own.

As we, the Provinces of Europe, gather together in Issoudun in this our Jubilee year we do not see our current situation in a pessimistic but a positive way. Despite our falling numbers, our increasing average age and the lack of vocations, we are looking with hope towards the future. In the past we have always been graced with the ability to read the signs of the times by placing our trust in the God of Jesus Christ who has heart for us and the whole of humanity. As we have been able to face the challenges of the past, so we also desire to face those of our day and the future. Over the past 150 years we have maintained our missionary spirit and our commitment to mission “ad gentes”, in due time giving birth to numerous new Provinces, Pro-Provinces, Regions, Sections and Unions within our Society. We have developed a deeper partnership and collaboration with the laity in many of our ministries, finding great richness in sharing with them the charism and spirituality entrusted to us by Fr. Chevalier. We are recognising the need for a deep and authentic on-going human, spiritual and theological formation for ourselves so that we might better adapt to changing times. We have taken charge of many new pastoral responsibilities and, with both sadness and courage, we are facing the need for disengagement so that we might not die, but change. We are embracing with dedication the new ministry of lovingly caring for our elderly members. In the midst of all such efforts we have deepened our understanding and appreciation of our charism and spirituality by retracing our roots and reading again the vision of our founder for this little Society of the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. We are proud of our history, of who and what we have become, and the gift we have been to the Church and the world.

Most of these efforts and developments have taken place independently of one another in Europe as we have grown each according to our own pace. Now there is a deepening desire among us to be in greater partnership with one another. As collectively we face a fast-changing future, we see the need for faith, hope, courage, and the willingness to take risks together. Our European society and culture has as much need for our charism and spirituality now as ever in the past. Therefore we want, even in our poverty and diminishment, to be present as salt and light in our continent that is so marked by the effects of globalisation, secularisation, human mobility, economic injustice, a culture of death, alienating pluralism, post-modernity, misplaced affectivity and yet a thirst for love and a search for the sacred.

For this reason, as a first step and as a pilot project that unites us in our mission to Europe, we have great joy in being able to launch a new Inter-Provincial European MSC Community to be located in a large, multi-ethnic, crossroads city in England. The dream of this community emerged at our first European Assembly here in Issoudun two years ago. With commitment, vision, and risk, particularly from the European Provincials and the Young MSC over the last two years, we have together been able to translate that dream into reality with the appointment of Carl Tranter MSC (Irish Province), Mark Van Beeumen MSC (Belgian Province) and Ton Zwart MSC (Dutch Province), who will come to live together in England in October 2005 to launch this new community.

This new inter-provincial community is but one expression of our desire to be present together in a new way in Europe. During these days we have reflected on the nature and quality of our MSC and community life so that we can be an active and effective presence in our changing continent. We recognise the need to promote the following values, ideals and characteristics in our individual and communal living:-

As we conclude our reflections these days, looking back with gratitude over the past 150 years, and looking with hope to the future, we wish to make the following concrete proposals which we entrust to the Provincials of Europe, the present holders of this office and those who will be appointed during the coming year of Provincial Chapters:

We also handed a long-list of un-prioritised proposals for the General Chapter to the Provincials of Europe to discuss at their next meeting in February. They will present a distillation of these proposals to the Preparatory Commission of the General Chapter.

This week has been one of rich sharing, deepening our mutual acquaintance and celebrating our faith, love and hope. In this our Jubilee Year, we, the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in Europe, take to heart the words of our founder:

From August 27th to August 31st 2002, fifty-three Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, representing seven of our Provinces of Europe, met at Issoudun for the first MSC European Assembly. With the theme “A Heart for Europe,” the meeting was intended to help us get to know each other better and to affirm ourselves as Missionaries of the Sacred Heart. Possible avenues of collaboration for the future were a secondary goal of the meeting.

We spent most of the first two days introducing ourselves and our Provinces. Written reports from the Provinces based on the answers to questions that had been sent out beforehand were also presented. Fr. Jesus Maria Lecea, president of the Conferences of Religious of Europe, was with us throughout the session and spoke twice about the challenges facing religious life in Europe today. Fr. Joaquin Herrera MSC, Assistant General, was also present and presented us with the challenges the General Administration sees in our Provinces of Europe today.

Following the introductions and conferences, the members spent time in prayer and in various small groups to reflect on the material presented and to enumerate the challenges facing us as well as possible lines of action

From these challenges, the group listed the following as priorities for us as individuals, as Provinces and as the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in Europe:

Among the concrete proposals that surfaced and were discussed in the Assembly:

The meeting ended with a liturgy in the Basilica in which two confreres from the South German/Austrian Province renewed their vows.

Heart for the City

European Assemblies

Theme: Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation