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13 September 2021

Monday, 13th September 2021

The liturgy today was animated by our African brothers, and our missionaries of Africa. The homily was given by Father Philip Sullivan, missionary in Uganda. He asked God one morning: “are all these people who surround me going to heaven?” To this question, God responded: “That is none of your business… but then added: it is your business.” This was the daily preoccupation of St. Paul; the good of the Church. Is it also ours?  We must rediscover the passion and zeal that burned in the heart of the prophet Elijah.

This morning Father Francisco Javier Mena presented the role of the Regional Conference of Provincials. Covid-19 and all its consequences have shown us the importance of this Conference. It is a structure of communion that encourages collaboration among the Circumscriptions. These Conferences allow us to respond to common problems, such as apostolic challenges within the same geographical area. The words of Pope Francis in his apostolic letter to all consecrated men and women (21.11.2014) clarifies the goal : “No one builds the future by isolating themselves, nor with their own strength, but by recognizing in truth of a communion that always opens itself to meeting others, to dialogue, to listening, and to the reciprocal help and which protects us from the sickness of self reliance” (# 3).

This afternoon, we welcomed a collaborator of Fr. Angelo Lanfranchi, the General Archivist, Mr. Axel Alt, who presented the ‘Digicarmel’ project. It is a database created for the management of information, modern or historic. The nucleus of Digicarmel is found in the Conspectus, and in the Acta Ordinis and in various historical publications. The objective of this is to preserve and offer, in a collaborative way, information on the history of our Order, of our Communities, of our Religious and of the various expressions of our charism in the world.

At the end of the afternoon, the Commission for the revision of the Norms presented the modifications to the General Chapter. There were then put to the vote.