Towards a Rogationist Missionary Project
summit January 10th, 2009
“We cannot afford to waste our efforts and opportunities to share the message of Christ through our charism. We should start to avoid improvising and fragmentation as far as our apostolate of the mission is concerned.”
These were Fr. Gabby Flores’ words during his talk “Towards a Rogationist Missionary Project.” He said that we need to update our understanding of mission in our congregation by “expanding” it and even modifying our norms if necessary. He explained that while we give due importance to missio ad gentes, we must also see it as only one of the dimensions of what we know as apostolate of mission in the congregation which includes pastoral care of the church abroad as well as new evangelization.
Fr. Gabby added that we need to read the signs of the times—the changes that are happening in human and social relations, the institutional order, the dynamics of economy, political orientations, decline of ideologies as well as the spread of indifferentism. Reading the signs of the times, according to Fr. Gabby, commits us to be present and involved in the life of the Church to participate actively in her mission of evangelization, hearing her voice, following her teaching, sharing her journey, and translating and expressing it according to our charismatic specificity.
He encouraged circumscriptions to have their own Missionary Office to serve as link to the Missionary Central office and set forth the goals in future Rogationist Missionary Project (RMP): 1) give greater attention to community life; 2) promote and better coordinate our projects; 3) share strategies and programs with our missionaries; 4) establish necessary connections and networks; 5) strengthen and follow the exchange and use of information; and, 6) constantly update situations and expectations of our mission.
The general councilor for the missions also mentioned necessary means and resources in RMP, such as to have a projectual mentality, intensify insertion of “mission training” and be able to foster mission experience of our students in the initial phase of formation, have better communication and use of recent media equipments, make an inter-circumscription Missionary Office and organ for the mission, make an effective and shared program of exchange of personnel, and intensify programs of missionary encounters for evaluation and planning and even updating and formation.
In concluding his talk, Fr. Gabby reminded the delegation members that “we cannot be apostles of Rogate if we are not disciples of the Lord Jesus” and that “It is always and only from the Upper Room, a place of intimacy and communion, that mission may be regenerated and re-launched.”
- Chronicle
- Comments(0)