Province of Spain – Shared mission meeting in Zaragoza

On 26th and 27th November, Brothers and associate collaborators of MCG gathered at the Sacred Heart Spirituality House (Quinta Julieta) of the Society of Jesus to reflect together on our mission. The meeting was also attended by Brothers General Assistants Jean Paul Mbengue and Pratap Reddy, who were visiting the schools of our Province. 

On Saturday we had the contribution of the expert Luis Alberto Gonzalo Díez, Doctor in Theology from the Pontifical University of Salamanca and director of the magazine “Vida Religiosa”. In his presentation, he started from the Theory U created by Otto Scharmer to advance on the path of synodality.

The first thing he proposed to us was to step outside ourselves and reflect, to discover the emotion that will allow others to connect with this mission. To this end, he invited us to clarify the meaning of a number of expressions:

• When we say young people, who are we talking about?
• When we say vocation, what do we mean by vocation?
• When we say charism, what is the essence of our “brand”, our style?
• When we say truth, what sustains my hope today?
• When we say happiness, am I really a happy person with who I am?
• When we say community, is it clearly a “place” that invites, welcomes, recognises and celebrates? What is it to be community?

This is a first step on the path of discernment to improve our shared mission.

In shared mission, when we try to innovate, we are used to patching or tinkering. But when reality changes, we have to start something new. We must not be afraid to look for new ways in the name of Jesus.

We have to look for another way of relating, another way of celebrating, another way of looking at life… We have to look for spontaneous, unplanned spaces. Mission and vocational contagion take on special significance when what we offer is priceless. The vocation of the laity and consecrated people is, and must be, the priceless proposal of those who want another world, other relationships, another life.

After working on how to discern about what we have to let go of in order for the new to come, on Sunday morning we got down to work, with the objective of concretising two actions to improve our capacity for dialogue and synodal creativity.

That same morning we experienced a particularly moving moment, the presentation of the Brothers who arrived in our Province this year: Brother Robert Stanislas Bantsimba, Brother Marreddy Tirumalarreddy and Brother Luc Kulapa. The three of them spoke to us, with visual support, about themselves, the reason for accepting this mission, their projects… And of course they spoke to us about their Provinces (Congo Kinshasa, Hyderabad, Congo Brazzaville), their communities, the educational centres, the movement of associates… And even though they have been with us for almost two months, they explained everything in very good Spanish! We are very grateful for their presence, their enthusiasm, their commitment and all the efforts they are making to integrate with us. We consider their arrival in our Province as a gift from the Lord.

The formation ended with the words of the General Assistants, among which we would like to highlight the following: The mission is unique, it is the mission of Jesus and that is why we must not be afraid. We are in times of chaos, but the chaos should not call us to fear, but to give us courage, because the Lord created out of chaos. (Brother Jean Paul Mbengue)  There are personal demands to face in carrying out the mission, but I am optimistic that we are living the spirit of Montfort, and by living it together, it will surely bear fruit (Br. Pratap Reddy).

 Finally, the Provincial Superior, Brother Genaro Fresno, thanked us all for what we had shared and invited us to continue to be leaven after our return.

The meeting ended in the best way possible, with the Eucharist, specially prepared for the occasion by Br. Angel Llana. There were many beautiful moments shared by Brothers and lay people, in the prayers of Lauds and Vespers, in the meals, in the breaks… Joy, sincerity and harmony reigned in the discussions… All this made the meeting a source of renewal and revitalisation to continue together on the path of our mission. 

Formation Team for the MCG