East Winds Spiritan Novena With Claude François Poullart des Places

Transcription

CONGREGAZIONE DELLO SPIRITO SANTO
CLIVO DI CINNA, 195 - 00136 ROMA, ITALIA
SPIRITAN IDENTITY AND VOCATION
02 OCTOBER 2013 – 02 FEBRUARY 2015
AC - I/11/09-2014 - EN
East Winds
Spiritan Novena
With Claude François Poullart des Places
From Tuesday 23rd September to Wednesday 1st October 2014
Poullart des Places Novena 2014
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Headings for the nine days
1.
Origins of a missionary identity
The Word of God (Acts 10: 1-6); Reflection: begin with giving thanks
Additional information: to the ends of the earth
Testimonies: The charism of our Founders today (X27)
From a small world to a bigger world (E24)
2.
Missionary challenges and responses
The Word of God (John 12: 44-47); Reflection: Lord, open our eyes!
Additional information: Patronage, Propaganda and MEP
Testimonies: Evangelizing the evangelizer (E24)
Missionary mandate (W24)
Fools again (W09)
3.
Wherever you go, think Local: Instructions of 1659
The Word of God (Philippian 2 : 3-7); Reflection: Servants modelled on Christ
Additional information: Cultural sensitivity then and now
Texts and testimonies:
Inspiring family (Maynooth General Chapter, 3. Mission as source of inspiration, 1998)
Crisis, opportunity (X29)
Interest for others (W34)
4.
The language of the heart: Edme Bennetat in Cochinchina
The Word of God (John 1: 6-8; 14-15); Reflection: Communicating an experience of God
Additional information: Preaching with ease
Testimonies: Language of love (W18)
Experiences shape us (E23)
Communicating the Word of God (X29)
Proclaim Jesus Christ (W17)
Lack of self confidence and trust in the Holy Spirit (W18)
Sickness and Grace (W35)
5.
Co-workers in the field of the Lord: Louis Devaux in Vietnam
The word of God (John 15:14-17); Reflection: Collaborating in community
Testimonies: Community sharing and missionary project (E09)
Challenge of diversity (X17)
Brotherly love (X27)
Education for the poor (X21)
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6.
Refugee with the refugees: William Piguel in Cambodia
The Word of God (2 Corinthians 3:2-6); Reflection: living with another one
Additional information
Intercultural encounter
Formation of local clergy
His spirituality
Testimonies: Parish work and community (W17)
Original sin of dis-unity (X13)
Option for the poor (E22)
Spiritans in the local Church (E17)
7.
One plants the seeds, another harvests: Francis Pottier in Sichuan
The Word of God (1Co 9: 14…23); Reflection: Poverty, faith and responsible discernment
Advice of the Chinese Priest Andre LI
Missionaries describe Pottier
Testimonies: Fidelity in the midst of change (X24)
With small communities and the poor (W10)
Working with Joy and Confidence in the Holy Spirit (W18)
With the poor (W34)
8.
New mission, old challenges: a new initiative in Asia
The Word of God (Acts 4: 31-35); Reflection: awareness of our culture
Additional information: Defining priorities
Testimonies: Renewal of our Spiritual Life (E09)
Listening to the Holy Spirit, and sacrifice (X17)
Simplifying our way of life (X29)
9.
Unless the seed falls into the ground: Brian Fulton in Vietnam
The Word of God (John 12: 24-26); Reflection: Surrender
Additional information: In memory of Bennetat
Testimonies: Simple life of Poullart des Places and his successors (E23)
The Spirit at work in us (E06)
Being Eucharist for others (X19)
More realistic about identity and vocation (E24)
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Introduction
‘The Spiritan charism is a gift that shines through the lives of our founders and other
Spiritans, a gift which touches and enriches us. It challenges us to be faithful in an age when
the call to authenticity is one of the signs of the times.’ (TA1, 2004). The redactor of this
novena was invited to write from an Asian perspective and to focus on our Spiritan identity
and vocation.
The testimonies of confreres quoted each day have been collected in 2013 and 2014.
One of them wrote: ‘Our stories are ever ancient and new. The human story, the repertoire
of human experience repeats itself in predictable ways because we find ourselves in similar
circumstances and situations, making the same mistakes, fearful of the challenge to grow
and be different, afraid to change. Sustaining stories, the story of struggle and faithfulness,
of despair and hope abound. The reality is that we have experiences/stories but we are not
reflective enough to understand their meaning. Story/experience without reflection just
remains experience. I don’t think we value our various experiences enough, either at a
personal or communal level, to appreciate the ordinary and extraordinary wisdom and
insight they contain. I hear many stories that relate facts but not the interpretation of those
facts. There is no faith sharing, there is no expectation that the stories we read in Scripture,
or of the great men and women who have gone before us, reveal patterns of God working
within us as He did in the past. I don’t think it matters whose story or what story is told;
what matters is the meaning of the story, the truth discovered, the fear exposed, the
challenge revealed. For me it doesn’t matter which story is told so long as the experience is
reflected upon and the meaning uncovered.’ (W07)
These testimonies and the reflections offered after the Word of God come mostly
from ‘Spiritan Conversation on Spiritual Renewal in Mid-life’. The Research, Testimonies and
Historical studies are being gradually published on the blog www.bythewell.org/spiritanconversation
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Bibliography
The historical presentation and additional information is mostly based on Articles by
Catherine Marin published in the French ‘Mémoire Spiritaine’. Some have been translated
into English by Fr. Henry Moloney for Irish Spiritan History Series.
Mémoire Spiritaine, n.17, 2003: Catherine Marin ‘The first « spiritan » missionaries in Asia
in the 18th century’
Mémoire Spiritaine 13. Alain Forest: The modernity of a missionary society: Beginnings of
the Foreign Missions of Paris (MEP) in Asia
Catherine Marin : ‘La redéfinition de la mission au XVIIe Siècle. Un texte fondamental de
Rome : les instructions aux vicaires apostoliques de 1659.’ pp. 167 ff of ‘La mer, la France et
l’Amérique Latine’,
Mémoire Spiritaine 1, 1995: Catherine Marin: From the seminary of the holy spirit to the
mission of Cochinchina: Edme bennetat (1713-1761)
Mémoire Spiritaine 11, 2000 : Catherine Marin: Monseigneur Guillaume Piguel (1722-1771)
Vicaire apostolique of Cambodia
Mémoire Spiritaine 18 (2003), pp. 115-123. Catherine Marin: Monseigneur Louis-Marie
Devaux (1711-1756). Du séminaire du Saint-Esprit à la mission du Tonkin (not translated in
English)
Biography of Francis Pottier on MEP website. http://eglise.mepasie.org
P. Jean charbonnier, mep : La catéchèse du prêtre Chinois André Li (1692-1775) dans la
province du Sichuan [ bulletin eda n° 337 ] 16/09/2001 http://eglise.mepasie.org
H. Koren. The Spiritans. Pp. 45-50. (on Pottier)
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Suggestions for the celebration of this Novena
Begin with praying slowly the traditional Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit used in the
Congregation:
‘Holy Spirit, divine Spirit of light and love, to you I consecrate my mind, heart and will, all
my being, now and for eternity.
May my mind be ever docile to your inspirations and to the teaching of the holy Catholic
Church, whose safe guide you are; may my heart be ever burning for love of God and
neighbor; may my will be ever accorded to the divine will, and may all my life be a faithful
imitation of the life and virtues of Our Lord and Savior Jesus-Christ, to whom, with the
Father and you, Holy Spirit, be honor and glory forever. Amen’
In communitarian celebrations:
If the novena is used in addition to the regular celebration of the Hours:
- Only read the first page of each day: historical introduction, word of God, reflection.
- After the Our Father, pray together the ‘Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit’
If the celebration is centered on the novena (45’):
- Appropriate Hymn for the topic of the day
- Read the historical introduction
- One psalm from the liturgy of the Hours
- The word of God
- Each one invited in silence to read either the reflection or the testimony (ies), with a
-
leading question, like: Which part do I feel reflects best my identity and vocation? Do
I have similar experience(s)? How do I see the Holy Spirit in this experience? Which
part challenges us most as a community and could be brought up at next community
meeting?
Free Intercessions
Our Father
After the Our Father, pray together the ‘Act of Consecration to the Holy Spirit’
Concluding prayer from the liturgy of the Hours.
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1. Origins of a missionary identity
In 1701 Claude is 22. He enters Louis le Grand Jesuit
College in Paris, in order to study philosophy and theology and
prepare for the priesthood. In this college, he is one of a small
group of students bound by their secret membership of the
‘Assemblée des Amis’ (‘AA’: Assembly of Friends). 40 years
earlier, one of the members of this Association was party to the
foundation of the ‘Paris Foreign Mission Society’ (1658, ‘MEP’),
which would provide clergy for the Far East. The ‘AA’ of Louis le
Grand retains this orientation for evangelization ‘overseas’, for
the spiritual formation of clergy and the love of poverty. It also
retains its orientation for mission in Asia. Furthermore, the
Jesuit College is also the Procure for Asia and the place where
letters from Jesuit Missionaries in China are received: since 1702, these letters have been
edited in the bulletin ‘Lettres Edifiantes et Curieuses’, promoting interest in China and
calling for its support through prayers and donations. Educated by Jesuits, Claude must have
been aware of this area of their mission, reading the vivid descriptions of people and
cultures by the missionaries.
The Word of God (Act 10,1-6)
One of the centurions of the Italica cohort stationed in Caesarea was called Cornelius.
He and the whole of his household were devout and God–fearing, and he gave generously
to Jewish causes and prayed constantly to God. One day at about the ninth hour he had a
vision in which he distinctly saw the angel of God come into his house and call out to him,
‘Cornelius!’ He stared at the vision in terror and exclaimed, ‘What is it, Lord?’ The angel
answered, ‘Your prayers and charitable gifts have been accepted by God. Now you must
send some men to Jaffa and fetch a man called Simon, known as Peter, who is lodging with
Simon the tanner whose house is by the sea.’
As we begin our novena of prayer before the 305 th anniversary of the death of our
Founder, Fr. Claude François Poullart des Places, we are invited to refresh our desire to be
missionaries, and to be in communion with all those who give witness to the Gospel in the
Far East, as well as in other continents. We could begin by remembering those who opened
our hearts to the desire to be a missionary, and to be grateful for God for speaking to us
through them. At this point, we could also share with the members of your community the
origins of our missionary vocation.
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In 1703 with the Foundation of the Seminary of the Holy Spirit, students of the
Seminary take classes in philosophy and theology at Louis le Grand and probably have read
about the missions in Asia. Claude himself had the desire to go to the missions in order to
‘convert souls to God’, but he eventually prioritized the formation of clergy: priests who
would live the founder’s dream in France, and in its French colonies, from 1733 to 1792 in
the Far East, and presently in Canada, Guyana and Senegal,. The seminary is described thus:
‘it’s like a body of auxiliary soldiers, ready to go wherever there is a need to work for the
salvation of souls, giving preference to the work of the missions, whether abroad or at home,
willing to live in the poorest and most abandoned places, places where it is difficult to find
workers. (…) even when it is a question of crossing the seas and going to the very ends of the
earth to gain a soul for Christ – they are always ready to carry out his wishes: Ecce ego;
mitte me (Is 6,12) ’
We could also read and share on these testimonies:
The Charism of our Founders today : ‘If one looks at the congregation today, one
more and morerealizes its growing international and multicultural character, but one is also
aware that its charism and identity (born in a particular historical context, that of our
founders) is also ‘universal’ because it was born into a universal church under the
promptings of the Holy Spirit active in all persons, all times and all cultures. (…) We are
indeed faithful to our two founders whose vision and charism we understand, based on their
personal histories, people of their time. We must always refer to their personalities and their
stories to better understand our own commitment. But if I commit myself today, 310 years
after them, it is because I believe that their ‘identity and vocation’ is ‘removed from the
limits of time’ and is a call to be lived today in different contexts, times and cultures. This is
what our intercultural life gives witness to. God is active in us, through us and asks of us the
same testimony and commitment which he asked from our founders in their own context,
time and culture.’ (X27)
From a small world to a bigger world: After I finished my initial formation more than
27 years ago, I have been struggling to move from what I would call a ‘small world’ to a very
open ended ‘bigger world’ in terms of people, cultural diversity, internationality in the
congregation, types of ministry, visible encounter with the poor and marginalized. These
have contributed a lot and have sustained me in my commitment to the Spiritan vocation. At
times I have felt overwhelmed by the level of poverty among the people I serve, especially
now that I am Bishop of Samé diocese, which is a very poor diocese characterized by drought
and a shortage of water. The rainy season is so short that whatever people plants soon
withers away. Every year people till their land and plant but harvest pracrtically nothing.
Some confreres and people like Mother Teresa of Calcutta have inspired me by their deeds
and the witness of their lives. For instance Mother Teresa of Calcutta said: “Give yourself
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fully to God. God will use you to accomplish great things on condition that you believe much
more in his love than in your own weakness”. This saying has encouraged me a lot,
particularly when I am down and feeling despondent. Once I decide to rely on God’s
providence and love then I find a way out of my weak faith. In such moments, I repeated the
refrain of the year of Faith from the Gospel of Luke citing the Apostles cry: “Lord, Increase
our faith,” (Lk 17:5). (E24)
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2. Missionary challenges and responses
Since 1622 the organization of the missions have undergone major changes. It was
in this context that Claude and the Holy Spirit Seminary students were in formation at
Louis le Grand. The missionary issues at the time of Claude may sound familiar to us: a
shortage of missionaries, counter-witness, collaboration between Congregations, tension
between importing one’s own cultural expression of Church and the gospel message,
relationships with local authorities and local clergy, formation, option for the poor or for
the rich, clericalism and collaboration with laity, material support of the mission. In 1704,
the Jesuit’s position of tolerance for Chinese rituals to the ancestors was condemned by
the Holy See. It was as much about competition between missionary institutes as about
inculturation.
The Word of God (John 12: 44-47)
Jesus cried out and said, “Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in
the one who sent me, and whoever sees me sees the one who sent me. I came into the
world as light, so that everyone who believes in me might not remain in darkness. And if
anyone hears my words and does not observe them, I do not condemn him, for I did not
come to condemn the world but to save it.
We have received a mandate to preach the Good News and to help restore the
dignity of the most abandoned. This requires us to approach them in a respectful manner
and with an attitude of love. Without an authentic witness to God’s transforming power at
work in our collaboration, we run the risk of using the poor as a self-justification, or
retreating to a comfort zone. The insecurity caused by leaving our comfort-zones requires a
solid and personal practical union in order to allow God to open our eyes to see that the
Holy Spirit is already at work outside our parish walls.
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In 1622, the Roman congregation for the Propagation of the Faith had been
established to promote the renewal promoted by the council of Trent, and to overcome
the monopoly of Portugal and Spain on missionary policies and the organization of the
Church. In 1653 the Jesuit missionary, Alexandre de Rhodes, had come from Vietnam to
Europe asking for bishops who could ordain local clergy capable of leading their
communities in times of persecution. The Paris Foreign Missions society (‘MEP’) had been
founded in 1658 and the Apostolic Vicariates in Vietnam (Tonkin and Cochinchina) and
another in China were entrusted to them. They received roman ‘Instructions’ clarifying
their mandate and the methodology which would also be the guide for the first Spiritans
sent to Asia; this would later inspire Francis Libermann’s ‘memoire’ to Propaganda fide.
The ‘MEP’ firmly believe that conversions to Christ can only come through the holiness of
the missionary, rather than through the ‘human means’ favored by the Jesuits. This call to
holiness is translated in the primary importance afforded to meditation, which would
impress even the Thai Buddhist monks when they met the missionaries. The ‘MEP’ sent
106 missionaries to Asia between 1658 and 1709, and continues to do so to this day.
Evangelizing the evangelizer: ‘Throughout the years, my vocation to be a Spiritan
has been through highs and lows, my religious and missionary vocation has faced challenges.
[…] The other great challenge posed has been how to evangelize the evangelizer. Many
African confreres are now appointed to European and North American Provinces. They do
this out of a conviction that mission is contextual and that mission is everywhere.
Nevertheless, old stereotypes are hard to change for Northern Hemisphere people.. It will
take time for them to adapt to a new theology of mission. How can I evangelize the
evangelizer, , i.e. as an African, how do I bring the Gospel to the Northern Hemisphere
Churches? From my experience, many people in the North still think of 'mission lands' as
meaning the Southern hemisphere churches. Regarding the concept of 'stereotypes', what I
mean is that there are cultural conceptions which do not represent the current reality or the
truth. The world has changed and the South -North divide is no longer the reality. Mission
can be anywhere and the old concept of 'mission territories' can apply anywhere, both
North and South alike.’ (E24)
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The Missionary mandate: ‘My vision of the congregation and what still motivates me
in all that I do is the biblical mandate to go to the ends of the earth, proclaiming the
kingdom of God. The Great Commission is as valid now as it ever was. Two-thirds of the
population of the world has not yet received primary evangelization in any real way (and one
could question the evangelization of the baptized third too). "Missionary" comes from the
same root as the word for "messenger", which is what we are. Everything else is a means to
this end. If we focus on the methodology - be it community life, prayer life, spirituality,
whatever, even "the poor"- we are engaged in a form of narcissism, which is a tendency of
our modern and cynical age. Short-term goals and solutions cannot be a substitute for longterm vision. For some time, Pope Benedict XVI was talking about a remnant Church, a
precious few. (…) My own preference is Pope Francis: go to all the peoples, languages and
nations without number, that all may bring their richness and talents to the common
celebration of the mystery of God's universal love and mercy. The inner world of spirit
meets the larger world of action, of incarnation which is the reality that we celebrate
liturgically (at Christmas).’ (W24)
Become Fools again : ‘My dream ? That we may again be fools like Poullart and
Libermann. In my opinion, this begins with a re-commitment to our spiritual life. If we can do
this, we will ‘opt’ for the poor and our charism will become ever more radiant.’ (W09)
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3. Wherever you go, think Local
Between 1730 and 1778, 13 students of the Seminary of the Holy Spirit, after
completing their formation, transferred to the Paris Foreign Missions Society (‘MEP’) so as
to be sent to Asia. As part of their ultimate preparation before departure, they had to copy
by hand the ‘Instructions to the Apostolic Vicars’ given in 1659 by Propaganda Fide to the
first Apostolic Vicars sent to Asia, the founders of MEP. At the time, these orientations were
explicitly given for all missions and to all missionaries. Can we again make them ours? There
are two main ideas: 1. Adaptation: The missionary must be carefully chosen and trained; he
leaves Europe to evangelize, found and strengthen local Churches, and not to propagate the
European Churches in the missions. The goal is to announce the Gospel, not to export a way
of life. There is a very modern stress that cultures and customs need to be recognized and
respected: the missionary must adapt to them. 2. Local Church: The missionary goes to
evangelize a people taking as a fundamental priority the formation of a local clergy which
will gradually take over from European missionaries.
The Word of God (Philippian 2 : 3-7)
Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as
more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but [also]
everyone for those of others. Have among yourselves the same attitude that is also yours in
Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in
human likeness; and found human in appearance.
Called and set apart, we Spiritans are consecrated to join brothers journeying with all
peoples. While sharing the pains of growth, we are mysteriously empowered to
communicate divine life, to channel the blessings of the Father to all his children. We follow
Jesus and are constant witnesses to the power of his teaching and to his healing ministry.
We are servants for the liberation of all oppressions. We are broken so that others may be
made whole. Our powerlessness helps us experience God’s compassion and communion
with the poorest. We gradually learn to surrender into God’s hands, and to remove the
obstacles to the work of the Spirit in us. We identify ourselves with the poorest and are led
to experience the preferential love God’s for them and for us and for all people.
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Absurd behavior: ‘Do not make any effort, nor advance any argument to convince
these people to change their rituals and their ways, unless they are contrary to religion and
morality. Could there be anything more absurd than to bring France, Spain, Italy, or any
other European country to China,? (…) It is almost as if to say that it is written into the
nature of all peoples to esteem, to love and to elevate throughout the world the traditions
of their countries and indeed their own countries as well. Therefore, there is no greater
cause for estrangement and hatred than to attempt to change the customs belonging to one
nation, in particular those which have been practiced as far as the memory of the eldest can
gather…. (…) Do not bring our countries there, but the faith, the faith which neither rejects
nor hurts the rituals or customs of any people, unless they are repulsive, but rather one
should wish them to be kept and protected. (…) Never compare the customs of these people
with those of Europe; on the contrary, do not delay in getting accustomed to them. Admire
and praise whatever deserves praise. For that which does not deserve praise, if it is not
appropriate to trumpet it as flatterers do, you will have the prudence not to pass
judgment.’
The priority task of Apostolic Vicars is to work to build up a Christian community
which will gradually establish its own autonomy through the formation of a local clergy and
the appointment, sooner or later, of a local bishop. ‘Always keep this goal in front of your
eyes: bringing to Holy Orders the largest possible number of persons and the most capable,
training them and promoting them each one in due time.’ (Instruction of 1659 from
Propaganda Fide to the Apostolic Vicars of MEP going to the Far East.)
We could also read and share on these texts and testimonies:
Inspired within one family: Several times, those presenting experiences pointed to the
people amongst whom they were sent to live and work as a fundamental source of their
inspiration. The presence and action of the Spirit can be discerned in the lives of these people,
especially the poor and oppressed. They inspire us with their hospitality, simplicity,
generosity and deep faith. The closer we identify ourselves with them and their suffering, the
more insights we receive into the Gospel that we preach (cf. SRL 24.1). It challenges us to reevaluate our own lifestyle and to work with them against oppressive structures. In this
service and brotherhood we feel drawn closer to Jesus and his Good News of the Kingdom.
We find ourselves becoming part of a new and much larger family, receiving unexpected
energy in times of difficulty by turning to those amongst whom we live and work.
(Maynooth General Chapter, 3. Mission as source of inspiration, 1998)
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Crisis, opportunity : ‘At different stages in life we continually experience being
‘wrenched away’… What we would have liked to become, who we would have liked to be,
the projects we could have carried out, sickness, death, the commitments we are into and
those we would have preferred, our relationships with others, facing differences which
sometimes appear like challenges or even death to self for the sake of others, etc. all these
are ‘possible’ opportunities to experience what Christ himself lived. Our gift of self comes
through all these. God’s project with us also comes through these, not only in what we have
‘chosen’ (with the meaning of planned) for others. Maybe even our witness as missionaries is
more obvious in the way we are living in the world rather than in what we chose to do (these
are obviously not exclusive of each other). Often, we invent structures to ‘plan our mission’
(and I guess they are useful). But the authentic opportunity is life itself: being part of a family,
working in order to sustain our lives, working together for a greater justice between peoples
and nations, in the city and district where we live, etc. Christ himself has not been other than
what life (obviously, chosen by God) gave him to be and where life took him, his family, his
male and female friends, his fellow Jews, his people, other people from other religions, etc.
With this understanding, I dare to hope that one day religious life will change… but this is a
whole different story…’ (X29)
Interest for others: ‘I have lived in a
number of large communities (4) which were
multi-cultural and international and I have
found them exciting. I know others find them
challenging so looking at my personality, I
believe I tend to be open to others and
accepting of differences. I joined the Spiritans
because of an interest in other countries and
peoples. I have been blessed to have traveled
and served in a number of countries and
participated in many international meetings,
as a Spiritan and working for an international
NGO. Cultures, languages, customs, religious
practices, other religions are adventures into
the human journey. It sounds romantic but it is
what gives me real joy, joie de vivre. It is one
way I identify as being a Spiritan.’ (W34)
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4. The language of the heart
The first Spiritans to go to Asia left for Macao in 1733. They were Guillaume Rivoal,
whose appointment was to Cochinchina (Central and South Vietnam) and Jacques de
Bourgerie who stayed in Macao. Edme Bennetat must have been 16 or 17 when he
entered the Seminary of the Holy Spirit. Four years later he joined the MEP and in 1735 he
set sail for 7 months to take up his appointment to Cochinchina. There, he finds a
Christian community which has experienced persecution, as well as missionary
congregations divided among themselves. He begins by language studies for 16 months
and hearing confessions. In 1737 he was put in charge of 20 churches comprising 6,000
Christians scattered throughout the 5 southern provinces of Vietnam. His excellent
command of the language allowed him both to dialogue with the mandarins and to touch
the simple hearts of the people through his preaching. He worked there until 1750.
The Word of God (John 1: 6-8; 14-15)
A man came, sent by God. His name was John. He came as a witness, to bear
witness to the light, so that everyone might believe through him. He was not the light, he
was to bear witness to the light. The Word became flesh, he lived among us, and we saw
his glory, the glory that he has from the Father as only Son of the Father, full of grace and
truth. John witnesses to him. He proclaims: 'This is the one of whom I said: He who
comes after me has passed ahead of me because he existed before me.'
Living apostolic life requires discerning priorities. It is a very busy life, and we are
under pressure from the unceasing calls coming from those we serve. The immediately
urgent may lead us into confusing what is urgent with what is fundamental: this is why we
need to exercise a communal discernment and an integrated approach in order to address
the real needs in each particular context. Apostolic activity can take its toll on our spiritual
life. But we are sent to share a spiritual experience. When initial formation focuses on the
academic, confreres beginning their ministry may be ill-prepared to share a spiritual
experience: there is often no vital connection between their preaching and their own
spiritual lives. How can our enculturation in a specific place be reflected in the words we
speak and the lives we live?
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In his apostolate the young missionary Edmé Bennetat was assisted by catechists,
who in general were married people, but not always well trained. Their role was very
important, because the catechist is the essential intermediary between the missionary
and the Christian: it is he who maintains the religious formation of the Christian, who
prepares neophytes, baptizes in the priest’s absence, buries the dead; his house is often
the gathering place of Christians, before a church is built. An apostolic visitor wrote about
him in 1739: « He is an excellent priest, whom I regard as a saint. He alone is worth more I
dare to say, than all the other missionaries put together that are currently in Cochinchina.
He doesn’t look after himself, he is exhausted; he speaks the language of the country as if
he had been born there, which gives him the opportunity to preach often and to
catechise.» He excels in preaching: ‘This worthy priest, truly apostolic… People come to
hear him and to see him. These people are hungry for the Word of God… which Fr.
Bennetat preaches with so much ease and zeal and emotion, that he is considered as the
apostle of this country. We see him as a saint because it is a continuous miracle to do what
he does with the poor health he has.’ In 1750, the missionaries experience persecution.
Bennetat stays with his communities rather than fleeing to safety. He is arrested,
subjected to cruel treatment, and expelled to Macao. Sent to Rome to resolve the
problem of divisions between missionary congregations in Tonkin (northern Vietnam), he
is appointed bishop of Tonkin but dies on the way back, in Port Louis, now Mauritius, on
May 22nd, 1761,
Mastering a language without love for the people is like a clashing cymbal: fortunately, Fr.
Bennetat put his heart into the language and the people, in collaboration with local
catechists, and gave witness of his self-giving through the sufferings he endured.
We could also read about these testimonies and share your thoughts:
Language of love: ‘My first serious difficulty was getting sick in Africa after one year
there and having to return to Europe. I was learning the language, getting to know the
people, and really loving the work and life there. I suppose it was just what I expected of ‘the
missionary life’. It fulfilled my desires to live with poor simple people and work for them in
every way possible. What a disaster when I was told I would need to go home to recover.
And then when I got home I was asked to go and work in a junior seminary! I found this very
hard to take. But I gave it my best shot. Four years later I volunteered for the new venture
just starting in Pakistan and was glad to be chosen.’ (W18)
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Experiences shape us: ‘Over the years, each one of us accumulates experiences
either through past ministry or current ministry, be it through responsibilities assumed in
the Congregation in perhaps outside the congregation. These responsibilities at the service
of a specific people or of confreres deeply shape us, I believe! Even our mistakes and failures
change the perception we have of faith in God, of the world, of others, the Congregation and
our own selves. These various changes which I have lived and continue to live today
strengthen my conviction that what is needed is an on-going spiritual renewal, adapted to
our (my) situation and our (my) age.’ (E23)
Communicating the Word of God: ‘I think that in my religious life there are two
areas which express a kind of ‘spiritan flavor’ in my experience. A kind of simplicity in
community life. And a ‘different’ way of reading and communicating the Word of God. I
cannot really explain what I mean by that, because I never took time to pause and analyze it.
But regarding what is simple life in community I would say it is the direct and franc
exchanges that we have with each other. Obviously it is not perfect. But, I meet Spiritans
from everywhere and I never have problems speaking, communicating and to be welcoming.
Regarding the Word of God, well, I believe that we have a unique way of making
connections between the realities of life and God’s message in Holy Scripture. I have often
heard homilies, texts, etc. and I like the way Spiritan confreres (most of them) have to bring
to life and render accessible the Word of God. This may sound strange, but that’s what
‘Spiritan flavor’ means to me.’ (X29)
Proclaim Jesus Christ: ‘We need to proclaim Jesus Christ true God and true man and
to proclaim what newness he brings to humanity, be we need to begin by discovering for
ourselves this newness. We need to proclaim the mysteries of Jesus, without emptying them
of their divine meaning. For example, Christmas should not just be reduced to the
anniversary of Jesus’ birth. Let us explain that Jesus is the Son of God made man. Let us
explain that God loves us. Let us speak of God. We must not be afraid of giving depth to our
homilies. The Holy Spirit is there teaching and if the words come from our heart, they will
understand. But we need to keep our heart in a loving relationship with Jesus, in prayer, the
Eucharist, the liturgy of the hours, spiritual readings, silence. Let us not forget self-denial and
docility to the Holy Spirit.’ (W17)
Lack of self confidence and trust in the Holy Spirit: ‘I think I suffered all my life from
a lack of self-confidence. What was it that sustained me through all these challenges? –
always waiting and trusting in the Holy Spirit who goes before us to prepare the way. Also, I
have become aware that any opposition I met always made me look harder and wider for
answers. I would never allow myself to be discouraged. Only when a door was completely
shut would I give up on an idea I thought was good. So: dogged perseverance and
fundamental trust in the Holy Spirit.’ (W18)
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Sickness and Grace : ‘I ask myself : ‘was the beginning of 1990 my most difficult time
when I was diagnosed with bone cancer ?’ Naturally I was crushed by this disease, treatment
of which lasted 18 months, in Holland. Chemotherapy seemed like a boxing match lasting 10
rounds. After each round, I was almost K.O’d; but each time I would get up again, and go to
the next chemo. But, I cannot say that this extreme physical trial damaged my spiritan
identity or vocation. On the contrary, this grueling test led me to perceive that the value of
our missionary life depends less on our successes than on our failures. And I was invited to
accept (if possible with joy) that it is through trials that one becomes a Spiritan (as was the
case for Libermann, through his ‘dear sickness’, epilepsy). Once cured, I returned to
Cameroun in 1991, always with Baka Pygmees. But another sickness caused my final return
to Holland, in 2004. They had put me in an induced coma. They discovered that I had several
very serious health issues. However, with the assistance not only of the doctors and nurses,
but also my family and my confreres (including the sacrament of the sick and their prayers), I
came back to life, against all expectations. Even faith in my Spiritan vocation was
strengthened! They say that the most difficult moments, with God’s grace, open up new
horizons.
What I could say to younger confreres going through similar trials: by dying to your present
and personal missionary project, you will discover that your ‘precious project’ is transformed
into a more valuable project. It is in being guided by a maternal and paternal hand that you
become the Spiritan whom the Father seeks in you, through His own project. In other words:
(Nelson Mandela) ‘I am not a saint, unless a saint is a sinner who keeps trying.’ Let us keep
trying, again and again.’ (W35)
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5. Co-workers in the field of the Lord
In December 1736 Louis Devaux set sail for Macao, and reached his destination
without any incident the following year. At nineteen years old, he joined the Seminary of
the Holy Spirit where he studied for five years. He entered the ‘MEP’ with the desire to go to
Canada. There, instead, he was encouraged to consider Asia, specifically the mission in
Tonkin (Northern Vietnam). Christianity was forbidden there, was underground but
flourishing! Whoever denounced a catholic priest would receive a payment, while the priest
would be sentenced to death. Devaux learned the language and started his mission as
administrator of the region between Hanoi and Tanh Hoa, together with four local priests.
He gave priority to education, from primary schools up to the formation of local clergy. He
set up more than thirty junior seminaries. In 1746 he was made coadjutor bishop and
developed a good working relationship with his Bishop: « The two bishops, wrote another
missionary, are both tireless when they get together, sometimes staying in the same house,
their conversation is simple, gentle, with sincerity of heart: they share their ideas and their
labors for the glory of God. Sometimes located at opposite ends of the kingdom, they look
after everything and strive to serve as many as possible. They strongly influenced all the
clergy they trained, guided their conduct and their mission. » Three years later, he was the
victim of the first of multiple strokes, but still managed to continue his apostolic work until
his death in 1756.
The word of God (John 15 :14-17)
You are my friends, if you do what I command you. I shall no longer call you
servants, because a servant does not know the master's business; I call you friends,
because I have made known to you everything I have learnt from my Father. You did not
choose me, no, I chose you; and I commissioned you to go out and to bear fruit, fruit that
will last; so that the Father will give you anything you ask him in my name. My command to
you is to love one another.
It seems that after the ‘burn-out’ experienced by Poullart des Places in the first years
of his singular leadership of the Holy Spirit Community, he decided to invite collaborators to
share in his responsibility to care for the students so that he could relax a bit and find peace.
Poullart no longer concentrated only on his own responsibilities alone and the success of
what he has begun, but to the well-being of those God has entrusted to his care. His
personal leadership – helpful at the beginning - gave way to a different quality of presence
to the community, one better able to inspire students and collaborators. Poullart was
converted from the achiever to the carer. This conversion represented a new phase in the
foundation of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit: he calls other priests to be directors of
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the Seminary with him: these will be called the ‘Messieurs du Saint Esprit’, carrying forward
the Seminary for the next 140 years.
While community life was presented as a means for a mission, it is often experienced
by Spiritans today as a source of frustration and suffering. It could be that we may find it
easier to care for others outside community, from a position of power, rather than to live
and collaborate with others as brothers, depending on one other’s care. But perhaps
community life could be a place where we are sent to learn that weakness is not poverty,
while service of others is life-giving.
Community sharing and missionary project: ‘I realize that in small communities of
two or three confreres, community meetings tend to disappear. Confreres justify it by saying
that all can be discussed around the table, and don’t see the need for another kind of
meeting. In these communities, small and apostolic, usually in charge of parishes,
community prayer is reduced to the minimum; a sharing of life and of the Word of God
disappears, community Eucharist disappears. But these are the very activities which can lead
to conversion, understanding life in the light of the Word of God and which sets us apart as
Spiritans. In suppressing the community space where our personal lives comes into
confrontation with the Spiritan project, I don’t see how documents on their own can lead us
to action. Nevertheless, it is good to have those documents, at least as reference and
support for those who truly desire to live the Spiritan life.’ (E09)
Challenge of diversity: ‘Relations between confreres has been a challenge for me but
not overly important since I have had good confreres in community; but in listening to
confreres and through my own observations I am aware how this can be a real cross. Though
we are all human beings and graced with the same vocation we remain in many ways
individuals with our own mentality and culture. And worst of all we don’t make any effort to
struggle against our own flaws.’ (X17)
Brotherly love: ‘For me, many of these problems (of relationships between confreres),
even if they don’t disappear, could be alleviated and talked through in fraternal love if there
is good communication and an honest sharing of one’s life. This is the kind of community life
which helps us to grow together in faith and love. Unfortunately, we usually avoid talking
honestly about problems when they arise. Maybe it’s for the sake of not imposing oneself, of
not acting from a position of authority, or to avoid ‘stirring things up’. We chose rather to let
the problem solve itself without making waves: ‘it’s going to be all right…! Forget about it!’
This is not the right way, especially for formation communities. It is precisely there that we
should pay attention and prepare students to share and accept fraternal comments. I have
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rarely met a Spiritan who can accept a fraternal criticism without a strong reaction (without
trying to understand if the criticism has a basis in fact). It is mostly regarded as a personal
attack to the person. Formation is a key moment to learn and to live this aspect of
community living.’ (X27)
Education for the poor: ‘The Parish where I am working is in a slum area. The
majority of the people here are poor and unemployed. This fits well with our charism to save
the poor. But we also have a school here built by Spiritans for the children from poor families.
Our school fees bear no comparison to other private schools, as we keep them low in order
to allow poor children to study in our school. This is how I understand the charism and
mission of the Spiritans, that is, we are there at the service of the poor. They are some
spiritans who are working tirelessly in countries where there are wars such as the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Central Africa, South Sudan or in other poor areas such as
in Maasailand, without losing hope. These inspire me especially through their engagement
in such situations, without fear and by not allowing themselves to be discouraged.’ (X21)
Map of China, 1632
Sichuan Province where
Francis Pottier was a
missionary
from 1753 to 1792
Port of Macao
(Portuguese)
where the
missionary landed
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6. Refugee with the refugees
Guillaume Piguel entered the Seminary of the Holy Spirit in 1743, aged 21. Three
years later, at the end of his formation, he is sent by the ‘MEP’ to work in Cochinchina
(Central and southern Vietnam). But when he finally arrives in Macao after 4 years trying
to get there, the emperor of Cochinchina had relaunched a fierce persecution against the
missionaries and their converts. Piguel had to cross the western border into Cambodia,
where he ministered to local people as well as refugees who were also persecuted there.
People lived in misery. Unfortunately missionary Congregations there were divided
between obedience to Portugal or to Rome. Piguel is left in charge of the mission. He
begins by dedicating himself to the Cambodian population, getting a young missionary to
translate prayers and the catechism into the Khmer language. His gentleness and patience
conquered the hearts of the people, and even only a few converted from Buddhism.
Peace and war alternated both in Cambodia and Cochinchina. Appointed Apostolic Vicar in
1763, Piguel tried by every means to visit the persecuted communities in Cochinchina. He
established a seminary there to train local clergy, while himself living in great poverty. He
died in 1771, aged 49.
The Word of God (2 Corinthians 3:2-6)
You yourselves are our letter, written in our hearts, that everyone can read and
understand; and it is plain that you are a letter from Christ, entrusted to our care, written
not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God; not on stone tablets but on the tablets of
human hearts. Such is the confidence we have through Christ in facing God; it is not that
we are so competent that we can claim any credit for ourselves; all our competence
comes from God. He has given us the competence to be ministers of a new covenant, a
covenant which is not of written letters, but of the Spirit; for the written letters kill, but the
Spirit gives life.
The missionary’s experience is in some respects similar to a migrant worker’s or a
refugee’s: he is pulled out of his own land, and hopes to find a new home to live and fulfill
his calling in life. Even if it is gradual and well prepared, adaptation to another way of life
is a challenge which requires courage and patience. The Spiritan international community
is the mission: the various conversions required to live and work together requires
commitment and humility so that each one’s talents may be revealed as signs of God’s
Kingdom. Learning to live with others is ultimately learning to live with the absolute Other.
Mission is ultimately being sent to others because of a desire to enter into communion
with them. Communion is ultimately achieved through death and resurrection. Our
missionary life, which forces us to let go of everything, to die, so as to enter into a new
family and a new culture, is a precious and radical way of living the vocation and identity
of a Christian
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Intercultural encounter: In the beginning the inhabitants of Cambodia left Fr.
Guillaume Piguel perplexed: « they said they believed everything, but practiced nothing;
they did not wish to learn anything, saying they were not able to. If you say there is only
one God, they say the same; if you say there are four gods, they say the same. All religion,
they say is good, their god is a brother to our God and also to the rest. » Shortly before his
death he wrote: « we must die with weapons in hand in this land of exile; our missions are
our families; the infidels are our children, for whom we must work to create in the image
of Jesus Christ. If in extraordinary circumstances we have to leave for a time, we must not
abandon them because of that, but, on the contrary, attempt as far as possible to identify
and bring together those we think can take over our places.
Formation of local clergy: « in one College [...] one operates more successfully
because the local priests do better than us and speak more easily than we who are foreign.
In times of persecution who will help the Christians? Who will look after them? The
European priests were forced to flee and the missions was left abandoned, almost as lost
as in Cochinchina. »
His spirituality: He was very attached to devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and to
the Virgin Mary, humble in his dress and his apostolic activity. Others admired him and
sought to imitate him. A true son of Poullart des Places, he lived a mystic of poverty: he
managed his vicariate without any resources, he devoted himself to the most obscure and
humble tasks of the priestly ministry. He would give everything to the poor, wrote one of
his confreres, he was poorer than the poor themselves, wearing only rags, and when he
died, there could not be found even a shirt fit to bury him in..
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Parish work and community: ‘I started in an area of primary evangelization, where
we were working in close collaboration with religious sisters. There, we used to take time
for prayer. In addition to morning prayer, mass and vespers, we took one morning every
month for recollection. We shared our experiences and planned our pastoral program
together. Obviously there were visits to distant outstations which meant that some of us
would be away for a few days, but all were faithful to the days of recollection and of
planning the work program. Later on, I worked in a parish setting. There, it was more
difficult to follow a regular routine. It was fine for morning prayer and mass. But in the
evening for vespers, with the many activities, it is hard to have vespers together. One has
to accept graciously that for an apostolic reason the confrere is absent. Regarding the
monthly recollection, there was none. It was no longer possible, or it seemed not possible,
anyway, it didn’t taking place. In one of the parishes, we were able to hold on to the
community meeting, and once a week prepare parish pastoral activities with the sisters. In
my estimation, it seems to me that it is more difficult to live out and to feel that we are
religious once we are into parishes. The diocesan style of pastoral ministry takes over.’
(W17)
Original sin of dis-unity: ‘For myself, on completion of my initial formation, the
main challenge I encountered was around ‘Spiritan culture or communion between us’.
Indeed, we were two Spiritan communities not far from each other in Africa. I was with
two other confreres and the neighboring spiritan community also had several confreres.
We were in the same area, training catechists, working with basic Christian communities,
working for human promotion (schools, healthcare). But our meetings as a group were few
and seemed to be more of a burden than anything else; they were seen as a waste of time.
The decisions we took together were not implemented. It was impossible to work together
to carry out the missionary project, the missionary vision. This was our original sin; this is
my conclusion after much reflection: some confreres encountered serious personal
problems, were individualistic, mediocrity set in, as well as alcohol issues. Evangelization
remained superficial; the Word of God did not bear much fruit. It was easier to build
chapels, something that did not reflect the reality on the ground. Evangelization did not
progress. The missionaries became bitter at heart and we weren’t able to fulfill our
mission. The bishop saw our failure and moved us away.’ (X13)
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Option for the poor: ‘The future of the Congregation will depend on our option for
the poor and that is sufficient. However what does it mean to make an option for the poor?
Few confreres are attracted to justice and peace, more numerous are those who are
involved in making their lives better and more secure. We have followed the status quo;
many people are materially poor in the areas where we could improve their lives. Educated
people have been left outside the church where we could use them to help the rest of the
community. Our personal renewal ought to have been expressed through a new
commitment and a formation to better understand the concept,’ option for the poor’. Our
charism will be shared when we live our lives through an “Option for the poor”’. (E22)
Spiritans in the Local Church: ‘I believe that the Congregation will become stronger
if its great diversity is well managed along the essential dimensions of spiritan identity: the
intuitions of our founders, fidelity to the Gospel and commitment to the current missionary
challenges.
This dream depends on some interrelated elements:
- Living our mission as a consecration to God. The difficulty of religious vows is not
in the vows themselves. There is only one vow: total consecration to God. The three
vows explain and render concrete this single vow of consecration. ‘Personal
development’ and acceptance of the Cross need to be presented to the younger
generation as the key of consecration.
- Mission along the poorest must be seen as a journey and a spiritual experience
with the most abandoned of humanity. It means living concretely God’s
preferential option for the poor.
- Live out an attitude of service, far from any quest for power, superiority and
arrogance, given that ‘The responsibility for carrying on Christs mission belongs in
each place to the local Church. We, in keeping with the calling that is proper to us,
participate in this mission.’ (RVS. 13)
- Sharing our vocation with lay people, who are more than simple collaborators.
Sustained by our charism and our spirituality, these lay people are ready to live our
mission in co-responsibility. (E17)
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7. One plants the seeds, another harvests
During his five years of formation at the Seminary of the Holy Spirit, Francois
Pottier disappointed his family by turning away from an ecclesiastical career to embrace a
missionary vocation. He was twenty sever years old when he entered the ‘ MEP’ in 1753.
The same year, he set sail for Macao, and after fifteen months studying Chinese, he is
smuggled up-river to the central Chinese province of Sichuan. Pottier visited the
communities there, was arrested, tortured, exiled, soon escaped and returned, becoming
Apostolic Vicar in 1767. With a few newly arrived missionaries, he started a clandestine
seminary for local clergy, ordained fifteen local priests, drafted a pastoral plan for
evangelization, opened a hospital for lepers, and promoted education for girls and an
‘Institute of Christian Virgins’. After a coadjutor was appointed, Pottier limited his ministry
to a small district. He passed away three years later, in 1792. Though it was important to
avoid attracting the attention of the authorities, a large number of Christians insisted on
accompanying his body to the grave. Despite the efforts of the priests to avoid anything
spectacular, even the beggars of the city contributed money to make his funeral as solemn
as possible.
The Word of God (1Co 9: 14…23)
In the same way, the Lord gave the instruction that those who preach the gospel
should get their living from the gospel. However, I have never availed myself of any rights
of this kind; and I have not written this to secure such treatment for myself; I would
rather die than that . . . No one shall take from me this ground of boasting. In fact,
preaching the gospel gives me nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion and I
should be in trouble if I failed to do it. (…) What reward do I have, then? That in my
preaching I offer the gospel free of charge to avoid using the rights which the gospel
allows me. So though I was not a slave to any human being, I put myself in slavery to all
people, to win as many as I could. (…) To the weak, I made myself weak, to win the weak.
I accommodated myself to people in all kinds of different situations, so that by all possible
means I might bring some to salvation.
Poverty is one of the elements we claim as core of our Spiritan identity, and yet it is
also one of the sources of greatest dissatisfaction in our lives. It touches on our living
together, the people we claim to serve, the means for our mission, our fundamental sense
of (in-) security, and ultimately our trust in God. It ranges from the financial (monetary and
material means) to trust, inviting us to live responsibly our trust in God’s providence, by
caring for those God has entrusted to our care. Doing this, we may discover that less is more.
We are challenged to ask ourselves: What are we doing with what we have? How do we
exercise responsible discernment for allocating the available resources for our mission?
These means are often given to us by people who make sacrifices and who chose to share
with the needy.
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In 1742 Chinese Rites for Chinese Catholics were forbidden by Rome, and since
1744, the new Chinese dynasty is not favorable to the foreign religion. Preaching was
forbidden and missionaries needed to go underground: there were only two local priests
left in the whole province when Pottier arrived, working with numerous native catechists.
Pottier owed a lot to Fr. Andre LI (+1775) who was ten years in charge of the province
when all foreign missionaries had to leave. One of the priests ordained by François Pottier
was Augustin Zhao Rong: he was a soldier who converted when he was guarding a
Christian prisoner. He would become the first Chinese priest, martyr and saint.
Advice from the Chinese Priest Andre LI in 1753: ‘The apostolic missionary chosen
by God knows that his vocation and the mandate of his superiors call him to evangelize the
poor, bring peace to his hosts, eat what they present to him and proclaim the Kingdom of
God which is the Gospel of Jesus-Christ crucified. The Catholics living in this province are,
from childhood, involved in farming or in trade; few of them have the educational
standard which would allow them to appreciate subtle reasoning or long speeches and
even less elegant rhetoric. Let the priests adapt to their poverty, their frugality, their
ignorance and let the priest adapt to them through simplicity of life and preaching,
becoming, like the apostle, all for all, to gain all for Christ; let him not lord it over his flock
but rather let him take on the characteristics of his flock.’
Missionaries describe Pottier: ‘I have never met in a single person so much
simplicity and greatness; he dresses like anyone in the country; he is always going to some
mission, he will sometimes walk for three days to visit one sick person. He is edifying in
many respects: he has a simplicity and a humility about him which challenge me every
time I see him; he makes one feel free to say anything and sees himself as the least
knowledgeable of all missionaries. As for me, I could easily swap four heads like mine in
exchange for half of his, no matter how tired it is. He is tireless in his zeal; he can preach
three times per day without feeling spent.’ Another priest writes: ‘He has a heart of gold,
even if he carries a cross of wood. He leads an apostolic life, practicing poverty, humility,
patience, charity; and he has done tremendous work.’ Not unreasonably, his biographer
called him the founder of Sichuan mission: even if he was neither the first missionary nor
the first bishop there, he significantly developed, organized and strengthened it, during 30
years of repeated persecutions. There were 5,000 Christians and 2 priests when he arrived,
and there were 25,000 with 15 local priests when he died.
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Fidelity in a time of change: ‘It’s almost 29 years ago since I finished my initial
formation. I have been moved from one ministry to another, from one culture to another and
from place to place as a result of my vow of obedience. All in all the same God who called me
to this ministry has been the very one who is sustaining my commitment to the Spiritan
vocation. As such all credit goes to Him. This particular life and transfers have not only been
a challenge to me personally but also to the majority of Religious Missionaries. It’s an added
challenge especially for one who has already got used to a people and their Language, to
their culture /customs and traditions etc. In the final analysis, there is God and our blessed
Mother Mary, my prayer life, the imitation of the spirit of our co-founders, the imitation of
our reputable old confreres, the faithful observation of SRL, the love of ministry, love of the
people, the support from my superiors and taking Jesus as my model has really sustained my
commitment to the Spiritan vocation. And for all these I am so grateful to the Lord of the
Vineyard.’ (X24)
With small communities and the poor: ‘Working with small communities brings back
many happy memories. I remember a particular Sunday morning after Eucharist, I was
invited to visit a man who was dying. The thirty or so people who were at Mass came with
me to minister to this man. As I say “we” administered the last rites, I was conscious that this
was a community of believers who were ministers of God’s saving love. I remember being in
hospital and because of the nature of my illness the treatment was slow. A friend of mine, a
small farmer, came to see me. He left me and then returned in a very short time. I can still
see him at the end of the bed, asking me – “If you had the money would they operate?” He
would not have that kind of money but he would have got it somewhere. People who are
poor, in times of illness and bereavements are very creative. These incidents speak to me of
the innate goodness in people.’ (W10)
Working with Joy and Confidence in the Holy Spirit: ‘The Spiritan charism and
mission of the Spiritans today are very much in line with what Pope Francis is always talking
about. It is the living out of joy in the Spirit, listening to the teachings of Jesus and being
inspired by how Jesus lived in his day – living thus in all situation in the modern worldrealizing at a deep level that what counts are people, each individual, not the system, and it
is the poor, the suffering, the wounded, those hurting, the weak, the unseen, powerless ones
who need the help of the strong, and able, and the wealthy. We work at different times of
our lives with all these people, helping some, teaching others, but always filled with a joy
and confidence, not in ourselves, but in the Spirit who guides, directs, inspires and goes
before us to prepare the way, fill in the valleys, level the mountains of struggle and
opposition. “Here we are, Lord – we come to do your will.”’ (W18)
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With the poor: ‘The option with the poor is key to our being Spiritans but Pope
Francis is also pointing out that it is also key to being Christians. Being for the poor gives the
impression of delivering services to them which is good and we do this in multiple ways and
we can show to others how we did it.. Being with the poor is much more demanding and we
need to develop ways of assessing this also,, not so much to ‘flaunt’ ourselves, but to help us
become aware of what we are doing and why we are doing it. I believe it is one of those
aspects of our lives that we do s a given, without taking any notice of it. We need to be able
to name it in order to spur us on to continue it. Working and living with the poor is/can be
transformative. We have parish houses that are in the midst of neighborhoods that are
economically challenged. That alone is not enough. Are we members of that community? I
can say that in a number of examples that I am aware of, we are! We are known in those
communities and take active roles in those communities civilly and interreligiously. The
neighbors know us and appreciate our presence. We take on “the smell of the sheep.” In all
of our ministries I know we purposely share our charism, spirituality and mission with the
people we serve. They are called to look beyond themselves to the neighborhood, the city,
the state and the country in matters of justice and charity. In every ministry we talk about
what it means to be a Spiritan group and those we serve also can speak of it as the reason
for what they do!’ (W34)
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8. New mission, old challenges
After a break of 205 years, 8 Spiritans returned to the Far-East in 1997, following
the mandate of the Itaici General Chapter of 1992 calling for ‘a new initiative in Asia’. The
Philippines, Taiwan, Vietnam and China were selected, and two teams of four, each with
one or two experienced missionaries, first met for a week in Assisi, Italy, sharing their
vision and hopes. They were from Ireland, USA, Brazil, Nigeria, Sierra-Leone and France.
Immediately, they left for The Philippines and Taiwan, starting with a language course in
Visayan and in Mandarin Chinese. They are now involved in hospital chaplaincy, prison
ministry, migrant ministry, formation of Seminarians, interreligious dialogue, campus
inistry, higher education and parish ministry.
The Word of God (Acts 4: 31-35)
As they prayed, the house where they were assembled rocked. From this time they
were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to proclaim the word of God fearlessly. The
whole group of believers was united, heart and soul; no one claimed private ownership of
any possessions, as everything they owned was held in common. The apostles continued
to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus with great power, and they were all
accorded great respect. None of their members was ever in want, as all those who owned
land or houses would sell them, and bring the money from the sale of them, to present it
to the apostles; it was then distributed to any who might be in need.
A certain number of difficulties in community living are exacerbated when the
membership is international. The way of sharing at a personal level differs according to
ones culture of origin, our formation style, our spirituality. Collaboration is another area
where tensions can arise, either because of latent power struggles, withdrawal, or
different experiences of Church. Preconceptions need to be criticized, cultural identity and
individual uniqueness both need to be accounted for. A confrere suggests learning how to
use critical analysis to become aware of the influence of traditional structures on our
exercise of power, solidarity and communication. Cultural ways need to be evangelized,
but criticizing them is difficult; we need to begin with ourselves. We also need to learn to
accept a healthy and life-giving diversity, in line with SRL, and to be open to individual
charisms.
East Winds
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Additional information:
Interestingly, in Taiwan the migrants are Filipinos and in The Philippines, one
parish is ethnic Chinese. 1% of the population of Taiwan is Catholic, while 90% of Filipinos
are catholics. Over the past seventeen years, sixteen confreres have been appointed to
The Philippines and seventeen to Taiwan. The Philippines has 3 young men professed and
still in formation. The confreres there work in very poor areas, with little resources, with
frequent natural disasters. The Filipino Church is still very dependent on the sponsorship
of rich catholic land owners in a kind of feudal society. The Taiwanese catholic hierarchy
are still rather timid in speaking out on social issues, but Spiritans are involved in Justice
and Peace areas together with lay people. Defining common priorities remains a challenge
in both places, but the steadfastness of some confreres is an encouraging witness.
Confreres from Taiwan have made contacts in and have visited to China, and have even
been invited to work in a Chinese diocese. But foreign missionaries are not allowed to
reside there. However, candidates from China have asked to know more about our
Congregation.
Renewal of our Spiritual Life: ‘I am convinced that our future depends on the
renewal of our spiritual life. I had the opportunity to study the history of religious life across
the centuries. The great movements of renewal always came from the choice of a more
evangelical life, more demanding, less worldly. Religious life was never renewed with money,
with structures, with comfort, with the latest equipment and modern technologies. It was
always renewed through fidelity to the Gospel, to the Rule of Life, to sacramental life and
prayer, through apostolic zeal, gift of self, through the love and service of others. If we
seriously live this dimension of spiritual renewal, then living the rest will not be a problem;
we will be able to live with the poor, to share in their lives and to work with them. Without
this dimension, our option for the poor becomes an ideology which remains in the realm of
theory… When we experience the difficulty of finding young candidates for the poorest
missionary situations, we quickly understand that the option for the poor is either born from
a life rooted in Jesus Christ, or it just remains an unreal pious slogan’ (E09)
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Listening to the Holy Spirit, and sacrifice: ‘To me the future of the Congregation is
assured because it is a work of the Holy Spirit. My dream of the congregation is to always
see its members more and more committed to listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit and
open to His impulses. And this will express itself in all the categories you have listed and
others: in our option for/with the poor; in our personal life/ renewal; in the sharing of our
charism, spirituality, our mission with the people of other nations. What is most important is
that it will depend on the extent that each member will make of his life a complete sacrifice.’
(X17)
Simplifying our way of life : ‘My greatest dream is to simplify our lifestyles. Of its
nature, my ‘personal life’ cannot be simple. But I have always dreamt of being a little bit
more radical in our way of living mission. But the ‘clerical’ structure of our Congregation
seems to be quite heavy. In our Province, ‘priests’ were really something (as in our culture).
This means that we still have a self-understanding which does not seem right to me when we
look at the ‘bunch of poor people’ that we really are. I believe that Spiritans are ‘poor’
themselves. It’s just too bad that we do not become more aware of it. It would help us to
come closer to the poor in our way of being and our style of life. But it is not happening. We
find it so difficult to change our structures, at least in my circumscription.’ (X29)
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9. Unless the seed falls into the ground
In the year 2000, Fr. Brian Fulton CSSp began to prepare himself to work in Vietnam,
and arrived there two years later. Almost simultaneously, since 1995, Vietnamese priests
and seminarians were received into formation in the Western Province of the USA. In Rome,
the Vietnamese Cardinal Van Tuan asked the Congregation of the Holy Spirit to consider a
request for fusion from a local Vietnamese Congregation. Meanwhile, a confrere from
Taiwan began a charity program to educate poor children in Hue, central Vietnam. Brian was
an experienced missionary. He set out to learn the difficult Vietnamese language, and
worked as a NGO representative to help in setting up a vocational school for the children of
lepers. In 2005, Brian was confident; it was decided to establish a Spiritan community in
Saigon and to try developing contacts with the local Church. All hopes rested on Brian. But
on February 2nd, 2006, Brian accidentally passed away from a heart attack. Were all these
efforts in vain? The confreres decided instead to entrust all their projects to God alone.
After Brian’s funeral mass in Saigon’s cathedral, the Archbishop officially invited ‘more
missionaries like Fr. Brian’ to come and work in his diocese. Four confreres are now in
Vietnam, from Europe, and Vietnamese American and are mostly involved in formation; in
the past two years twelve young Vietnamese have made first profession, with twenty more
in formation.
The Word of God (John 12: 24-26)
In all truth I tell you, unless a wheat grain falls into the earth and dies, it remains
only a single grain; but if it dies it yields a rich harvest. Anyone who loves his life loses it;
anyone who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me, must
follow me, and my servant will be with me wherever I am. If anyone serves me, my Father
will honor him.
In health and activity, we must not forget to prepare ourselves for a gradual
progressive surrender, through illness, age, until death. Experiences of powerlessness lead
us to rely more on God’s love and power. A confrere who went through chemo-therapy and
a coma learned to entrust himself ‘into the hands of the Lord’ who leads – he learned to let
go and to trust. We receive our Spiritan identity from the Father, imitating Libermann’s
surrender in trust to God who leads. We try to avoid being obstacles to the work of the
Spirit, living under the guidance of the Holy Spirit in community, aware of the action of the
Spirit in ourselves and in others. The courage to get involved in God’s mission despite our
limited capacities comes from embracing the meaning of God’s project for our lives, and for
the requisite faith. We look at our personal story and our history to discern God’s fidelity:
we are fortified by the memory that this God who called us; we trust that it is God who is
guiding our history.
East Winds
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Additional information:
The Vietnamese Congregation remains a partner with the Spiritans regarding the
educational charity program in Hue but fusion is no longer on. Vietnamese Spiritan students
go on OTP overseas to experience Spiritan mission to countries that respect religious
freedom. A missionary undertaking is also under discussion in Vietnam. The name of Bishop
Edmé Bennetat, disciple of Poullart des Places, trained at the Seminary of the Holy Spirit,
missionary in Cochinchina from 1736 to 1761, is still visible on the Saigon Pastoral Center
memorial. Before the present engagement, beginning in 1733, six Spiritans were
missionaries in Vietnam, the last of whom was Fr. Pierre Blandin who worked in Tonkin
(northern Vietnam) from 1778 and 1787. He was a nephew of Fr. Becquet, the 3rd
successor of Claude Poullart des Places.
Simple life of Poullart des Places and his successors: ‘My dream for the
Congregation is the renewal of the personal lives of each confrere; our life together would
become so much more simple and fraternal. Without a rediscovery of what allowed Claude
Poullart des Places and Libermann to begin and accompany their Congregations, our option
for and with the poor will not become a reality. We need to rediscover and to live poverty as
the fundamental virtue of our Congregation as Claude Poullart des Places wanted it and
which he practiced so well. Rich as he was, he humbled himself, becoming poor. Without this
fundamental poverty: i.e. including a kind of material poverty, a greater simplicity of life,
renouncing that which is superfluous, all attempts at personal enriching, an unflinching
honesty, always ready to render accounts to the person responsible, there will be no true and
lasting commitment for and with the poor. Without this kind of poverty, there will be no
humility, and our availability to live with and serve the poor where we should be sent, is a
fiction.The Long term quickly becomes short term. The missionary appointment becomes
again a first appointment. If we live our charism, then we will not fear living as poor among
the poor; on the contrary, we will seek it and will see it as a ‘sacrifice’ the fact of not being
sent to them. If we live the charism of our founders, in on-going renewal, which I’m trying to
do - and that which I can now rediscover thanks to all the writings now available since the
celebration of our 300th anniversary – then the people of God will come to us asking us to
share this great wealth which is the simple and humble life, a life of both labor and joy as
disciples of Claude Poullart des Places and his worthy successors. I try as much as I can to
simplify my life. Simplicity of life makes one available, welcoming the unexpected.’ (E23)
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The Spirit at work in us: ‘What does it mean to be Spiritan? Being Spiritan is itself an
expression of a spirituality, if by “spirituality” we imply a particular world-view inspired by
the risen Christ and a defining attitude inspired by the values of the Kingdom. Being Spiritan
is also a ritual lived in and with a community in order to connect with the spirit of our
Spiritan ancestors. This inter-connectedness defines us as community. This Spirit is at work in
us when we translate what we stand for to what we work for. We touch the Spirit when we
get rooted in the dream of the founders. This Spirit becomes an active protest against
behaviors and acts that stand contrary against the values of justice, compassion and other
Kingdom values. Being Spiritan is a conviction that shines out in life’s daily challenges. The
conviction is primarily personal but contributes to the community ethos.’ (E06)
Being Eucharist for others: ‘I have been able to remain committed to my call and
mission through personal conviction, through a readiness to transcend my cultural
background, with a sense of patience and perseverance, and personal prayer. The support of
the community where I found a fraternal atmosphere was another strong support … and
personal prayer. The Pastoral Experience Program (PEP) that I did in a trans-cultural context
was a turning point in re-defining my identity as a Spiritan. It was from such an experience
that I came to realize in an existential way that my identity as a Spiritan is based on the
understanding of being “Eucharist” for others, to break myself so that others may have life
and have it to the full as Jesus said. My understanding of Spiritan charism and mission in the
Church where I am, is to be an agent of transformation; transforming the thinking of people.
First as a formator, I feel that I am called to transform the life of the young men entrusted to
me so that they can be true “Eucharist” to others through my life example and other various
inputs. In other areas outside formation, where the majority of confreres are engaged, I feel
that their vocation and mission is transformative as well. This could be in the area of
education, pastoral/first evangelization, healthcare, justice and peace etc.’ (X19)
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More realistic about identity and vocation: ‘It is true, my understanding of my
identity and vocation changed over the years. I have become more realistic. I used to think I
would have led so many people to Christianity, to have them baptized in order that they
would be ‘saved’. I used to believe that Christ is the sole savior and my duty was to make
everybody understand and believe that. I used to think I could use my energy to resolve
difficult situations of conflict and was convinced that as a Spiritan I would be a defender and
advocate of the poor and weak. But over the years I have come to realize that people and
situations are so complex that it needs patience and tolerance, and many a times only
solutions come along only with God’s intervention. I have to believe that I can only do my
little part and God will do the rest. I see the number of believers in other religions growing
ever greater. At the beginning as a young Spiritan full of enthusiasm and zeal this trend used
to frustrate me but as I grow older, I have come to appreciate other peoples’ faith and have
come to realize that the Spirit of God is the dominant factor and that he/she guides events in
the world. On my part I should only focus on witnessing Christ through my efforts to live a
virtuous life and people of other faiths would see the light of the Gospel through our faith
and the values we stand for.’ (E24)
East Winds
Page 38

East Winds Spiritan Novena With Claude François Poullart des Places

Transcription

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