To all the members of the Congregation
My dear brothers,
More than once we have sent you information about the purchase of the birthplace of our Founder at La Capelle.
Now we need to think about setting up an SCJ community along with a a religious-apostolic purpose to achieve. It is our intention to dialog with the entire Congregation about both these matters so that this community is born as a work of the Congregation and meaningful and significant to everyone in it.
As General Council we wish to establish some wide parameters or coordinates to help specify the project and to find the people available, thus following up on Motion 3 of the General Chapter (cf. n. 15.3 of our six-year plan, Prot. 350/97).
On the matter of setting up a local plan we note it should have a:
- clearly SCJ religious presence;The fleshing out of these parameters can take place with everyone's participation; yet one must leave some scope in the project to the creativity of the persons who will work there.
- which accentuates a return to the sources of our charism and spirituality;
- inserted and involved in the local church.
A first contribution was asked of the French province and from the North European provinces; for historical and geographical reasons, they are the closest and most interested.
Their responses are attached [in the originals -- note they are not included in this online version]; there are contributions from:
- French (GA) province; (28-06-97);These rich materials are based on the local situation and foresee the limitations and possibilities for this work. They make up part of the road which, after enrichment and modification, will lead us to define a project consistent with the situation and meaningful for the Congregation.
- the SCJ community at St. Quentin (10-09-97);
- the GA and LW provinces together (25-09-97);
- the provinces and regions of North Europe (GA, GE, FL, LW, NE, FIN, ACR) which met at Vienna (13-15.10.97).
On the matter of the establishment of the community, the General Council believes it should be:
- a true community consisting of a minimum of 4 persons;On this matter too, we await suggestions and proposals from all SCJs. The chief contribution, however, would be to volunteer or to make available persons for this work:
- "prophetic" and international;
- preferably younger religious;
- made up mainly of Europeans.
- who wants to enroll in this new enterprise?It is on answers to these two more demanding questions that the follow-up steps depend.
- which province, particularly from Europe, is ready to offer personnel?
- by 31 May, 1998: make recommendations on the project, on the establishment of the community; on the offer of personnel;In setting the initiative in motion we are aware of starting something totally new, which is a sign of the first implementation of our "We, the Congregation" plan. We do this at a time when the situation in the provinces, especially concerning personnel, is not ideal. We also know that frequently the most courageous choices are made at the most difficult times.
- by 14 March, 1999: the SCJ community at La Capelle begins.
Without losing sight of the realities, we dare encourage you to be generous and to take risks, betting on the future, ready to assist the development of that part of the Congregation where the greatest aging is taking place and from which all the other foundations took their origin.
This effort to put the plan "We, the Congregation" for La Capelle into effect we believe is particularly meaningful. Won't this be a sign of a new vitality which will benefit the entire Congregation?
We await your thoughts and answers joyfully and hopefully. Let the Virgin of the Presentation and Fr. Dehon be your sources of help in this task of congregational communion and solidarity.