If we look around the room, taking our time to look at each person in turn, what strikes us

This is our reality. These are the people with whom we are called to live and work. As we look at one another, stop at any person in the group. What do we know about this person? His hopes, his fears? What do we know about his faith vision, and his dreams for the future? This sharing of one another's stories, their experience and insight, and growing in understanding and acceptance of each other, are a necessary step in the process of SEE, JUDGE and ACT. This grasp of who we are can be further complicated; maybe as we looked about us our eyes faltered because of some unresolved conflict and hurt with some person or persons in the group.

All of us are engaged in worthwhile projects and services to the Congregation and local churches where we are. We cannot continue them all due to:

1. our numbers
2. our age profile
3. and the fact that presently we have one student religious.

Therefore, an important question for us: What can we do together to shape our future as SCJ religious in the British Isles? In a way that reverences the past, and the good done and being done, and which responds to the new thinking in the Church and Congregation. This is an inclusive process, and one which will lead to a better quality of life for the individual and our SCJ Communities.

1) We have to 'SEE' clearly. 

(A listening, not just to one another, but to our own hearts, to the Church, to the Congregation and to our contemporary world.)

What is my own sense of God at work in my heart? Do I feel at times the need for a more personally authentic religious living? Is there a Spirit-driven discontent, urging me forward? All of us know we are capable of more for Christ, but are frustrated by the resistances which spring from within, from our sinful condition. This inner struggle with God, which is deeply and intensely personal, is always that necessary grounding of all human planning. It is here that all future NEW LIFE is decided. It is a converging of our will with the divine. It is a moving towards an ever more complete ECCE VENIO

Resistance from within our own hearts is a powerful force. It can block, and does block, our own spiritual growth and change; it can also lead us to block others, the stated reason not being the real reason, but our perception of some loss to ourselves. It will be at work in our conference consciously and unconsciously. That is why this time together needs ample time for personal and common prayer. A conference is fundamentally a work of the Spirit.

2) Not only is it necessary to 'SEE'

i) our present reality (BH Province); 

ii) the context within which we work;

iii) Vatican Council Renewal;

iv) but also the renewal taking place in the Congregation.

a) If this process is to be truly Spirit-filled, we must seriously engage in a process of critical self-reflection of who we are and what we do. The sentiments directing this are to be found in the Magnificat:

In the sense that God is at work in our personal lives and in our communities. A fact of life that we must recognize. We are thankful for the good, God has and is accomplishing in and through us. His power is manifest in our human weaknesses. We have to keep before us that such critical self-reflection is done with the eyes of faith; it is a listening in prayer and a discerning of brothers together. This possibly will lead to the strengthening of some projects, with a possible regrouping, and also a painful letting go of others. A letting go either dictated by changing circumstances (there is no-one to replace someone) or by a direct intervention (choosing to stop something by agreement). This latter choice will always be the most difficult, and will require wisdom and sensitivity for those involved. It might just be too much for those involved.

In a time like this we can lose heart, talk about the end of religious life, of dying out. All of which can make us lethargic, pessimistic, and lead to a buildup of anger and frustration. What God's plan for the Church in these islands is, only He knows. What the future of the SCJ Presence is, only He knows. But anyone conversant with the faith story of these islands knows that, even in its darkest moments, there was always the few to pass on the message. Being one of a few is no less authentic, no less God-bearing, than being carried along on the coattails of a large mass. Christ alone can be the hope of a continuing SCJ presence here, if we ourselves are faithful.

That is why Vocation Work has to be part of any future planning. A venture which demands the involvement of all of us. In the Vatican Council Documents on Vocations there are three recommendations which all of us could implement. They are prayer, penance and a more fervent living of our own Christian calling.

I know that there is a side to this that is painful, the loss of men. There are questions around this that tax us all, we would like to grasp the problem and solve it. We have to be aware of it and give young men, and not-so-young, joining us an enthusiasm for Christian living, and a sense that life as an SCJ religious and SCJ priest are a life worth living. Hugh has ideas about trying a new approach to this ministry, and he will tell us about these; he is to be encouraged in this. Whatever the outcome, there is only one Lord of the Harvest. Let us do our best together.

b) The context within which we work.

What is happening in there countries where we are presently working? Church and faith, its relevance to our contemporaries?

What impact is the Church having? Can we be more effective as a religious community, in this milieu, in communicating a Dehonian Spirituality, in dialoguing with our contemporaries?

Keeping in mind who we are, what steps can we take to enhance our present realities? Is there one new direction for which we could opt?

These questions are similar to questions we all have. We work with these questions, often with no (easy) answers, and we manage a lot of the time to be serene, and to fall back on the Lord of the Work.

c) Vatican Council and Renewal in the Church.

We all know the effects the Vatican Council is having on religious life and its call to authentic renewal of our charisms. We have experienced this in the rewriting of our Rule of Life, in the vision of the General and his Council.

i) We the Congregation in the Service of the Mission.

A necessary element in all renewal is to keep alive the Mission ad Gentes. It is necessary for the vitality of religious life that we are still prepared to send people to the Missions, even a small province like ours.

That as religious, we make a real choice for the poor, that we experience mission in reverse, which helps us to be more open to a more radical living of the evangelical counsel for ourselves.

That we see ourselves as part of a wider reality, the Congregation. Part of this vision that we express it in real ways, sharing goods and when possible manpower (Philippines, India, La Capelle). It has been mooted,trying to set up a community in Northern Europe, which enables members from different provinces to work on some new project which might provide a more focused SCJ expression as the numbers in our provinces decline. Talk of prophetic and significant community life.

These are some of the things that come to mind when reflecting of who we are, and where we want to go.

But if we are going to improve the quality and witness of our lives, it is not just the job of work we do which counts. Of far more importance is the quality of our personal lives and the quality of the life we share together. We have to make as a real focus OUR LIVING AND WORKING TOGETHER.

Not making a whole new series of rules. We have enough. But by committing ourselves to a programme which needs to be inclusive and which builds on the good already there.

Nor is it an attempt to put the clock back, but one to make us more authentically religious, improving and developing our vocation at a deeper level, in ways suited to our Apostolate.

In the various letters from Rome two stand out for me. One is that which speaks about prophetic and significant community living, the other concerning the founder, the Ven Leo John Dehon. I feel that we ourselves should strive to set up significant community in each of the three countries. This is something to work towards, establishing vision, or taking the vision proposed in the rule of life, and giving it an expression appropriate to our age, in tune with our culture and tradition, and the spirituality of these islands. This will require planning, experimentation (ie until we find the right style, one with which we are comfortable, one that challenges and signs the kingdom).

That we seek ways in which we can take the Founder more to our hearts, as inspiration and model, and as a man whose life is relevant to our age. We might do this by marking his birth and death each year with appropriate reflections etc, prepared by ourselves etc.

There are many possibilities open to us to maximize our presence, but in planning for the next three years we must prioritize and make concrete goals. We need to pray, reflect and discuss; there is time and there is room for not a little humour.

In Conclusion:

Visiting the communities during the first six months, I want to commend people for the work they are doing. There are lots of different initiatives which are being carried out; they are worthwhile and imaginative. There are three areas I would like to mention:

a) Our life of faith together. I think we should address at local level, how do we build a framework of prayer into our apostolates that draw us together in faith, which recognize individual preferences, the requirements of the work etc. For example, a number of places have adoration in some places run by the people themselves, which is very good, but are we all so busy that we cannot come together as a community with the people for part of this?

b) As you will have noted at the beginning of this, as men we are limited and imperfect and thankfully on the whole we can bear with one another. But I do feel that we should look at the use of the community meeting. Not something many of us look forward to. But it can be the way to defuse the buildup of tension and the irritabilities that are the result of any continuing human interaction.

c) Our work, there is not one work that I would like to see closed. But can I illustrate the problem facing us. I'm a big guy, who needs a lot of covering. But already I feel like a man trying to cover his nakedness with a small cloth; when I move it to cover one spot, I end up leaving bare another. Or there's plenty of bread but not enough butter.

3) JUDGE and ACT:

Let us begin a process to be completed in two to three years at least for the next Chapter, that is realistic, inclusive and sensitive to one another, which begins to shape our future in these islands:

that enables our younger members to engage in on-going formation, preparing them for that future. We have time to help them equip themselves for our changing reality. 

that we address issues around old age and retirement.

that we continue to call new members to our way of life.

that we encourage others to embrace the Dehonian charism, as a way to holiness and mission (Dehonians).

that we focus on building up a presence

• in Scotland (Smithstone)
• in Ireland (Parish/Inchicore Formation Community)
• and in England (Malpas/Dehon)

choices that are realistic, give hope and the promise of new life, a drawing in to go out. A faith vision, which says: Come Lord Jesus, come.  # # #