What's New

In the newspaper section of Vidimus Dominum for July 2, 1999, there is an article of interest to those preparing for next year's General Conference: DEBT: THE POOR COUNTIES HAVE LARGELY PAID IT OFF. The thesis emerged from the convention of the Missionary Centers of Upper Italy. Vidimus Dominum publishes in four languages: English, Italian, French and Spanish. You may access the article by going to the Newspaper section in the language of your choice (Cf. www.vidimusdominum.org).

Editor's Note: Vidimus Dominum is a website maintained by USG (Union of Superiors General).

We present the eleventh in our series of Dehon cartoons by Javier Prate, a collaborator on several SCJ publications in Spain. The images are displayed in the church of Saint Martin, Saint Quentin (GA). They are aimed at young people, but can be appreciated by all generations. They depict different scenes in Fr. Dehon's life and his spirituality. this week's image is entitled: "Délivrez les opprimés!".

What's Happening

Lavras Vocation Conference

An updated list of participants to the August Vocation Conference in Lavras, Brazil, has been posted to the Vocation Page (Cf. Vocation List). The following is an excerpt from a July 1st welcome letter to participants from Claudio Weber, provincial superior of the South Brazilian Province.

On behalf of the BM Province I'm glad to welcome you to the Vocational Conference of Lavras. We wish it will be for each one a pleasant and profitable encounter. For that we are trying to do our best .Our wishes are that every one can feel at home among us.

What unites and moves us is the spirit of "We the Congregation", experienced in the awareness that we all are, even in different places and cultures, at the service of the same mission. We are, in fact, at the service of Christ, the Shepherd and Master, who has heart and ears for the needs of the ones that are at the margin of the road, who calls and sends us to others to be His disciples and make new disciples of Him. We are called to be men who continue to give Him every day our yes and, as disciples, to correspond with the call of our Master, as the ones that followed Jesus at the exit of Jericho, when the Master told them: "Call him!" And they - as Mark 10,49 tells us - called Bartimeus, the blind man and said to him: "Take courage. Get up, he is calling you!"

Be welcome! Come willing to share with the confreres of other Provinces and Regions your vocational experience, your happiness and concerns, your hopes and worries.

Ongoing Formation Program in Poland

Zolile Mpambani (CU) has sent a brief report on the Ongoing Formation Program taking place in Poland (Cf. Ongoing Formation Course). Below is a brief reflection on the course offered by Stephen Matroni (BH).
 

SCJ Ongoing Formation Group in Poland

It has been good to have a change of scene and find myself in a very different place, very different from home in England. The first thing that made an impression on me was that Poland is very much at the heart of Europe. The divisions created by the cold war served only to isolate those of us on the western fringes of the continent from centuries of shared traditions in central and Eastern Europe.

Our small group on the formation course has representatives drawn from all over the world. We have begun to share our stories and the stories of our respective provinces. I have learned a great deal, especially about the need to respect and even celebrate our diversity.

Each day we have also had speakers who have introduced us to new ideas in ecumenical theology, culture and sacred art. We have plans soon to take our group to Bielorusia. Watch this space if you want to find out how we get on.

Stephen Matroni

Warsaw 30.06.99

Dehon Photo of the Week

With Stefan Tertünte in Albania for several more weeks, we will suspend posting photo's from our Dehon collection until his return. Look for the next posting about mid-July.