Theme: We, the Congregation (Virginio Bressanelli, superior general)

08:30 -- Mass

10:30 -- Presentation of the theme: Fr. General

15:30 -- Geographic group meetings

17:30 -- General session

Procession from meeting hall to main chapel for opening liturgy November 3, 1998

Summary

The meeting of major superiors began this morning with a concelebrated Mass presided over by Virginio Bressanelli, superior general. At the liturgy, as well as during his opening remarks, he reminded the participants that this meeting is of a consultative nature. In fact, our constitutions do not foresee such an encounter. However, during the time of Antonio Paanteghini (1979 - 1991) as superior general meetings with major superiors were initiated.

The last general chapter presumed this meeting would take place when it delegated to it certain tasks, such as the review of our congregational government structures, as well as a review of general commissions, etc.

The fundamental task of this encounter is to review the operational plan developed by the general administration for its mandate: We the Congregation in Service to the Mission.

Fr. General with Rafael Gonçalves do Costa (LU), meeting moderator.

Meeting Notes

1. We will endeavor to provide a brief one page summary of each days events. At this time we can guarantee them in English and French, but will try our best to provide them in Spanish and Portuguese as well. You will be able to access this page through the News Page.

2. In addition to the summary various individuals have been asked to provide a one page reflection each day starting tomorrow. In addition to writing in their native language we can guarantee at least an English translation, but will likewise try our best to provide it in our other active languages of French, Spanish and Portuguese.

• Zolile Mpambani -- Xhosa (CU/South Africa) 04/11/98
• Paul Sugino -- Bahasa Indonesia (IN) 05/11/98
• Maurice Légaré -- French (CGA) 06/11/98
• Rein van Langen -- Dutch (NE) 07/11/98
• Attilio Zorzetti -- Spanish (AU) 09/11/98
• Jozef Gawel -- Polish (PO) 10/11/98
• Wieslaw Swiech -- Finnish (FIN) 11/11/98
• Aloisio Back -- Cebuano (PHI) 12/11/98

3. We will provide certain meeting documents as they become available. At the moment all we can promise you is that they will be posted in their original language. We are awaiting Fr. General's revisions of the text he presented this morning (Incontro del Direttivo Generale con i Superiori Provinciale, Regionali e delle Comunità, MAD, PHI, IND). We will alert you when it is ready to be posted. Coffee anyone? Claudio Weber (BM) and others during first day break time.