14th Meeting of the International Coordinating Team of
the Lay of the Chevalier Family and the Executive Committee of the Association
“Lay of the Chevalier Family in
ISSOUDUN, April 21-22 2007
Present: Father Aloma (msc), Father Gilbert Bonnemort (msc), Rita Cleuren (Belgium), Louis and Nadette Joly (France), Father Nick Harnan (Cor Novum), Theresa Kocik (Germany), Sister Rosalia Kunmartyatin (fndsc), Adelina Morales (Spain), Sister Stephani Orlowski (Germany), Ana San Martin (Spain), Mimi van Poppel (Holland).
Excused: Marie-Blanche Cordonier (
1.
General Assembly of the Association “Lay of the Chevalier Family in
Word of welcome by Louis. Prayer by Mimi.
Introduction of all members present.
This is the very first General Assembly of
the Association. Louis reminds us of the fact that since the Association was
created in
Voting members: one representative per country, one Cor Novum representative, one representative for the 3 Generalats:
Mimi for The Netherlands, Rita for Belgium, Sister Stephani for Germany, Louis for France, Ana for Spain, Sister Rosalia for the Generalats and Nick for Cor Novum.
Moral Report: Since this is the very first General Assembly, the report will also contain the history of the International Coordinating Team.
Reading of the president’s report:
|
1995 |
ISSOUDUN
’95. International meeting of the Chevalier Family (28 countries came together at the very place where the vision of Father Jules Chevalier lives in the three Generalates: MSC, FNDSC, MSC Sisters). |
|
1999 |
International meeting of the Chevalier Family Lay “ISSOUDUN ‘99” from July 19 to July 25. The so-called international Charter “Lay Missionaries of the Sacred Heart” of the Chevalier Family is accepted as primary working document for all Lay wanting to share the spirituality of Father Chevalier with the three Congregations. An international Coordinating team is installed to organize and to share information and to suggest possible formation activities. Every continent is asked to install its own continental communion organ. All these coordinating organs will have the Miribel Community (in close collaboration with Issoudun) as a reference point. General MSC
Chapter from September 6 to September The Chapter gladly accepts “the Charter of the Lay Missionaries of the Sacred Heart”. The Lay Missionaries of the Sacred Heart will be considered equal partners of the Religious. The Religious will support the Lay with the formation and the guidance. The Charter emphasises that everyone has to support and encourage the Lay Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (CS61). |
|
2000 |
Creating and starting up of the “LAY MSC” website, in April. The internet site is a source accessible to everyone! There will be room for evaluation, remarks, suggestions, questions as to formation, etc. Thanks to these contributions, the internet site will become a powerful and useful means in the organisation of formation and international sharing of all MSC Lay of the Chevalier Family throughout the world! |
|
2003 |
European meeting of the Chevalier Family Lay “ISSOUDUN ‘2003” from August 5 to August 10, 2003. This meeting was prepared by the
“International Coordinating Team” of the Lay Missionaries of the Sacred Heart
of the Chevalier Family”. This Team, composed only of European members (for
financial and practical reasons) is asked by the three Generalats
to study a possible installation of a European Association of the “Lay of the
Chevalier Family in |
|
2005 |
The Association “Lay of the Chevalier
Family in The installation of the Association is
declared in the “ |
On this day, Saturday April 21, 2007, it is our pleasure to open the first General Assembly of our Association; covering a period starting from June 10, 2005 (Constitutive Assembly) to December 31, 2006 (Decision of the Executive Committee of May 20, 2006).
During this period, and after the departure of Sister Suzanne BEIGNON who had accompanied and guided us in name of the three Generalats, we welcomed one representative per congregation that accompanies and guides the Lay:
- Father Mark Mac Donald, MSC – Sister Rosalia Kunmartyatin, FNDSC – Sister Kim Bonaventura, MSC Sisters.
According to the Statutes, there can only be 1 representative for the three Generalats… Under the present conditions, however, there are three representatives.
The COR NOVUM representative, Father Mark Mac Donald was succeeded by Father Nick HARNAN.
Three major points will be highlighted this year:
o Sharing the lives of the groups
o Formation through the Internet site
o
Preparing the International
meeting, in November
We enter a new period in which the major concern will be the preparation of the 2008 International Meeting.
To make sure this new period goes by smoothly, I would like to choose someone here at the General Assembly, who can take over my tasks as a president. Indeed, I have already been responsible for the organisation of the International Coordinating Team since the preparation of the “ISSOUDUN ‘99” meeting and the situation of the MSC Lay in the French/Swiss Province has become too unstable these last few years. Moreover, my lack of language knowledge (I only speak French) will become too big a problem in the organisation of the oncoming projects.
The person
taking over the presidency should speak several foreign languages (especially
English) and should live in an area where the MSC Lay’s relationship with the
Religious of the Chevalier Family is vivid and successful. At this time,
I would like to end this report with some
extracts taken from the VISION OF FATHER
JULES CHEVALIER.
1/ Father Jules Chevalier put his mission
into some simple, concrete words: “Regenerate
Christian Society”.
His major concern was to make people take the Gospel seriously and live it! For him, this was the only way to change and transform society!
2/ Moreover,
Father Chevalier was convinced that Society was not able to accomplish his
mission without the active collaboration of secular priests on the one hand and
a group of Lay on the other: “two groups
through which Society would be able to accomplish its goal”
3/ Jules Chevalier was convinced that the devotion and worship of the Sacred Heart was a way to say no to evil. To him, this was an efficient and global way to “Live Gospel”, “a way of living through the heart”, “a way of living”.
It was also his belief that a Religious Congregation, in its present form, would not be sufficient as a missionary force! That is why he often referred to the “three branches” in his vision. That is what he wrote:
“The Missionaries of the Sacred Heart have to be true
Religious in order to obtain a close resemblance with The Man whose reign they
want to spread. At the same time, they have to have close relationships with
the so-called clergy, in order to spread the divine influence of the Sacred
Heart....And last but not least, to cover all areas, and to spread the
regenerating force and influence, we also need a third Lay Order to reach
places where priests will never come!”
May
the Sacred Heart of Jesus be loved all over the world!
Approval by 6, 1 abstention
Financial
Report
Marie-Blanche CORDONIER, Treasurer, being absent, the report is presented by Louis JOLY
Treasurer’s Report
Louis presents
the accounts of the Association “Lay of the Chevalier Family in
Included you will find the “global balance”, details from “the Great Book”, recapitulative table of financial accounts of this same period.
At the moment
the banc account of the Association was opened, Father Daniel AUGUIE
(Provincial in the French/Swiss Province) insisted that all accounts of the MSC
Lay administered by the French/Swiss Province be transferred and administered
by the “Association of the Lay of the Chevalier Family in
1. Council of the Lay of the French/Swiss Province
2. European Executive Committee of the Association
We therefore recaptured the 2005 balance, put into circulation at the opening of the accounts on December 13 2005.
We have maintained the same distributive code:
1. The Lay council will remain responsible for the costs of the Internet Site and the working costs
2. The Executive Committee will remain responsible for the meeting costs and will help covering the travelling expenses of the participants.
Having a relatively high credit balance, we decided to open a so-called “Association deposit book” for a financial investment that yielded about 698.25 euros for the year 2006. This amount was taken up in the Association’s global credit balance.
These funds are mainly coming from the investments made by the FNDSC and MSC Generalats for “Issoudun 99”, donations that were made these past 7 years and from the donations that were made in reply to the “call” of the Alain de Boismenu Centre to financially support the vocations of the “MSC Lay”. These donations are mainly used for formation.
Adopted unanimously (7 votes)
Financial contribution: is set at 10 euros. It is our intention to maintain a small contribution as a token of our attachment… Still, the countries are free to financially support the activities of the association, e.g. by donations….
Adopted unanimously (7 votes)
Executive
Committee:
Adopted by 6 voters.
(In reply to Ana’s question whether a person can be replaced, we answered that it would be desirable for everyone to have a substitute.)
2.
Election of the Committee of the Association “Lay of the Chevalier Family in
At 2.30 p.m. the Executive Committee (Mimi
for The Netherlands, Rita for
President: Rita Cleuren (4 votes)
Secretary: Marie-Blanche CORDONIER (3 votes), (she gives her agreement over the phone)
Treasurer: Louis JOLY (3 votes)
3.
Contribution of Father NICK HARNAN
Recurring themes in our
conversations about “living spirituality of the heart in
We sense that in the Chevalier Family of
Europe 2007, we have begun a process that hopefully will continue for many
years. Great sense of the fourfold charism.
We want to inspire one another as to our
vision and way of presence in
Together, we seek a broader vision, and a
more adequate prophetic response to God's presence in
We see such a vision as inspired by our Spirituality of the Heart while following Jesus who loved all of humanity and everybody within it with a human heart.
We want to participate in the faith, the spirit and enthusiasm of Fr. Chevalier who urges us to find God's love in all its manifestations and in each one of them, in accordance with the sentiments of Jesus' heart.
We realize that our presence in
We trust our common vision will also inspire
us to work more closely together with all members of the Chevalier Family in
HOW DO WE SEE OUR
SITUATION AT THIS TIME IN
In religious terms, we do not see
We see
We sense that while it is true that in
Being Church means being involved in dialogue and cooperation with all groups in society, religious or secular, working in service of humanity.
In the Church, celebration, proclamation of the Gospel and diaconia form together a service of humanity that keeps alive the hope of a better life, greater justice and permanent peace for the whole human family.
We are conscious and accept that dialoguing and cooperation with groups of different faith or conviction contain a risk because we may not know in advance where the Spirit of the Risen Lord sends us or where the Lord is leading us.
In the present constellation of
It is our mission to give witness of the Christian values concerning humanity, to search for answers as we journey with the Living Christ who has sent us into the world.
A CALL FOR
PROPHETIC WITNESS
People are in need of prophetic signs that let them know in a dramatic way the power and presence of a living God in their lives, homes, workplaces and neighbourhoods, in their struggles and in their efforts to mend brokenness, to overcome loneliness, to find meaning.
Deprived people especially need an affirmation that touches their low-self esteem, often caused by neglect by Government, Church and society in general.
Prophetic presence in Europe is not only carried out by criticizing social or religious structures and traditions that are dehumanizing or discriminating, but also by nurturing a new vision of God who, in modern society, is at work in different ways through different people, agencies and organizations.
Authentic prophetic witness will always be inspired by love. A prophet wants not only to dismantle restrictive structures and oppressive traditions but also to create new ways that will lead to abundance of life and new energy of love.
A new vision of God is the privileged gift we have received from Fr. Chevalier, Mother Mary Louise and Fr. Linckens in our incarnational Spirituality.
This week we saw clearly that such a spirituality is not an optional devotion but is itself the integral gospel. It is evangelization itself in its full and rich sense.
This vision of God sees that He has a heart that shares its dream and being with us, the dream that we carry in the depths of our call and journey, with varying levels of consciousness. We have felt called these days together to let our heart language be not merely verbal but vital, to be experience and mission, at home in our world in all its reality of beauty, majesty, potential, yearnings, pain and possibility.
We repeatedly sensed this time in Issoudun “that the world will belong to those who love it most and show that love”, the physical, social, psychological and spiritual world.
In
This calls for a mindset of risk, courage like Chevalier, “beautiful risk”, tolerance and spaciousness of heart.
This incarnation of God's love that expressed itself eminently in the passion and resurrection of Jesus is the core of our Chevalier Spirituality, not only theologically but also experientially.
HEALING WAYS WHERE GOD REIGNS
Searching for a new language of the heart highlights the level to which our damaged humanity needs healing: "We people are born broken but we live by mending, and the love of God is the glue." That brokenness calls to the depths of human compassion and ingenuity. Love and only love can repair the ravage caused by the brutality and lovelessness of life.
Our Spirituality of the Heart as a Spirituality of Incarnation generates an approach of being attentively present especially in solidarity in the new poverties…. drugs addicts, refugees, displaced, aging, sidelined young, spiritually homeless people,
in a non-judgemental way.
As Jesus did, we do not want to wait until people are coming to find us, but we want to go where the people are to show that they are important to us, not to convert them but to strengthen their self-esteem, to give them a sense of their dignity, their value, that they belong and have a right to a place in history and are accepted.
We want to share a common language, the language of experience of our life's histories, because each person has his or her own story to tell which we honour. We want to call upon people's own responsibility to be God's image because they deserve the best, appealing to their best qualities rather than to their defects.
Our approach of being present means that we approach people of every background or conviction, with great respect for their vision of life, attentively listening to their needs and pains. Because it is there that we meet the presence of the compassionate God.
For us God and people are not two separate parties each having their own practice of compassion. There is only one sea of compassion and this is always greater that we human beings are prepared for. We only participate in God's compassion and so His compassion becomes ours too.
Attention to STORY as carrier of shared concerns and the dignity of each person and their life-journey, and as a vehicle of communication.
We sense ours is a time especially blessed by the Word of God, with its inner yearning to become flesh, “full of grace and truth”; We have heard that word alive in a 1000 ways in our world and sensed that the reality of our world itself becomes the trigger for the Word to explode into energy, healing and hope.
In the same way we sense that it is that tension of the historic gift of our charism and the needs of our world that breaks into new awareness and new mission. History must become mystery, the mystery of God’s giving flaming out in new ways today.
In every item mentioned during the week can
be seen the need to nourish hope, to name and work for the promise of Jeremiah
29.13ff.”You know the plans I have in mind for you, plans for peace not
disaster, reserving a future full of hope for you”. No greater need exists
in
WE WERE TOUCHED……..
We were touched by the fact that so many members of the Chevalier family in Europe are living this incarnational spirituality of the heart, in a very concrete and existential way, while being so close to marginalized people, refugees, street people, un-Churched people or to people who are just searching for meaning in their lives, in the different countries of Europe.
The sharing of our brothers and sisters who told us about their lives and ministries among people, often living on the fringes of society, impressed us all.
If in the past our members have been sent
to far-away countries to live among foreign people, nowadays foreign people are
coming to
Spirituality of the Heart inspires us not only to reach out to people outside our communities, but also to our brothers and sisters belonging to our own Chevalier Family.
Spirituality of the Heart has generated a type of leadership and a way of community life, where listening to one another, communal discernment and paying attention to the stories of our brothers and sisters become a source of life in such a way that also our ageing provinces are still very much alive.
In the ageing provinces and communities, brothers and sisters are giving one another the feeling that the person you have become through joyful and painful life experiences, is much more important than the tasks you have been able to perform.
For future meetings, a greater balance in presence and presentations of representatives of the four branches of the Chevalier Family.
Fuller involvement of lay Chevalier Family members in work with MSC (men/women) and FDNSC.
Better communication in some areas among ourselves.
Questions of work with other religious.
Possibility of working overseas for lay MSC.
Hearing a number of times that this was in some deep way a call to conversion to our own deepest dream and hope.
4.
Intervention of Sister ROSALIA in the name of the three Generalats
Representative of the Tri Generalate
On behalf of Father
Mark McDonald MSC, Sister Bonaventura MSC Sisters, I would like to express my
warmest thanks to Louis JOLY, Rita CLEUREN and to all the other people for
inviting us to attend this Assembly! Since the 1997 MSC Lay Council and the
1999 International Meeting in Issoudun, the Lay of
the Chevalier Family en
I, Sister Rosalia, have the honour to represent my FDNSC congregation in accompanying the Lay of the Chevalier Family. Together with Father Mark and Sister Bonaventura, we from the Tri Generalate endeavour to support the Lay MSCs and FDNSCs all over the world. We are very happy to see the development of the Lay of the Chevalier Family in Europe, and we long to experience the same activities in other continents as you have done up to now.
We thank Louis Joly for accepting to be the leader of this group and for offering his time, his abilities and his initiative, so that this Executive Committee can continue moving towards the future.
SHARED
CHARISM AND
Since the beginning of the Congregation, Father Chevalier, in his original plan, dreamt of a third branch for his congregation.
“Father Chevalier’s motto was that the Sacred Heart of
Jesus should be loved everywhere. His desire was that as many people work in as
many ways as possible to this end. In this thought-pattern the Third Order is
“a third family”, whose members share the life, merits and favours of the first
two Orders to which they are united”.
(Man
with a
So, we are all partners in mission, whether we are professed religious or lay people, whether employees in a MSC Ministry of parishioners. If we are fired by the spirituality of the heart, then we are meant to on mission together. Our ministries, our tasks, our jobs, our lives are different, but our mission is the same. Our mission is to make the love of God known everywhere. We are sent together to spread this good news.
Over the last
number of years, we have witnessed a huge decrease in the number of religious
in
OUR
EXPECTATIONS
REQUEST
As a person who is responsible for the laity, could I ask from you:
“How many members of the Lay MSCs/FDNSC of the Chevalier Family are there in each of
your places in
QUESTIONS:
For all of your activities, e.g. meetings, formations, retreats, recollections etc, how do you get the financial support? We would like to pass this information to our provinces in other continents to give them some ideas.
5. Sharing
the lives of the groups in
France/Switzerland:
No changes since our last meeting
One annual French/Swiss meeting
Questions on the
future: in January 2007 the Lay Council discussed some questions about its
continuity…Conclusion: there are only 2 groups left in
Veronique DENIS, President, has resigned.
Another question: the MSC can no longer guarantee the publication of the monthly Newsletter on spiritual reflection. We have also suggested to take the “Issoudun annals” for this support.
How do have to continue?
There are 12 people who have a MSC Lay engagement, there are 30 people participating in the meetings.
Goal: adoration, formation, experiencing the mission in a NGO;
One formation meeting, 2 times a month for the “engaged”,
Prayer time every Thursday
Every Monday, there is a meeting treating one particular theme on reflection… for about 30 people.
A three day meeting is held three times a year.
One mission: supporting the NGO that stands behind the MSC Missions abroad (making things to sell at markets to collect money, collections in supermarkets…).
3 groups: one with 30/40 members, 1 of 16 and one that is just starting up.
A Lay Committee was created; person responsible is Elisabeth HARTMANN.
They are
planning a meeting with The Netherlands and
England/Ireland
The group with Father Benett was started up 10 years ago. 4 people have expressed their “engagement” and form the core of the group: they work in a crisis centre.
In 1993, the provincial Chapter encouraged the Lay in the province. Every parish has its own lay working with the MSC;
In 1999, the provincial Chapter decided to install a committee to work with the Lay; the committee is composed of 3 MSC and 5 Lay “engaged”. They wrote down a charter, which became an important document.
En 2005, the provincial chapter accepted this charter, however with some reserve.
A meeting on the MSC charisma was organised under the leadership of Nick Harnan. Some 20/30 people participated.
In
The
23 members in 4 groups. 13 people who have expressed their “engagement”.
Some lay do some
volunteer work in the home for Religious elderly “Notre Dame” in
The Lay Steering Committee and the provincial councils of the Religious come together twice a year to confirm their collaboration.
Activities organised between December 2006 and April 2007
|
December 8-10, 2006 |
Formation weekend in Opwijk. Theme “The Strength of soft courage”. With the annual commitments and participation of the Dutch Lay. |
|
March 10-11, 2007 |
Weekend for young families with children in Rotselaar. Theme:”To look otherwise is to look better”. |
· A number of Lay participate in the MSC Commissions “Justice and Peace” and “Spirituality”
· the monthly meetings of the 5 groups take place in several MSC houses
· Our Newsletter “Did you know” is published every three months
· A few meetings were held for both Lay and Religious …a moment of sharing and supporting each other…in the various pastoral tasks, and in everyday life…
Activities that were organised by the Centre “Open
Heart MSC”
· Three weekends for reading and discussing the book written by Anselm Grün
· December 31, 2006: alternative H. Silvester Feast (New Year’s eve) in Herent
· “Silent days” in Herent (2 Fridays and 2 Saturdays per month)
· Annual retreat for the elderly in Malle in 2007
· Week for young families in Hoogstraten, in the month of July 2007
· “Silent days” in Malle 2007 (one week in the month of August)
·
A trip to
We hope to be able to spend a week in the
Slovak town of
2 groups:
8 persons have expressed their “engagement”
Since January
1996, there are 2 small groups. One near the
MSC Fathers Frank, Joseph and Michael are with the Lay.
It is Marika PODULZANSKA who leads a group with some elderly
members; Valeria Nagyova is responsible for the
smaller group in
Thanks to Marta Zboranova, all the text get a proper translation!
There is also a
close link with the FDNSC in Lukov Dvor. Engagements are expressed around December 8 and the
other gathering takes place at the Celebration of the Sacred Heart in the month
of June. During this gathering, they also take the time to visit an orphanage
in
Since the very beginning, the writings of our Founder of the Constitution have been made;
the missions in the parishes with a small statue of Our Lady of the Heart; family visits. There are about 10 statues everywhere in the country, we pray “Remember” and “Ave Admirabile”;
articles in the MSC calendar these past 7 years;
participation in the ordinations of
the two firs MSC Priests and in the Celebrations of the First Holy Mass in
We support and
visit the sick Lay; there is one group of the Fraternity of Our Lady of the
Sacred Heart in Jarok; with the first Lay persons in
6.
2008 Meeting in Santo-Domingo
As mentioned in
our former report, an International Lay Meeting will be organised in
We hope to
welcome a large number of representatives from Central and
We also hope to
welcome other continents (Asia, Oceania, Africa,
Simultaneous translation will be organised!
Estimated cost: 20 US dollars per person per day
The
The Lay Representatives, the Religious counsellors, the Provincial Superiors and the Generalates will receive further information on this meeting in the month of September.
7.
Congress of the Chevalier Centenary in Issoudun, from
September 30 to October 21, 2007
Sister Gerardine Doherty, Director of the COR NOVUM Formation Centre, sent us some more information on the Congress that will be organised later this year on the occasion of the centennial of the death of our Founder.
The Lay of the Chevalier Family will be invited! We would be very happy to welcome a delegation of each continent.
Sister Gerardine asked whether the Lay would be able to do some propositions for the COR NOVUM 2008-2009 programme.
* * * * * *