4rd
International Coordination
of
the LAY MSC of the Chevalier Family
Present:, Sister Suzanne BEIGNON, Louis JOLY, Sue
KIMBERLEY, Mimi van POPPEL, Rita CLEUREN,
Odile THOLLIN (translations), Marie-Blanche CORDONIER.
Excused: Sister Barbara, Angeles FONDEVILLA, Gerda HEGEL
Word of welcome : by Rita
Opening prayer : Time for sharing/exchanging prayers, in one’s own language.
·
Australia has only expressed
the wish to have an international meeting, it has no concrete plans so far!
·
The correct English term is “Lay MSC”
Another engagement prevented Angeles from joining us.
Father José-Maria sent us the report of Spain’s last meeting:
A group
consisting of 14 women was started up. One of them is Gerda HEGEL. She will
also attend the International Coordination.
The Louis
TRICHARD group is growing slowly. They have decided to appoint someone who will
attend the Cuskelly Symposium. In January, they started a formation departing
from the internet site. Next to the Trichard group, there are two others.
However, due to the distance between the groups and their habit to work alone,
there is hardly any contact between them.
Australia
Jim LITTLETON
has sent the newsletters to Louis JOLY. In the newsletter, all the information
of the International Coordination is published.
Reactions to the
letter sent to the representatives:
-
The International Coordination should
be financed by the European groups
-
An international meeting should be
organised every three years.
-
The information found on the Internet
Site is very interesting
-
Only one logo should be created, both
for the three congregations and the Lay MSC.
-
The formation: Australia has a monthly
reflection on the spirituality of the heart. The formation departs from the MSC
constitutions.
Groups that
are MSC linked: (Report of the meeting of 15
September 2001 in Miribel. Present at that meeting: Rita CLEUREN, Louis JOLY
and Norma SALGADO)
-
10 groups/158 members/10 members
participating in the national committee
-
two days meeting: every year
formation day
meeting day between the
national committee and the various groups
engagement:
mission/formation/life
-
the national committee gathers 4 times
a year; each time in another province.
-
Norma SALGADO is responsible for: the group of youngsters
the international contacts
the contacts between the members and the various groups
- Suggestions for the future: a continental meeting (South
America?)
an
international meeting at the Dominican Republic
Groups that
are FNDSC linked:
-
Remarkable growth: 340 members/16
groups/3 new groups
-
Each group chooses its own name
-
Every year, a national meeting is
organised in Sao Paulo
-
Each community has its own programme
initiated by FNDSC
-
Common theme: “Justice and Peace in
our relation to creation” (they wish to work together on this theme with
Miribel)
-
Success of the booklet “The Heart of
God”, as a guideline in the formation
-
Unable to participate in the Cuskelly
Symposium (due to financial problems)
Kathy SNOW
points out that the Rome Internet Site equally shows pages for the Lay MSC of
Quebec, Peru, the USA and Brazil (the ‘99 Issoudun Lay MSC Charter is also
accessible).
Heart
of Jesus Fraternity: 28000 members/114 parishes/10 dioceses
Lay
MSC: 216 persons/11 groups linked to the MSC
Engagements: one monthly gathering on
the MSC spiritual charisma
one meeting
a year
Young MSC community
Group of youngsters
between 14 and 19
One diocesan
MSC group
The three
congregations of the Chevalier Family work together closely.
Gathering of all
priests and Lay MSC in October.
Many people
working in a parish do not yet want a further engagement.
Meeting of the
Lay MSC Council took place on October 26, 2001. All the Lay MSC groups of
France/Switzerland are going through a deep crisis:
-
The Jean-Marie Vandel group of Châtel
(Switzerland) is about to stop its activities
-
The MSC Fraternity: 2 France/Switzerland
groups do not feel the need for an international structure.
-
The Alain the Boismenu Communion in
Miribel is going through a difficult phase due to the decision of the MSC
Provincial Council to close the Miribel Centre in July 2002.
Despite of this decision, there are still 25 people who wish to maintain the
Fraternities.
A meeting agenda till July 2002 has been worked out without any influence of
the MSC religious.
Can the Lay MSC
Council continue its work in these conditions? The Council’s mandate normally
expires in about two years.
The Lay Council
has finalised the 2nd year of the formation track. This will be put
on the Internet Site (Under the present conditions, the formation team will
stop its work for the time being)
The Netherlands
also have some problems
-
Sittard: it is not easy to motivate
active people
-
Arnhem: the Lay MSC use the booklet
“From the Heart of God” as a guideline for their formation. There are a few
contacts with the other groups
-
Tilburg: the Lay MSC are closely
linked to the FNDSC Sisters and the MSC Fathers (the link with the Sisters is
the strongest)
o On January 13, 2002 they will express their engagements in the House of the Sisters
Many religious
are very much engaged in the life of the groups
The groups are
very much engaged in social and religious life.
Prayer and
discussion/sharing meetings in Asse, Borgerhout, Bree, Beernem: once a month
Formation
weekends
One recreation
day a year
Cfr documents
distributed by Rita on September 7, 2001.
3. FUTURE OF THE INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION
The Issoudun
mission has been accomplished.
There’s only
little response to the Internet site. Only a few countries have transmitted
information which could not be spread more widely otherwise due to a lack of
means (translations, secretaries..)
Important
Questions:
-
As the International Coordination
is also affected by the France/Switzerland crisis, will it not be difficult to
continue its work?
-
Do the European groups, equally
unstable at the moment, reflect the international reality?
Reflection on
the history:
In order to
prepare the meetings “Issoudun 94 and 95”, the Alain the Boismenu Community
established the Lay Council of the France/Switzerland Province. Later, the
Generalats asked the Alain de Boismenu Center to organise the “Issoudun 99”
meeting. The preparation of this meeting was lead by the Lay Council of the France/Switzerland
Province.
Results of this
meeting:
-
The Lay MSC Charter of the Chevalier
Family (based upon the statutes of the MSC Fraternity and the texts of the MSC
religious on the Lay Association)
-
The International Coordination of the
MSC Lay of the Chevalier Family recognized by the generalats.
-
The choice of the Alain de Boismenu
Centre as the reference point for the Lay MSC of the Chevalier Family.
The
Coordination asks the following questions to the generalats:
-
What do the Generalats of the
Chevalier Family think about the events in Miribel?
-
Will the International Coordination
of the Lay MSC be able to continue its work after the closure of the Alain de
Boismenu Centre?
Sister
Suzanne’s answer:
The generalats
strongly believe in the Lay MSC , but they also feel that the Lay should take
care of themselves. They should be strongly engaged in daily life!
In Miribel, the
Lay are too much attached to a place, a house and to a mission. The generalats
wonder whether it is good for the Lay to be dependant from the Province.
Besides, it is not common use that the Generalat challenges a decision taken by
a Province. They try to avoid any inconvenience.
Conclusion:
a)
The “internationality” is our
mission and we should preserve it!
b)
The item about “The Future” is
to be put on the agenda of the next meeting.
c)
In order to maintain the
contacts between the people, a coordination should be established.
d)
Prepare the renewal of the
Coordination members during the next international meeting.
4. CUSKELLY SYMPOSIUM
The names of the
Lay MSC were sent to Father Mark Mc Donald
South Africa Ireland
and England
The Netherlands Dominican
Republic
UAF (2 persons) Australia
Belgium Brazil
(how to solve the financial problem)
Germany
Remember:
5. LOGO OF THE LAY MSC OF THE CHEVALIER FAMILY
Jim LITTLETON
(Australia) prefers to create a logo not only for the Lay, but a logo for all
members of the Chevalier Family.
We also feel
that our group is too small to really represent the international dimension in
the choice of a logo (we have a coordination mission, we do not have the right
to make decisions). We therefore feel that a choice should be made during the
next international meeting.
6. FINANCES
Australia was
the only country to send us an answer to the finance question. It says Europe
has to bear the costs of the Commission since all members are European.
Conclusion: Sue
will send a letter to the Lay representatives in which financial support will
again be asked (We must not forget that our functioning now is in a temporary
phase and that we should all think about the future)
7. EUROPEAN MEETING OF THE LAY MSC IN 2003
When: 6-10
August 2003
Where:
Issoudun
Remarks :
Louis tells us
how he feels about this European meeting in 2003:
“ It is important
that the common reality be given shape: a European Council (European Lay MSC
Council). Every MSC country has its own idea about the international dimension,
but a European Council should be established in the actual spirit of the
European groups. This Council would provide communion and unity to all and
would offer the necessary drive to overcome the problems reigning in every
country.
The stability of
the Lay MSC future would not depend upon each country, but upon Europe as a
whole.
It would be advisable
to have such a Council in every continent. The 2003 meeting could be a
“Chapter” of the European Lay MSC during which a European Coordination Council
could be established. Indeed, if we want our groups to survive, we will need
the support of a national coordination that provides communion and exchange
with all countries.
Contents : Some suggestions made by Spain
General
theme:
-
“The MSC spirituality as a guide in
the daily life of the Lay MSC”
Special
themes:
-
Actual pastoral challenges:
immigration, youth, family
-
Evaluation of the role of Lay MSC
-
Jules Chevalier
-
Our Lady of the Sacred Heart
-
Importance of the Lay MSC in the MSC
spirituality
-
Lifestyles and engagements in the Lay
MSC groups
-
MSC material and information for the
Lay MSC
-
Relationship Lay/MSC
Form of
the Meeting:
-
Preparation by the International
Coordination and some capable people (Cor Novum..)
-
Give priority to the importance of
every day life.
-
Discuss the creation of a European
coordination (each country should prepare this item prior to the meeting).
Suggesting a European Council is not about suggesting structures, but is about
helping the Lay MSC to become independent.
-
The 2003 meeting will form the future
coordination team.
8. INTERNATIONAL MEETING OF THE LAY MSC IN 2006.
2006 is
preferred to 2005 (in 2005, the religious have their chapters).
We will not take
into account the Australian wish to have this meeting in 2003. It is more
important for each continent to be able to hold its own meeting prior to the
international meeting. (South America, Europe..).
9. TREATMENT OF THE CORRESPONDENCE
It is difficult
for Louis to transmit the information received by surface mail.
Suggestion: make
a summary and put it on the Internet, but this still leaves us with the
translation problem.
Would it not be
possible to link the Lay MSC Site to the Rome Internet Site after the closure
of the Alain de Boismenu Center (to be considered in the next 6 months, Sister
Suzanne will discuss this with the generalats)?
10. VARIOUS :
Rita will send
Christmas cards on behalf of the International Coordination
NEXT MEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION
MIRIBEL (France) April 13-14, 2002
Suggestions
for the agenda:
·
Charing information on the
international level
·
Preparation of the 2003 European
meeting
·
Spiritual charing
·
The need for a European organ of
communion
·
Treatment of the correspondence.