International Commission

The International Commission Lay-Religious has sent a first communication to Provincials and Tandems already formed in every Province. Here is synthesis.

An International Commission has just been established. It is animated by Julio Navarro, a.a. (Vicar General) and Pierre Rion (Belgium), its other members being Jimena García (Chili), Marie-Pierre Girard (France), Noël Le Bousse, a.a. (France) and Joseph Pagano (USA), plus one layman/woman from Africa still to be appointed; thus the Commission is representative of all the horizons in the Assumption. As for its objectives, they are as follows: to ensure that information of everything concerning the Alliance is adequately shared all through the Congregation; to develop animation projects; to provide, for lay people, a better knowledge of Father d’Alzon’s spirituality and charisms; and to encourage missions to be carried out jointly by religious and lay Assumptionists.

The Alliance is an ambitious project that may undoubtedly be a cause of concern for some. So it is worth recalling the convictions of the General Chapter 2005. Each one of us has its own path to walk, which cannot be the same for all. Among the lay men and women close to the Assumption, some want to live the following of Christ through Father d’Alzon’s message, by sharing his spirituality and charism, while others wish to go further and make a commitment the contents and features of which are still to be determined.

1. The Institutional setup

The Provinces are invited to appoint their lay-religious tandems (as approved by the Council of Congregation 2006) and send their names and addresses to the International Commission, so that regular communication channels will be established for all the initiatives and proposals to be usefully communicated and shared. They have direct access to everything each Province is doing and deciding. In this way the tandems will be in a position to know in depth what the real situations are and what challenges are being faced.

2. Communication

It is important that we should be able to share systematically all of the information and initiatives necessary to our Alliance project. In this respect, the main idea is to make known to everyone the best ideas and realizations of others so that these can become more and more of an inspiration for others in the Congregation as a whole. Consequently, the tandems are invited to inform of their projects and accomplishments by way of their representatives in the Commission.

3. Animation

We propose that the Provinces organize annual retreats or special formation sessions with and for lay people. Local communities are invited to schedule opportunities for prayer and get-togethers as well as for liturgical celebrations. Whenever members of the General Council are visiting, the Provinces would do well to arrange for them to meet with the Lay Assumptionists interested in doing so.

3. Formation

We must call to mind the recommendations of the General Chapter encouraging the Provinces to establish a specific formation process for lay people, in keeping with the Augustinian and Alzonian spirituality and charism. Such formation could be organized by the Provinces on the basis of a reflection elaborated in common at the international level. The Commission is aware of the difficulties involved in such a plan since the formation and the expectations of the Provinces are very different from one another. Nevertheless it intends to prepare a series of documents that might meet the needs and demands of everyone, while ensuring the development of a common Assumptionist spirit.

4. Mission

The General Chapter also wished our Lay-Religious Alliance to foster a new missionary spirit. This might likely be embodied in a partnership for carrying out projects in the Third World.

Pierre Rion and Julio Navarro

12 october 2006.