BULLETIN OF THE SECRETARIATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS OF THE SERVITE ORDER

Transcription

1 BULLETIN OF THE SECRETARIATE FOR COMMUNICATIONS OF THE SERVITE ORDER

2 November - December November - December 1994 PRIOR GENERAL AND GENERAL ACTIVITIES EDITORIAL Dear brother/sister, PRIOR GENERAL AND GENERAL ACTIVITIES 210 General Chapter... 3 Visit of Bernard Barlow in Myanmar... 3 Request to take charge of a Sanctuary in Pakistan.. 4 MEETING PRESIDENTS REGIONAL CONFERENCES... 5 MARIANUM "Image of Mary" 10th international symposium... 6 CHAPTER OF FIES... 7 Maggiani President ofthe ALP... 8 HISTORICAL INSTITUTE Montagna continues as editor of Studi Storici... 8 Chilean bishops ad limina... 8 ST. ALEXIS COLLEGE 12 new students OSM... 8 COllABORATION AMONG THE PROVINCES CONOSUD Canonical Visitation at Pei'lalc!llm... 8 PROVINCES AND VICARIATES FRANCE-BELGIUM Vicarial Chapter: 'Servites and Europe'... 9 GERMANY Vicarial Chapter: Review of the Pension Fund Vicariate Encounter: Return to Origins TUSCANY Support for Swaziland and Uganda ROMAN PROVINCE The Sandals of St Philip Found BOLOGNESE. PROVINCE Conference on "Translating Sacred Truths" VENETIAN PROVINCE Vannucci Studied at Monte Berico ENGLAND Closing Bognor Regis HUNGARY Official Restitution of the Convent of Eger THE CZECH REPUBLIC The Convent of Nove Hrady Inaugurated IRELAND Week of Spirituality USA EAST Resignation of Fr John Huels, Provincial St Peregrine and Youth Gangs A Community Opened Among Hispanics AUSTRALIA Vicarial Chapter: the Tyranny of Distance Chris Ross in Australia for 30 Years BOLIVIA Young Vocations from Peru BRAZIL "The forestis still burning" MEXICO Formation Plan SERVITE FAMILY ITALY Founding of UNIFASI CONOSUD Servite Uterary/Musical Festival PHILIPPINES Preparations for World Youth Day BELGIUM Spiritual March and Pilgrimage SERVITE CONGREGATIONS NAPLES The Mexican Communities become a Delegation. 16 SWAZILAND New General Council RIPARATRICI SISTERS First Centenary of Our Lady of Sorrows of Rovigo. 17 BRAZIL Restructuring the Servite Sisters of Brazil SERVITE LAY GROUPS Cover: fromliberchronicarum of H. SCHEDEL, Niirnberg SECULAR INSTITUTE The bishops' synod on religious life REGNUM MARIAE The Institute Acquires an International Dimension. 18 SECULAR ORDER Annual Meeting on the Family YOUTH MOVEMENT Filomena Todaro, New National Coordinator SERVITE PUBLICATION EDITORIAL General Chapter The Prior General, fr. Hubert M. Moons, on the 15th of September 1994, the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows and Principal Patroness of our Order, sent a letter "to all my brothers in the Order", announcing that the Order will celebrate the next General Chapter from Oct.l-25, It will take place in Mexico City, at the Mexican Bishops Conference Center. In his letter he writes: «I now invite you to participate in this pilgrimage of the Order to Our Lady of Guadalupe by following Jesus Christ more closely, by renewing with Mary your own fiat, by giving yourself in generous service and an ever growing love of God, Our Lady and every human person. The Order celebrates a chapter every six years for the election of the prior general, the procurator ofthe Order, the general councilors and the secretary of the Order; for the protection of its spiritual patrimony and for appropriate renewal in accord with that patrimony; for fostering unity within the Order; and for updating its legislation, for planning and other business. (Const. n. 254). Each General Chapter also asks you for deeper conversion, fraternal dialogue, participation and prayer. A preparatory commission will draw up a basic text for the chapter. This basic text will be gleaned from the reports of the General, Provincials and Vicars, General Secretariats and Officials, Regional Presidents and Coordinators, your proposals to the Chapter and your response to a questionnaire which you will receive in November or December. This latter is an attempt to involve you in the evaluation requested by the 1989 General Chapter and in planning for the future». Visit of Bernard Barlow in Myanmar The General Councillor, fr. Bernard M. Barlow, after participating in the International Meeting of the Servites in Asia held in Manila (COSMO ), used the occasion of his presence in Asia to visit Hongkong, Myanmar (Burma) and Pakistan. Christmas 1994: - the feast of God's passion for humankind; -the feast of Joseph and Mary, witnesses of the love of the Father and the Holy Spirit; - the feast of your brother, Jesus; - your feast, because you are there, because you can follow Jesus closely and point out his presence as you open your home to those looking for peace and bread; 1995 many centenaries and the general chapter in Mexico: - 650th anniversary of the death of St. Peregrine Laziosi; - 400th anniversary of the hermits' reform at Monte Senario; - 1 OOth anniversary of St. Alexis International College in Rome; - 75th anniversary of the friars' presence in Acre... A new year for the saints, the hermits, the reformers, the professed and the missionaries who today are part of our family and who look to the future. Together with the friars at Saint Marcel's and the members of the general council I thankyouforyourfriendship, fidelity, cooperation and service. I wish you the opportunity to welcome into your communities new Servants of Mary. Fr. Hubert Maria Moons Prior General

3 November December November- December 1994 Here we quote from his report <<My four-day visit to Hongkong had two very practical purposes. Firstly, to ~eet and discuss with the priests of the Missions Etrangers de Paris. Fr. Caminondo, the local superior in Hongkong, is the Procurator of his Congregation for the whole of the Far East, and he also maintains close contact with religious congregations in "difficult" countries like Myanmar and Vietnam. Secondly, there was the whole question of China, to whose control Hongkong will rev~rt in The Servites presently have one Chinese postulant from mainland China living in Manila, who would like eventually to return to his home land for evangelisation work. Additionally, there is Fr. Ettore M. Turrini OSM from Brazil, who makes occasional sallies into China and then writes reams of reports to the General Council encouraging us to set up communities all over China!... This second visit to Myanmar took place from the 30th May- 15th June The Servite Sisters in Yangon (Rangoon) have now taken possession of the whole of their convent building at Kandagalay, Yangon. This was the Provincialate building in which they had offered hospitality to the Sisters of St. Joseph of the Apparition in 1%2, and which had in recent years caused major difficulties by the St. Joseph Sisters claiming rights of residence and the Archbishop of Yangon claiming title to the whole building. With the help of the Procurator of the Order, Fr. Venanzio M. Ramasso OSM, and with the intervention of Propaganda Fide, the issue was settled in favour of the Servite Sisters in 1984, but only in December 1993 did the St. Joseph Sisters eventually move into another of their convents. All the tensions and difficulties which I had found during my visit in 1993 have now gone, and our Sisters are busily trying to restore and renew that part of the building recently vacated. During this visit of 1994, I was able to build-up relationship with other religious groups present around Yangon and in other parts of Myanmar, especially with the Salesian Fathers, the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary Sisters, Our Lady of the Missions Sisters, and the Sisters of Maria Bambina... Because I had longer time on this occasion, I was able to travel to Upper Burma to visit the Sisters community in Y e-win. This was the first of the Servite Sisters communities in the northern area of Lashio Diocese, and they have now been asked by the Bishop to open a further two com- munities. Bishop Charles Bo of Lashio is a Salesian and hence tends to be much more understan'ding of the needs of religious. However, Lashio diocese is over 600 miles north ofy angon, and the roads are not in good repair, most of them still remaining in the same state from the British administration in 1948! The Servite Sisters offer basic nursing treatment for the country people, although they are forbidden to open clinics. The first Burmese male candidate for the Servite Order has now officially been accepted. He has been accepted by the Venetian Provincial to begin initial formation and studies in India. The difficulties of official documentation for studying outside of Myanmar are presently being negotiated. There are another 14 young men who are interested in being Servite Friars, but for the present they will continue their scholastic studies in Myanmar under the supervis~on?f the Ser~te Sisters and Fr. Singa Rayar, therr diocesan pnest-assistant. The Sisters in Myanmar are very grateful for the help they have received from the Order at Iru:ge in two specific areas: (a) the Toyota truck which they have now taken delivery of, and (b) the help in arranging and fmandng the study-courses at the University of Liverpool (England) for three of their younger Sisters. They ask for continued contact with the Order in other countries. At a future date, they will probably need help in organizing proper nursing training outside Myanmar for some of their Sisters, as this is prohibited for them inside Myanmar...» Request to take charge of a Marian Sanctuary in Pakistan Following his visit to the Servite Sisters in Myanmar, fr. Bernard M. Barlow proceeded to Lahore in Pakistan. His report continues: «The purpose of this trip was to make an initial visit to the Marian Shrine at Mariamabad, Lahore, Pakistan. The Archbishop of Lahore had been in correspondence for three years with the General Council seeking the establishment of a Servite Community to take charge ofthe Shrine. Because of the long-term interest of our friars in the Philippines in looking for eventual new openings in Asia, it was decided to make this preliminary visit as a response to the Archbishop's invitation. Mariamabad lies about 53 miles to the North West of the city of Lahore, which is the capital and MEETING OF THE PRESIDENTS OF THE REGIONAL CONFERENCES The prior general invited the presidents of the regional conferences of the Order to a second meeting with the general council on 5-10 September The purpose of the meeting was to plan the life of the Order for the next year. The following attended: Clemente Nadelet for FIES; Gerard Biron for northern Europe; Ignatius Kissel for North America; Mel Loftus for ISAC; and Bernardino Zanella for South America. Local situation. The meeting began with a presentation by each conference president of the political, social, religious and cultural situation of his region. The propose of this overview was to promote the inculturation of Order-level programs into the world in which Servites live. Many exciting and meaningful impressions were expressed, some common to all regions of the Order - the poor are getting poorer; wealth is ever more concentrated in a smaller number - and some proper to a particular region - the spread of democracy in South Africa; structural collapses in South America; economic power prevailing over political power in Europe; relgious life crisis in the United States. Future of the conferences. Thought was given to the organizational evolution of the Order in each region. It was clear to all that the provinces are less and less self-sufficient and have ever greater difficulty in carrying out the tasks assigned them by the Constitutions. This makes necessary greater cooperation at the regional level in several areas: fust and ongoing formation, exhance of personnel, help with the missions and new foundations. It was said that a change in mentality was necessary even with regard to the latest Constitutions. Up till now government was based on provincial chapters, house chapters and the priors; but in the future programming will have to be done at the regional level. The regions were set up by the ' 1989 general chapter. Now, after six years of experience, they should be structured better for the sake of greater efficiency. One participant said: "I consider the process of regionalization in the coming years to be irreversible". It's a fact that other mendicant orders, e.g. the Capuchins, are governed mostly through regions. Precapitular commission. The presidents' meeting also drew up some indications for the basic text of the next general chapter. The reports from provincials and vicars should keep to the following points: 1) analysis of the social and economic situation in which they lives; 2) provincial/vicarial statistics updated to 30 November 1994; 3) statement of how the decrees of the last general chapter have been carried out; 4) evaluation of present situation of the province/vicariate with positive and negative elements; 5) outlook for the next six years. A preparatory commission will have the task of taking the reports from the provinces, vicariates and general secretariats, the proposals of individual friars, and the results of a questionnaire sent out to the Order, and drawing up a working document that the 1995 general chapter will use in its planning and programming. Litrugy. The presidents offered some suggestions to the general council on preparing for the chapter: names of friars for the precapitular commission, the liturgy during the chapter (a plan calling for each province/vicariate to be in charge of the liturgy on set days), and some basic themes for the chapter. Questionnaire for the friars. As a way of getting everybody involved in the preparation of the chapter and in the choice of chapter topics, it was decided to sent out a questionnaire to all the Servite friars. The questionnaire is to be very broad and will include questions on the most burning issues facing the Order today (the vocation crisis, formation methods, the sharing of goods, etc.). The questions for the questionnaire were drawn up by those taking part in the meeting. There are fifty questions which will be organized with the technical help of a professor of statistics. After the fmal revision of the questionnair by the general council it will be sent out to the Order sometime in November.

4 November - December principal city of the Punjab. It is approximately two hours travel by car from Lahore to Mariamabad. The Marian Grotto (to Our Lady of Lourdes) was built in 1926 and in 1974 Mariamabad was declared a Natio~al Marian Shrine. The real impetus to the Shrine, however, was given by t~e present Archbishop, Very Rev. Armando Trmdade, in In this year the foundation stone of a massive Marian Stadium was laid, planned to accommodate the increasing numbers of pilgrims each year. The adjacent village ofmariamabad comprises 262 families, all of whom are Catholics with the exception of 3 Muslim families. There i~ only one diocesan priest at Mariamabad, and he 1s responsible for about 12 villages in the area. There are 2 full-time staff employed for Sanctuary administration. The principle pilgrimage activity occurs during the flrst week-end of September each year, that is, the week-end nearest to the Feast of Our Lady's Birthday-8th September. It is a three-day Pilgrimage/Festival to Our Lady. The number of pilgrims recorded at this event in 1993 was 300,000. The concentrated effort by the local Archdiocese during the September festival clearly cannot be maintained by one single priest throughout the rest of the year, particularly when he is also Parish Priest responsible for many mission out-stations. Hence the request of the Archbishop for a Marian religious Order to take over responsibility for the Sanctuary. The Servites were recommended to the Archbishop by the previous Apostolic Nuncio in Pakistan, Mgr. Luigi Bressan, presently Nuncio in Thailand...» MARl ANUM "Image of Mary" loth international symposium The series of international mariological symposia was begun in 1974 and this year the tenth one in the series was held. The topic was The Theological Image of Mary Today: Faith and Culture. It was held at the Marianum on 4-7 October 1994 (COSMO ). The symposia are an expression of the faculty's desire to make a quality contribution to studies on the Mother of God in the context of church and society today. There were nine major papers and three minor ones. The speakers came from Europe, Africa, North & South America, India and the Philip- 6 pines. They showed how Mary is pr~se~t in.vario~s cultures and devotional forms. H1ghlightmg historical and psychological factors involved in the origin and development of the connection Marypeople, they also clarified the ~ between forms of marian devotion and national and cultural identity. Angelo Amato presented the I?'etho?ological and hermeneutical terms of the discuss10n with his paper, "For the Inculturation of Mary's Image: Problems and Proposals." Mercedes Navarro Puerto offered a reading of Scripture in ethnological and psychological perspective in h~r text, "The Inculturation of the Image of Mary m the Texts of the New Testament." Stefano De Fiores, with "The Inculturated Image of Mary: Fact, Meaning, Risks," suntmarized, evaluated and concluded the discussion. Overall we can say that the symposium was wide-ranging but not exhaustive. The topic is vast and time was short. When Mary is spoken of today the discussion is not limited to devotion to her. Inevitably the role of women in church and society today gets brought up. That's what happened at the symposium, too. The papers offered a series of thoughts for reflection on a problem that is anything but resolved. There was a good number of participants. An average of were present for each conference and as many as 150 for the conferences of Navarro Puerto and Clodovis M. Boff ("The Mother of Jesus in Latin American Culture e Theology Today''). At the end of the symposium, 7 October, the prize "R. Laurentin-Pro Ancilla Domini" was awarded to Fr. Paolo Melada, OFM, president of the Pontiflcal International Marian Academy. It was the fourth time the prize was awarded and the founder himself, Rene Laurentin, gave the award speech. During the symposium there was an exposition of the marian art of Piero Dani-painter, sculptor and engraver from the northern part of Italy. The expositions was entitled "Icons of St. M~': And in conclusion we can note that at the begmmng of October the acts of the 9th mariological symposium were published: Marian Spirituality: Legitimacy, Nature, Articulation. The volume can be purchased from the Marianum bookshop. The acts of the 10th symposium will be published too. 7 November- December 1994 CHAPTER OF THE FEDERATION OF THE PROVINCES OF ITALY AND SPAIN The Spanish and Italian provinces held the second chapter of the federation (F1ES) on 3-12 October 1994 at the St. Peregrine Institute in Misano, Italy. Fifty-eight members were named on the official list: 13 ex ufficio, 42 delegates and 3 invited guests. The liturgical celebrations were thematic and structured very simply. They set the daily rhythm and were both means and expression of capitular communion (Const., art. 24). The easy conversation at table and during the breaks brought people together, helped them know one another and enhanced friendship. The chapter went through three phases. The first phase was like a wick pulsing lightly on a patient candle. The capitulars spent 2 days listening to reports -reports already known and included in the precapitular documentation-, then discussing them. Foundational values of Servite life received energetic attention in the robust message from the prior general, Fr. Hubert M. Moons. The report off1es' president, Fr. Clemente M. Nadalet, and the discussion afterwards by the assembly could have and should have offered a substantial review of the federation's past four years, and not just a turn of the periscope to glance at personal, collegial and institutional activities and undertakings, however worthwhile. What was called for rather was close attention to the federation's essential purpose, the "renewed and more efficacious form of communion and collaboration" (1990 chapter declaration) as well as a review of the quantity and quality of conviction and support for the federation form itself. The other ten reports on the agenda were listened to for the most part very calmly. They dealt with: pastoral and vocational work with young people, first and ongoing formation, liturgy and Mary in pastoral work, "young friars' project," finances, topic guidelines for provincial chapters, report on outlooks, needs and evaluations; statute changes; and suggestions from the prior general. The second phase calls to mind a laboratory. Four commissions worked on the topics assigned by the presidential board: proposals for the 1995 general chapter, vocations and first formation; ongoing formation, liturgy and Marian activities; the Servite Family, fmances and communications. The general assembly got involved in this laboratory. The rules give it a central role in developing texts. More than 110 voices were heard in the dialogue in the assembly hall. The proposals for modifications in the texts came to a total of 162 and a number of them were signed by many capitulars. There were twenty votes and with varying majorities all the texts drawn up the commissions were approved. The commissions then reworked the texts and produced the defmitive ones. The fifth commission, made up of members of the first four, was given the task of revising the statutes. The third phase was like a harvest: gathering the fruits of individuals' and the commissions' work. Almost all the commissions' proposals were approved. The discussions were ranging and open. There are full bins of organizational and work plans for the various secretariats (pastoral work with young people, vocations, ongoing formation, pastoral approach to Mary in the liturgy, fiances), for cooperation with UNIFASI (Union of the Servite Family in Italy) and with the cloistered sisters. The organizational structure is very detailed. Attention to first formation in the federation communities remains a priority. The next general chapter, which will review the decree on the federation, will be informed of several points: the recognized worthwhileness of the effort toward collaboration, reconfirmation of the desire for interprovincial cooperation, commitment to intensifying contacts among the provinces, the recognition of difficulties and values present in the federation. The last element of the chapter harvest was the election of the new federation president. Fr. Antonio M. Santini of the Venetian provinces was elected on the fourth ballot. His acceptance was met by warm applause. The prior general thanked the outgoing president, Fr. Clemente M. Nadalet for his dedication to F1ES in the past four years. The prior general also announced officially the year of St. Peregrine, then asked all to give good prayerful attention to the 1995 general chapter. The second interprovincial chapter of the federation concluded with the rite of confrrmation and the promise of the new president. Luigi De Candido

5 November - December 1994 Maggiani President of the Association of Liturgy Professors At its 23rd general assembly the members elected Fr. Silvano M. Maggiani, professor of liturgy at the Marian urn, president of the ~s.sociation of Liturgy Professors and Experts. T~s.ls t~e most important academic liturgical association m Italy. Its activities indud~s th~ public~tion of an important collection of liturg~cal studtes and an annual study week that is attended by It~ys_ most important liturgical experts. F~. _Magg~ant had been vice-president of the assoc1ahon. HISTORICAL INSTITUTE Davide Montagna... continues as editor of Stud1 Storici Last September a meeting of the historical institute was held. Fr. Davide M. Montagna was reappointed editor of Studi ~torici ~til ~he next general chapter. The reappomtment ts a stgn of recognition for Fr. Montagna's past wo_rk. _He intends to prepare the volumes ~ trme for the general chapter. At the same meetmg the following were elected to the journal's editorial board: Frs. Luigi M. De Vittorio, Pacifico ~ Brancbesi and Conrad M. Borntrager. Themstitute has taken on the task of compiling the current bibliography of the Order with all publications by or on members of the Order: It was Fr. Giuseppe M. Bessuti who used to do this work and is now unable to continue because of poor health that asked the historical institute to carry on with this important task. He handed over to the historical institute thousands of cards with titles gathered since Chilean bishops ad limina The quinquennial ad limina visit of the Chilean bishops took place during the week October. Two Servites took part: Archbishop Bernardo Cazzaro of Puerto Montt and Bishop Aldo Lazzarin, apostolic vicar of Aysen. Th~y_had a personal audience with the pope and Vtstted several curial offices to give a report on their churches. On 16 October they attended the beatification of the Chilean Jesuit, Fr. Albert Hurtado. The president of Chile, Eduardo Frei, was also present. Bishop Lazzarin stayed on in Rome for another three weeks to attend a course for bishops at the Urbanianum University. 8 ST. ALEXIS COLLEGE 12 new students OSM The twelve new arrivals this year have brou~t youth and greater internationality to our ~ormation community. The new students are: Denms Zdenek Kriz and Jimmy Nieto from the USA; Gerar~o Hernandez, Christian Monjaraz and ~dres LOpez from Mexico; Paulo ~ergio An~elon~ from Brazil; Deogracias Aleja~~a.lke, Bemto ls~p and Joel Morata from the P~ppmes; Al~rt Vm~ent Snsaipragasam from India; Manuel V1ctor Gtan ni from England; and Tiberio Vescia from Italy. The annual orientation period was held on 8-17 September in Pesaro, a seaside city and.the?orne of Rossini. The schedule called for meetmgs m the morning and recreation in t~e afte:noon. Important dates on the calendar th1s year mclude: May 1: the 650th anniversary of St. Peregrine's death at Forli; and June 25: centenary of the founding of St. Alexis College in Rome. Among recent gues~s: Bishop Lo~s Ncamiso Ndlovu, bishop of Swaziland and prest~ent of ~e Southern Africa bishops' conference; BIShop _G? vanni M. Messi, auxiliary bishop of AracaJU m Brazil and Professor Rene Laurentin, who was here f~r the mariological symposium. Alejandro Medina COLLABORATION AMONG THE PROVINCES CONO SUD Canonical Visitation at Penalolen On the 25th and 26th of July, the Vicars Provincial of Chile-Bolivia, Argentina-Uruguay, and the Prior Provincial of Brazil (Victor M. Villegas, Roberto M. Braida and Nivaldo M. Machado) conducted a canonical visitation of the inter-jurisdictional post-novitiate formation communi~, Santa Maria de Guadalupe, at Penalolen, Santiago Chile. They began with the recitation of Lauds, and then had a conversation with the leaders of the conrmunity: Ivo M. Solarini, ~uan M. ~rto, Francisco M. Ramirez and V1ctor M. Villegas. They then spoke with each of the P,?S~-novitiate friars: Omar, Hector, Adolfo, Antomo, Cesa~, Mardo and Valdir. V aldir is going through a pen- od of probation prior to re-entering the Order. They concluded the visitation with a conventual chapter in which each of the visitors expressed his point of view. Fr Roberto M. Braida, presented the following impressions of the visitation on behalf of his fellow visitors: Positive points about the leaders of the community. The conrmunity works very well; there is good communication among its members. It is very serene in carrying out its tasks and attentive to the needs of formation. The community has a clear understanding of the problems and challenges which it must confront. The objectives of formation are very clear, and there is a good balance among its various phases: the personal, the spiritual and the academic. Positive points about the young people in the community. The visitors found them healthy, busy and serene in their progress. There is a good and strong relationship between the younger members and the lea;ders of the community. The young men see the importance of a personal as well as an acadenuc formation. They are aware that this formation is taking place in an inter-jurisdictional atmosphere and they are able to see and appreciate the positive values of their different cultures. They see their pastoral activity as an important part of their contact with the reality of the people. Objectives for the leaders of the conrmunity. They must respect the duties and responsibilities of each individual, and approach the problems of young people with their usual calm. Objectives for the young men. They must pursue their personal formation without neglecting the collective formation. They should take advantage of a year from academic preoccupations to gain experience in other fields, so that they do not drown in 'intellectualism' and lose the dimension of their individual growth. To achieve a mens Ordinis, i.e. to think and live the reality of our Order, they will plan the year together with the directors of formation, and think of it as a very special moment in their formation. They will also plan their holidays in a way that combines visits home with other sorts of experience at the suggestion of the formation directors. They should continue to take an active part in this inter-jurisdictional formation. The conventual chapter and the canonical visitation reached its conclusion thanking God, and thanking both the directors and the younger mem- 9 November- December 1994 hers of the community for the progress they have made and urging them to continue along the lines indicated above to face all the challenges of their present situation. Roberto Braida PROVINCES AND VICARIATES FRANCE-BELGIUM Vicarial Chapter: 'Servites and Europe' Fr Urbain M. Pelletier, the Canadian Prior Provincial, together with his socius Fr Jean Claude M. Baril, presided over the vicarial chapter of It was held in the Servite Convent at Brussels from the 12th to the 15th of September. Fifteen capitulars and a dozen guests (friars and sisters) took part. The theme was: Our Servite Presence in Europe on the Eve of the Synod on Religious Life. Besides the report of the Vicar Provincial, Fr Gerard M. Biron, there were two conferences: the ftrst, on the occasion of the visit to the European Parliament in Brussels of Fran <;ois Brunagel on 'Social Europe'; and the second on 'Religious Life in Europe on the Eve of the Synod' by Sister Fram;oise Soucy-Lavergne. There was a discussion based on a questionnaire that had been distributed and on proposals that were made. These are the decisions that were reached: 1. The Vicarial Chapter of Elections will be held on May 27th-31st, 1996, the week after Pentecost. 2. With regard to collaboration with the Servite Conference of Northern Europe (ServiTeur ), the vicarial chapter proposes ( cf General Chapter of 1989) to establish a committee of reflection to study the possibility of creating an apostolic community, made up of friars from different jurisdictions, located possibly along side our sisters in areas of 'new poverty' and engaged in spiritual work (e.g. a Marian sanctuary, a retreat house, etc.) 3. With regard to sharing our goods, the chapter decided to invite each community to undertake an examination of their relationship to those poor who are their neighbors, and determine on some concrete course of action on their behalf during Advent.

6 November- December November- December 1994 * During the month of September, Fr Roeh-M. Boulanger passed some weeks with the Belgian Servites preparing for his return to Zaire. He had left Zaire a little more than one year ago after the tragic events which had happened in the community (COSMO ). He lef~ together with another member of the Bunyuka community, Fr Andre-M. Cotton. GERMANY Vicarial Chapter: Review of the Pension Fund The Chapter of the German Vicariate took place in the Servite Convent at Brussels from the 24th to the 28th of May this year. Fr Riccardo M. Casagrande, the Vicar General, presided, and six friars took part. The principal items on the agenda were: discussion and approval of the program of the ServiTeur novitiate for the vicariate; discussion and decision about the destination of a part of the vicariate's pension fund; the collective response of the vicariate to the questions of the General Council with regard to the General Chapter of The chapter listened to a report from Fr Gabriel M. Kurzenhauser, the assistant master of novices at Saint -Ortaire. The chapter also took a tour of Brussels and a trip to the Marian Sanctuary at Scherpenhovel and another to Louvain. The friars were grateful for the hospitality of the Brussels friars which added something special to this chapter. Vicariate Encounter: Return to Origins This meeting of the members of the German Vicariate took place in our community at Gelsenkirchen-Buer on September 26th-30th. Seven friars took part along with two guests: the Austrian Provincial, Hugo M. Korbel and Fr Colum M. McDonnell. There was a celebration for the fortieth anniversary of the founding of the community and of the German Vicariate and a pilgrimage of thanksgiving with the Servite Family to the Marian Sanctuary of Telgte, as well as a visit to the city of Munster. Fr Hugo, who was the first parish priest in Buer in 1954, gave a talk in which he described the frrst ten years of the community and of the vicariate. These were days of relaxation and fraternity created by the splendid hospitality of the Buer friars. Gottfried Wolff TUSCANY Support for Swaziland and Uganda As a consequence to the Vicarial Chapter of Swaziland (COSMO ) the Tuscan chapter (COSMO ) is endeavoring to help the Vicariate and the foundation in Uganda. A plan for investing in Swaziland is nearing completion. The plan involves the purchase of land, one piece with an already existing house, and another piece where one could be built, with money donated by the Tuscan province. This would provide the vicariate with an economic infrastructure that could lead to partial self support in the future. There are also discussions going on with the Venetian Province ( cf the decision taken by the Venetian Chapter COSMO ) to send personnel to Uganda. The purpose of this would be the receiving and training of local vocations at some later date, and with new guidelines. Currently this activity has been suspended, there are however seven young Ugandans studying philosophy in Swaziland, and preparing to enter the house of formation at Cedara in South Africa. Four other Ugandans are already at Cedara (two are professed and two are pre-novitiate.) In the meantime the community is carrying on its commitments in the vast parish of Kisoga, and work with the many groups of the Secular Order (there are 17 fraternities with over 400 members.) These fraternities, with contributions from Tuscany, are engaged in building small houses for the poorest and most isolated elderly people. The parish is about to begin the construction of a secondary school with the help of the diocese of Kampala. It will be the only one in the vast territory. ROMAN PROVINCE Luigi De Vittorio The Sandals of St Philip Found Among the 'proto-relics' of St Philip Benizi that were preserved at Todi there were two types of sandals: those of straw (rattan) and those of leather. Presumably they were the gift of Blessed Clare of Montefalco, as Giani notes in his 1604 History of Blessed Philip. More than once the relics of the saint have been stolen. Recently, 1986, the silver reliquary holding his cloak, and two silver containers with the saint's sandals were stolen. In August 1994, a man went to confession at the Servite Basilica at Monte Berico, Vicenza, and confessed that he had stolen a pair of sandals. The confessor told him to return them to their owner. "I can't," the penitent said, "I must give them to you!" "I don't need them," the confessor replied, "give them to a poor person." The priest was handed a package wrapped in newspaper. He opened it and found St Philip's leather sandals. A small card in Latin was attached "Calciamenta B. Philippi sibi tradita a B. Clara." Last August 23rd, the venerable relic was returned to the Servite Church in Todi. At the end of a solemn mass in honor of St Philip, Lucio Decio Gradoni, the Bishop of Orvieto-Todi, blessed the faithful with the relic. Fr Adriano M. Somma, the Servite Community, the local clergy, the mayor and the standard bearer of the city were present. The relic remained exposed to the veneration of the faithful all day. BOLOGNESE PROVINCE Conference on "Translating Sacred Truths" Two international conferences devoted to translation have taken place at 'Scuola Superiore per Interpreti e Traduttori (SSIT) dell'istituto San Pellegrino di Misano Adriatico (RN)' directed by the Servants of Mary. This was the second biennial meeting (there was one in 1992 dedicated to "Translation and Re-writing"). This year the conference concentrated on themes concerned with translation, theories of language and literature. This year SSIT organized two distinct meetings: one on the translation of religious texts and another on teaching translation. The first conference (September 23-25) on Translating Sacred Truths: the Translation of Religious Texts, was organized in collaboration with the Linguistic Institute of the U Diversity of U rbino, the 'Universidad Autonoma' of Madrid, the University of Texas at Austin, and the Pontifical Theological Faculty 'Marianum' at Rome. Scholars of all religions and cultures spoke. The leading Italian expert in the field, Carlo Buzzetti spoke, along with Benamara Radhouan (Koranic texts); Francine Kaufmann (Rabbinic texts); Abdelaziz Hamdy (the ninety-nine names of Allah); Michela Wolf and Sandra Marchi (theology of liberation); Gamer Bautdinov (Russian translation of te s of John Paul II). Other speakers were Gioiella Bruni Roccia, Stefano Arduini and Tomas Albadalejo. Fr Alberto M. Maggi proposed a new translation of the Beatitudes in the Gospel of St Matthew. The second conference (September 28-30) on Problems and Tendencies in Teaching Interpretation and Translation, was organized in collaboration with the Linguistic Institute of the University of Urbina and the Italian Association of Translators and Interpreters (AITI). Some of the leading exponents in this field were present: Yves Gambier, Mary Snell-Hornby, and Franz Pochhacker. The topic is of great interest to those who teach interpretation and translation, as well as to those who simply teach languages. The three days of international debate considered the theme from widely varying experiences and research. The speakers came from every country and continent: Spain, France, Italy, Austria, Belgium, Germany, Russia, Finland, Israel, Egypt, Australia and the United States. VENETIAN PROVINCE Ricardo Perez Vannucci Studied at Monte Berico The "Studio teologico S. Maria di Monte Berico" at Vincenza is associated with the Marianum Faculty at Rome for conferring degrees. It prepared a symposium on Fra Giovanni Maria Vannucci and Contemplative Life Today (October 13-14) on the occasion of the opening of the new school year. Among the reports to be given were: "Discipleship and Contemplation" Davide M. Montagna; "G. Vannucci: a Man of Prayer" Anto nio M. Santini; "Marian Insights of Fra Giovanni" Lorenzo M. Bonomi (the Servite friar who lives in the hermitage at Le Stinche founded by Fr Vannucci); "Echoes of Non-Christian Religions in G. Vannucci" Giovanni M. Sperman. There was a round table discussion on the life and works of G. Vannucci. The symposium was held in the newly restored conference room in the fifteenth century convent of Monte Berico. ENGLAND Closing Bognor Regis The Servites departed definitively from the community of Bognor Regis on September 18, the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows (COSMO ). Bishop Cormac Murphy O'Connor and the new priests of the Bognor Parish, Frs Ian Doyle and Denis Barry, the local dean Canon Richard Incledon, and our friars Tom M. Robinson, Andrew M. Walls, Paul M. Knowles and Aidan Kennedy, Paul

7 November- December November - December 1994 M. Addison (the prior provincial), Bernard M. Barlow, Vincent M. Coyne, Basil M. Prior, John M. Knowles, Nicholas M. Martin and Peter M. Broadhurst were present. The Prioress Provincial of the London Servite Sisters, Sister M. Sheila, the Nuns, and the members of the Secular Institute (among whom Joan Bartlett) were also there. We celebrated what God has allowed our Order to be and to do in Bognor for the last 113 years. With trust in a provident God, looking always to our Lady of Sorrows, we have accepted the sadness of this day, and appreciate God's gifts of both past and future. Our Servite presence in Bognor continues (as always) by our dear London Servite Sisters at the two convents there. HUNGARY Official Restitution of the Convent of Eger Paul M. Addison Despite the defection of one or two of the friars appointed for this purpose, the plan to refound our Order in Hungary is taking root. This is due to the support the Prior and Community of Vienna has given us from the very beginning. The next step was the arrival at Eger of the Servite Sisters of the Addolorata of Florence on May 31, They allowed the friars to use the old convent and they went to a small house that met their needs. The sisters began a novitiate for the first Hungarian vocation. The third step was the encouragement given by the Archbishop ofeger. Finally the whole convent which had been confiscated by the communists was restored to us. The communists had used it as an infant school and later as a depository for the local museum. After the fall of communism, the Hungarian state promised to restore all property confiscated from religious orders. The first part of the convent was restored to us through the initiative of Canon Istvan Csako, who has been the parish priest of our parish for twenty years. The second part of the convent, which had been the novitiate, was restored to us through the efforts of the Hungarian friar, Elek M. Poka, who was assisted by his friend the lawyer Lajos Kovacs. The outside of the convent has been renovated by the State: they repaired the roof and chimneys, restored the facade, and replaced the windows. The celebration of the "official restitution" took place last August 29th. Msgr. Istvan Sergely, the Archbishop ofeger, the Mayor of the City, and various representatives of the region and the government were present. The Prior General of the Order was represented by Fr Reinhold M. Bodner. The press and television were also on hand. I think it is important to add the advice which the Archbishop gave us about formation: "Don't send your young vocations abroad for formation. The Hungarian mentality has difficulty adapting itself to other situations. This is the result of forty years of communism. We will have to wait many years before we see a change. All the religious orders who have sent their young people abroad to study have lost them". THE CZECH REPUBLIC The Convent of Nove Hrady Inaugurated Philippe Van Dael The re-opening and inauguration of the Convent of Sts Peter and Paul at Nove Hrady took place on September 18th, the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. The celebration began in the morning with the consecration of the chapel of St John Nepomuk. Afterwards there was a procession with a band, in which the famous statue of Our Lady of Sorrows was carried through the streets of the village. This celebration marks the conclusion of the first phase of the restoration of the gigantic eighteenth century Servite convent in Bohemia. The friars had been expelled in This official opening is an important step in the process of refounding the Order in the Czech Republic. Finally the friars: Gerhard M. Walder (Prior), Kasimir M. Jindra, Bonfilius M. Wagner, Vittorio M. AntoUovich, and in the near future Giuseppe M. Baggio, will have a place to live, pray, plan and work. They will have the pastoral care of four parishes: Nove Hrady, the Marian Sanctuary of Maria Brunnl, and the two villages, Strobnitz and Heilbronn. Their pastoral work is fraught with difficulty. It is said that the people of the Czech Republic constitute a mission territory more difficult than Africa or Asia. After the fall of communism an ideological void appeared. It cannot be filled by Western materialism. There is hope that there will be vocations to the Order at Nove Hrady who can be sent to the pre-novitiate at Vienna. Currently there is one pre-novice, Jan, in his second year at Rovato, and one novice, Fero, at Saint-Ortaire. Both are Slovaks. IRELAND Week of Spirituality The "Servite Spirituality Week" (COSMO ) in Benburb led by Sr. Joyce Rupp, OSM, was a wonderful week for the huge crowd who attended- the theme being "Life and Its Transitions" and a day seminary "Little Pieces of Light". Credit is due to Tim Flynn and both Colm Moorbouse and Liam Tracey who assisted in the organizing and Liturgical planning, ably assisted by Jack O'Neill of the English Province. One of the highlights of the week was the First Profession of Sean Orr and Manuel Gianni (English Province), on the feast of St Philip Benizi \\ith Fr Tim Flynn and Fr Paul Addison - English Provincial presiding. Thanks were expressed to Fr Chris O'Brien, Novice Master, and Fr Gerard Therrien and Community in Saint Ortaire, France. USA EAST Resignation of Fr John Huels, Provincial Colm McGlynn On August 17, Fr John Huels, the Prior Provincial of the US Eastern province presented his resignation for reasons of health to the General Council. The Prior General accepted his resignation on August 22. The friars of the province were surprised but expressed their understanding and solidarity with Fr John. The Socius, Fr Michael M. Guimon, has become the Vicar Provincial. He expressed his feelings with the following words: "The Council and I want to publicly thank John for his service as prior provincial. He set in motion and accomplished much needed restructuring in the areas of common life, fmance, and cooperation with the Western Province." According to article 225b of the constitutions, the Socius has organized the election of his successor by universal suffrage. ~preparation the friars of the province gathered In retreat to pray and discuss the election from October 16th to 20th. St Peregrine and Youth Gangs At the national shrine ofst Peregrine in Chicago, the friars of the US Eastern province along with the Servite Sisters of Ladysmith organized a community prayer service to help create peace in their neighborhood. They were inspired by St Peregrine's own conversion from violence to peace. The prayer event was designed to be used by Christians of all denominations who are concerned about youth at risk from gangs. The service concentrated on three historical figures: Peregrine, who was once the leader of an urban gang; Mary, the mother of a son who died violently at an early age; and Philip Benizi, the priest who helped Peregrine break the chain of violence. Along with prayers, litanies, songs and narration, the service included opportunities for individuals to witness to their involvement in gangs, and for families and community leaders to tell how gang violence affected them. The service was in both English and Spanish. Duplicated copies of the service can be had by writing to Our Lady of Sorrows in Chicago. A Community Opened Among Hispanics On April 20th, the Bishop of Orlando gave the parish of St Catherine of Siena in Kissimmee, Florida, the Servites of the US Eastern Province. There is a large Puerto Rican population in the area, and the bishop had been looking for a bi-lingual parish priest for a long time. The metnbers of the new community are, Fr Vidal M. Martinez and Fr Paul M. Gins. The address of the new community is: St Catherine of Siena, 430 Otter Creek Drive, P.O. Box , Kissimmee, FL , USA. The telephone number is ( 407) AUSTRALIA Vicarial Chapter: the Tyranny of Distance In the recent vicarial chapter (October 3-7) at Tuart Hill, the Vicar Provincial, Fr Leo M. Spicer was re-elected for another three years. He spoke of the "Tyranny of Distance" which we in Australia suffer. Over the years we have tried to overcome this by our rather frequent visits to other parts of the order, and in recent years, by growing ties with the Philippines. Now for the first time that direction has been reciprocated. We were very pleased

8 November - December November- December 1994 to have with us as a gust for the chapter, Fr Gino M. Leonardi of the Philippine foundation. He not only shared with us the progress of the Order there, but also took an interested and active part in many of our discussions. We believe he found in us a new openness to discussion of matters close to the daily life of members of the vicariate. He was also assured, once again, of our desire to collaborate with them to the fullest extent possible. Another well known international effort of the Australian Vicariate is the annual exchange of secondary school pupils between our Servite College and Servite High School in Anaheim, California. In a hope to expand that sort of interchange to an even wider base, the principal of our school, Mr Barry Harvie, made arrangements to visit Star of the Sea High School in Ngwanase, Zululand. There he would investigate the practicality of some of our year 12 students spending part of their academic year in the African Servite environment. Unfortunately, just as he was preparing to depart in late April, the tensions in South Africa prior to the now-famous elections and the Australian Government would not allow him to go. But the venture has not been forgotten and will be followed up in the near future. The provincial councilors elected at the chapter were: Myles M. Lynch, Stephen M. Barker and Robert M. Zivkovic. Chris Ross in Australia for 30 Years Christopher Ross 1994 has been a particularly significant year for Fr Christopher M. Ross, the former Consultor General. In May, he celebrated the 40th anniversary of his ordination to the priesthood. In September he reached another milestone: the 30th anniversary of his arrival in Australia. He came to Western Australia, was appointed Superior of the local Servite foundation; later he was elected Vicar Provincial. He has been an active contributor to the archdiocese, serving on the Liturgy Committee (and the national Liturgical Commission). He was the Liturgy Director for the Papal visit to Western Australia, the funeral of Archbishop Foley and the enthronement of Archbishop Hickey. He has also served as Vicar for Religious. He has served on many archdiocesan committees and has involved himself with several groups, always aiming to use his skills and knowledge to assist others and the Order wherever possible. from "Our Servile" BOLIVIA Young Vocations from Peru At the beginning of this year we became aware of a group of young Peruvians in contact with the "Misioneras de la Dolorosa" (Mexican Servite Sisters) who wanted to enter the Order. Fr Bernardino M. Zanella, the secretary of "Cono Sud" went to visit them. Subsequently there were letters and telephone calls with the community at Oruro. Two Bolivian Friars, Hugo M. Vargas and Jose M. Sartori went to Lima. They found these young men very serious about their vocation and invited them to come to Bolivia to experience Servite life. On September 8th five young Peruvians arrived at Oruro. They were involved in a month long preparatory course of formation and will enter the pre-novitiate at Cochabamba in February BRAZIL "The forest is still burning" Alfonso Massignani A dramatic account of the illegal destruction of the Amazon Forest was published in the September/October issue of the magazine Le Missioni dei Servi di Maria. This destruction is not over, it continues without obstacle. International public opinion seems to be unaware of what is going on. The article talks about what is happening in Acre, where the Servites work, and where Chico Mendes, the Gandhi of Amazonia, struggled and was killed. He was the first ecological martyr. There is a wholesale, illegal and indiscriminate cutting down of timber, especially the more valuable mahogany, going on this year. Fr Paolino M. Baldassarri and Fr Ettore M. Turrini, with the support of Fr Andrea M. Ficarelli (all of them Senite missionaries who have spent many years of their lives working for the Indians and the Seringueiros) have launched an appeal. "It is a question of life or death for millions of people, Indians and Seringueiros, and for even more millions of animals of every species. It is a question of life or death for the whole of mankind which needs oxygen. We cry out to the whole world: Help us! Do not let the most beautiful forest in the world be destroyed". They have sent to the editors of our missionary magazine information and documents (with the names of the companies implicated in this illegal harvesting) in the hope that their protest might gain international attention. Unfortunately the people of Acre seem resigned to their terrible fate. The Bishop of Rio Branco, Fr Moacyr M. Grechi, already threatened with death, does not know what position he should take, paralyzed by the indifference of public opinion and the negligence of the government. The Prior General of the Order, Hubert M. Moons wrote a letter on August 12th supporting this protest in the name of the Servites who have worked more than 75 years in Acre, "but even more in the name of the Seringueiros and the native people." Various publications in Italy, from L'Osservatore Romano to Famiglia Cristiana have been informed of these problems. MEXICO Formation Plan Among the plans for the Mexican Vicariate for the next three years ( ) formation has been described in the following words: "Objective: we must arrive at an awareness that formation continues to be the central axis of our life, and that our future will depend above all on how we are formed and how we engage in the formation of others. The apostolate of vocations consists in this: accompany and support the vocation secretariat in its work; study together with the council the vocation projects of each community; develop avocation plan appropriate for the Vicariate. Initial formation will involve concentrating on the preparation of future formation leaders; determine who they might be in collaboration with the Masters; decide whether it is a good or a bad thing to have six formation communities in the Vicariate; study, together with the Secretariat for Studies the situation of the theology students at Guadalajara, and whether there might be better alternatives. Permanent formation will involve launching a cultural policy that envisions specialization in those areas of decisive importance to the Vicariate; consolidation of bbraries and of teaching tools in the houses of formation and the planning of long term formation that will keep people fresh and vital; concentrate on Canon Law, Biblical theology, formation, and pastoral activity; review the Vicariate's organic plan of formation; promote and support the organization of an internal summer course for those of us involved in formation." Those young people actually in formation in ~he Vicariate are in the following places. Thirteen ln first year prep at Celaya; seven in second year and 5 in third year. In Xochimilco there are seven pre-novices. In Aguascalientes there are five novices, one of whom is a Columbian. In Guadalajara there are five professed in the first year of philosophy; seven in the second year and one solemn professed in the fourth year; in Rome there are two students in the first year of theology, three in second year and two in the third year. II ITALY SERVITE FAMILY Founding of UNIFASI Nocera Umbra, Madonna dell' Arco in Naples, Quebec: these places mean UNIF AS. It was in these places that the three great assemblies of those who live according to the Servite Spirit united in fraternity, renewal and openness. A new name will fmd its place in Servite History: Ricci one This is where UNIF ASI (Unione della Famiglia dei Servi in Italia - Union of the Servite Family in Italy) was born. Its constituent assembly took place at the Mater Dei Institute of the Riparatrici Sisters (September 23-25). The president ofthe assembly was Fr Clemente M. Nadalet. Fr Hubert M. Moons, the Prior General, was present at the beginning of the meeting and gave the opening address. In his talk he not only described all the rich contributions of the Servites to the past in Italy, but underlined the very real possibilities for contributions in the future. A preparatory committee drew up statutes (COSMO ) which were submitted to the assembly for analysis, discussion and approval. The new statutes provide for a president and four councilors. Elected to these positions were Fr Renzo M. Marcon (president), Giovanni Nocentini (Diaconate), Luca Bartolini (Youth Movement) and Sisters M. Fiorenza Casini (FIR) and M. Laura DeSantis (SMR). The assembly then drew up a plan for the next two years. It foresees a more intense collaboration among all the elements that make up the Servite Family particularly with regard to the following: Marian Apostolate and common formation; elaboration of a Servite program for young people; setting up a permanent post of social observation. Friars, sisters, nuns, secular institutes, the secular Order, the youth movement and the deacons celebrated an occasion of great fraternity at Ricci one. On the basis of the plans outlined there we must II

9 November - December November - December 1994 commit ourselves to live with a new spirit and allow ourselves to be involved in this new wind of Servite Spirit Giuseppe Corradi CONO SUD Servite Literary/Musical Festival The first Servite Literary/Musical Festival of the Cono Sud will take place next January on the occasion of the courses in Servite Spirituality that will take place in Turvo, Brazil. All the young people in formation for the Order, the Institute, the Secular Order, as well as the friends of the Order who live in the countries of the Cono Sud of South America have been invited to take part. This undertaking is not frivolous. Its purpose is "to give an incentive to the creativity of all those in formation in the Servite Family in the countries of the Cono Sud, so that they might express in song and poetry the insights of our saints in the light of Latin American reality and the culture of the country of each participant" Poems and songs could eventually be used in Servite liturgical celebrations. PHILIPPINES Preparations for World Youth Day The next great congress of all the youth of the world with the Pope has been planned for Manila in January, Previous congresses (Rome 1984, Buenos Aires 1987, Santiago de Compos tela 1989, Czestochowa 1991, Denver 1993) have proved milestones in the Christian life of those young people who took part The theme of the Manila congress will be As the Father has sent Me, I also send you. Two million young people from all parts of the world are expected. They will meet to pledge their own commitment to the new evangelization. To assist the participation of Italian young people, the Servite Sisters (Riparatrici) are available to organize the trip. (Sr. Luisa Gatto, Rome). BELGIUM Spiritual March and Pilgrimage of the Servite Family Following an already established tradition, there was again this year the "Spiritual March" of all the members of the Servite Family in France and Belgium to the Abbey of Bonne Esperance, near Binche in Belgium. Then on September 18th, the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, there was the annual pilgrimage to Jolimont with a procession and meditation on the Sorrows of Our Lady prepared by Fr Felix M. Lacanne. About fifteen Servite priests took part in the concelebration. SERVITE CONGREGATIONS NAPLES The Mexican Communities become a Delegation The General Council of the Sisters of Maria Santissima Addolorata (Naples) in conformity with a chapter decree, created a 'Delegation' composed of the three houses in Mexico. This occurred on May 13, The three houses are: La Comunidad de la Dolorosa in Aguascalientes; the Casa di Sr Luisa di Gesu in Mexico City; and the community Virgen del Carmela in Pachuca. Sr M. Dolores Aguiari was elected the frrst Delegate. The statutes of the new delegation provide a three year term for the Delegate. She will be assisted by the superiors of the local communities. Besides promoting religious life, the statutes outline her tasks as: transferring sisters in cases of emergency; receiving new candidates; choosing a bursar and delegate for missions and vocations; oversee the formation of the novices and the professed. This year five new novices entered the novitiate at Aguascalientes; three made their frrst profession, and four made their perpetual profession. SWAZILAND New General Council The Servite Sisters of Swaziland have elected a new council to assist the Prioress General, Sr Monica Nzama, for the next three years. The members are: Sr Manetta Matse (Vicar General); Sr Veronica Moabi (responsible for apostolate); Sr Catherine Mashinini (responsible for formation); and Sr Ave Mphahane (in charge of fmances ). The work to enlarge the General House of St Juliana has been completed recently. There are ten additional bedrooms and two large halls for community meetings. The new building will allow more accommodation for the sisters. RIPARA TRICI SISTERS First Centenary of Our Lady of Sorrows of Rovigo The image of Our Lady of Sorrows was held in special veneration by the Servite Tertiaries at the Church of St Michael in Rovigo. On May 1st, 1895, a prodigious event occurred: its eyes began to move. This miraculous event quickly became the object of great popular devotion. It inspired particularly the Servite Tertiary, M. Dolores Inglese. In later years, together with M. Elisa Andreoli, she founded the Servite Congregation of the 'Riparatrici' Sisters. The Rovigo image became the symbol of the Marian spirituality of the Congregation, and the center of the "Association of Our Lady of Sorrows" which has done so much to diffuse a proper devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows in the world. The Congregation's Mariology Group, and Historical Studies Group, together with lay people and priests in Rovigo have drawn up a rich plan to turn the centenary into an occasion to study the mystery of Our Lady's suffering and its significance for our contemporary world. The program began on September 7th this year and will continue until September 15, It is a series of celebrations, reflections and demonstrations which will take place primarily in the Sanctuary of Rovigo and the Marian Center of Our Lady of Sorrows adjacent to it. There will be celebrations as well in all the parts of the world where the Riparatrici Sisters are present Italy, Portugal, Albania, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and the Ivory Coast. BRAZIL Restructuring the Servile Sisters of Brazil In light of the difficult times the congregation has been having, due among other things to a weakening of its organizational structure, the Prioress Genera~ Sr Maria Leonia de Cristo Rei. together with her General Council, have inaugurated a series of general assemblies to study and understand the reality of the congregation. The first of these assemblies took place on November,:J.S -17, It outlined a two year plan for The plan was fleshed out and coordinated by the General Council. The second general assembly took place on February 29, The sisters discussed and approved the plan. From that point the congregation undertook its project to restructure with particular emphasis on five points: community life and mission, spirituality, initial formation, permanent formation and vocation work. After two years of effort to put this plan into action, a third general assembly was organized for June 2-5, In this assembly the plan was reviewed and revised for the next two years. There was again a questionnaire which allowed each sister to voice her opinions, needs and answers. A second questionnaire about missionary activity was also distributed. This third assembly had the support and guidance of the Brazilian Prior Provincial, Fr Nivaldo M. Machado. It evaluated the previous two assemblies arid then set itself to study the charism and mission of a Brazilian Servite Sister today. After three days of work, debate, dialogue and prayer the assembly produced "the principal points for a re-vitalization of the general plan." These "principal points" aim at accompanying the sister in her work with needy children, in her pastoral work in the church, and in her beginning and on-going formation. The assembly concluded with the decision to charge the General Council, aided by all the sisters, with drawing up a three year plan. As a practical conclusion, it was decided to free one sister to work with needy children, and to call a meeting of those in charge of the three large schools in J acarepagua (a neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro). The point of this meeting would be to draw up a plan for a "Servite College." Finally it was decided to meet with local prioresses to review community life and hear the concerns of the each community. Maria Ester I SERVITE LAY GROUPS SECULAR INSTITUTE The bishops' synod on religious life The bishops' synod on religious life was held in the Vatican during the month of October. Two Servites took part: Bishop Louis M. Ndiovu of Manzini, Swaziland, who is also president of the Southern African episcopal conference; and Ms. Audrey Butler, president of the Servite Secular Institute. Bishop Ndlovu spoke of relations between bishops and religious in the dioceses. Ms. Butler spoke of the future of secular institutes.

10 November- December November - December 1994 Due to the importance of her intervention and of the wide approval it received in the synod assembly we offer the following significant extracts: «... God called her to be Christ-bearer in her world, and that is still the Mission of the Church today, the mission of all consecrated in Baptism, the mission specific to those whom God calls to Himself through the Sacrament of Ordination and through the vocation of the Consecrated Apostolic life by profession of the Evangelical Counsels of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience. It was also the life exemplified by Mary's spouse Joseph- a man of heroic chastity, of instant obedience to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, and of hard work in the loyal, loving service of those entrusted to him, whose physical and material welfare he administered with justice, humility and good stewardship... Future depends on the Will of God for any time or place; all then depends on a continuing response of people to His grace. (Providentially, as leaven, our lifestyle of public anonymity is exportable- it may evangelise... ) Going back to why with regard to the survival of the Chosen People I have discovered what, apart from the Will of God, has enabled them to do so through 4 millennia is first their faith in the Torah, followed by their adherence to the Talmud. So, if history is any guide, I am led to the conclusion that, so long as members of secular institutes, in the todays to come, remain faithful to the Scriptures, their founding carisma and to constantly relevant Constitutions, their chances of a "future" will, by the grace of God - with which they must constantly opt to co-operate, ensure their survival. Should they choose to go their own way, neglectful of Christ's teachings, of the mandates of Holy Mother Church, of their modern and properly approved Constitutions, and of their moral, just and relevant response to the needs of their times, God may well decide that they are no longer what He intended them to be: "a genuine leaven in the world for the strengthening and enlarging of Christ's Body" (Perfectre Caritatis: 11)». REGNUM MARIAE Secular Institute Acquires an International Dimension The Annual Meeting of the Secular Institute of "Regnum Mariae" took place at Covignano di Rimini from August 17th to 24th. From the 17th to the 20th there was a study assembly which reviewed the formation and administration activities planned last year (COSM ) and made plans for next year There was reflection and debate on a social political theme: Political Participation Today. This theme had been studied throughout the year on a local level. In the assembly there was an analysis of the current Italian political situation in an effort to see how we could effect a Gospel presence. The discussion was enriched by the contributions of those sisters who work in politics and social activity. The review began with reading the reports of the "Sorella Maggiore" Rosanna Marchionni and her council, and of the bursar. It then honed in on certain points to consider in an existential context: permanent formation, its necessity and needs; the quantity, quality and usefulness of formation material produced by the Institute and distributed in its bulletin, FIF- Foglio di infonnazione e fonnazione; poverty - what is poverty for a secular institute? what are the forms of solidarity in those milieux in which we live? the need to examine and discuss our own poverty; international outreach (meaning, involvement, commitment and co-responsibility); the establishment of a male branch within the institute. The plan for formation was made in the light of last year's general perspective on "the primacy of faith in the relation of charity." It emphasizes that our guidelines for this year will be "Fraternity among the sisters, and with others with reference to friendship, communication and international outreach"; and biblical studies based on the letters of St Paul. On the socio-political level our subject will be "the ethics of communication." From the evening of August 20th to the 24th we had a silent retreat based on the ftrst two chapters of the Gospel of St Luke. It was led by Don Franco Castellana of the Seminary of Molfetta. Our counter with the Lord concluded with the profession of vows by Jacqueline B. (a Canadian), and Mirella G., who were received into the with great joy. With the presence of Jacqueline B., Regnum Mariae has become an international Secular Institute. Between the two parts of our meeting, the of the 20th was a moment of relaxation. We enjoyed the hospitality of the Fathers of the Community of Santa Maria in Valdragone in the public of San Marino. Fr Clemente M. Nadalet gave us an expert tour of the artistic merits of the church and convent. Anita Bevilacqua's allowed us to look at some of the pages of our own history ( ) and the part Regnum Mariae had in the purchase of the Convent of V aldragone by the Roman Province. In the afternoon we made brief but interesting excursions to local points of interest. Throughout the meeting we were assisted by Fr Ermenegildo M. Zordan, Fr Andrea M. ceecbin and from the 21st by Fr Michel M. Sincerny. We very much appreciated the visit of Fr Nadalet, who among other things, helped us with our French translation. SECULAR ORDER Arnalda Lucarini Annual Meeting on the Family After four years we went back to Misano for our annual meeting. 'This year more people took part: there were 175 present. There were the brothers and sisters of the Secular Order, of the Diaconate, and of the Servite Youth Movement, and the local Servite Assistants. The meeting began at 2:30PM with a "prayer for the family'' which led us into the theme of our meeting: The Family. The National Assistant, Fr Carlo M. della Tommasina, read a message from the Prior General. There were also messages from those who could not attend the meeting and from Fr Jose M. Correcher, the former General Assistant, who is now a missionary in Mozambique. The National Prioress, Dr Livia Cotatwelcomed all the participants and presented her report. The report on the theme of the meeting was presented by Maria Foehesato. More than a report, it was a witness of life lived with intensity. Throughout the day we h,eard reports on the reflection of the various Italian fraternities on the Family that had been made this year. This provided us with further material for discussion and reflection. On the afternoon of the 14th, as planned, we left for S. Angelo in Vado to visit the monastery of the Cloistered Servite Nuns. We went up Colle della Giustizia where the monastery is built to celebrate the Eucharist in the new church and to Pass an hour in Paradise with our contemplative s~ters. It was a successful meeting. All were able to enjoy the pleasure of meeting each other and of sharing moments of prayer together. Carlo della Tommasina YOUTH MOVEMENT Filomena Todaro, New National Coordinator The Ninth National Meeting of the Servite Youth Movement took place at the Institute of St Peregrine in Misano Adriatico from the 25th to the 28th of August. The Youth Movement has branches in Ancona, Campi Bisenzio, Chioggia, Genoa, Milan, Pistoia, Sezzadio, Superga, Turin, Villadose and Vicenza. The Prior General, Fr Hubert M. Moons took part in the meeting, and shared with simplicity and wisdom. the precious and fleeting experience of youth. In his opening talk he created bridges between each of those present and the communities of Servite men and women throughout the world, in all their diversity and in all their needs. He invited us to become leaven, the new generation which will give a new interpretation of Servite spirituality. The local spiritual assistants of the Youth Movement were also present: Giovanna Viccica (Ancona); Sr Anna M. Biscaro (Campi Bisenzio); Fr Francesco M. Moioli (Genoa); Sr Valeria M. Tarricone (Milan); Fr Filippo M. Canigiani (Pistoia); and Fr Carlo M. Appolloni. It was a sign of the times that several of the young professed from the Marianum in Rome were also present (future directors of Servite Youth Groups?). They had been invited by their Master, Fr Renzo M. Marcon. Other guests were: Fr Antonio M. Pascali, a young Florentine friar, some of the sisters of Regnum Mariae from Ancona, and Fr Federico M. Caldognetto of Udine with his new Servite group. A wave of Mexican warmth came with the arrival of four members of the Servite Youth Movement who braved the dangers of a long voyage from Central America to bring the riches of their experience. A group taking part for the fust time was that from Turin, the Parish of Queen of the Missions. The theme of the meeting was expressed in the slogan: Young People in but can that devil of a young person still be a saint? This provocative slogan was a point of departure for the debate, the work of the study groups, the report of Fr Adriano M. Somma (Roman Provincial), and for a dose analysis of sanctity. How does one ftnd it, make it personal, and live it every day? How can one find models and not stereotypes? How can each person follow the path that God has pointed out to him and be faithful to a Christian vocation? At the end of the meeting we voted for national officers. Filomena Todaro of Turin (Coordina-