Unit 14: Collaboration

Unit 14: Collaboration

Page 2 of 10 COLLABORATION A. INTRODUCTION The Society of Jesus and Collaboration with lay persons, other Religious, Diocesans. From the earliest times the Society of Jesus has worked with others to further its many activities. Collaboration with others, i.e. those who are not members of the Society non Jesuits was something Ignatius of Loyola did from the beginning. Quite simply he had an absolute focus on carrying out the will of the Father as best he could, and this desire meant that he enlisted the contribution, talents and gifts and money! - of those who were willing to share in the tasks in hand. The recent thoughts of the Society are considered below, in the extracts from the documents of recent General Congregations and of the current General, Adolfo Nicolas. TERMINOLOGY Collaboration in the early Church would have been simply the actions undertaken to work together to fulfil the mission of Christ on earth. Christ s directive, to spread the good news of the Gospel was given universally to Christians. There is one People of God with a universal call to holiness. Within that People are those called more specifically to a leadership of service of the People and to special responsibilities. However, the terminology relating to Collaboration and the emphasis on the institutional Church is dated and is not life giving. Religious and Lay are terms used almost in opposition and do not fully reflect the dynamic mystery of the People of God. Many people do not like the terms laity/

Page 3 of 10 lay person etc, because they infer second-class citizenship within the Church. No ordinary member of the People of God would apply the term to themselves. Lay/lay faithful etc are generally terms used by ordained or vowed members of the Church to describe the main body of the Church. The terms hint at the notion that such persons are lower in the pecking order than clergy and this notion is often verified by practice. Hence the comment that the laity are to pray up, pay up and shut up! Ministry belongs to all the People of God, not simply to the hierarchy. A new means of communicating and new terminology is urgently needed and needs to be developed. In an era of almost unparalleled change in human communication, we People of God need to find a language to describe ourselves that speaks to the hearts of new disciples - the young men and women of today. VATICAN TWO Vatican Two s emphasis on the Church as the whole People of God urged Religious Congregations to experiment formally with differing models of collaboration, association, partnership. Jesuits, as we said above, were inspired to do so by the fact that Ignatius in the 16 th c was constantly seeking lay collaborators for his many charitable and other initiatives. To ensure the continuance of these, he established organisations and networks of patrons and helpers. Further, the very simplicity and non-specified nature of Ignatius inspiration, which was to help others means that anyone of goodwill can link in somewhere in the range of works undertaken by the Society. This is not the case with Congregations focussed on particular services such as nursing, education, missions. Likewise the breadth of the Jesuit motto, For the greater glory of God (Ad maiorem Dei gloriam ) offers limitless scope for ministry for those who wish to work in partnership with Jesuits in mission. It helps to remember that Ignatius was himself a lay person until he was 46. He understood the difficulty for lay persons to engage fully in the work of the Church of his time. We can gather from his writings and actions that he did not consider his collaborators as of lesser

Page 4 of 10 worth or dignity than members of the Jesuit Order. In fact, he called his Order this least Society. His heart was set on service, not on status. The term amigos en El Senor or Friends in the Lord, popular today among Jesuits, can seem exclusive of lay persons, but while Ignatius is known to have used it only once, in a letter of 1537, referring to his Paris companions, it is used in 1546 to refer to friends of Jesuits (see Dicc. de Espir. Ignaciana sv Amigos). The term fell into disuse, and was only recovered by Pedro Arrupe after 1965 when he became General. The current General, Adolfo Nicolas, has happily used the phrase friends in the Lord in a sense inclusive of lay persons. He wrote: I speak to our friends of the whole Ignatian family! This does not contradict the recent Guidelines for professional behaviour in ministry and in the workplace which makes the point that professional relationships are distinct from personal friendships. B. UNIT CONTENT God Invites Collaboration As Christians we are invited to structure our ways of proceeding on the Trinity, which provides the primary example of collaboration. The Three divine Persons work together for the good of the world; therefore so should we (LaCugna: God For Us etc.). The love of God operative in the world through Grace, promotes good relationships and collaboration, and its goal is the Final Community of Love, in which collaboration is complete.

Page 5 of 10 Salvation understood in the Christian sense is a collaborative affair: Jesus invites us into discipleship, and sends us out together: we are to carry on his work in solidarity with one another. All are to place their God-given gifts at the service of others (1Pt 4:10). Leadership is for service (Mk 10:45). Early on the Church lost sight of the collaborative model of the Church, and adopted a secular hierarchical model, often reducing the laity to a passive and obedient role. But the Spirit is always active in the Church, and in the early 20 th century, movements known as the lay apostolate together with Opus Dei, the Young Christian Workers, Young Christian Students, etc., came into being. (See Catholic Action in The New Dictionary of Catholic Spirituality). Vatican Two, 1962-65, rediscovered the rich reality of the one People of God (Decree on the Church, ch. 2) and asserted the creative role of the laity in promoting gospel values in the world (Decrees on The Church in the Modern World, and The Apostolate of the Laity). Pope John-Paul II s The Vocation and Mission of the Laity 1989 was an effort to implement the thinking of Vatican Two in the area of collaboration. He uses the question in the parable of the Labourers in the Vineyard: Why do you stand here idle? To which the laity would reply: Because no one has engaged us! This situation, he stated, must no longer prevail. Conversion, however, is required of those who hold power, so that the laity could be empowered to play their God-given role in the Church. Clericalism downplays the role of the laity. Decrees of Jesuit General Congregations (GCs) Cooperation with the Laity in Mission (GC 34, 1995, Decree 13) affirmed the progress made since GC 31, 1965, in this area, and encouraged continued apostolic collaboration by Jesuits. They are to be men and women with others as well as men and women for others (4). It notes that the call to ministry flows from the grace of baptism, and wants to support the laity in playing an active, conscientious and responsible part in the mission of the Church at this moment in history (1). The Society is to place at the service of the laity all that it has, and to join with them in companionship, and to assist their adequate formation, as well as the renewal of their own (7-8). It presents a strong challenge to its members: We must increasingly shift the focus of our attention

Page 6 of 10 from the exercise of our own direct ministry to the strengthening of laity in their mission (19). This means that Jesuits should consider stepping back from frontline work in order to form the laity to do their God-given work. Collaboration at the Heart of Mission (GC 35, 2008, Decree 6) builds on GC 34 and moves its insights significantly forward. Collaboration is not an option but a call from God. Some central points of this Decree are as follows: Richness of Collaboration: Reading the signs of the times, it is clear to the General Congregation that decree 13 of GC34 has borne abundant fruit. We are enriched by members of our own faith, but also by people from other religious traditions, those men and women of good will from all nations and cultures, with whom we labour in seeking a more just world (3). Such collaboration has profoundly changed the Society and given Jesuits a greater sense of God (5), although the resistance of some Jesuits to the call of GC34 is admitted (4). GC33, n.15 (1985) had spoken of a rugged individualism found in some Jesuits. This would be an impediment to collaboration. Collaboration with Other Congregations and Diocesans: Increasing numbers of Jesuit works are directed by committed lay people, by other religious, and by diocesan clergy... These have changed us... The grace of these years is reflected in both more extensive and deeper apostolic collaboration, which places all Jesuits and others with the Son (5). Rooted in the Exercises: Collaboration in ministry is rooted in and inspired by the Exercises which provide a common experience and language (5). The Ignatian charism is to foster an apostolic laity as called for by Vatican Two (6). Ignatian Ministries: Collaboration calls Jesuits to what is often a challenging renewal of ministries. It is a two-way process and raises important questions: What constitutes a Jesuit work and how might it be sustained with others than Jesuits in leadership? What bonds might best unite lay persons and Jesuits in the mission given to the Society? (8). The following statement clarifies these issues: Any work may be said to be an Ignatian work when it manifests the Ignatian charism: i.e., when it intentionally seeks God in all things;

Page 7 of 10 when it practises Ignatian discernment; when it engages the world through a careful analysis of context, in dialogue with experience, evaluated through reflection, for the sake of action, and with openness, always, to evaluation (GC 35, D6, n9). Formation: Both Jesuits and lay persons are to be formed for collaborative ministry, and first of all those called to leadership. Appropriate formation is to be given to all concerned in Jesuit works, so that each may be more deeply aware of their place in the Ignatian and Jesuit mission (18). An Ignatian Apostolic Network exists and is to be fostered (23). We encourage the Society s government at all levels to explore with other communities of Ignatian inspiration, both religious and lay, ways to promote and support an Ignatian Family or Ignatian Community which will have a common vision of service, will promote networks of mutual support, and will foster new and closer forms of collaboration, locally, regionally and internationally (29b). Final challenge of Decree Six to Jesuits: Collaboration in mission expresses our true identity as members of the Church, the complementarity of our diverse calls to holiness, our mutual responsibility for the mission of Christ, our desire to join people of good will in the service of the human family and the kingdom of God (30).

Page 8 of 10 Fr General s Letter of 2010/14 Writing to Jesuits, Fr Adolfo Nicolas states from a worldwide survey that Collaboration is developing well and on different levels. More lay people are in leadership positions and enjoy excellent relationships of trust and cooperation with Jesuits. The growth of collaboration, he says, helps everyone in their mission: it is an important value for the renewal of the Church, not a measure to cope with diminishing manpower. He reminds Jesuits that collaboration is neither a recent nor a temporary development. We have to be thankful for all the people with whom we have worked from the beginning of our history. Jesuits must humbly, decisively and joyfully accept that collaboration is constitutive of our way of proceeding. Both Jesuits and lay need appropriate training in this area. When our collaborators feel slighted, ignored, or treated with less than respect, we are failing in our dedication to our mission. Too often, we think that collaborators know us, while in fact they wish, and sometimes do not dare to ask, to know us more. Likewise we must be humble enough to ask questions, listen carefully to feedback, and admit our need to be taught. Clarity in appointments of collaborators is vital, and this must be communicated to all concerned. Models of Collaboration in Ireland There are widely differing models of collaboration operating at the present time in our ministries, as in CLC (Christian Life Communities a worldwide lay community based on Ignatian spirituality) ; MAGIS the international youth ministry of the Jesuits; Education; Intellectual Ministries; Communications & Publications; JRS (Jesuit Refugee Service International); Social Justice; Centres of Spirituality; Ecumenics + Inter-religious dialogue; Spiritual Exercises in Daily Life; Pastoral Works; Devotion to the Sacred Heart; Missionary work; Pioneers etc. Partners in Mission Partners in Mission is the preferred term for collaboration between lay persons and the Irish Jesuit Province. John Dardis, Provincial from 2004-2010, set up a Delegate with the task of fostering this collaboration. This involves the identification of suitable persons, their formation in the theory and praxis of Ignatian Spirituality and in the Jesuit Way of Proceeding. The provision of Ignatian Spirituality Online as in the present modules is a resource for those who work alongside Jesuits and want to understand the dynamics which

Page 9 of 10 should operate between them, all for the greater glory of God and the service of the world. The present Provincial, Tom Layden, has endorsed the vision of Partners in Mission. This term avoids the false assumption that the non-jesuits work with and for the Jesuits. The aim rather is to emphasise that Jesuits and non-jesuits work together towards an agreed goal. We are all to be collaborators in a common concern which is not our own possession. But not surprisingly, as in the Irish Church at large, the required conversion of mind-set does not come overnight, and non-jesuit partners can find themselves frustrated by their experiences of a distinct lack of equality. This said, partnership in mission has advanced considerably over the past decade. C. REFLECTION Collaboration is a nuanced concept. It is a work in process, calling for more shared reflection between the partners in mission. In what ways do you find yourself drawn to collaboration as a way of living out your Ignatian spirituality? Contact Points If you are moved by a desire to collaborate, don t let that desire go: it may well be from God! Consider what gift or energy you might bring to any of the works of the Province, and contact the relevant person. D. RECOMMENDED READING Decree 13 of GC 34: Cooperation with the Laity in Mission. Documents of the 34 th General Congregation. St Louis: Institute of Jesuit Sources, 1995.

Page 10 of 10 Decree 6 of GC 35: Collaboration at the Heart of Mission. The Society of Jesus. Decrees and Documents of the 35 th General Congregation. Oxford: Way Books, 2008 E. LINKS F. INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES The theological imperative for collaboration The steady growth in understanding by the Society of Jesus of the importance of collaboration A grasp of what constitutes an Ignatian work G. ASSIGNMENT If you are already a Partner in Mission, write a page on your experience of collaboration. What developments do you see as necessary for collaboration to proceed smoothly and with maximum apostolic effectiveness? OR Is there any form of participation / collaboration that appeals to you, and is possible in your current circumstances? END OF MODULE ONE, UNIT 14 Thank You!