CLC in Europe Euroteam contribution towards Fatima 2008 Easter 2008 CLC Euroteam read with great interest Projects 136 Towards Fatima 2008, second preparatory input. According to the role of ET as defined in Celje in 1999 and described in the European CLC Operating Procedures CLC Euroteam is a service-team of the CLC European structure. It shall act as a discernment and service community called to assist the European National Communities, in close cooperation with the CLC World ExCo we felt necessary to give an answer to some of the proposed subjects. 1. The dynamic of discerning sending supporting evaluating Euroteam has received his five year mandate in 2004. Since than, we have organized two meetings with the Eurolinks. The first one took place in Limburg, Germany in October 2005 on Communication in Ignatian way. Participants were eurolinks from different CLC national communities in Europe, the WExCo member Chris Michalef and World CLC President Daniela Frank as guests. The second meeting with eurolinks took place in Rome, in October 2007 with the special concern of social justice: CLC and changing structures & befriending with the poor. Being together helps in fostering the communication beyond borders. It is an opportunity for eurolinks to meet face to face, to get support for their service what is important to overcome the problems we sometimes meet in our national communities as lack of enthusiasm at the local level, resistance at the local level regarding CLC as World and European community. Concerning Rome, it was very interesting to hear about good practices and experiences on Working with poor people: the experience with migrants coming from Africa, from presentation of CLC Palermo member Alfonso Cinquemani who is working in Centro Astalli. We also had an opportunity to express our own experience of befriending with poor. Another topic was Social responsibility as instrument to promote dignity and social justice with chairperson Vittorio Leproux, a young dynamic activist from Centre for promotion alternative economy, ethical finances, responsible tourism, possible ways to fight poverty. In addition to that we have visited the Altra Economia Centre that has just been opened in Rome. The third presenter was Leonardo Becchetti, president of CLC Italy and university professor of economics who spoke about The economics of social responsibility microfinance, fair trade, ethical banking, corporate social responsibility and possible ways of actualisation of the preferential option for the poor. It helped us to make us all aware how good examples are possible in social responsibility and there are ways where CLC can find its place for sure. Even not majority of participants understand economy principle or are involved professionally in this area. The main topic in Rome made us attentive to those problems, which are not yet well known in the all European countries. It turned to be a successful meeting. As an outcome of the meeting we have decided to invite and propose to all CLC members who work in social justice issues especially in fair trade, world shops, ethical banking, micro finances or such areas to make a network. 1
The Limburg meeting had quite a contrary topic but was as much successful. It was good to remind ourselves how to be together as friends in the Lord. How we should be careful when speaking with each other or communicating in any other way. Communication is important to all of us not just in the European CLC level but as well in the World CLC. Especially, when taking in account all our differences, in cultural, social, political, spiritual and every other kind of European background. 1. Formation focus on apostolic body Following the Recommendations from CLC European Assembly in Lilles, in 2004, we formed a formation pooling group with Evelyne Maloret (CLC England&Wales), Carla Rebelo (CLC Portugal) and Anni Rickenbacher (CLC Switzerland) to work on formation issues. They meet together on several occasions to work on the different proposals of the European communities in formation area. All documents and publications they received and sort out are available on our internet page as Formation tool box. 2. Leadership Euroteam regrets that it was not invited to participate at formation course on leadership that took place in Rome, Italy, in December 2006. The selection of European participants does not seem to be completely transparent. Euroteam waited for initiatives from European participants, in order to back them up; as nothing happened we knocked at different doors, but they did not open. Euroteam hopes to be consulted in future, so to be able to help and support formation initiatives with the formed participants. We keep in our prayers the election of the next World ExCo as much as the one of the new Euroteam. 3. SJ CLC collaboration We asked the president of European provincials to appoint a Jesuit to be part of Euroteam. Three names were proposed but another person was nominated, having certain difficulties in responding to the designed mission. This collaboration did not turn into a success story not just in the present mandate of the Euroteam. ET organised a meeting in Drongen/Gent, Belgium, January 2007, for all the European Assistants of CLC. The meeting was based on a document published and made by the World CLC: The relationship between the Christian Life Community and the Society of Jesus in the Church. Jesuits came from 17 different countries, including our Vice-World Assistant Alberto Brito SJ and the Euroteam Assistant Andrej Benda SJ. The president of European Provincials Marc Rothseart SJ was also present for some time. Some reaction from the Jesuits during the final evaluation showing that it was really necessary to organise this meeting as we may see from different reactions: I feel encouraged, satisfied, challenged to work on CLC issues more; thank you for the more clear role of EA, it was good to meet my neighbour CLC communities; CLC ers are not meant to be workaholics as we are, we share the same illness; I have more questions than answers now; I feel supported and it gives me hope and strength; it is 95% Jesuit environment here; my general impression is that Church of laity as mentioned for GK 35 is becoming closer; it was an eye opening experience for me; by listening others I got the opportunity to go back on certain things I feel that I missed them; it is a step forward in understanding; I feel enthusiastic about the document; pulling ourselves into the document seems more important to me than working on it; it is important to me to have the opportunity to work with my 2
brothers Jesuits; it is for me as EA a recruit camp it can be for young Jesuits as well; it makes me aware that CLC is a concrete community. We were only five lay women present (Daniela Frank, 3 members of ET and Ann Sieuw from the host community) and it was eye opening for us as well, becoming closer in humanity. What seems to be important is if we want our collaboration to grow, what is essential; it should be continually updated as we must be attentive to the signs of our time. We need each other but our style of life (Jesuits and lay people) is completely different: Jesuits must be attentive to our family life as well as to the problems of our job. Lay people have to be careful and know that the work of an Eaccleastical Assistant is not the same in a small growing up community and in a mature community with a variety of formation courses for group guides, lay guides for spiritual exercises, for example. We as European CLC have different needs that should be respected and taken care for. In the field of forced migration, on all levels an active collaboration takes place between JRS and CLC ers; in many European countries, a lot of CLC ers are active volunteers of JRS or JEV, but unfortunately this fact is not made visible. There are also many individual initiatives of CLC ers. What we learned is that still some Jesuits use competent CLC ers without aiming at a structural collaboration between SJ and CLC. 5. Apostolic Initiatives a) Euroteam gave support as much as we could to national communities in need. One of our ways to do this was to meet national ExCo and CLC members during our ET meetings (Austria, Flemish Belgium, Poland, Croatia, Italy), to spred information among national communities, to keep close email contact with eurolinks and to pray especially for them so to keep the flame of hope burning. b) One of the priorities of Euroteam is the Erasmus program where we invite all national communities in Europe to give us information on different workshops, holidays, pilgrimages, formation courses, prayer days any events they organize. We place all the information given at our link on the internet page of the European CLC www.clc-europe.org where all those who might be interested to participate can join. In such a way we foster members from different national communities to spend holidays together, to make bonds between communities, to help each other on formation level as much. To face this challenge and to incarnate our faith into vital relationships, we are fully aware that we cannot rely on electronic contacts only. Face-to-face relationships are the crucial vehicle to waive relationships, to reinforce networks, to foster teamwork. c) Because of this reason we also propose cross-border initiatives for formation and similar events: Any national CLC community communicate to the Euroteam the dates of her national events for which she is happy to host members of other national CLC communities After taking vision of the international calendar through www.clc-europe.org, national communities look for domestic members willing to attend one of them, coordinate with the hosting community and send a group of minimum two-three persons to such events 3
The receiving CLC communities takes care of hospitality during the event by appointing a few members as hosting group of the foreign CLC participants helping them to integrate (overcome language barriers, if any), participate actively and getting fruit to the event. d) In General Principles (8d) related to or charism we can read: We desire to act in an ecumenical spirit, ready to collaborate with those initiatives that bring about unity among Christians. The aspiration of CLC is to be open to other religions. It is an area of special concern for CLC in Germany, England&Wales and Switzerland. But somehow it seems our commitments are individual and discreet; we are present everywhere with a solid education and inner freedom. The question is should our presence be more visible. Therefore one CLC member from Italy has participated on behalf of the Euroteam and World Community at the preparation meeting for Third European Ecumenical Assembly, in Rome, Italy (2006) and one Euroteam member in Wittenberg, Germany (2007). Two Euroteam members and one CLC member from England&Wales community were present in Sibiu, at the Third EEA in September 2007. The whole Euroteam was present in Stuttgart, in May 2007, at the preparation meeting for movements and communities under the title: "Together on the way". CLC members from Germany who have been involved in ecumenism initiatives organized stay for us in Stuttgart. We have also to discern where to put our priority on European level, in order to make a relevant CLC input: interreligious or ecumenical dialogue? A question which will be put before the CLC delegates at the next European CLC Assembly in Alicante, Spain. e) After the Evaluation of the project Forced migration we have decided to continue with the project and meetings of persons who are already well experienced and their national teams are working regularly on such areas. Therefore a meeting in Alicante was organized together with Jesuits involved in forced migration area. As an outcome of this meeting some national communities as France for example, has started with a new national workshop on FM (started in 2007). Next meeting will take place in Hautmont, retreat house of French CLC near Lilles, in autumn 2008. What we learned is, it is a special grace to come together from different national backgrounds and live together a few days so that everyone returns empowered. We learned also that nothing goes by itself. Our good wishes for an increased communication did not come into reality, people being overburdened by own professional involvement. What we taught is to see migration in a world wide and European wide aspect; think globally and act locally! We realized also how much our involvement for forced migrants is at the very heart of our faith f) Palermo holy days for young adults Euroteam organized a summer holidays for young adults, in Palermo, Sicily in summer 2007. It was on initiative of young people from Genoa, Italy. It took us some time to discern is it necessary or not to go for it. Meeting was a mixture of holidays, adventure and formation, spiritual retreat, swimming and relaxing. It turned to be a success: young adults (CLC ers or not) of eight different European countries participated and in their evaluation it became clear that they liked this mix of prayer, reflection, discovery and fun. There came out a proposal for another meeting, probably in 2009. Of course another CLC community is invited to organize it. We thank a lot Italian CLC, especially CLC Palermo for their support, hospitality and welcome. Even they do not have much young adult members they received us as their mission. Five guests from Lebanon were also invited and Euroteam covered their accommodation costs. 4
6) Finances Euroteam s budget is in balance; nearly all national communities contribute on a volunteer basis. Some show more solidarity then others, others are slow and need reminders! If needed, Euroteam s minister for finance, asked help for special occasions to senior CLC ers as we could cover extra expenses (as for Palermo meeting). Euroteam members contribute also, by paying all small expenses around the meetings (local transport, gifts, and extra fees). They pay also all phone calls and electronic exchange. We have to consider, if the volunteer basis is still a valid one, or if we have to give proposals, similar to the calculation of the World secretariat. What we have done: + information role 1. ET bulletin is published three times a year on different topics proposed by eurolinks. They insisted in Limburg to continue with ET Bulletin. Our only concern is how it is spread among national communities. 2. Our internet page www.clc-euroteam.org is updated regularly. Conclusion Euroteam tasks were discerned together with all members and delegates from different national communities at CLC European Assembly in Lilles, in 2004. It was there where Euroteam was officially sent in mission at the final celebration. In the best cases, Euroteam members receive support from their own local group and/or own national ExCo. Sometimes we have the impression that eurolinks and national communities just react to what we ask for, but forget that we also need their support and challenges! As for a common evaluation, it will be done at the next European CLC Assembly in Alicante, May 28-31, 2009! We do feel as a real existing small apostolic community, at the service of the world community and national communities in Europe. Fraternally yours in the Lord, Monika Sander, Agnès Rausch and Martina Zupanic ADMG 5