The Charism and Gift of Collaboration

An Encouragement to the Confreres

Every community lives by setting goals for itself, and by seeking and pursuing the best means to accomplish these goals. This requires the full collaboration of all its members. The common striving for the proper means and goals strengthens the community and gives it a cohesion which radiates outwards and invites.

Dear Confreres, the gathering of the Major Superiors of the SAC in Carranza (3 to 10 October 1996) reflected on the status of our Community of Priests and Brothers within the Union of Catholic Apostolate. It became clear that the key term, "collaboration", needs to be taken more seriously and studied for the sake of our further development. To take better aim at this goal the general theme chosen for the Congress was, "The Charism and Gift of Collaboration".

Certainly, just as we can fail to appreciate a gift, so also charisms can become a holy but empty routine with no real influence on our lifestyle. It can also be that the attachment to individualism or to restricted groups can be so great as to deaden any sense of the lack of collaboration.

Thus to the affirmation, "The Charism and Gift of Collaboration" it is necessary to add the question, "How does one develop collaboration?". Here the questions and needs of our Pallottine communities, the trust we have in the understanding of our Confreres, and the confidence we have in God's merciful guidance and illumination can guide us.

This attitude keeps us from only looking backwards and from idealizing the past. Our view is to a real renewal of the present which opens our vision to the future. Renewal means purification. Purification and renewal make room for the future. --->Whoever thinks they have no need of renewal is sadly mistaken. Renewal goes along with trust in God and the capacity to persevere. This gives us credibility. We must be convinced that we have the spiritual potency for a fruitful collaboration - St. Vincent promised that the Society would be blessed.

Certainly, personal and concrete needs constrain us to take collaboration seriously. Needs are also a communication of God's call to take the proper steps not just to help one another, but rather to do our part for the future of the Church and the People of God. St. Vincent exhorted the members of his foundation to never lose the . . necessary courage to make one's own contribution to an effective cooperation" (cf. OOCC, I p. 15).

REFERENCE TO CERTAIN KEY POINTS

We are all familiar with Jesus' words regarding effective and successful collaboration: "Every kingdom divided against itself is heading for ruin; and no town, no household divided against itself can last" (Mt 12:25). "After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them out ahead of him in pairs, to all the towns and places he himself would be visiting" (Lk 10:1). We recall his prayer that the union of the community of believers reflect the union he shares with his Heavenly Father: "...that they may be one as we are one' (Jn 17:22).

When the first Evangelization began, in a scene cherished by our Founder, the Apostles together with Mary awaited the coming of the Holy Spirit in the Cenacle. In the power of the Spirit they then went forth together into the whole world.

Vincent Pallotti writes, "the gift of cooperating in the well-being of souls is one of the perfections that God communicates to his creatures" (OOCC, XI, p. 256). He adds that by this gift we become "more like God" (OOCC, XI, p. 257).

Recently the Document of the African Synod stressed the unity and collaboration of all believers: "The proclamation of the Gospel can be fully carried out only through the contribution of all believers at every level of the universal and local Church"

(Ecclesia in Africa, n. 88). The Church is again seen as the "Family of God" (n. 63) which must become a model of collaboration and "communio".

The word, "together", has taken on particular meaning for our reflections since the 150th Anniversary of the Union of Catholic Apostolate in 1985. Seeking a "New Beginning for New Times" brought together many individuals and groups of the Union in reflection, celebration, and planning.

The XVI General Assembly of 1989 had as its theme, "Together We Journey, Together We Serve", another strong emphasis on the importance of this term.

Then, in 1995, we celebrated the 200th Anniversary of St. Vincent's birth, led by the motto, "Together to Evangelize".

This theme of "Communio" has guided the reflections and projects of our Pallottine communities for more than a decade. In these most recent years our attention has turned ever more towards collaboration. By this we understand becoming truly attentive to one another to be strengthened and enabled to seek and follow the path that will bring us a future full of hope.

There already exist many areas where collaboration is taken for granted and no longer comes into discussion. We need only think of some of the combined efforts in the Missions and of those Provinces/Regions where formal contracts establish the types and methods for an ongoing collaboration.

Looking at the signs of our times one sees that people today thirst for more community and greater unity (cf. Opening Address of Fr. Séamus Freeman, 3 October 1996 at Carranza).

POSSIBLE IMPEDIMENTS TO COLLABORATION

With the key word, "collaboration", we give expression to a concept that moves and motivates many people today, a concept they want to live.

Even having said this, we are fully aware that collaboration is continually threatened in our world. In many lands attempts are being made to reject the national unity and collaboration that have existed until now. Ambition and the thirst for power bring politicians and states to division. Base interests nearly make it impossible to seek unity, collaboration, and peace. People's bad experiences of the past impede a search for a new collaboration. The positive term, "dialogue", seems weakened in many agreements.

The very real difficulties in reaching a good collaboration naturally touch upon religious communities, and thus also the Pallottine community. Sometimes negative personal experiences of the past are brought up to avoid taking the path towards new forms of working together. Sometimes there seems to be no joy and no trust in being together. Overcoming and healing these problems is a great challenge, and not only for the superiors. Each member has to develop this openness to a new spirit of togetherness. Wise and spiritually informed advice can overcome difficulties in time. We can be certain: even doors that are locked and sealed can be reopened!

We know well that collaboration in Pallottine communities requires more than the mere declaration that we want to journey together. A kind of being together that is not very binding nor demanding does not challenge us. There is no great art in merely declaring or promising collaboration. Realizing it takes long and patient work. Thus, collaboration requires a basic attitude of trust and the willingness to give up unhealthy reservations in order to encounter one another. In this area religious communities can also learn something from the specialized techniques of the modern world.

The kind of collaboration we want is also not only the development of external activities, leading to a worldwide conference of Pallottine tourism. Such a multiplication of trips and conferences can even become an excuse for not taking on the task of a real collaboration.

To personally commit one's self to a true collaboration and to strive day by day to actualize it and live it is one of the rails that carries us to the future. A second rail is needed to complete the track, that is the decision of the Community to follow this new way. As the word itself says, collaboration can only be accomplished together. The individual and common desire taken together put us on the right track to live community better and k~ reach the future.

COLLABORATION AT THE MEETING IN CARRANZA -

A Synthesis of Particular Themes of the Congress

From the 3rd to the 10th of October 1996 the participants dealt above all with the theme of "Collaboration". It was deemed appropriate to deal with this issue now, rather than experience a greater lack of it in time to come. Collaboration is truly indispensable for the apostolate and for the Union of Catholic Apostolate. One cannot choose collaboration at will, leaving it go when all the Provinces, Regions, and communities have enough means to fulfill all their tasks.

A BRIEF SYNTHESIS OF THE MAIN THEMES OF THE CONGRESS IN CARRANZA.

The location of Carranza is in the north of Spain, near the city of Bilbao. The meeting place is a house of the Spanish Delegature of the Sacred Heart Province.

* The 19 Provincial and Regional Superiors shared among themselves and with the General Administration brief, informative reports on their own situations. Aspects covered were: development of personnel, main aspects of their work, efforts to prepare for the future, Delegatures, developments. Further reports referred to the various Continental Meetings already held for Europe, Africa, South America, and North America.

* The Provincial of the Blessed Sacrament Congregation, Fr. Pedro Nuñez Goenaga SSS, in a Day of Recollection, dealt with the theme of collaboration as seen through the Emmaus pericope (in four steps: the Crisis, the Word, the Table, Community and Mission), and with the participants drew out some key points. These he summarized in two principles. To animate or collaborate one does not begin from what one believes is good for the confreres, but from the truth and the good that is in them, -->that is, the presence of God. And, secondly, one starts with those who have the most need: those who "don't know", those who "can't", who "don't respond", who "don't have", from the "last", letting oneself be evangelized by them.

* A draft of the Juridical Commentary on the Fundamental Law of our Society, long awaited in our Community, was presented by Fr. Hubert Socha, SAC (Professor of Canon Law in the Theological Faculty of Vallendar), who was asked to produce a draft of the same. His meritorious work, easy to read and deeply reflective, has reached number 89 of our Law.

* Fr. Roman Forycki, SAC (Professor of Philosophy at the Theological Academy in Warsaw and in Elk) presented the results of his progress to date on the task assigned to him, to draft a "Spiritual-Theological Commentary on the Fundamental Law of the Society". A first version is ready. It is intended for use later by our Formators and for personal reading and reflection.

* During the Congress the Rector General, Fr. Séamus Freeman, took advantage of the occasion to speak with many of the participants regarding their concerns. Information from the Generalate was also shared with all the members.

* That such a gathering should also be a spiritual experience for the participants goes without saying. Common prayers and Liturgies were celebrated in the languages of the members: English, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, and Spanish. The linguistic diversity required the presence of other confreres who served as translators and secretaries. Translation equipment was rented from a firm in nearby Bilbao.

* On the Sunday within the Congress the participants traveled to the home of St. Ignatius in Loyola, the Marian Shrine of Aranzazu, and the Pallottine Parish of the Queen of Apostles in Santurce.

* The discussions and reports on the main theme of the Congress flow together in this document.

* A retrospective look at the Jubilee of 1995 brought forth this reaction: all the participants in the pilgrimage, the common -> celebrations, and the other initiatives felt it was a very significant experience. The attractive force of St. Vincent's personality was presented and we experienced his spirituality as accessible to us today. The preparation and realization of the Jubilee Year were both lived in a spirit of collaboration and a family atmosphere.

* The Major Superiors also thought of the year 2000, which besides being the start of a new millennium is another commemorative year for the SAC and the UAC: the 150th Anniversary of the Founder's death, a time for reflection, review of the past, and a hopeful look into the future. In connection with this event, many members expressed the desire that the SAC and UAC elaborate what would be a message "ad extra", our contribution to the Universal Church as the fruit of our reflections and efforts in these years.

* The first preparations for the XVIII General Assembly were made. The date and guiding theme were taken into consideration to set the preparatory work in motion. The dates reserved for the Assembly are from 16 September to 8 October 1998. Proposals were offered for the main theme. The precise theme and other information will soon be forthcoming.

"COLLABORATION"

All these points were seen in the light of "collaboration". As was said earlier, it is not enough to stress and promise the spirit of collaboration. Many expectations were expressed regarding this theme, such as to provide plenty of motivation for further and more profound study. Giving mutual assistance is one thing, collaborating is quite another!

Collaboration is good and useful tinder many aspects:

- it is a good motto for every confrere, to renew himself with a view towards his neighbour (against a feeling of resignation or of being uprooted...)

- it is good for community life, even in its smallest examples (collaboration in prayer, in dialogue and sharing, as collaboration "ad intra" and "ad extra")

- it is good in the wide field of Formation (that is in the Postulancy, in the Introductory Period, in further theological and professional training, and also in pastoral work...)

- collaboration is important between Provinces and Regions and continents (regarding resources, personnel, solidarity, il~e missionary spirit, the attitude of openness...)

- it is good to collaborate with the communities of Pallottine Sisters and with all the groups and individuals of the Union of Catholic Apostolate (for example the centres of spirituality, of formation, of active pastoral service, for the growth of the UAC, to create a forum for the lay faithful, to share and hand on our spirituality, to share our houses and our spirit...)

- and finally, through us it is good for the entire Church, and for all the possible states of life in which we find ourselves and in which we work.

- collaboration is a precious good in itself, even where we are not forced to it by circumstances.

POSSIBILITY AND NECESSITY OF COLLABORATION

The Superiors gathered in Carranza, with the General Administration, dealt with the question of the forms of Pallottine collaboration in various fields of activity The discussions in plenum and in the language groups can only be summarized here by way of examples.

1. Collaboration in the Field of Formation.

The apostolic attitude of the confreres regarding collaboration begins with the Introductory Period. In this area we note the awareness that exists and how much is already being done. In many Provinces and Regions Postulancy, Novitiate, Theological and Professional Formation, and On-going Formation already occur through long-established agreements. Taking Europe as an example, guided by the Continental Meetings, particular sharing has taken place or is planned regarding Formation (1997 in Otarzew), and the work of finances and the service of confreres (beyond the limits of a Province). In many of these issues we find ourselves only at the planning stage.

4. Collaboration within a Province or Region.

It might seem strange to reflect on and call for collaboration in this area. But a close look at the internal situations of Provinces and Regions shows that tensions can exist between the Provincial/Regional Administration and the house communities, or between the Administration and individual members, especially regarding the work of the confreres or changes in assignment. Individual confreres can make collaboration difficult either by a lack of sufficient flexibility in accepting new and well- justified assignments or by a lack of openness to work with others.

5. Collaboration of the Provinces and Regions with the General Administration.

For a successful service the General Administration needs the collaboration of the Provinces and Regions. This does not mean only the semiannual reports that are sent to Rome. It is necessary to inform the General Administration in good time about projects and programs. With this information in hand the General Administration can better perform its function of counselling and coordinating.

Precisely because of this "decentralized" nature of our Society, the General Administration can perform a service of intervention that, because of its wider perspective can be a help when difficulties arise in a Province/Region.

The Superiors expressed their sincere thanks to the General Administration for this necessary (and often difficult) service. From Rome they expect further promotion of collaboration, coordination, and the Pallottine spirit - an encouragement and animation wherever possible, as well as assistance to guarantee the unity of the Society.

COLLABORATION: SEE - EVALUATE - DO

With this threefold motto we can rediscover our expectations and find the best way to realize collaboration.

"To See"

From expectations already felt we can easily sense the longing for unity and where it is lacking. Maybe we become aware of the fears that still block our way. In any case what matters is the conviction that collaboration is necessary and that it allows us to progress as a community.

Each individual, every Province and Region, the continents, and the General Administration can contribute to our unity, working against every form of "provincialism" that impedes our progress.

There are many effective examples of collaboration, and even contracts to foster it in the SAC and in the UAC. Many projects have not been realized - this must also be honestly admitted. The necessary talents for collaboration are present always. A worldwide solidarity needs to be established. Necessity sometimes makes possible what before seemed unlikely.

"To Evaluate"

From understanding and conviction comes the firm commitment that says, "yes!" to collaboration. On the level of our Pallottine community it is a question of being informed and letting oneself be informed. Then priorities can be established and what is most important can be handled.

"To Do"

Consciously putting collaboration into practice happens through many small but concrete steps. It requires a constant and patient activity. For this to succeed all the confreres need to make room for the Spirit of God, to do God's work first and not follow one's own designs. We note that the Spirit of God also speaks through the needs of our times and of our Pallottine communities.

SMALL STEPS FOR A BETTER COLLABORATION

All the above mentioned points should be carried forward in discussion in all the Provinces and Regions in their meetings to strengthen collaboration. For the SAC and UAC these are times in which collaboration is both possible and an actual need.

It is possible now to indicate many small steps that can be taken for a better collaboration in the future.

As simple examples one can point out:

- publishing of a newsletter or some sort of magazine to keep all the confreres well informed. This is especially useful in small Regions or in isolated Delegatures.

- arranging for common meetings of superiors, confreres, and of those responsible for particular types of apostolate on various levels to make common decisions, exchange information, and to consciously strive to be and stay together.

- take care to foster a family atmosphere (birthdays, namedays, anniversaries, and other significant events to celebrate together), to maintain unity in the larger communities and not to lose it in those that grow smaller.

- the setting up of common Postulancies, Novitiates, formation programs.. .to favour integration and collaboration. Here collaboration develops almost automatically and becomes part of the members' mindset. Later it becomes much easier to have forms of collaboration that reach beyond Provincial and Regional boundaries.

- a small but very important step is fostering a greater sense of corresponsibility within the community regarding the UAC and other realities. It would be good to avoid simply appointing "members responsible" for these works in a way that lets the other confreres relinquish their fundamental responsibility to them.

THROW OPEN THE DOORS TO COLLABORATION!

"Finally what belongs together is now growing together". Such are the words of a proverb often repeated a few years ago with the reunion of the two parts of Germany.

In our Church, we recall the words of Pope John Paul II at the beginning of his pontificate, "Open wide the doors to the Redeemer".

There are questions and problems in our Pallottine communities that can only be resolved together.

The unity we desire must also begin with us, in the SAC, that it might take root in other places - the UAC, for example.

We may have many expectations. Can we fulfill them all? Collaboration does not happen alone, nor with mere slogans.

Our persevering prayer and the determination inspired by the Holy Spirit are needed to achieve collaboration in its fullness. May St. Vincent Pallotti help us by his intercession.

From Carranza we send our heartfelt greetings to our confreres in all the world!

Carranza, 11 October 1996