XVII GENERAL CHAPTER

CHAPTER ACTS 2009

From the Plan of Comboni

to the Plan of the Comboni Missionaries

Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus

ROME

XVII GENERALCHAPTER

CHAPTER ACTS2009

From the Plan of Comboni to the Plan of the

Comboni Missionaries

Comboni Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus

ROME

FOR PRIVATE USE ONLYReserved to the members of the Comboni Institute

CONTENTSABBREVIATIONS AND NOTES ..........................................................................9

LETTER OF PRESENTATION .........................................................................11

IDENTITY.............................................................................................................16

A. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................16B. ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION .........................................................................16C. WORKING PREMISES ......................................................................................17D. PLANNING GUIDELINES ..................................................................................20

Identity and Mission – Missionary Animation.................................................20Identity and Formation ...................................................................................21Identity and Membership of the Institute ........................................................21

E. ACTION PLAN .................................................................................................22Identity, Mission – Missionary Animation ......................................................22Identity – Formation .......................................................................................23Identity – sense of belonging ..........................................................................24

F. EVALUATION ...................................................................................................25

SPIRITUALITY ...................................................................................................27

A. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................27B. ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION .........................................................................27C. WORKING PREMISES ......................................................................................28D. PLANNING GUIDELINES ..................................................................................28E. ACTION PLAN .................................................................................................29

To base our spirituality on the Spirit and on contemplation...........................29To develop a ‘project of life’ ..........................................................................30To reclaim the ‘Rule of Life’ ..........................................................................30To build ‘brotherly’ communities ...................................................................31Annual Spiritual Theme ..................................................................................31Discernment ....................................................................................................32Spiritual Exercises...........................................................................................32Spiritual Accompaniment ...............................................................................32Celebration .....................................................................................................32

F. EVALUATION ...................................................................................................33

MISSION................................................................................................................34

A. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................34B. ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION .........................................................................34

Globalization...................................................................................................34Socio-political context.....................................................................................35Ecclesial context .............................................................................................35

Comboni Missionaries.....................................................................................36C. WORKING PREMISES ......................................................................................37

Working premises of the Institute’s mission ...................................................37Aspects of our mission ....................................................................................39Towards a renewed missionary methodology ...............................................40

D. PLANNING GUIDELINES AND ACTION PLAN ..................................................41Towards a mission lived as community ..........................................................41Requalification and prophetic choices............................................................42Iinter-religious Dialogue ................................................................................43Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation (JPIC).......................................44Missionary Animation ....................................................................................45‘Insertion’ as mission with and among the people .........................................45

FORMATION .......................................................................................................46

A. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................46B. ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION .........................................................................46

The world of youth today.................................................................................46Formation as lived in the Institute ..................................................................47

C.WORKING PREMISES .......................................................................................47Assimilation of values .....................................................................................48The ‘integrated’ educative model ...................................................................49Vocational discernment ..................................................................................50

D. PLANNING GUIDELINES ..................................................................................52E. ACTION PLAN .................................................................................................52

At Institute level ..............................................................................................53At continental level .........................................................................................54At Provincial level ..........................................................................................55

GOVERNO............................................................................................................57

A. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................57B. ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION .........................................................................58C. WORKING PREMISES ......................................................................................60D. PLANNING GUIDELINES ..................................................................................61E. ACTION PLAN .................................................................................................62

To start the process of rebalancing and requalification ...............................62To favour continuity in the governmental structures of the Institute..............64

F. EVALUATION ...................................................................................................65

FORMAZIONE PERMANENTE........................................................................67

A. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................67B. ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION .........................................................................67C. WORKING PREMISES ......................................................................................68D. PLANNING GUIDELINES AND ACTION PLAN ...................................................69

At personal level .............................................................................................69At community level .........................................................................................69At apostolic level ............................................................................................70At structural level ...........................................................................................71

FINANCE AND MISSION ..................................................................................73

A. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................73B. WORKING PREMISES ......................................................................................73C. PLANNING GUIDELINES AND ACTION PLAN ...................................................73

Total Common Fund .......................................................................................73Simple style of life ...........................................................................................74Resourses.........................................................................................................76

TABLE: LIMITS OF EXTRAORDINARY EXPENDITURE.........................78

OLD AGE AND ILL HEALTH IN THE COMBONI PLAN ..........................80

A. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................80A precious heritage not to be overlooked .......................................................80

B. ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION .........................................................................80An opportunity to embrace .............................................................................80

C. WORKING PREMISES ......................................................................................81Living mission until the end ............................................................................81

D. PLANNING GUIDELINES AND ACTION PLAN ..................................................82

MISSIONARY ANIMATION..............................................................................84

A. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................84B. ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION .........................................................................84C. WORKING PREMISES ......................................................................................85D. PLANNING GUIDELINES ..................................................................................85E. ACTION PLAN .................................................................................................86

THE 14 PRIORITIES ..........................................................................................89

IDENTITY .........................................................................................................89Identity and mission.........................................................................................89Identity and style of life...................................................................................89

SPIRITUALITY .................................................................................................90Discernment.....................................................................................................90Annual Spiritual Theme...................................................................................90

MISSION ............................................................................................................90Assessment of our presence.............................................................................90Frontier situations...........................................................................................91

FORMATION ....................................................................................................91On-going formation of formators and promotors at Institute level.................91On-going formation of formators and promotors at continental level............92

GOVERNMENT ................................................................................................92Continental Coordination................................................................................92Clustering of circumscriptions .......................................................................92

ON-GOING FORMATION ...............................................................................93Opening structures in On-going Formation and accompaniment).................93

FINANCE AND MISSION ................................................................................93Total Common Fund .......................................................................................93

ELDERLY AND INFIRM .................................................................................93Taking care of elderly and infirm confreres....................................................93

MISSIONARY ANIMATION ...........................................................................94Continental plan and charter of Missionary Animation..................................94

PRayer for the chapter’s success ............................................................................96

ABBREVIATIONS AND NOTES

AEFJN = Africa Europe Faith and Justice NetworkAF = Assessment of FormationBF = Basic FormationCA = Chapter ActsCCOF = Central Commission of On-going FormationCL = Consecrated LifeCLM = Comboni Lay MissionariesCWHP = Comboni Works of Human PromotionCYOF = Comboni Year of On-going FormationEV = EvangelizationGC = General CouncilGD = General DirectionGSBF = General Secretariat of Basis FormationGSE = General Secretariat of EvangelizationGSF = General Secretariat of FinanceGSMA = General Secretariat of Missionary AnimationIBC = International Brothers’ CentreJPIC = Justice, Peace and the Integrity of CreationMA = Missionary AnimationOGF = On-going FormationPSBF = Provincial Secretariat of Basic FormationPC = Provincial Council/sPCOF = Provincial Commission of On-going FormationPCS = Perfectae CaritatisPISAI = Pontifical Institute of Arabic and Islamic StudiesRF = Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis et StudiorumRFIS = Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis SacerdotalisRL = Rule of LifeTCF = Total Common FundVIVAT = A human and ecclesial network within the UNVP = Vocation PromotionW = “Writings” of Daniel Comboni

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Note For the sake of simplicity the term “Circumscription” is used

to refer to “Provinces” and “Delegations” alike. Thus also PC is intended to refer to the Council of any Circumscription (Provincial or of Delegation), while PS is intended to refer to the Circumscription - Provincial or of Delegation - Superior. The term “continent” includes “sub-continent”.

It has not been easy to find a single coherent style of writing or terminology to cover the various texts of the Chapter.

Certain repetitions contained in the texts have not been eliminated in order to remain faithful to the texts passed by the Chapter.

A form of continuous enumeration has been followed to facilitate reference and quotation.

Structure of the documents. Each document is normally divided into the following sections: A. Introduction, B. Analysis of the situation, C. Working Premises, D. Planning Guidelines, E. Action Plan, and F. Evaluation. The contents of individual sections are, at times, taken up again in other parts of the same document. This is particularly evident, for example, when some of the “Working Premises” are repeated among the “Planning Guidelines” and some of the latter are then repeated in the “Action Plan”. These are not simple repetitions in as much as texts proposed among the “Planning Guidelines” may well reappear in the “Action Plan” but with different perspectives and meaning.

Unless otherwise stated, the Chapter Acts come into effect on1st February, 2010.

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LETTER OF PRESENTATION“I shall not call you servants any

more, because a servant does not know his master’s business; I call you friends because I have made

known to you everything I have learnt from my Father”

(Jn 15:15)

Dear Confreres,

At the end of the work of the recent Chapter held in Rome, we have prepared the texts that we wish to present to you as the fruit of our efforts to understand just what the Lord, the people whom we serve and St. Daniel Comboni might expect from us in terms of the mission with which we have been entrusted.

The ‘Rome’ phase of the Chapter is over, but the real Chapter now begins. Over the coming years we are called to give a courageous answer with our lives, our commitment and our activities. Our reflections, words and ideas, our dreams of a new mission - inspired above all by the Holy Spirit that we have received - are all called to become reality. We are invited to live the Chapter.

The challenge is not insignificant and while we are aware of the obstacles and difficulties in front of us we also feel empowered by the strength that always accompanied our Founder.

Mission has never been an easy or a comfortable undertaking and has not become less so today; yet we still believe that we are sustained by the knowledge that the task we take on does not depend on us for its success: it belongs to God and St. Daniel Comboni, and surely they will help us move ahead with all that we have received including this XVII General Chapter.

God’s time and oursAt the beginning of the Chapter we noted that for Comboni

the understanding had been decisive that in the plans of God there should also be a time when the moment of salvation would arrive for Africa. This intuition led our Founder to consecrate his whole life, his energies, and his very self to the one passion that possessed his heart i.e. the mission in Africa and the peoples of Africa. It was from this experience that his missionary plan was born.

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We too, with all humility, have understood that we are living a new moment of grace for our world, and in particular for the peoples with whom we share our lives and our missionary endeavour. We are aware that the Lord continues to entrust a specific task to us within the greater scheme of the Kingdom and we want to give a generous response.

An awareness emerged from the work of the Chapter that this moment of grace challenges and calls us to become men truly consecrated to Him and the mission. We are living a moment in which we are invited to focus our efforts and to put in common all that we are and have in order to live with a special passion for the mission in our hearts.

At this particular moment in our history we are aware that we live in a world which demands of us – as missionaries – greater commitment in going where others do not want to go; that demands of us a spirituality that speaks of the God of whom we have experience; that demands of us the ability to become witnesses of a mission that we want to live as a community; that demands of us the courage to remain open to the promptings of the Spirit that every day will push us towards paths that we do not yet know, but that surely will lead us to the poor with whom we must share our life without counting the cost.

This moment of grace is for us the moment, surely, in which we discover that we are called to live our charism with new energy, with hope that allows us to look to the future with confidence, and with the courage that so many of our confreres have borne witness to before us, and that reminds us that we are in the hands of God.

The work of the ChapterIn the text that you receive you will find the fruit of the

work and reflection of many, many confreres, not only that of the Chapter members. The Chapter made an effort to dip into the work already completed by all of us during the process of the Ratio Missionis and the various commissions that worked on its preparation. Thanks to this work the Chapter was able to continue a reflection relevant to and shared by many confreres within the Institute. The themes chosen were no surprise and this helped us to focus on those issues which required our interest and our effort. After the Chapter, the Post-Capitular Commission then worked hard to organise all the material in order to make it easier to assimilate and thus to put into practice.

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The result is a document of five themes which were chosen after having listened to all the reports of the General Council and Secretariats, the Continental groups, the Provinces and Delegations, the offices and other contributions. Following this, another four topics were chosen which seemed to us to respond to situations of particular relevance that we are living through within the Institute at this time.

Looking at these themes and topics we can surely say that there is nothing especially new. In fact we find ourselves in front of questions that for years have accompanied our reflection as an Institute.

Perhaps what is new might be said to appear in the fact that these are themes which once again challenge us and oblige us to recognise with humility that there is still a long way to go. They remind us that time is short and that maybe this is the moment in which to have the courage to arrive at decisions that will involve us all.

The Chapter, even though it said nothing surprisingly new, has helped us recall that there are some reflections and decisions that already in the past had appeared urgent and that now seem not to leave much space for further hesitation or delay.

We must have the courage to arrive at decisions in the sphere of our spiritual life, our Comboni identity and as consecrated men and persons dedicated to live the mission totally.

We are convinced that we will arrive at these decisions where and if on-going formation is taken seriously by each of us, not waiting for others to take the initiative for us. We need to assume an attitude of serious intent in regard to ourselves and the structures in which we live in order to ensure a suitable quality of life at all levels.

Certainly the theme of mission will never be exhausted in our Institute, firstly because mission is a dynamic reality that obliges us to remain always open to what is new, then because mission is about life which always develops and throws up unexpected surprises. There will always be frontier situations that will ask of us a response and styles of mission that the Spirit inspires and that we have no right to impede.

We have listened to and discussed the topic of “finance and mission” and it seems that a new sensitivity is pushing us to continue to seek for ways to live mission more as a project to be lived in communion, as a gift received together, and one that

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implies a more radical placing in common of all goods including those material and financial.

The Institute’s personnel situation made it necessary to put the topics of old age and ill health under discussion. We are aware that speaking about the elderly and the sick is another way of discovering mission which does not consist only in activity, but is above all the giving of our lives in order to be together with the Lord who called us to share in His mission. This is the guiding dimension of the life of the missionary, and it does not depend on his age or his mental or physical abilities.

From the Plan of Comboni to the Plan of the Comboni Missionaries

At the start of the Chapter we set out with a great desire to formulate a plan for the Institute as a requirement placed upon us by the reality that changes inside and outside our world, wanting to imitate St. Daniel Comboni in this, in order to give a response able to take our strengths and possibilities into account.

We did not reach the full development of the Plan we had hoped for. However, in the Chapter Acts you will find fourteen priorities that, among all that was said, we have retained as of the greatest urgency. They will be points of reference when formulating our plans.

In the planning that will be done at all levels of the Institute, we believe we can start off by taking these proposals above all others into consideration and putting them into practice.

They will help us to have a project for the Institute and mission and give us a common basis for working together, sharing that responsibility that helps us to become more specific, focused and qualified. We know that it is not easy to work on common projects but we believe that precisely in doing this hangs the future of our being and doing as missionaries in the Church and the world.

As the General Council we look forward to great collaboration and we wish to be as open as possible to receive everything that might help us to reach a plan in which we may all take on a role and share our gifts.

After the ChapterNow, with great simplicity, we wish to invite you to accept

these documents above all as a gift: the Chapter members have worked hard and with openness to find the best way forward for our Institute and mission.

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In these pages you will receive not only intuitions or great ideas; inside you will also find the experience of almost eighty Comboni Missionaries who for two months have lived a singular moment of brotherhood, communion, openness to diversity and the richness of cultural gifts, and of passion for the mission in Africa and in the other continents where we are present.

We have lived a singular moment of closeness with our Founder, St. Daniel Comboni, who has accompanied us making us feel that he is walking beside us and that he has faith in us.

We invite you to “approach” the documents with an open mind that will surely help you to feel whatever new element the Spirit has written, not so much in the actual text as in that which is intended. We are sure that you will find in it, as we do, a strong invitation for the renewal of your commitment to mission and to the Institute.

We wish to put this text into your hands with the intention of stimulating a continuation of that research which the Lord and St. Daniel Comboni expect from us. Surely, if our hearts are open to what the Lord has given us during this Chapter, you like us, the whole Institute and the mission, we will all find ourselves enriched by a new spirit that will allow us to look to the future with faith, with courage, with great passion, not able to forget our brothers and sisters – the poor – to whom our lives belong.

In conclusion we invite you to receive these documents as a tool to live our consecration, our mission, and our belonging to the Comboni charism better.

We entrust ourselves to the Lord, we ask for the company of Mary and of our Founder, St. Daniel Comboni, so that we may always be happy as we continue our missionary journey.

P. Enrique Sánchez G.P. Odelir José MagriP. Alberto PelucchiP. Tesfaye Tadesse G.

Fr Daniele Giusti

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IDENTITY

A. Introduction1. The Ratio Missionis process has led us to look for greater authenticity and coherence in, and a rediscovery of, the Comboni charism. Given the new challenges that face us both in the Church and society in regard to our ‘raison d’être’, the Institute is taking note of the need and urgency of revisiting or rediscovering the gift of that charism (cfr. 2 Tm 1,6) in order to revitalise it and transmit it to new generations.2. At the same time, this exercise in reflection has brought to light a weakening in our sense of identity and belonging. We tend to prefer doing which, at times, results in our finding it difficult to focus on those elements that define our being. Symptomatic of this we note: a certain superficiality in the assimilation of the values of our charism; the phenomena of individualism and disaffection with the Institute; fragility in our spirituality and a certain vagueness in our way of thinking about and living mission.

AN IDENTITY CHALLENGED

B. Analysis of the situation3. To understand this situation it may be as well to recall some of those realities that challenge our identity in a new way.

3.1 Society is moving towards a culture which is ever more globalized and complex, characterised by a plurality of visions and by a relativism that obliges us to look again at some of our certainties, and by a “weak thought process” that renders it more difficult to take on a life-long vocational commitment.3.2 The Church is opening herself to new horizons of mission and is reclaiming her missionary identity. This obliges us to rethink our role within it. The Church at large presents herself ever more as the source of missionary activity, inviting us to greater efforts of insertion in the local Church for a service of collaboration.

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3.3 Mission today is subject to re-examination according to new theological principles which place in question some of the certainties of the past. Horizons and priorities nowadays change rapidly, requiring a readjustment to new missionary situations; the mission becomes more “difficult” and more complex as each day passes, making demands on our generosity and capacity for giving while calling for progressive requalification.3.4 The Comboni Institute is living through a phase of deep and rapid transformation. While enriched by new nationalities and cultures we also face negative developments, resistance to the “old” or the “new”, and challenging situations like the aging of certain Provinces, a reduction in personnel, a significant number of people leaving the Institute, and confreres in difficulty. The Institute’s face is changing and becoming ever more multicultural, rich and diversified, yet also requiring an extra effort in maintaining unity while guaranteeing the transmission and inculturation of the charism. It finds itself having to face a missionary service which is ever more diversified, characterised by many ministries and specializations, and involving a greater spirit of collaboration - all of which seriously put to the test our ability to safeguard unity in diversity.

AN IDENTITY PROFESSED

C. Working Premises4. We believe that the Ratio Missionis reflection has exposed some of our “wounds” on the one hand, but on the other has been a moment of grace (kairos) for the whole Institute. Thus we cherish the hope that this push to “return” to the mission may be particularly productive. The same thing happened to Comboni on his return from his first journey to Africa – of which we have been celebrating the 150th anniversary (1859): he returned physically weak and tried in spirit, but more convinced than ever of his African vocation which he professed at Don Oliboni’s death-bed: “Even if only one of you should remain, don’t despair and don’t withdraw!”. This experience opened his mind and heart to the inspiration of the Plan.

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5. To the challenge of a mission and future of uncertain parameters, we propose a response of faith and generosity. As the young Johan Dichtl took up the missionary heritage from the hands of Comboni, so we too reaffirm our Comboni identity with joy, and renew our “vow” of total consecration for the mission, emulating the treasure of the shining witness of so many of our confreres strongly identified with their vocation. Thus:

5.1 We profess ourselves to be people passionate about mission:a. chosen and called by the free initiative of God the Father, we have been consecrated and sent to evangelize (ad gentes);b. mission as the proclamation of the gospel of reconciliation and liberation is the fundamental option of our existence (cf.. RL 13.1, 61), which takes us out of the limited circle of our cultural boundaries and opens us to the whole world (ad extra) ready to spend our whole lives in its service (ad vitam).

5.2 We see ourselves as “Comboni Missionaries”, heirs of Comboni’s charism, “the rock from which we have been cut from” (Is. 51:1-2):

a. from his charismatic experience we reach a particular style of life and mission (cfr. RL 2), lived in a diversity of ministries (cfr. RL 11);b. taking up his intuition, we wish to give continuity to his Plan to “save Africa with Africa”, by making people responsible for their own history and promoters of the evangelization of other peoples (cfr. RL 7; RF 92-94).

5.3 We are inspired by the spirituality of the Heart of Christ the Good Shepherd, source of our being and action:

a. from contemplation of Christ’s Heart, like Comboni, we acquire the impetus and attitudes of service and gratuity for our life as disciples and messengers (cfr. RL 3; RF 59-62).

5.4 We reaffirm our preferential option for the poor (ad pauperes):a. like our Founder, we favour those peoples and groups who are more needy in terms of faith and conditions of life (cfr. RL 5; RF 86-88);

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b. aware of the world’s new forms of slavery, we feel called to denounce injustices and proclaim the Word that frees and promotes life in its completeness (cfr. RL 61);c. this choice involves us in living our vow of poverty more radically, looking at reality through the eyes of the poor, developing a sense of “com-passion”, and accomplishing mission through a sober life-style, close to the people, and using simple means (cfr. RL 29; 45).

5.5 We welcome as our own the mission, chosen and loved by Comboni (S 1710; 1733), which is signed by the Cross (difficult mission), the symbol of a radical love for the peoples to whom we are sent and with whom we wish to make common cause (W 3159):

a. our vow of chastity professes to be a sign of our belonging totally to Christ who embraced eternally the fate of all the “crucified” in history (cfr. RL 25.1);b. the “beautiful witness of faithfulness to the end” and the living of mission in weakness shines brightly in our elderly and infirm confreres (cfr. 2 Cor. 12:10).

5.6 We confirm our desire to be a “cenacle of apostles” (W 2648; 4088):

a. we welcome with joy the many faces of the Institute, always more international and multicultural (cfr. RL 18);b. we undertake to cultivate brotherhood, to live and work together, to reject individualism and taking centre stage, and to value the vow of obedience through a common mission venture (RF 80-84);c. we share the Comboni charism with the other members of the Comboni Family (Comboni Sisters, Seculars, CLM);d. acknowledging the prophetic dimension of our call, we cultivate a sense of Church, inserting ourselves in local Churches and promoting collaboration with other pastoral and humanitarian agents (cfr. RL 17).

5.7 We reaffirm our openness to the signs of the times (cfr. RL 16), to the new dimensions of mission (JPIC, reconciliation, inter-

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religious dialogue ...), to the new areopaghi (the promotion of human rights, slums, emergency situations ...) and to the diversity of ministries:

a. this involves us in an on-going discernment of the promptings of the Spirit, the true protagonist of mission (cfr. RL 56.2);b. our consecration is a prophetic witness of the world to come and a steady challenge to a social order that does not promote the culture of life (cfr. RL 22).

D. Planning Guidelines6. To revitalise and re-qualify our charismatic identity, every Circumscription will pursue the following objectives:Identity and Mission – Missionary Animation: 7. To integrate the elements of our mission-based identity.

7.1 To cultivate greater reflection on mission in order to better define and live it fully as Comboni Missionaries and confirming first evangelization as our priority.7.2 To integrate ‘being’ and ‘doing’ and assume discernment as an attitude of life.7.3 To assist the confreres to live mission as service of the Word, favouring the study of Sacred Scripture, kerygmatic theology and catechetics.7.4 To fashion our style of life on a preferential option for the poor and seek greater consistency between the life of our communities and that of ordinary folk through (i) knowledge of their language, customs and practices, culture and history, (ii) favouring radical community experiences of insertion, (iii) in dialogue with the Circumscription and the local Church.7.5 To sensitize the confreres to take on, integrally and according to their personal charisms, the new expressions of mission (JPIC, inter-religious dialogue, reconciliation ...) and to welcome the new role of the missionary no longer as a leader but a co-worker.

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7.6 To renew and re-qualify the dimension of the Comboni presence and of MA as an expression of our Comboni charism and identity (cf. n. 188ff).

Identity and Formation8. To reinforce acquaintance with the charism in basic formation and promote the growth of a Comboni identity in OGF.

8.1 To insist on the dimension of identity during basic formation and to adequately prepare formators for this task.8.2 To pay greater attention to the personalities of the candidates and to their human and cultural identity, favouring a deep knowledge of themselves, integrating more the human dimension and taking into account the inconsistent elements of our life.8.3 To project basic formation as the start of a life-long journey of following Christ for the mission.8.4 During formation to deepen the vital relationship with the person of Comboni.8.5 To develop an attitude of growth and constant renewal, aiming at a greater consistency of life and in this way giving a new impetus to OGF.8.6 To offer the help needed by confreres in living in circumstances of personal crisis or with problems of identification with the Comboni charism.

Identity and membership of the Institute9. To reaffirm a sense of belonging to the Institute through memory of the past and prophecy today:

9.1 To underline the dimension of collective identity: to return to the sources of our Comboni identity; to re-appropriate our history and certain charismatic persons (consecration of our past); to cultivate a global vision of the reality of the Institute.9.2 To re-evaluate the role of the animation of superiors at all levels in order to promote a sense of identity and belonging.

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9.3 To favour communion and collaboration with the other members of the Comboni Family (the Sisters, the Seculars, CLM) and to share our charism with the laity.9.4 To assess ourselves against others in order to know which identity we display (“who do the people say we are?”).9.5 To promote co-responsibility in fraternal assistance.

E. Action Plan10. To put the above planning guidelines into practice in the medium and short term, we present the following action plan:Identity, Mission – Mission Animation11. To integrate the various elements of our identity so that they are based on mission:

11.1 By June 2010, the GC should nominate a commission that, in collaboration with the SGEV, might undertake a systematic re-reading of the material produced in the last few years during the process of the Ratio Missionis. The theological reflection on mission and on Comboni methodology that emerges from it will be presented at the next Intercapitular.

Evaluation at the Intercapitular.11.2 The PSs of each continent are to organise continental groups to reflect on the Comboni charism and mission, in close connection with the Central and Circumscription commissions of OGF and the Secretariats of Evangelization who are to ensure the adequate communication of the results of the reflection to all the confreres.

Evaluation during the Continental Assembly of the PSs.11.3 In the context of their six-year plan PCs should initiate a reflection on the style of life of our communities in order to offer guidelines and concrete proposals to bring them into line with that of ordinary people and the preferential option for the poor. Furthermore, PCs should favour new proposals for the radical insertion of communities in the local Church after a due process of discernment and dialogue with that same Church.

Evaluation before the Intercapitular.

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11.4 As far as possible, the GC and the PCs should evaluate the personal qualities, attitudes and particular preparation of confreres before assigning them to any specific service.

Evaluation during the Intercapitular.11.5 Following the example of Comboni, who dedicated a significant part of his life to MA in the Church, the Circumscriptions should verify their own degree of commitment in this sphere, using all the means available (TV, radio, internet, magazines, mission appeals, mission groups and centres ...), in order to further the growth of the people of God and their embracing of the universal mission.

Evaluation at the Intercapitular done by the GSAM.Identity – Formation12. To strengthen initiation into the charism during basic formation and promote the steady growth of Comboni identification in BF:

12.1 Formators should give particular importance to the transmission of the charism through the significant witness of the confreres.

Evaluation by the PC, in collaboration with the PSF, before the Intercapitular.

12.2 In its six-year plan, the GC should elaborate, or at least initiate, a history of the Institute to be used especially in our houses of formation as an instrument for the transmission of the charism.

First evaluation during the Intercapitular; the second during the Chapter.

12.3 During their coming six-year term PCs should ensure that the history of the Circumscription be written and published. They should also set about collecting information and testimonies about the more significant confreres of the Circumscription. Finally they should assign one confrere to the task of continuing to collect and re-work the “historical and charismatic memory” of the Circumscription, proposing it as a means of animation and formation.

First evaluation during the Intercapitular.

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12.4 PCs should assume responsibility for animating their communities and personally encouraging the confreres to make the most of OGF initiatives and the annual spiritual exercises. They should also make full use of the Code of Conduct to help confreres in difficulty.

Evaluation by the PC.12.5 Respecting the guidelines of the Church (see the Rite of Profession) and in order to favour the interiorisation and sense of progress that distinguish perpetual profession, the celebration of first professions should be held in a simple manner in the novitiate.

Evaluation during the Continental Assembly of the PSs.12.6 The GC, in collaboration with the Central Commission for OGF and in dialogue with the continental offices, should promote two significant OGF and animation initiatives for PSs, one before and one after the Intercapitular. The same initiatives may also be run at Circumscription level and for community superiors.

Evaluation during the Intercapitular and Chapter. At Circumscription level during the local Assembly.Identity – sense of belonging13. To strengthen a sense of belonging to the Institute:

13.1 PCs are to ensure that communities use the tools foreseen by the RL for the animation of communities: council and charter of the community, pastoral plan and monthly retreat. The Commission of OGF and /or the Secretariat of Evangelization will propose concrete plans for the re-working of these charters and pastoral plans. PCs will evaluate their application during visits to the communities.

Evaluation by the PC and Circumscription Assembly.13.2 The OGF commissions will furnish texts and other contributions in the field of the human sciences and spirituality that favour interpersonal relationships within the community, help resolve conflicts and promote dialogue and reciprocal acceptance. With the help of experts they might also organise seminars on themes pertaining to our charism.

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Evaluation by the PCs.13.3 Circumscriptions and communities will live Comboni feasts as suitable occasions for celebrating our identity and revivifying our charism.

Evaluation by the PC.13.4 In Circumscriptions where this may be considered viable and convenient, meetings at zonal level may be organised to promote communion and a greater contextualization of missionary activity.

First Evaluation at Circumscription Assembly.13.5 In response to the vision of the Founder and the pluri-ministerial reality of the Institute, the GC, at the start of its mandate, will resume contact or consultation with Institutes sharing our canonical status, to present together a request to the Holy See to change from being a “clerical” to a “mixed” institute.

First Evaluation at the Intercapitular.13.6 In the process of discernment that PCs make when choosing local superiors, the personal characteristics of the confrere are to be taken into consideration before any consideration of whether he is a priest or a Brother. In the event that a Brother is chosen, it will be possible to nominate him superior of the community delegated as such by the PS, asking the permission of the Holy See.

First Evaluation at the Intercapitular.

F. Evaluation14. We already have tools and moments for evaluation that can be made greater use of: General Chapter, Intercapitular, Continental Assemblies of the PSs, visits of the SG and Counsellors, visits of the PSs and Counsellors, PC meetings and Circumscription Assemblies.

14.1 When required, to make use of experts and facilitators (Comboni or not) for external evaluations during Circumscription and Institute Assemblies.14.2 To help confreres make evaluations, the Circumscription OGF commission offers tools of evaluation at different levels.

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SPIRITUALITY

A. Introduction15. New life in the Spirit is a gift that we must ask for and welcome. At this “opportune moment” God challenges us and invites us to live mission as an experience of human and spiritual growth. This is the time to allow ourselves to be modelled like clay in the hands of the Potter (cf. Jer. 18:6).

IMMERSED IN A HISTORICAL PROCESS OF GRACE AND BLESSING

B. Analysis of the situation16. We Comboni Missionaries, immersed in a story of grace and blessing, hail from different cultures, backgrounds and styles of formation. We live, furthermore, in a globalized world with a multiplicity of religious sensibilities and critical attitudes when faced with traditional religious institutions through which, however, the Lord continues to work.17. The Ratio Missionis discernment process, in which we have been involved over the past few years, has led us to observe that our spirituality is weak, and that gradually we have assumed an individualistic and comfortable way of life, that does not encourage fraternity but challenges the credibility of our missionary witness. Often our faith remains far from life and the reality of the people. At times we reduce our spirituality to a religious ritualism that does not reach the heart of our missionary life. On the other hand, without practical and regular expression, faith will be extinguished.18. This same process has demonstrated a strong desire for change and conversion not just in theory but in the depths of our hearts. We feel like “dry land, arid and without water” (Ps. 63:2), with a great thirst that pushes us to return to the original sources in order to face the challenges of our time.

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SOURCES OF INSPIRATION

C. Working Premises19. The Spirit who raised in Comboni a love for the people of Africa, continues to guide us towards the poor and the forgotten. It is the same spirit that pushes us to a deep personal and community renewal in love - a gift received and lived as consecration is unveiled and offered in the mission.20. As Comboni Missionaries we discover in the mystery of the Heart of the Good Shepherd the reason that animates us to total self-giving and pushes us towards the poor and abandoned. In order to live this spirituality we must place at the centre of our lives the Word of God, the life and writings of St. Daniel Comboni, the RL, the tradition of the Institute, the magisterium of the Church and, in a particular way, the mission that brings us to live with the people.21. The total self-giving that requires us to take on very difficult situations is symbolised by the cross. After the example of Comboni (cf. RL 4), we choose these realities as a sign of a deep love for the people.

D. Planning Guidelines

BROTHERLY COMMUNITIES OF DISCIPLES AND MISSIONARIES

22. We want to be missionaries open to the action of God in us; missionaries who live meeting the Lord as disciples wholly consecrated to mission, called to live a deep affective and effective relationship with Jesus in order to be witnesses of his love, carrying hope to his people. We identify ourselves with Him, Word and Missionary of the Father, who gave his life for all.23. We are called to share the dream of God who wants a full and happy life for all humanity. It is he who invites us to be builders of brotherhood, to give ourselves to others as communicators of peace and life, to welcome all and be good news in the midst of the poor.

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24. We must walk towards a unity of life between consecration, charism and mission and, as a result, towards a spirituality that generates life and distinguishes itself by authenticity.25. The Institute continues its journey of return to the essential, a journey that implies for each of us a revision of our relationship with God and a witness of brotherliness. Conversion of the heart requires translation into concrete attitudes.26. We feel the desire to overcome the tendency to consider spirituality an exclusively personal fact, in order to favour a sharing of the inner life that would allow us to reach a deeper brotherly communion. We will obtain this in the measure in which we accept to put the action of the Spirit at the head of our priorities, determining to consider our lives from the view-point of faith.27. In order to live our spirituality we feel the importance of being nourished by God and lovers of life:

a. To celebrate the Eucharist, fount and foundation of our missionary spirituality and common brotherly life (cf. RL 39.1, 53);b. To listen to God who speaks to us through his Word, the reality of the poor, situations of violence and insecurity, the world with its beauty and contradictions;c. To ensure moments of prayer, of silence and contemplation, at the personal and communitarian level.

E. Action Plan28. In view of the process of spiritual renewal, the Chapter makes the following plan of action that, without wishing to be exhaustive, seems to us to be significant:To root our spirituality in the Spirit and in contemplation29. We want to give pride of place to the listening to and study of the Word of God, to the lectio divina, to personal and community prayer. Furthermore, we intend to read and deepen the reality, history and the life of the poor as the place where God the Father shows himself, and where Jesus Christ and the Spirit are to be found.

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29.1 Every year continental groups of reflection should offer to the Circumscriptions tools for the analysis of the social, political, economic, religious, ecclesial and Comboni reality in order to help communities and individuals to read the signs of the times, to recognise the values of the Kingdom and the presence of God, and be guided by the Spirit in our discernment and choices.29.2 Every Circumscription should study how to best utilise this material as a moment of OGF.

To develop a project of life30. We insist upon the need to work out a project of life at different levels:

30.1 Personal: each year every confrere should prepare his project of life expressing clearly and simply through specific objectives and concrete forms, his response to the Lord.30.2 Community: every community should prepare the community project utilising the means already available (e.g. RL, Circumscription Directory, community charter ...), regularly up-dated and contextualised. The superior has the responsibility of encouraging his community to take on this process.30.3 Provincial: community projects may be shared with the other communities during Circumscription Assemblies, superiors’ meetings and other moments.30.4 In 2010 the GC should offer guidelines for the preparation of these projects at the various levels, taking into account the different contexts.

Reclaiming the Rule of Life31. It is necessary to cultivate greater knowledge of the RL as an instrument of growth for our choices according to the Comboni charism at different levels:

31.1 Personal: every confrere should undertake a fruitful reading of the RL.

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31.2 Community: the community should make a continuous reading (of the RL) in view of a shared reflection and according to the times and ways specified in the community charter.31.3 Provincial: over the next six years every Circumscription should organise retreats or seminars of OGF based on the RL and its relevance today.31.4 In the first three years of its mandate the GC should choose confreres to whom it might entrust the task of a qualified reflection on the RL in order to familiarize us with it as an instrument of growth in faithfulness to the Comboni charism.

To build brotherly communities32. Living as brothers is a fundamental and indispensable element of our spiritual growth and missionary service. In order to reach this goal we must dedicate the time and attention required.33. In the RL (cf. RL 36-45) we find the guidelines that help us build enthusiastic communities able to promote the integral growth of their members and be an authentic witness of evangelization. We thus hold the following to be necessary:

33.1 Periodically local superiors should organise community meetings as significant moments of discernment and OGF.33.2 Communities should allow for moments of relaxation in order to further interpersonal relationships.33.3 Members of the community should share plans, projects, material and spiritual goods as part of the spiritual journey.33.4 The practice of fraternal correction and reconciliation with God and the brothers in a climate of celebration, particularly during the high moments of the liturgical year, are ideal means for evaluating and nurturing our community life.

Spirituality – a yearly theme 34. In order to respond to the request of a renewed spirituality, the Chapter proposes that every year a specific theme be developed for the whole Institute in view of a common journey. We suggest the following themes to the GC:

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− Word of God, lectio divina, popular reading of the Bible− Comboni, fount of re-foundation today− Comboni brotherhood: interpersonal relationships, conflict

resolution ...etc ..− Closeness to the poor as a spiritual journey− The Heart of Jesus in today’s language − Comboni prayer today− The cross as a special time for deepening faith− The centrality of Christ in life and the Comboni mission

35. These themes may be developed in the form of workshops, retreats or formation courses but should take into account local continental and Circumscription contexts.Discernment36. Discernment, which may take a variety of forms, may be understood as a personal and communitarian tool, enlightened by faith, and favouring the union of the Word of God and reality; this comes about in particular during moments of decision at community councils and assemblies of various kinds.Spiritual exercises 37. An annual eight day retreat is recommended in order to have adequate time for silence and meditation.Spiritual Accompaniment 38. Spiritual accompaniment and OGF are indispensable means to personal maturity and for guaranteeing a better service to the mission. The local superior, assisted by the Circumscription coordinator for OGF, helps the confreres find someone suitable for this service.Celebration39. Celebration is essential to the process of spiritual renewal. Every community, every Circumscription and the whole Institute should therefore give proper importance to the significant events of the Institute itself, of the Church and of the people among whom we live. Comboni feasts, anniversaries, birthdays and all events in the life of the community are occasions for brotherly sharing.

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F. Evaluation40. Intercapitular, continental, and Circumscription assemblies constitute an opportune moment for evaluating the decisions taken at different levels. Community councils are in their turn occasions for an evaluation of the community project in general and of the lives of individual members of the community.41. Visits to the Circumscriptions by the GD and to the communities by the PS are also appropriate moments in which to evaluate the fulfilment of the Circumscription and community plan.

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MISSION

“The Spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for he has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to proclaim liberty to captives and to the blind new sight, to set the downtrodden free, to proclaim the Lord’s year of favour” (Lk 4:18-19).

A. Introduction42. During his life our Founder put the above words of Jesus into practice, so that they became the common denominator of his whole being and activity. We Comboni Missionaries, in the footsteps of St. Daniel Comboni, recognise ourselves as having been sent to proclaim the Gospel to all peoples, placing the poorest and most abandoned “especially as regards the faith” at the centre of our attention (cf. RL 5) and looking with faith and courage at the new challenges that the mission presents us with today. Understanding and accepting the new face of mission today requires a conversion of heart and mind.

B. Analysis of the situationGlobalization43. Globalization is a complex reality where challenges, provocations and hopes are interwoven. Advanced technologies promote interculturality and facilitate efficient communication which in turn nurtures universal solidarity and other important values of the Kingdom. These rapid changes bring benefits even to the remotest of the places where we work. Nevertheless they also bring some negative results with repercussions on our activities and in the missions where we work.44. Globalization is another reason for the failure of traditional and cultural values, the exodus to the city, migration from the South to the North, provoking thereby insecurity and racist reactions in host countries. Moreover it has created an ever-widening rift between the North and the South of the world in regard to living conditions, access to justice and respect for human rights. The youth are attracted

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by multiple cultural identities while traditional models disappear, leaving them bereft of points of reference.45. Another phenomenon that we cannot ignore is the neo-liberal ideology that allows multinationals, in cahoots with local leaders, not only to exploit the natural resources of less developed countries, but also to create political instability, which often develops into armed conflict, huge migration, uncontrolled urbanization, and the impoverishment of the people and the nation.Socio-political Context 46. In the socio-political context we note some encouraging signs in the process of democratization as a result of which civil society is becoming ever more directly involved in everyday politics; women, too, are more active at the higher level of political leadership and the decision-making process. Still, we must also note the worsening of the indices of human development, an increase in poverty, the lack of charismatic leadership, and the exclusion and marginalization of minorities.47. Some political regimes – out-and-out dictatorships violating the most basic of human rights - oppress Church-goers, movements motivated by Christianity, and groups active in the defence of human rights and the denunciation of systemic abuse and injustice, even to the extent of threatening their lives.48. At the international level, the presence of Islam is often perceived as aggressive and proselytising. In the globalized North, it has become a crucial question evoking different reactions: we find naive acceptance, fear, xenophobia, but also constructive reflections. In some parts of the world, Islam is gaining ground rapidly, and this calls for a deeper and more objective knowledge of it, leading to responses inspired by wisdom.Ecclesial Context49. The Church by her nature is open to the mission ad gentes. We are witnesses of the fact that many local Churches, having evermore faith in their own means, are also involved in evangelization, in inter-religious dialogue, and in the courageous denunciation of violence,

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even in circumstances of persecution. We note, notwithstanding, a growing attitude of isolation, clericalism, relativism and fundamentalism. Secularization, on the other hand, is ever more visible on the world stage.50. The Church has difficulty in responding to the needs of the youth, to the deep aspirations of women, and to finding adequate pastoral methods as regards immigrants.51. Also in the field of JPIC – notwithstanding a certain awareness at the local level – there are difficulties in assuming a global vision and in making prophetic choices. Greed over resources and energy lead to the destruction of nature and put the future life of the planet in danger, resulting in death and misery especially among the poor.52. The great world religions exhibit rich spiritualities that challenge us in many ways. The invitation to a meeting and constructive inter-religious dialogue, however, has still not been fully accepted.Comboni Missionaries53. The Institute, which is growing rapidly internationally and interculturally, is undergoing radical change in terms of generation, socially and culturally. This phenomenon inevitably results in tensions and a sense of discomfort that calls for conversion in the hearts of all.54. The Institute is enriched by the presence of many elderly confreres who represent a living link with the past and who continue to offer good example by their lives and attention to prayer. The same cultural values of the peoples among whom we work challenge us to honour the elderly as figures of unity, continuity and wisdom.55. In the context of a pluralistic society, it is necessary that, as Comboni Missionaries, we promote a spirit of collaboration, that we network and encourage partnership with the people with whom we live and work, overcoming attitudes of superiority, prejudice and exclusivity.

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C. Working premisesWorking premises of mission for Comboni Missionaries56. Our Institute was born of and for mission and the Comboni Missionary “makes evangelization the reason of his own life” (RL 56).

56.1 When we look at our history we appreciate the variety of expressions and commitments resulting from mission activity in response to the new signs of the times and the challenges and ever-changing needs of the world (cf. RL 16).56.2 Redemptoris Missio no. 33 clearly describes a threefold division of missionary activity: mission ad gentes, new evangelization and pastoral care. This paradigm has until now coloured our vision of mission and the subsequent choices for fields of commitment. It must now, however, measure itself against the more complex situation of everyday realty.56.3 Previous General Chapters have amplified the meaning that mission has had for us and our involvement in it. Mission was recounted and lived above all as the compassion of God towards a divided world, and in concrete terms as first evangelization, MA, the formation of new missionaries and leaders, human promotion, dialogue & inter-religious exchange, commitment to reconciliation and JPIC, inculturation, a presence in and solidarity with difficult human situations ...56.4 We are aware that our vision of mission has recently been enriched and challenged by more recent reflections. In various Church documents as in missiological studies mission is spoken of in global terms (worldwide mission): a mission that touches all continents and Churches. Our missionary service wishes to address these expectations and hopes of our time.56.5 Our presence in four continents shows us how the Gospel, in different contexts, makes a variety of responses emerge: the option for the poor, dialogue, inculturation, interpersonal relationships. In this way mission becomes a giving and receiving that enriches, deepens and stimulates the understanding and practice of the faith.

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56.6 In order to remain faithful to the prophetic spirit of its call, our Institute must renew and make present its charism. It is necessary to undertake radical choices in order to reach marginalised and not yet evangelised peoples, having as a priority the proclamation of the Word of God, which implies commitment to JPIC. It will also be our job to remind local Churches to look at the wider horizons of mission.56.7 Jesus Christ, missionary of the Father. Mission springs from the Trinitarian God who shares his life with humanity. This is made present in Jesus Christ, fount and inspiration of our missionary action, corner-stone of our being and activity. The Institute with the whole Church, guided by the Spirit, participates in this universal mission.56.8 Saint Daniel Comboni. The Founder, by his work, continues to inspire our mission activity in particular through his passion, the giving of his life for the poorest, his faith in God, his loyalty to the Church, his ability to bear with trials and his sense of hope which pervades his whole being and action.56.9 The poor and non-evangelized. The compassion of Jesus towards the sheep without a shepherd and his concern for the least are paradigms of the Institute’s mission. The signs of the times that “speak” to the Comboni Missionary and challenge his behaviour often come from the cry of the poor, from their condition of life and from the frontier situations of non-Christians, often beyond the visible confines of the Church.56.10 The heritage of the Institute. The history of the Institute con-tinues to be a point of reference and inspiration because it keeps alive the memory of the lives and missionary experiences of those who went before us and who have had a profound effect on us. At the same time, the example of confreres who are living their mission fully today also sustains us.56.11 Testimonies. The recent history of mission presents us with a large number of people whose testimonies enrich and stimulate our missionary vocation. The commitment demonstrated by many people of good will in regard to the values of the Kingdom, coming

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from different peoples, states of life and religions, encourages and challenges us to live our missionary service with generosity and dedication.

Dimensions of our mission

57. Mission, for us, means a consecrated life that bears witness to and makes known Jesus Christ and his message.

57.1 Witness of Life. In today’s world people attribute more credibility to testimonies rather than teachers, to concrete love rather than theories. Bearing witness involves each individual missionary and community that, in its turn, becomes a living sign of the values of the Kingdom. “Solidarity with the poor becomes more believable if those same Christians live in simplicity, following the example of Jesus” (Ecclesia in Asia, 34).57.2 The missionary community. Communion, in acceptance and openness to the other, of persons, peoples and religions is one of the aspirations of our time. Our international and intercultural communities, that try to live sincerely in brotherhood, are visible signs of the presence of the Kingdom, becoming promoters of communion and participation. Brotherhood is better expressed through the sharing of life, spirituality, planning and resources.57.3 Proclamation of the Good News. This is the heralding of the Kingdom of God shown in Jesus Christ. It requires a process of inculturation, understood as a recognition of those cultural values that are not in contradiction to the Gospel, the employment of appropriate language, and a style of life coherent and in harmony with that of the people.57.4 Social commitment and human promotion. Human promotion, a constituent part of evangelization, translates into an action that regenerates society and brings us to a commitment beyond the confines of the Church.57.5 MA and the local Church. MA, an integral element of the Comboni charism, aims at re-awakening the call to and

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responsibility for the mission of the local Church. It promotes communion among those Churches as well as cooperation at the material and spiritual level. MA also addresses youth ministry and presents the ‘missionary vocation’ as a clear option.

Towards a renewed mission methodology58. Our methodology is inspired by the charismatic experience of the Founder and that of many confreres. Notwithstanding the fact that they lived and worked in contexts very different from our own, the principles they left behind as a heritage remain in force and relevant today and are able to influence our own mission positively.

58.1 Mission teaches. It is the mission that shows the way and the means necessary for true renewal. Mission tells us how to be missionaries and invites us to a humble and on-going attitude of listening to the needs of the peoples. At the same time, through appropriate discernment, it leads us to discover the presence of God among the people, a presence that always precedes missionary activity. 58.2 Continuity and the temporary. It is necessary that we work in such a way as to allow the local Church to continue its mission even after we have left them. This requires us to collaborate in the building of a ministerially and materially self-sufficient Church (self-ministering, self-supporting and self-propagating), investing in structures and pastoral projects that are self-sustaining even after our departure (cf. RL 71).58.3 “To make common cause with the people”. Mission implies being near to the people, involving ourselves affectively and effectively in their lives. Comboni methodology requires us to pay attention to the local language, culture, traditions, spirituality and expressions of faith.58.4 An evangelizing community. The community discernment process is used as a method of work and style of life and it impels us to evangelize as a “cenacle of apostles”.58.5 Collaboration. Mission is a service to the Gospel to be accomplished in communion and collaboration, and not in an

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individualistic way. As Comboni Missionaries we cooperate with the Comboni Family, the local Church and its pastoral agents, and civil society: this is the way to build a truly apostolic Church.58.6 “To save Africa with Africa”. Following the Plan of Comboni, we reaffirm our commitment to the formation of leaders so that they may be able to prepare their own peoples to be authors of their own destiny at the socio-political and religious level.58.7 Called to a renewed prophecy. We believe that at this moment in time more than any other, the Comboni Missionaries may be called to be more courageous, to dare more, to cross every frontier in order to create new ‘spaces’ of mission. It is time to put aside individualistic projects and take on those countersigned by faithfulness to the Gospel, to the Church and to the Institute. It is right to repeat that these projects must always be the fruit of common discernment.58.8 Inter-religious and Ecumenical Dialogue. The ability to dialogue is one of the most urgent needs in our ever more complex and pluralistic world. This is the way to arrive at authentic discernment and is an essential component of evangelization. It comprises the will to accept the other and the effort to reach a knowledge and a meeting of minds characterised by an attitude of mutual respect.

D. Planning guidelines and Action PlanTowards a mission lived as community59. To strengthen our communities

59.1 PSs and their Councils should ensure that within the next three years all communities be made up of at least three members.59.2 Eventual initiatives or already existing individual projects should be subjected to the evaluation and discernment of the community and Circumscription for a suitable period of time (a year for example) in order to see if they might be either shelved or taken over on the community or Circumscription level.

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59.3 In the context of the requalification of commitments, communities are requested in the annual updating of their charters, to identify their pastoral priorities and to ensure a balance between commitments accepted and confreres available.

60. OGF and specializations 60.1 In OGF planning, particular attention should be given to challenges on community life and intercultural relationships.60.2 Every circumscription should propose a six-year plan for the formation of confreres from the South of the world in view of their assumption of responsibilities in formation, finance and leadership.

61. To build more brotherly communities61.1 In a spirit of sharing, encouraged by the TCF, local communities are to be asked to give an account at Circumscription level of their administration, pastoral plans and projects of human promotion.61.2 Local communities should facilitate the insertion of confreres into mission. Thus each confrere should feel part of a vocational journey and a participant in the activities of the other members of the community.61.3 In assigning personnel, the GC should not forget the principle of the progressive internationalization of all Circumscriptions.

Requalification and prophetic choices62. Evaluation and requalification of our presence according to stipulated conventions.

62.1 Africa: presence among non-evangelised peoples, nomads, pigmies, inter-religious dialogue, ecumenism, JPIC, immigrants, slums, the formation of leaders, the marginalized youth and MA.62.2 America: afro-descendents, indigenous peoples, slums, JPIC and MA.62.3 Asia: first evangelization, inter-religious dialogue and MA.62.4 Europe: frontier situations in the Church and society, MA, JPIC, immigrants, collaboration with the CLM and revision of material structures.

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63. Communities open to changes in mission 63.1 The Comboni Works of Human Promotion (CWHP - CA 2003, 50) are an expression of the different ministries of the members of the Institute. These, in the ecclesial and social context in which they find themselves, develop a mission characterised by human promotion in places not always reached by the Church. The assignment and rotation of confreres keeps the demands of such works present be they new or already existing. 63.2 In order to guarantee the commitments of CWHP on the African continent, a network of collaboration between them should be set up with the objective of sharing experiences, bettering the quality of service, facilitating the rotation of personnel and identifying areas of specialization. For this reason at least one CWHP-inspired community should be opened in French-speaking Africa.63.3 Daily realities and the needs of the mission make challenges emerge that the present structure of religious life is not always able to respond to adequately. Therefore, where possible or necessary, new forms of life in common that include religious (male/female) and pastoral agents are to be promoted.

64. To strengthen our presence in Asia 64.1 Sufficient personnel should be assigned to the Delegation of Asia in order to maintain the commitments already taken and to work in particular in the Chinese world.

Inter-religious Dialogue 65. To promote theological reflection and openness to other religions

65.1 The GC assumes responsibility for identifying and preparing confreres in the fields of missiology and inter-religious dialogue.65.2 We reaffirm the importance of continuing to assign personnel to the study of Arabic and islamology. At the same time it is also necessary to study the possibility of giving some scholastics the opportunity to become acquainted with the Arab world while still in formation.

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65.3 Regarding inter-religious dialogue, even with traditional religions, an essential aspect of our missionary methodology is to encourage all the candidates in formation to follow theological courses on this theme.65.4 The GSEV, in collaboration with the PS responsible at continental level and in dialogue with Dar-Comboni and PISAI, should consider other academic centres of Islamic Studies in order to organise OGF programmes on Islam. This is to benefit all continental groups in cooperation particularly with the local Church, called to be the first agent of dialogue with Islam. 65.5 The continental group of reflection on Islam should continue to help Circumscriptions to understand better their situations and offer pastoral guidelines suitable for their contexts. In order to make the work of the group of reflection more fruitful:

a. Circumscriptions might better organise the coordination of these activities internally;b. The study of Islam in sub-Saharan Africa should be deepened;c. Texts for Christian community animators in Islamic contexts should be prepared.

65.6 Initiatives that encourage reciprocal knowledge, respect and peaceful co-existence are to be promoted among the people. In this spirit, the Christian community is to be helped to affirm its own identity without complexes and to promote justice, peace and reconciliation together.

Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation (JPIC)66. To become more aware of the themes of JPIC

66.1 We are aware of the need to establish clear directives about the treatment of our workers so that they comply with ecclesial and civil legislation in the different countries (cf. Code of Conduct, 122.2.5).66.2 We reaffirm the choice made at the previous General Chapter regarding our involvement in the direction of the Social Ministry Institute at Tangaza College in Nairobi because of its significant

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role in the formation of leaders on the African continent (CA 2003, 123).66.3 The GC, in consultation with the Circumscriptions at continental level, should organise specialisations for confreres, in particular for Brothers, in relevant areas of JPIC.

67. Lobbying and advocacy 67.1 Circumscriptions should, together with other bodies, promote activities of lobbying and advocacy at continental level, paying particular attention to immigrants and refugees.

Missionary Animation68. To renew our MA

68.1 MA places among its objectives the creation of networks of solidarity between Churches for the benefit of the needy, working with existing pastoral agencies, particularly with the laity.68.2 Through the use of modern means of communication, MA should continue initiatives already established in the Comboni tradition and seek new ways to communicate the missionary message.

Insertion as mission with and among the people69. To favour a positive first missionary experience

69.1 The GC and Circumscriptions should respect the principle that new confreres assigned to the mission may make a first experience lasting up to nine years consecutively, giving them the time necessary to learn languages and get to know the local history and cultures.

70. To consolidate insertion in frontier situations 70.1 Within the next six years, those Circumscriptions that have not yet done so are to ensure that there is at least one activity being undertaken in a frontier situation (slums, nomads, immigrants…) taking into account the criteria of living near to the people, in their environment, in simple circumstances. The same principles pertain in the opening of new communities.

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FORMATION

I have come so that they may have life and have it to the full (Jn 10:10)

A. Introduction71. We are grateful to the Lord for the precious gift of the vocations that allow us to look to the future with faith and optimism. In the light of the journey travelled in the Institute and taking into account the analysis of the reality of the world of the youth of today, we seek to understand the young men who are called to the missionary life, to accompany them, and to discern together with them the will of God.72. Aware of the fact that formation and mission are dynamically linked (the missionary is formed for the mission and the mission forms the missionary), we propose an experiential and initiatory style of formation, through an educative method that is respectful of the individual and according to the Comboni charism. All of this will be made clear in specific objectives and in a plan of action in order to improve the quality of our basic formation.

B. Analysis of the situationThe world of the youth today73. The youth are children of their time and are comfortable in the world of technology and immediate communication. They are sensitive, supportive and aware of the themes of freedom, justice, peace and the environment. Without abandoning totally the traditions with which they identify, they are open to new languages and able to adapt themselves to new and intercultural situations. They look for attractive ideals in all spheres, including the religious, and welcome values witnessed to with generosity. They are prepared to make sacrifices if motivated and justified by visible and reachable short term results. In general they are sincere in their search for the truth and both inquisitive and critical. They ask to be heard and involved usually in decisions that touch them.

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74. Today’ sociological and cultural changes have a strong influence on the mind and sensibility of the youth, thus presenting new challenges to formation. The youth also carry the limits of the contemporary word inside them. They are very exposed and vulnerable to the risks of secularism, relativism, consumerism, hedonism and various insecurities. Many young people avoid complex situations, difficult and demanding relationships, long term commitments and responsibilities. In a certain sense they are victims of the counter values of the society in which they live. Formation as lived in the Institute75. The Lord continues to call the youth of today with their gifts and limits and many of them respond generously. We are convinced that the Comboni missionary vocation is a gift of faith that is born above all in the context of a journey of Christian life made in a family, in the parish, in a community or in vocation groups.76. We observe that a commitment to vocation promotion and formation at its various stages is a particularly well recognised priority in the Circumscriptions. A more decisive commitment is needed in the choice and specific preparation of promoters and formators.77. We are concerned about those who leave, about those in particular situations, and about the mediocrity and fragility of motivations, inconsistency, the imbalance between the ideal and real life, that reveal how our educative system has not yet found the incisiveness that the formative process intended to inspire and guide. We also note a split between the formative proposal and the reality of everyday Comboni life, where certain of our limitations (activism and apostolic individualism, weakness in the spiritual life, the comfortable style of life ...etc) are a counter-witness that seriously compromises formation work.

C. Working Premises78. The Comboni missionary ideal that we wish to embody and propose is a person open and available to a journey of integral human and spiritual growth. A missionary with a strong passion for Christ

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and for the mission, like Comboni, content and well identified with his vocation, who shares with the confreres in community, in this way contributing to the building of the “cenacle of apostles” dreamt of by the Founder. The Comboni missionary loves the local people and the local culture and knows how to live serenely and collaborate with others in a pluralistic and multicultural context. He is faithful in everyday things and maintains a simple life-style. He reads reality critically and evangelically, and is dedicated to the missionary service of the poorest, making common cause with them (cfr. RL 5).The assimilation of values79. Formation is to experience the evangelical values in order to achieve continuous human and spiritual growth involving the whole person (cf. RF 208). The assimilation of values, in fact, is one of the formative aspects that we must insist upon more.80. The priorities proposed by the Assembly of Pesaro in 1999 lay claim once again and with clarity to the values involved in following the Lord Jesus, made one’s own in the Comboni charismatic experience, and indicate areas of commitment, so that every stage, from the first vocational approach to final consecration, might become a moment of grace that makes the candidate grow: a strong experience of God, moderation as a necessity in being missionaries, forming persons for communities, the inculturation of formation and interculturality, the personal assimilation of values.81. In particular we hold that the cultural and Christian dynamic of initiation may be an indispensable tool for the transmission and assimilation of values: this happens through a variety of moments, rhythms, initiatives that help the candidate to perceive and interiorize, taste and test, live and assess what has been proposed (cf. AF 29). This dynamic finds its fullest and most effective expression in the integral educative model of formation.82. In the past few years our awareness of the close link between formation and the true life of the Institute has grown. In fact “we notice that what the candidates observe in the life of our communities in good part shapes and conditions their formative journey and their

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calm insertion into the Institute and missionary service” (Pesaro 1999, 11).83. The gradual assimilation of values brings the person of the missionary, in initial and on-going formation, to be a disciple and witness of Christ though the Comboni charism, and to become through his evangelical choices leaven for humanity and a proposal of life alternative to that of the pseudo-values of today’s society.The integral educative model84. The choice of the integral educative model, confirmed by the documents of the last ten years (RL, RF, Pesaro 1999, AF), the journey of the Church and by the positive acceptance of the candidates in formation, seems to be the qualified reply to the challenges of formation. It fosters the assimilation of values, the interculturality of the Institute, the contextualization and transmission of the charism, the formulation of a common educative project, and the putting into practice of the guiding principles.85. The educative model of integration is a process that leads to the building of one’s own life around a vital and significant centre that for us is Jesus Christ in his paschal mystery, in whom we rediscover our identity and truth, and the possibility of giving meaning to our history and to the growth of our person. Integration is a process of learning through which the candidate gathers up his whole history in order to see the action of God, sometimes visible, at other times hidden, but in any case present in every event and entrusted to the freedom of responsibility of the person.86. The objective of the integral educative model is to form for mission, initiating the candidate into Comboni identity and spirituality.

86.1 Identity: through personalized accompaniment, the candidate is offered the possibility of questioning himself and clarifying to himself, through self-knowledge and God’s plan for him, his true vocation built on the uniqueness of his identity that allows him to identify himself with the Lord Jesus and with the missionary vocation.

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86.2 Spirituality: the candidate, confronting himself with the evangelical values, frees himself from his own plans, from the need for self-realization and self-affirmation, in order to reach that inner freedom that helps him become able to fulfil the will of God. Spirituality purifies the person from those structures that block him and gives energy to the journey of growth.86.3 Mission: the candidate inserts himself into the concrete reality of where the Comboni Missionary is called to live and work. The real mission, so different from our hopes for security, success, and personal affirmation, stimulates growth at both the human and spiritual level.

87. We are aware that the integral educative model needs careful contextualization within the reality of every continent.88. This educative model predisposes the individual to OGF understood as a process of the integral growth of the person, in everyday life, discerning the presence and voice of God. This means putting the person, right from basic formation, into the dynamism of a constant process of learning, transformation, conversion and growth that lasts a life-time, through the working out of a personal project of life, personalized spiritual accompaniment, and formative dialogue.Vocation Discernment89. “Formation can be understood as a process of discernment that is characterized as attention to the movements of the Spirit within the person, in the community and in peoples in order to identify the processes that oppose the Spirit and the signs that show him to be present, to take decisions, and assume the corresponding attitudes” (RF 227).90. The first person responsible for the journey of discernment is the individual candidate himself who, in response to the call of the Lord, seeks in his daily docibilitas to assume and express the values proposed by the Gospel and the Comboni charism. In this journey he is helped by vocation promoters and formators to evaluate, purify, encourage and extend the motivations for the gift of himself (RL 80, 81, 88).

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91. Vocation discernment, apart from the normal involvement of the candidate and his formators, requires Circumscription superiors with their Councils to guarantee that the passage from one stage of formation to the next should happen in fidelity to the criteria of the RF and with particular attention given to the evaluations of the promoters and formators and of the Comboni and Christian communities in which the candidate has been able to live his own pastoral experiences.92. Comboni documents offer sufficient criteria for the service of accompaniment and discernment as a qualified term of reference at the various stages of formation and for a holistic evaluation.

92.1 In particular, adequate human and spiritual accompaniment during vocation promotion and pre-postulancy is necessary in order to ensure as far as possible the necessary availability to begin the formative journey in the postulancy. 92.2 There should be a psychological evaluation of candidates to help reach an over-view of their personalities that would identify the strong and weak points of their characters in view of their journey to human and spiritual maturity.92.3 Situations of doubt and uncertainty should not be left unresolved or postponed for long without good reason: the candidate must be helped to make an informed and responsible decision in the time available.92.4 The passage from one stage of formation to the next, notably from the postulancy to the novitiate, must be evaluated clearly by the formators and PCs for the good of the person and the mission.

93. Such a delicate service should not be casually undertaken. The courses for promoters and formators proposed for the next few years must give time and space for adequate preparation to be extended formally even to those who serve in authority.94. The journey of discernment lived during the period of basic formation will strengthen the sense of belonging to the Institute and the mission thus guaranteeing faithfulness.

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D. Planning Guidelines95. To form missionaries with a deep experience of Jesus Christ in the context of spirituality, identity and the Comboni mission, with a sober style of life in order to live and evangelise as a community (cf. RL 90.2) requires: putting the Word of God at the centre of missionary life, discovering the presence of God in the life of the people, opening oneself to sharing, to solidarity, to transparency, and co-responsibility in brotherly life in the community.96. To form missionaries able to keep themselves in a process of OGF means:

a. favouring the OGF of formators, promotors and the superiors of the Circumscriptions;b. forming by using the integral educative model in the mission and for the mission;c. planning for the personnel and specializations needed for formation;d. promoting human, cultural and intellectual formation.

97. To form persons able to live and do mission in international communities, open to dialogue, interculturality and disposed to be a gift for the poorest and most abandoned requires: formation to community discernment and putting into practice the decisions of the GC regarding the continentality of the scholasticates, missionary service and communities of insertion.

E. Action Plan98. In order to reach the objectives proposed in all the phases of basic formation, formation is to be provided on:

98.1 the lectio divina: offering, in all the stages of formation, tools for knowing the Word of God and praying it as part of the life, reality and history of the people;98.2 the apostolate and insertion: making the houses of formation more austere, open to the people, choosing pastoral contexts of poverty and situations of first evangelisation;

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98.3 the TCF: offering tools for the communitarian administration of material goods, the responsible use of money and transparency in financial reporting to foster a more evangelical style of life.

At Institute level99. The integral educative model should be further applied with competence in the formative journey of the candidates and the OGF of all the confreres, in order to grow in Comboni identity, spirituality and missionary spirit.

99.1 The GC with the GSF and CCOF should study appropriate ways to familiarise confreres with the integral educative model of formation and how to apply it in their personal journey of human and spiritual growth at the service of the mission.99.2 In meetings between the GC and PSs study days on the educative model should be organised with particular attention on vocation discernment.

100. The OGF of the formators foresees the application of the integral educative model to the formator himself and to the candidates. In the next three years (2010/12):

100.1 A four-month course on the formative model and the Comboni charism should be organised for promotors and formators beginning their service.100.2 It should be ensured that formators of the postulants be prepared especially in the fields of human development and personality; that novice masters have a good command of Comboni spirituality; that formators in the scholasticate be able to know how to evaluate the pastoral experience of the candidates.100.3 An up-dating course on youth culture is to be offered every two years to vocation promoters at continental level.

101. The Chapter upholds the decisions of the GC in regard to the continentality of the scholasticates, the period of missionary service, and small communities of scholastics inserted into pastoral realties and Comboni missions (cf. Letter, 8 April, 2007). Evaluation at the Intercapitular co-ordinated by the GSBF.

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101.1 In assessments, the availability of confreres to work in difficult situations and inserted into areas of great poverty are to be taken into account. Missionary service should normally be done in a context of direct pastoral work and first evangelization.101.2 To attend to the dialogue between PSs and formators.

102. The GC, with the GSBF and the PSs, should prepare a six-year plan that foresees the formators needed for novitiates and scholasticates/IBC and their preparation and eventual specialization. 103. The GC, with the GSBF, should reinvest in the fruit of the work done before the Chapter by the thematic commission on formation, in order to arrive at a renewed Ratio Fundamentalis that would take into account the changes and updates suggested by new ecclesial and Comboni documents and the road travelled by the Institute.104. The PS who receives a scholastic or a Brother in temporary vows for missionary service should, in dialogue with the GC, ensure their proper accompaniment. Furthermore, he should personally follow newly ordained confreres and Brothers in the first years of perpetual profession (cf. RF 523; RFIS 100-101).At continental level105. The OGF of promoters and formators

105.1 One-month courses for vocation promoters and formators at continental level, as run over the last three years, should continue and be organised, every two years, by the Circumscriptions of the continent, the GSBF and the CCOF.105.2 The OGF of promoters and formators will favour knowledge of the integral educative model, offering the possibility of having personal experience, acquiring the appropriate tools and the means to apply them during the various stages of formation.

106. The educative charters of scholasticates, IBCs and novitiates 106.1 In the first three years after the Chapter all educative charters are to be revised in the light of recent Chapter decisions, focusing more keenly on inculturation and the contextualization of our educative action.

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106.2 The educative charters of the scholasticates and IBCs should be presented to the GC, through the GSBF, for final approval.106.3 The educative charters of inter-provincial novitiates should be the fruit of a common reflection involving also the PSs and the formators of the postulancies of the continent.

107. Postulancies 107.1 Considering the reflection on Comboni presences in the different continents, collaboration at inter-provincial level to ensure and prepare formators for the postulancy is needed.107.2 In postulancies, in as far as is possible, the number of candidates should be large enough to allow the application of the required group dynamics to the integral educative model.107.3 Accompaniment in the family should be done in the light of the contents of the integral educative model.

108. Novitiates in English/French-speaking Africa should consider adopting the alternation of courses in the style already initiated (cf. Lusaka and Namugongo) to ensure that accompaniment is more focused.109. The contextualization of the formative journey should happen in each continent according to the formative guidelines of the Institute for each phase.At Circumscription level110. In the first three years after the Chapter, the Educative Charters of Vocation Promotion are to be reviewed in the light of recent Chapter directives, focusing more on the inculturation and contextualization of the educative action.111. In the plan of the Circumscriptions the service of VP and BF should be considered, proposed and lived through the creation of vocational and formative communities. This favours a “vocational culture” where every community and every single confrere may feel responsible for the Comboni vocation through personal and community witness, prayer and collaboration. We recall four possible modalities:

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111.1 Formative vocational communities made up of promoters, formators, other confreres and candidates all involved in Comboni vocation promotion and with a well-defined project.111.2 Small groups of scholastics inserted in pastoral realties within Comboni missions.111.3 CWHP as a testimony to the specific vocation of Brothers.111.4 The communities that welcome candidates for missionary experiences during the postulancy, novitiate, scholasticate/IBC and for missionary service at the end of the scholasticate.

112. Vocation promotion for Brothers should be proposed and made better known, studying forms and means to meet with courage and faith the value of ministeriality in the life of the Institute.

112.1 To involve Brothers in the vocation promotion team, especially in Circumscriptions where there are greater possibilities for vocations.112.2 A Brother whose name appears in our Comboni magazines and web pages should be the point of reference for Brother candidates.

113. The PC, with the Secretariat of Formation, should prepare a six-year plan that looks for confreres as vocation promoters and formators needed for VP, the pre-postulancy and postulancy, their preparation and eventual specialization. It would be as well that their service be prolonged in order to guarantee continuity in the educative process.

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GOVERNMENT

A. Introduction

114. The service of authority in the Institute as expressed in the RL (cf. RL 102-108) remains fundamentally valid.

114.1 As the people of God we recognise only one authority, Christ (cf. RL 102).114.2 In the Institute authority is a service that participates in that of Christ and is inspired by it (cfr. RL 102).114.3 This service is rendered to the community and to each member to help them live their consecration and develop gifts and charisms in their missionary service (cfr. RL 102).114.4 Authority in the community is a service of guidance, inspiration, discernment, unity, coordination, encouragement and fraternal correction (cf. RL 102.2).

115. The Institute by its missionary nature needs a clear point of reference to guarantee unity in diversity and contextualisation at circumscription and continental level. The principle of subsidiarity, codified in the RL and Directories, regulates the possible tensions between the two dimensions.116. Internationality has been a constituent characteristic of the Institute since its beginning. Authority has the task of evaluating the various gifts and harmonising the different sensibilities.117. The Institute is organised into Circumscriptions that enjoy enough autonomy to function locally with suitable choices and plans and to live their missionary service in full responsibility.118. The governmental structure of the Institute (General Direction and Circumscriptions, Secretariats, etc) calls for a full evaluation of subsidiarity (cf. RL 106) for the better guidance and animation of the Institute.

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119. The task of authority is also to guarantee continuity in order to balance out the risks of fragmentation. Continuity applies to:

119.1 The GD and the Circumscriptions who put into effect the plans drawn up and facilitate the task of whoever may take over.119.2 The communities - to preserve stability in ministerial activity and historical memory.

B. Analysis of the situation120. A careful look at our Institute makes us take note of certain realities:

120.1 In general there has been an increase in internationality and interculturality. All Circumscriptions admit a need to internationalise themselves.120.2 On the other hand, we note the decrease in personnel available for missionary service. Our commitments have not lessened, indeed, we have even created new Circumscriptions. Some of these find that they have too few confreres, others are having to face the fact of the significant ageing of their personnel, others again are engaged in the assistance of a large number of elderly and infirm confreres.120.3 We also notice a weakening of the sense of belonging to, and identification with, the Institute and less availability in assuming those services that carry greater responsibility.120.4 The service of authority in the more traditional sense is no longer accepted in a common way of thinking. We are in an era of growing democratization that underlines the participation of everyone in the decision-making process. Furthermore, we live in a period of strong individualism that calls for ability and leadership in those who exercise authority.120.5 On the other hand, the need for transparency and legal rectitude no longer permit us to face situations and decisions merely on the basis of good will.

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121. Emerging problems 121.1 In the exercise of authority within the Institute the consequences of these developments are noticeable. Present experience demonstrates how increasingly difficult it is to govern an Institute in continuous change, with numerous Circumscriptions and with a very centralised administration.121.2 The current system for the assignment of personnel sometimes makes planning in the Circumscriptions very difficult.121.3 The principle of subsidiarity, already affirmed in the RL, is little known and little practiced.121.4 The Institute still needs a clear point of reference in order to safeguard its unity (cf. n. 115). The centralization of certain competences makes it possible to give greater impulse to the application of decisions and to offer help to Circumscriptions that for various reasons have few radical members.121.5 Currently there are four General Secretariats and they are situated in Rome. Nevertheless, for the sectors of MA and EV greater contextualisation within local and continental realities is to be desired.121.6 Continental and sub-continental realities have acquired such substance and potential that common planning and coordination are now required. The need to contextualise problems and solutions at the continental and Circumscription is growing, while at the same time the difficulty of the GC in animating the many Circumscriptions is also evident.121.7 The high number of Circumscriptions (30), among which are some that are small (20-35 members), causes complications in general planning and presents a problem in guaranteeing the quality of essential services (leadership, formation, secretariats, etc). 121.8 The lack of continuity at the GC level has resulted in a weakening and at time even the interruption of the reform processes already under way.

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C. Working premises122. The Institute needs a service of authority able to respond both to the problems emerging from the analysis of the present and to those expected to emerge in the foreseeable future.123. Inevitable processes to take into account:

123.1 In Society:a. an increase in migration that results in the fragmentation of culture on the one hand and greater interculturality on the other;b. a worsening of the economic divide between different social groups;c. the acceleration of the processes of global transformation through the modern means of communication and inter-dependence which results from it;d. the influence of postmodernism, above all as a kind of cultural fluidity that relativises certainties and basic values.

123.2 The Church:a. an increase and consolidation in terms of numbers and leadership in the South of the world;b. the continuity of its universal mission even if in the evolution of its understanding and methodology.

123.3 The Institute:a. the numerical decrease and ageing of our personnel;b. assistance for the elderly and infirm with appropriate structures to welcome them.

124. Processes already active and not to be interrupted: a. internationalization and interculturality of Circumscriptions;b. rotation as personal and communitarian enrichment;c. awareness of new missionary situations and new areopaghi;d. need for radicality and coherence in our style of life;e. greater transparency and ethical awareness in finance; sharing and co-responsibility in the administration of material goods (TCF).

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D. Planning guidelines

125. Authority should be able to offer the Institute a clear identity that, while nourishing itself at the springs of Comboni spirituality, would help it to live the specificity of the mission today.Authority and competence (leadership and management)

125.1 Authority should be correct in formal processes just as we are asked to be by society. It should favour transparency and accountability rather than a certain habit of approximation and a culture of impunity. 125.2 Taking into account some of the legal and bureaucratic complexities of the modern world, authority should qualify itself continually within the Institute also using the accompaniment and assistance of experts (lawyers, economists, etc). 125.3 The increase in responsibility and level of complexity in the exercise of authority will probably bring a decrease in the number of confreres capable of executing this task adequately.125.4 Authority should favour communion, collaboration, collegiality and subsidiarity; it should guarantee continuity in the structures of the government of the Institute and of the continental and Circumscription plans; it should be at the service of reconciliation within communities and Circumscriptions.125.5 Whoever exercises the service of authority should make an effort to know people and their abilities ever better, follow and sustain them in the exercise of their ministry; know how to involve collaborators in different activities; and furthermore have a style of leadership that listens but speaks with authority in communication, with the ability to take necessary even if unpopular decisions.

Authority and missionary methodology125.6 There should be a balance between personnel and commitments in order to re-qualify mission according to priorities; to this end, if necessary, the number of communities and Circumscriptions should be reduced (clustering-fusing-union).

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125.7 It should be inserted fully into the local Church maintaining a specific missionary identity. 125.8 At local level participation and collaboration with other ecclesial, social, cultural and civil bodies should be promoted.125.9 The continuity of community life and missionary activity should be guaranteed.

Other aspects125.10 An attitude of availability towards central authority should be favoured.125.11 Language communication should be improved in order to reduce problems of reciprocal understanding.125.12 European Circumscriptions should be internationalised.125.13 A greater sense of belonging to the Institute should be promoted.125.14 The Institute should be always ready and able to respond to emergency situations, valuing the principle of solidarity in the General, continental and Circumscription structures of authority.

E. Action PlanTo start the process of rebalancing and requalification126. The new reality regarding the membership of the Institute – that is, the increase in those who come from the South of the world and the decrease and ageing of the Circumscriptions of the North – combined with the new challenges of mission and community life, oblige us to seek new criteria in order to redefine the Circumscriptions. Among these we underline a specific mission according to the charism, viable community life, the discernment of missionary necessities, the ability and number of confreres available. Redefinition of the criteria for the erection of a Province127. A Circumscription is born for a specific purpose which is entrusted to it by the Institute and assumes the status of a Province when it reaches a level of autonomy sufficient to guarantee its services to the local Church and its own members, and to maintain its

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existence over time in the hope of growth. A Circumscription should have a clear missionary identity with definite priorities.

127.1 The multicultural nature of the Institute and the increase in the average age of its members require a Province to have a numerical consistency superior to that fixed by the RL 103.1 in order to ensure vitality and functionality.127.2 Number 103.1 of the RL should be substituted by the following text: “The Province is made up of at least five local communities and thirty-five perpetually professed members”. This change becomes effective from 1st January 2014 in line with the erection of the new Circumscriptions (cf. 128.4).

Clustering of circumscriptions128. Clustering favours a reduction in Circumscriptions with the possibility of assuring the missionary service proper to the Institute and for the Institute.

128.1 The difficulties of this strategy cannot be hidden (language, distances, finance, visas) therefore dialogue, process and a clear definition of the criteria of viability are suggested. The whole process to be assessed with adequate discernment.128.2 Ways and criteria to keep in mind for clustering: a commonly understandable language; geographical proximity even despite possible political difficulties; a common history; kind and quality of missionary service.128.3 Continents and Circumscriptions are principally responsible for reflections and initiatives so that clustering may go ahead, that missionary service may be favoured in a qualified manner and that community life according to the RL might be possible.128.4 Continents should continue the process towards clustering begun at the Intercapitular of 2006 and should work out concrete proposals for the Intercapitular of 2012. The GC should accompany and supervise the journey of the continents. All progress made should be evaluated at the Intercapitular, passing on then to the action stage. In 2013 when the new Circumscriptions have been

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formed, new PSs would be elected. By 1st January 2014 the Institute’s new configuration will become effective.

Reduction in the number of communities129. Over the next six years the GC with the continents and Circumscriptions, should reduce the communities by 10% (around 35), to qualify the mission and balancing our commitments against the decrease in personnel.

To favour continuity in the governmental structures of the Institute and continental and Circumscription plansContinuity130. Duration of the mandate of the General Council. Continuity in the Institute is guaranteed principally by General Chapters and the “Plan of the Comboni Missionaries” that will be drawn up. As a result, no need was seen to change the duration of the mandate of the GC as came out in the continental reports.131. Continuity in service. Continuity in the Institute is also favoured by the fact that those who have completed a mandate can be re-elected and continue their service and that the rotation of General Councils after the Chapter may be smoother.

131.1 In order, therefore, to favour the smoother hand-over of General Councils after the Chapter, no. 157.1 of the RL should be changed to read: “The elected General Council will enter into office 30 days after the official closure of the Chapter. Until that date the preceding General Council will continue in office”.131.2 This decision brings with it the modification of no. 156.1 of the RL as follows: “The Vicar General is nominated from among the priest General Assistants by the Superior General and his Council, with a collegial vote, during the first General Consulta of the mandate”.131.3 Furthermore no. 152.3 of the RL is reformulated with the text: “The Superior General presides over the Chapter until its conclusion”.

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Subsidiarity132. Continental Coordination

132.1 In the Chapter of 2003 indications were given for the favouring of co-responsibility and subsidiarity at all levels and in a particular way for the Continents. The indications contained therein are still valid (CA 2003, 137-141).132.2 The GC with the PSs should launch a study on continentality in order to clarify its form, function and structures to present at the next Intercapitular.132.3 The meeting between the GC and the PSs of the continents is seen positively and must be continued. Therefore over the next six years a meeting will be organised after every election of PSs and a third at the Intercapitular. In these meetings there should be an evaluation of how authority and subsidiarity are understood and lived.

133. The General Assistants, Secretariats and CCOGF. The Chapter has decided not to increase the number of General Assistants and not to decrease the number of General Secretariats; it has instead amplified the role of the CCOGF.

F. Evaluation134. At the General level

134.1 Il GC with the General Secretariats should publish an annual report on the progress made in putting into effect the “Plan of the Comboni Missionaries”.134.2 Also the Intercapitular foresees a detailed evaluation of the process of putting the “Plan of the Comboni Missionaries” into effect.134.3 In the meeting with the new PSs, the GC should inform them about the contents and methodology of the “Plan of the Comboni Missionaries”.

135. At continental level

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135.1 The continental assemblies of the PSs should publish a yearly report on the progress made in putting into effect the “Plan of the Comboni Missionaries”.

136. At Circumscription level: 136.1 During Circumscription assemblies an evaluation of the “Plan of the Comboni Missionaries” should be made.

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ON-GOING FORMATION

“The One who began this good work in you will see that it is finished” (Phil1:6).

A. Introduction137. The progress made by the Institute in the last few years through the reflection on the Ratio Missionis has brought to light in a very clear way that OGF is the pivot of our renewal. It has become a determining factor not only for our life and apostolic efficacy but also for the future of the Institute. Only a community that takes OGF seriously can attract, by its inherent vitality and fruitfulness, new and authentic vocations.

B. Analysis of the situation138. The invitation of the Second Vatican Council to conversion and renewal (cf. PC 18), accepted by our Institute in the RL (cf. RL 99), has led us to rethink formation as a single but continuous process of growth that lasts a life-time (cf. RL 85). This has also signified a new relationship between OGF and BF which are welded together integrating themselves reciprocally in a single global educative system (cf. CL 69). Thus, from a vision of OGF as a supplement or appendix to basic formation we have passed, some years ago, to giving first place to OGF and retaining it as the paradigm and founding principle of BF.139. This understanding has already been expressed in our Chapter documents (cf. CA 1997, 121; CA 2003, 51), but it has struggled to make an impact in the Institute. Then, the intention was to underline the fact that the whole of life had to be viewed under the light of formation. We now notice with a certain preoccupation a lack of commitment in our personal on-going formation once BF is over, and a frequent tendency to look outside ourselves for the causes of the problems and uneasiness that we observe.

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C. Working premises140. OGF has as its final objective our configuration to Christ, Missionary of the Father, mediator in a process of continuous conver-sion, lived in harmony with our Comboni charism, which makes us missionaries “holy and able” just as St. Daniel Comboni intended (cf. W 6655). OGF becomes an organising principle and impetus for all the dimensions of our life and apostolate, and it brings us a new, more harmonious and integrated style of life.

140.1 Primary responsibility for OGF falls on each of us (cf. RL 100.1; RF 529). Nothing can REPLACE the free and convinced commitment of the person. For this reason OGF is made practical above all through the adoption of a personal project.140.2 The most favourable place for OGF is the local community (cf. RL 100.2; RF 530). The most effective means for the concrete organisation of OGF in the community is the community project. To this we must add the Circumscription project of OGF that integrates and completes the personal and community projects and offers guidelines and concrete initiatives to the confreres, accom-panying them through particular phases of life and sustaining their “dynamism of faithfulness” (CL 70).140.3 The privileged context of OGF is mission. Through contact with the people, in particular with the poor, the Spirit of God shapes in us the image of his Son who being rich made himself poor (cf. 2 Cor. 8:9), to grow together with us, sharing everything and accepting everything.140.4 Even the ordinary events of daily life are occasions of OGF. They require a contemplative approach from us in order to perceive the presence of God in every moment, person and happening (cf. Jn. 21:7), integrating everything into our journey of growth. Such an attitude brings with it the practice of discernment that helps us develop our ability to read and interpret the signs of the times too (cf. RL 82.1).

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D. Planning Guidelines and Action Plan141. The Chapter has defined four main kinds of objectives for OGF: personal, communitarian, apostolic and structural.The Person142. To promote an attitude of availability and commitment for one’s own renewal and spiritual and human growth in every confrere, deepening the knowledge of being a “man of God”.

142.1 Firstly, we confirm the indications already given by the Chapter in regard to the Ratio Missionis, and in particular about spirituality: personal prayer and the lectio divina, the project of life and spiritual accompaniment, the recovery of the RL, the vital relationship with Comboni and Comboni sources.

Annual evaluation by the PC with the local superiors.142.2 Superiors at all levels should animate the communities to cultivate a brotherly attitude of acceptance towards all, but with special attention to confreres who are going through a difficult time. Furthermore, someone able to offer the help they need should be indicated where possible.

Annual evaluation by the PC with the local superiors.142.3 PSs should continue to make the Code of Conduct known to the confreres, applying it to the local reality, availing themselves of the help of experts. In particular, they should make provision for the up-dating of the Directories of the Circumscription. The Code of Conduct will be the object of study and understanding during the period of preparation for perpetual profession.

First evaluation at the Intercapitular.The Community143. To sustain community life which should be the place for personal and apostolic growth, reinforcing our identity as “men of communion”.

143.1 Communities should favour and cultivate moments of reciprocal listening and sharing, identifying simple ways to help create a family atmosphere and a sense of belonging. In the

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community charters they should also plan for fraternal promotion and correction.

Annual evaluation by the PC with the local superiors.143.2 PSs and local superiors should continue to make communities and confreres aware of discernment as an attitude of life and a method for planning community life and missionary service.

Annual evaluation by the PC with the local superiors.143.3 The commissions of OGF offer the tools needed to help identify and heal the wounds present in our midst, often caused by prejudice and discrimination, and animate the Circumscriptions to organise seminars or to utilise other already existing programmes for the resolution of conflicts.

Evaluation at continental meetings of the PSs and the Intercapitular.The Apostolate144. To re-qualify the confreres in order to make them able to face the new challenges of mission growing in the knowledge of being “men of mission”.

144.1 PSs should pay particular attention to the accompaniment of young confreres in their first experience of mission, taking more care over courses of introduction, carefully choosing the communities to which they are assigned and taking an interest in the personal situation of each of them. PCs should entrust the task of accompanying them during the first three years of missionary service to a specific confrere. Each year that confrere should inform the PC of the programme being followed.

Evaluation at the Intercapitular.144.2 The GC and the PCs should make confreres aware of the chance to have a significant period of OGF after every 10-15 years of service, making the most of courses offered in their respective circumscriptions and continents. The PS in charge of OGF along with the CCOGF should keep the GC and PC informed of progress.

Evaluation at continental meetings of the PSs and the Intercapitular.

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144.3 In the six-year plan at General, continental and Circumscription level particular attention should be given to specialisations, guided not only by concerns about responding to our more immediate needs but also the growing need for professionalism in our work and by the need to equip our Institute with a certain number of experts in the various sectors of life and missionary service. PSs should draw up a continental plan for specialisations in view of the priorities of their respective continents. The GC should create a fund to support such a plan.

Evaluation at continental meetings of the PSs and the Intercapitular.Structures145. To review our OGF structures in order to make them more efficient adapting them to the new requirements of the confreres.

145.1 By June 2010 the GC should take the necessary steps to reinforce the CCOGF in its service of animation to the Institute, integrating the CYOF and the person in charge of the renewal course. 145.2 In the context of planning in the Circumscription, PSs should evaluate the efficiency of the OGF commissions in order to strengthen their role in the animation of the Circumscriptions.

Evaluation at continental meetings of the PSs and the Intercapitular.145.3 The importance of the CYOF and the renewal course is reconfirmed. In line with the discernment made by the CCOGF, the GC should establish a permanent home for OGF at Institute level - in Rome at the Generalate – where the CYOF, the renewal course and other OGF initiatives may be held.

Evaluation at the Intercapitular.145.4 The GC in dialogue with the PSs of the Continents, given the urgent issues met with over the past few years, should open during the next six years, at least two communities/centres of OGF and accompaniment – one in Africa and another in the Americas, in collaboration with other Institutes and local bodies. In order to achieve this it should identify and prepare the personnel responsible, at least one person for each centre, before the Intercapitular. This personnel will also be available for OGF

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initiatives in the Circumscriptions of the continent, remaining in contact with the CCOGF and the continental groups of reflection.

First evaluation at the Intercapitular.

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FINANCE AND MISSION

A. Introduction 146. Finance is a dimension of everyday missionary life: a sign of the providence of God, a tool for growing in brotherhood and to bear witness to total dedication to mission. Whatever we own and the way in which we use it also reflect on what we proclaim.147. The RL affirms that: “Whatever is acquired or given should be used for evangelisation for the work of animation and for the preparation and support of missionaries” (RL 30).148. The Comboni Institute is a community of brothers and all its financial goods “form a unique collective patrimony that belongs to the Institute itself” (RL 163).

B. Working Premises149. The principal dimensions that we wish to promote are: brotherly sharing through the TCF, a simple style of life and the responsible and transparent administration of resources in order to serve the mission and the poorest.

C. Planning Guidelines and Action PlanTotal Common Fund 150. To promote the sharing of life, goods and missionary work.

150.1 In the long term the TCF should be promoted in all Circumscriptions before the next Chapter and this should be codified in the General Directory of Finance.150.2 In the medium term all the Circumscriptions, over the next three years, should take the steps necessary to permit the adoption of the TCF: the presentation of the community budget, the distribution of the superavit, accountability to the finance secretariat of the Circumscription, the approval of community projects, etc. The Intercapitular of 2012 should evaluate the progress made and promote the adoption of the TCF in all Circumscriptions in the subsequent three years.

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150.3 In the short term and as part of the action plan, the GSF should establish general norms such that the TCF might include every activity in the budget of the Circumscription: projects, sector, pastoral and community activity and expenses.

151. Identity 151.1 The TCF is a sign and journey of growth in community life towards a full identification with the Institute and its mission.151.2 Every confrere should feel responsible for developing and maintaining relations with the church community, benefactors, other bodies and realities that can provide the resources necessary for the life of the Circumscription and community.

152. Brotherhood and planning.152.1 The practice of the TCF, as well as requiring discernment at the community and Circumscription levels, helps the confreres to plan mission, in this way avoiding the shocks and surprises that can result from rotation.152.2 Through the TCF the Circumscription assumes as it own the activities of evangelization; all the members receive complete information about the activities of the other communities in a spirit of common responsibility.

Simple style of life153. To promote a revision of our style of life as an evangelical testimony.

153.1 In the long term to make our structures simpler and more sustainable.153.2 In the medium term:

a. Every circumscription in the next six years should make an assessment of the economic value, function and use of our various structures. b. The General Secretary of Formation is to initiate a reflection with the formators, the young men in formation and PCs, in order to establish common criteria regarding the style of life in houses of formation, respecting local contexts.

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c. The Comboni Missionary should make himself responsible for the accountability of everything he administers.

154. In view of an education to sobriety and the wise use of technology and resources, the need for self-control in the use of material goods is repeated (cf. CA 2003, 103; RL 164). The norms already codified, and others besides, are no substitute for the responsibility of each individual confrere.155. Many properties linked to the near or distant past of the Institute seem to no longer fulfil the function for which they were originally acquired and now constitute a heavy burden on the sustainability of some circumscriptions. Therefore a proper assessment of the current use of these structures, their costs and their impact on the quality of our witness should be conducted.156. The local Church should always be involved in the works and initiatives promoted in its favour, participating responsibly in the planning, completion, financing and evaluation of pastoral and development projects.

156.1 The accounts of the Comboni community should be kept apart from those of the parish/diocese or other activity.

157. During formation, Circumscription bursars or other confreres suitably prepared should offer themselves to give short courses in community accountancy and the raising of funds according to the system and norms current in the Circumscription.

157.1 Every Circumscription should ensure that in every six-year period one or two confreres attend a formative course in administration and/or finance.157.2 The GC in the next six years should choose two young confreres to attend a university course in economy and development.

158. Every Circumscription should update its Directory according to the directives of the Code of Conduct and based on its circumstances study the possibility of having auditors to check the books of the Circumscription by the end of each year.

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159. The guideline of not investing offerings received for the mission is confirmed. The Circumscription Directory should fix the limit of the active capital at its disposal. The PC in consultation with the GC and in solidarity with other Circumscriptions should decide on the distribution or extraordinary destination of the superavit.

159.1 If the PC considers it opportune to set up a reserve fund greater than the limits imposed for extraordinary expenses by the Chapter, it should ask approval from the GC, informing it of the motivations, the amount put into it and its norms of administration.

160. The criterion indicated by the 1997 Chapter for the definition of the ceiling of the net assets of the General Administration remains the equivalent of two year’s ordinary expenditure (CA 1997, 193). While this decision is reconfirmed, the GC is mandated to use for the benefit of the whole Institute and for future emergencies whatever funds it has beyond this limit.161. The Chapter establishes for the next six years the limits of extraordinary expenditure (A) and those for incurring debt or the alienation of property (B) as indicated by the RL 170 (see the table of the “Limits for extraordinary expenditure”).Resources162. To promote the use of local resources.

162.1 In the long term in all Circumscriptions a reflection and research is to be promoted on the economic and financial resources to be found locally, studying the possibility of some self-sustaining projects.162.2 In the medium term initiatives of MA also aimed at supporting the mission should be extended to all Circumscriptions. We should work towards a self-sufficient local Church able to contribute to the daily running of the mission.162.3 The community lives on the offerings of the people of God and the work of the missionaries and the community; other income may come from investments “always safeguarding the witness of evangelical poverty” (RL 167).

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162.4 MA, as well as being a way to conscientise and make a universal sense of solidarity grow in the local Church, is also the ordinary means to sustain our mission.

163. In contracts with the dioceses an adequate contribution for the confreres who offer a pastoral service should be foreseen.

163.1 The expenses of running a diocesan project or undertaking should not fall on the community where it takes place. It would be opportune, therefore, to expect at least minimal remuneration for the confrere who is responsible for it.

164. An investment is ethical when it does not offer payment to speculative schemes that go against the work of evangelization and the promotion of justice. Thus, investments that promote social responsibility are encouraged.

164.1 Offerings received and temporarily unused may be invested, though with extreme prudence, with the objective of maintaining their value and gaining a reasonable profit for the mission.164.2 The General and Circumscription treasurers must be helped by an internal secretariat and experts of good reputation and transparency as regards the handling of investments. These consultants should not work on their own behalf but should be linked to solid financial institutions that agree to checks being made on them at any time.164.3 Emergency funds must be used at the times pre-established and may not be the object of investment by the Circumscription.

165. Every Circumscription or continent should study the viability of opening a community to look after the elderly and infirm. Where this happens, the General Fund for the Sick will guarantee the reimbursement of medical expenses, while the daily expenses for upkeep will remain the responsibility of the Circumscriptions and continent (CA 1997, 185-187).166. Every Circumscription should ensure that the confreres are registered for local pensions wherever this option pertains.

166.1 The General Secretariat of Finance with the interested Circumscriptions should study the possibility of starting up a fund

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for social security within the Institute, at least partially, to assist those Circumscriptions with disadvantaged confreres because of gaps in the public health system or local insurance.

Table: Limits for extraordinary expensesColumn 1: “Limits – Episcopal Conference” – the maximum sum established by

the Episcopal Conference (E.C.) for valid alienation, beyond which permission must be requested from the Holy See (cf. CJC 1292 §2).

Column 2: limit (A) of expenses beyond which permission must be requested from the GC (cf. RL 170; Directory no. 17).

Column 3: limit (B) for the incurring of debts and the alienation of property. Beyond this limit permission must be requested from the GC

Note: limits (A) & (B) have been established by the General Chapter (cf. RL 170)

2009 Column 1Limit E.C.

Column 2Limit A

Column 3Limit B

CURIA $ 1.000.000 $ 500.000 France € 2.500.000 Italy € 1.000.000 Poland € 1.000.000ASIA $ 100.000 $ 50.000 China (Macau) $ 1.250.000 Philippines $ 100.000 TaiwanBRAZIL $ 165.000 BNE $100.00 $ 50.000 BS $ 100.000 $ 50.000CENTRAL AFRICA $ 100.000 $ 100.000 $ 50.000COLOMBIA $ 300.000 $ 100.000 $ 50.000CONGO $ 100.000 $ 100.000 $ 50.000CENTRAL AMERICA $ 100.000 $ 50.000 Costa Rica $ 55.000 ($ 50.000) El Salvador $ 100.000 Guatemala $ 100.000 Nicaragua $ 50.000 ($ 50.000)D.S.P. $ 1.200.000 $ 600.000 Austria € 3.000.000 Italy € 1.000.000 Germany € 5.000.000ECUADOR $ 37.000 $ 30.000 $ 30.000EGYPT $ 100.000 $ 100.000 $ 50.000ESPANA € 1.000.000 $ 1.200.000 $ 600.000

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ERITREA $ 100.000 $ 100.000 $ 50.000ETHIOPIA $ 100.000 $ 100.000 $ 50.000ITALY € 1.000.000 $ 1.200.000 $ 600.000KENYA $ 100.000 $ 100.000 $ 50.000SUDAN $ 100.000 KHARTOUM $ 100.000 $ 50.000 SS $ 100.000 $ 50.000LONDON PROVINCE $ 1.200.000 $ 600.000 England GBP 1.650.000 Ireland € 1.500.000 Scotland GBP 2.500.000MEXICO $ 500.000 $ 200.000 $ 100.000MALAWI-ZAMBIA Malawi $ 100.000 $ 50.000 Zambia $ 100.000 $ 100.000 $ 50.000MOZAMBIQUE $ 100.000 $ 100.000 $ 50.000N.A.P. $ 1.200.000 $ 600.000 Canada CAD 3.500.000 U.S.A. $ 5.000.000PORTUGAL € 1.500.000 $ 1.200.000 $ 600.000PERU-CHILE $ 200.000 $ 100.000 Peru $ 300.000 Chile $ 500.000SOUTH AFRICA Rand 4.220.000 $ 200.000 $ 100.000CHAD $ 100.000 $ 100.000 $ 50.000TOGO-GHANA-BE-NIN $ 100.000 $ 50.000

Benin $ 100.000 Ghana $ 100.000 Togo $ 100.000UGANDA $ 100.000 $ 100.000 $50.00

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OLD AGE AND ILLNESS IN THE PLAN OF THE COMBONI MISSIONARIES

They are still bearing fruit in old age, still remaining fresh and green, to proclaim that Yahweh is righteous (Ps 92:15-16)

God, we have heard with our own ears, our ancestors have told us of the deeds you performed in their days (Ps 44:1)

A. IntroductionA precious heritage not to be wasted167. For our Institute our “elderly and infirm confreres are an incalculable treasure and a spiritual charge with their life of prayer and love for the mission” (CA 2003, 19). The elderly confreres are the “historical memory” of the Institute and the mission; the confreres who are unwell, with prayer and the offering up of their sufferings, make themselves intercessors for the mission.168. As we know the number of elderly and infirm confreres is on the rise in the Institute. This new situation calls upon every Circumscription to take care of them in order to make the quality of their lives better in all its different aspects: medical-health, communitarian, spiritual and psychological.169. The Institute is the witness of the treasure which is every confrere. With recognition and gratitude it makes good use of the life-witness and service that the elderly and infirm offer us (cf. RL 15.2). Age and illness can and must be transformed into opportunities for human, missionary and spiritual growth.

B. Analysis of the situationAn opportunity to seize170. In the Institute today there are around three hundred confreres over 75 years of age, a third of whom find themselves back in their Circumscriptions of origin because of their need for care and assistance.171. Experience shows us that elderly confreres in large communities surrounded by the sick often tend to close in on

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themselves and lose their taste for life. A reflection is needed on the model of community and structure that responds best to the needs of the elderly confrere and what might help him to live this phase of his life in serenity and joy172. Given the variety of situations facing the confreres better tailored solutions have to be found: some confreres need continuous medical assistance in properly equipped centres, other are still able to offer a service in their Circumscriptions of origin or in the mission.

C. Working premisesTo live the mission right to the end173. Our consecration to the mission for life is not linked to age or to efficiency but to our ‘being’. Therefore we remain missionaries in all the phases of our life.174. Old age, if lived in openness to God and love for one’s neighbour, is a gift that brings renewal. The confrere who does not let himself be beaten by the infirmities and limits of old age continues to live the passion – joy, love and hope - for the mission.

174.1 The elderly confrere, while experiencing a limit on his activity, gives thanks to the Father recognising his goodness which has filled him with gifts and has made him a sign of God’s love in the world. Through the memory of a life lived, reflection and prayer deepen the value of the stage of life in which being with the Lord takes precedence over activity.174.2 He lives the mission as a “hidden stone”, no longer in the “front line”, but equally missionary. After having given his services to God and the mission, God calls him to make a gift of himself.174.3 He is called to configure himself to Christ who abandoned himself to the will of the Father in communion with suffering humanity. Solitude and suffering lived with Jesus acquire a meaning of salvation for us and for humanity.174.4 Every day he rediscovers his usefulness: he helps the community, keeps alive his interest in the mission, communicates

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the wisdom acquired from life and becomes a sharer of hope and charity.

175. Accepting the undeniable value of prayer and the offering of silence, those confreres who are still self-sufficient should be utilised in the pastoral context and involved in certain activities.

D. Planning Guidelines and Action Plan176. To accept old age with realism and serenity.

176.1 “Every Circumscription accompanies the elderly confreres with suitable initiatives so that they may live their old age serenely” (RF 526).176.2 Every confrere at the threshold of 70 years of age should be given the option of doing a specific course – according to the possibilities and in collaboration also with other Institutes – to help him accept old age positively, integrating it into his missionary identity. This option should also be included in the renewal course. 176.3 Initiatives that employ the talents of elderly confreres should be promoted, encouraging them to take up activities that engage them (study, reading, hobbies, the computer, etc).176.4 Every confrere, upon entering the phase of old age, should be invited to share his memories and missionary reflections recording them in written form.

177. To make the most of the elderly in missionary service177.1 An elderly or infirm confrere, if he so desires and his health permits, should remain in the Circumscription where he has been serving.177.2 The presence of elderly confreres should be favoured in houses of formation, as a sign and testimony of a life consecrated to the mission.177.3 Where possible and as an alternative to large communities of elderly confreres, small communities should be preferred with the possibility of offering a service to and contact with the people.

178. Taking care of elderly and infirm confreres

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178.1 Among the normal proposals for OGF, pointers should be given to all confreres to be more aware of and understanding towards our elderly and infirm confreres.178.2 Yearly courses should be held for elderly and infirm confreres in the main centres where they stay (cf. RL 100.2).178.3 Over the next six years, the GC, in collaboration with the continents, should oversee the setting up of continental centres for the infirm confreres particularly in Africa.178.4 The GC, in dialogue with the Circumscriptions that have large centre for elderly confreres, should ensure the provision of personnel and prepare them for a specialised service of accompaniment. This service requires a specific attitude and proper training.178.5 The rotation of personnel in care centres for elderly and infirm confreres should be among the priorities of the next six years. The GC should plan it appropriately ensuring that periods of service be respected and ordinarily not exceed five years. 178.6 The collaboration of lay volunteers in caring for elderly and infirm confreres is already a very positive and much appreciated tradition. PCs should continue to favour and encourage it.178.7 The relationship between the elderly/infirm and their families is to be encouraged.178.8 After 50 years of age each confrere should undergo regular medical check-ups.

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MISSIONARY ANIMATION

A. Introduction179. MA must be understood not only as an expression of our identity and the Comboni charism but also as a source of renewal. The concept and field of action for MA have undergone an evolution over time. Therefore as Comboni Missionaries we feel called to renew ourselves in the basic aspect of our charism and to renew our methodology of MA.

B. Analysis of the situation180. Changes in society, the Church and the Institute challenge us to a deep renewal in the way we understand and put into practice this essential dimension of our charism that traditionally we call missionary animation.

180.1 The new theological and ecclesial paradigm, according to which there is no “missionary” Church nor any that is the “object of mission” but rather Churches responsible for evangelization and mission beyond their own geographical and sociological confines, obliges us to review the contents and methods of our own MA. 180.2 The vision of mission as the privileged road for the proclamation of the Gospel and the promotion of the values of the Kingdom has extended the concept of MA, intending it now as a stimulus to the Church and society so that they might work for the benefit of life in all its dimensions, and in particular in that of the marginalised.180.3 The rise of various civil organizations that promote a fairer and more just world, in line with many of our own objectives and activities, pushes us to situate ourselves in a new kind of collaboration.180.4 The development and consolidation of the Churches in Africa and the Americas, ready to take on new missionary responsibilities, give a new urgency to the animating dimension of our charism.

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180.5 Furthermore, changes in vocation and ecclesial geography contribute to the Institute’s perception that wherever in the world it is, it must develop all the various dimensions of its charism. Some Circumscriptions, once exclusively for evangelization, today boast a significant degree of MA, while others that used to live only for MA today feel the challenge of new demands for evangelisation.180.6 Cultural and technological transformations challenge us to pay constant attention to the new language of multimedia.

C. Working Premises181. Comboni desired not only the regeneration of Africa through the power of the Gospel but also a missionary Church open to the call that in those times came from Africa. In the same way, we Comboni Missionaries dream today of a missionary Church open to the cry that reaches it from the poorest of peoples and that is prepared to bear witness to the Gospel beyond its own frontiers. Therefore we commit ourselves wholeheartedly to MA in the whole Church and in particular in those local Churches to which we belong by birth or destination. We believe furthermore that the charism that the Spirit gave to Daniel Comboni is a gift for the whole Church and we offer it as a vocation proposal and vehicle of collaboration between peoples and Churches.182. As Comboni Missionaries we are convinced that our commitment to the poorest and most abandoned is the most important source of inspiration for efficacious MA, a way to proclaim that the Gospel is a concrete reality not an abstract idea. Our missionary presence constitutes in itself the MA of the local Churches, as well as being a solid testimony for lay movements not specifically linked to the Church.

D. Planning Guidelines183. As an integral part of our charism MA has the aim of making the local Churches aware of their responsibility to announce the message of Christ beyond their own frontiers, promoting communion and cooperation between the Churches and stimulating reciprocal

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knowledge and the sharing of the rich diversity of the universal Church.184. The MA that we carry out through full insertion into the local Churches must renew itself in order to attain a more prophetic character in the proclamation of the Gospel and the denunciation of situations of oppression and injustice (lobbying and advocacy), making known the situations of poverty and marginalisation through which a great part of humanity continues to be dragged.185. We reaffirm the Comboni principle of “Saving Africa with Africa”. Following the Plan of Comboni we continue to commit ourselves above all to the formation of community leaders so that the persons and peoples whom we serve may be transformed into agents of evangelization for the spread of the Gospel among all peoples (cf. RL 7.1). Furthermore, our charism opens them up to a wider vision of animation and proclamation, helping them overcome local interests, and acquire a truly ad gentes missionary sense and spirit.186. Commitment to JPIC is taken on as a constitutive element of the proclamation of the Gospel and of MA; it stimulates us to a personal and coherent witness of a sober style of life, collaborating with whoever is already serving in this field. This is the privileged sector of activity for Brothers and which also favours a requalification of vocation promotion.

E. Action Plan187. In every Circumscription we should collaborate with the local Church and other Institutes working out where possible a plan of MA.188. Continents should define a continental plan of MA and Circumscriptions formulate their own charter of MA (CA 2003, 45). In every Circumscription plan, the presence of confreres specialized in MA should be ensured (missiology, social communication, journalism, etc). 189. Over the next six years, the Circumscriptions where still there are no independent CLMs should do everything possible to favour their presence and formation.

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190. As animators we put ourselves at the service of a missionary movement within the local Churches in which we are present. We give priority to the formation and accompaniment of groups (adults, youth, adolescents) within the respective Christian communities who take up a journey of witness and missionary commitment inspired by the Comboni charism. 191. In every Circumscription collaboration with organised civil society and religious institutions active in JPIC should be promoted.192. In vocation promotion and basic formation the missionary vocation should be presented in all its radical expressions.193. All the available means of communication should be made use of for MA, vocation promotion, JPIC and to communicate the values of the Kingdom. Every Circumscription should have its own web page.194. The diffusion of our magazines, publications and other multimedia contributions to MA should be continued in the parishes, schools and cultural centres. 195. The work of JPIC in teams should consolidated so that the Institute may be present in the international context (VIVAT and AEFJN) in order to sustain a campaign of lobbying aimed at the promotion of human rights and to animate our Circumscriptions and the activities we run.

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OTHER DECISIONS OF THE CHAPTER

Preparation of next Chapter196. The General Council will present at the next Intercapitular Assembly a study made by experts to identify different methodologies that could be used in the preparation of the Chapter as well as in its organisation. This study should also include the evaluation of the By-laws followed in this Chapter and propose other types of By-laws, consistent with the methodological options identified.

Vacatio Legis197. The decisions of the XVII Chapter will become effective on the 1st February 2010, save for cases for which the Chapter itself has established a different date.

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The 14 PRIORITIES

IntroductionHaving completed its discernment and identified the planning objectives and concrete choices it wanted to make, the Chapter found itself faced with a long list of options. While on the one hand this fact had the advantage of being comprehensive, on the other it risked drawing attention away from choices that might merit more particular attention. For this reason the Chapter – keeping in mind the strategy implied by its wish to propose a kind of Plan – continued its discernment by identifying a limited number of priorities for each of the themes treated. This last exercise in discernment was not intended to lessen in any way the importance of the many other points made elsewhere. More simply it was intended to indicate to the confreres some of the points to which, in the course of the next six years, they might pay more attention, prioritising them so that the objectives outlined may be fully attained. In the process followed, fourteen priorities emerged. We present them below:

IDENTITYIdentity and mission (no. 11.1)1. By June 2010, the GC should nominate a commission that, in collaboration with the SGEV, might undertake a systematic re-reading of the material produced in last few years during the process of the Ratio Missionis. The theological reflection on mission and on Comboni methodology that emerges from it will be presented at the next Intercapitular.Identity and style of life (no. 11.3)2. In the context of their six-year plan PCs should initiate a reflection on the style of life of our communities in order to offer guidelines and concrete proposals to bring them into line with that of ordinary people and the preferential option for the poor. Furthermore, PCs should favour new proposals for the radical insertion of

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communities in the local Church after a due process of discernment and dialogue with that same Church.

SPIRITUALITYDiscernment (no. 36)3. Discernment, which may take a variety of forms, may be understood as a personal and communitarian tool, enlightened by faith, and favouring the union of the Word of God and reality; this comes about in particular during moments of decision at community council and assemblies of various kinds.

Annual theme of spirituality (no. 34)4. In order to respond to the request of a renewed spirituality, the Chapter proposes that every year a specific theme be developed for the whole Institute in view of a common journey. We suggest the following themes to the GC:

− Word of God, lectio divina, popular reading of the Bible;− Comboni, fount of re-foundation today;− Comboni brotherhood: interpersonal relationships, conflict

resolution etc;− Closeness to the poor as a spiritual journey;− The Heart of Jesus in today’s language; − Comboni prayer today;− The cross as a special time for deepening the faith;− The centrality of Christ in life and the Comboni mission.

MISSIONAssessment of our presence (no. 62)5. Evaluation and requalification of our presence according to stipulated conventions.

5.1. Africa: presence among non-evangelised peoples, nomads, pygmies, inter-religious dialogue, ecumenism, JPIC, immigrants, slums, the formation of leaders, the marginalized youth and MA.

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5.2. America: afro-descendants, indigenous peoples, slums, JPIC and MA.

5.3. Asia: first evangelization, inter-religious dialogue and MA.5.4. Europe: frontier situations in the Church and society, MA,

JPIC, immigrants, collaboration with the CLM and revision of material structures.

Frontier situations (no. 70)6. To consolidate insertion in frontier situations

6.1. Within the next six years, those Circumscriptions that have not yet done so, are to ensure that there is at least one activity being undertaken in a frontier situation (slums, nomads, immigrants…), taking into account the criteria of living near to the people, in their environment, in simple circumstances. The same principles pertain in the opening of new communities.

FORMATIONThe on-going formation of formators and promoters at Institute level (no. 100)7. The OGF of the formators foresees the application of the integral educative model to the formator himself and to the candidates. In the next three years (2010/12):

7.1. A four-month course on the formative model and the Comboni charism should be organised for promotors and formators beginning their service.

7.2. It should be ensured that formators of the postulants be prepared especially in the fields of human development and personality; that novice masters have a good command of Comboni spirituality; that formators in the scholasticate be able to know how to evaluate the pastoral experience of the candidates.

7.3. An up-dating course on youth culture is to be offered every two years to vocation promoters at continental level.

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The on-going formation of formators and promoters at continental level (no. 105)8. OGF of promotors and formators

8.1. One-month courses for vocation promoters and formators at continental level, as run over the last three years, should continue and be organised, every two years, by the Circumscriptions of the continent, the GSBF and the CCOF.

8.2. The OGF of promoters and formators will favour knowledge of the integral educative model, offering the possibility of having personal experience, acquiring the appropriate tools and means to apply it during the various stages of formation.

GOVERNMENTContinental coordination (no. 132-133)9. Continental coordination

9.1. In the Chapter of 2003 indications were given for the favouring of co-responsibility and subsidiarity at all levels and in a particular way for the Continents. The indications contained therein are still valid (CA 2003, 137-141).

9.2. The GC with the PSs should launch a study on continentality in order to clarify its form, function and structures to present at the next Intercapitular.

9.3. The meeting between the GC and the PSs of the continents is seen positively and must be continued. Therefore over the next six years a meeting will be organised after every election of PSs and a third at the Intercapitular. In these meetings there should be an evaluation of how authority and subsidiarity are understood and lived.

Strategy of clustering (no. 128.4)10. Continents should continue the process towards clustering begun at the Intercapitular of 2006 and should work out concrete proposals for the Intercapitular of 2012. The GC should accompany and supervise the journey of the continents. All progress made should be evaluated at the Intercapitular, passing on then to the action stage. In

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2013 when the new Circumscriptions have been formed, new PSs would be elected. By 1st January 2014 the Institute’s new configuration will become effective.

ON-GOING FORMATIONThe opening up of the structures of on-going formation and accompaniment (no. 145.4)11. The GC in dialogue with the PSs of the Continents, given the ur-gent issues met with over the past few years, should open during the next six years, at least two communities/centres of OGF and accompaniment – one in Africa and another in the Americas, in collaboration with other Institutes and local bodies. In order to achieve this it should identify and prepare the personnel responsible, at least one person for each centre, before the Intercapitular. This personnel will also be available for OGF initiatives in the Circumscriptions of the continent, remaining in contact with the CCOGF and the continental groups of reflection.

FINANCE AND MISSIONTotal Common Fund (no. 150.2)12. In the medium term all the Circumscriptions, over the next three years, should take the steps necessary to permit the adoption of the TCF: the presentation of the community budget, the distribution of the superavit, accountability to the finance secretariat of the Circumscription, the approval of community projects, etc. The Intercapitular of 2012 should evaluate the progress made and promote the adoption of the TCF in all Circumscriptions in the subsequent three years.

THE ELDERLY AND INFIRMTaking care of elderly and infirm confreres (no. 178.4-5)13. The GC, in dialogue with the Circumscriptions that have large centres for elderly confreres, should ensure the provision of personnel and prepare them for a specialised service of accompaniment. This service requires a specific attitude and proper training. The rotation of personnel in care centres for elderly and infirm confreres should be

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among the priorities of the next six years. The GC should plan it appropriately ensuring that periods of service be respected and ordinarily not exceed five years.

MISSIONARY ANIMATION Continental Plan and charter of Missionary Animation (no. 188)14. Continents should define a continental plan of MA and Circumscriptions formulate their own charter of MA (CA 2003, 45). In every Circumscription plan, the presence of confreres specialized in MA should be ensured (missiology, social communication, journalism, etc).

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PRAYER FOR THE RECEPTION OF THE CHAPTER

Father most holy,

at this particular time in our history

you give us the strength of your Spirit

and call us to start out afresh from

the mission entrusted to us

by Christ, the Good Shepherd,

through Saint Daniel Comboni.

Grant that we may accept with joy and gratitude

the grace of the Chapter which we undertake to implement,

inspired by

the Plan of our Founder for the regeneration of Africa,

through our own Plan for the Mission today

and our desire to live our missionary vocation

with a new outlook and creative courage

for the good of the poorest and most abandoned.

Amen.

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