Called to live our missionary vocation todayCalled to live our missionary vocation today

The Declaration of the XXIV General Chapter of the Claretian Missionaries

The call of God

The fire within us

The love of Christ urges us on

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2

3

Part OnePart One

Looking at realityLooking at realitywith with missionary eyesmissionary eyes

THE CALL THE CALL OF GOD IN OF GOD IN

OUR WORLDOUR WORLD

People are created out of People are created out of love and for lovelove and for love

Starting point:Starting point:

We find our fulfilment in We find our fulfilment in Jesus ChristJesus Christ

We see 10 challenges todayWe see 10 challenges today

From this perspectiveFrom this perspective

The defence of The defence of lifelife

The need for ecumenical The need for ecumenical and inter-religious and inter-religious

dialoguedialogue

The care of The care of families …families …

… … and and futurefuture generations generations

The creation of an The creation of an economyeconomy that values that values

solidaritysolidarity

The option forThe option forthe the poor …poor …

……and the and the marginalizedmarginalized

Solidarity with Solidarity with imimmigrantsmigrants

Promotion of Promotion of value based value based educationeducation

Health Health promotionpromotion

The care of The care of creationcreation

NewNew possibilities in society possibilities in society because of information because of information

technologytechnology

THE CALL OF GOD INTHE CALL OF GOD IN THE CHURCHTHE CHURCH

We hearWe hearseven callsseven calls

To centre ourselves in To centre ourselves in Jesus ChristJesus Christ

To renew our experience To renew our experience of the virtue of of the virtue of LoveLove

To make the To make the EucharistEucharist and and the the WordWord the source of the source of

our spiritualityour spirituality

To consciously respond to To consciously respond to needs by doing what is needs by doing what is

most most urgent, timely and urgent, timely and effectiveeffective

To draw strength from the To draw strength from the evanlelizing witness of evanlelizing witness of

othersothers

To live our charismatic To live our charismatic identity in identity in communioncommunion

To live and announce our To live and announce our faith where faith where disbeliefdisbelief

prevailsprevails

Two Gospel imagesTwo Gospel images

help ushelp us

illuminate this situationilluminate this situation

The Samaritan woman: The Samaritan woman: thirst for Godthirst for God

““My soul My soul thirststhirsts for You” for You”

The Good Samaritan: The Good Samaritan: compassion for the compassion for the

marginalizedmarginalized

““Whatever you did to the Whatever you did to the least…least…””

THE CALL OF GOD IN THE CALL OF GOD IN THE CONGREGATIONTHE CONGREGATION

We also hear We also hear seven seven callscalls

To strengthen the To strengthen the experience of God experience of God in our personal lifein our personal life

To live in To live in continuous continuous formationformation

To re-commit ourselves To re-commit ourselves to living to living communitycommunity

To invite others to To invite others to embrace this embrace this vocationvocation

To To renew the way renew the way we work apostolically we work apostolically

To continue to To continue to reviserevise our structuresour structures

To express our communion To express our communion through a new economic through a new economic

modelmodel

The Congregation has The Congregation has benifited from…benifited from…

Celebration of the Celebration of the bicentenary bicentenary of Claret’s of Claret’s

birthbirth

Appreciation for the Appreciation for the Word Word of God of God and our spiritual and our spiritual

thirstthirst

Beatification of Fr. Andrew Solá

Participation in Participation in intensive intensive processes of ongoing processes of ongoing

formation formation

OurOur multicultural multicultural communities are an communities are an expression of Gospel expression of Gospel

values values

Our attention to the needs Our attention to the needs of the of the sicksick and and elderlyelderly

The people who show The people who show interest in interest in Claret Claret

The wide variety of our The wide variety of our ministriesministries

Our initiatives for living Our initiatives for living and working with the and working with the

poorpoor

TheThe reorganization reorganization of our of our structuresstructures

Our solidarity and Our solidarity and sharingsharing of goods of goods

But there are also But there are also signs for concernsigns for concern

A spiritual A spiritual mediocritymediocrity and and lack of missionary zeallack of missionary zeal

Loneliness and Loneliness and individualismindividualism

A lack of A lack of vocationsvocations and and many many departuresdepartures from from

the Congregationthe Congregation

Our Our limited contact limited contact with with youthyouth

TheThe dispersion dispersion of of ministries and apostolic ministries and apostolic

endeavors can be too wideendeavors can be too wide

A reluctance to changeA reluctance to change

AddictionsAddictions and a and a lack of lack of balancebalance in life in life

But…despite somes ashes,

the fire continues burning

Part TwoPart Two

Illumination from the Illumination from the Definition of the Definition of the MissionaryMissionary

“A Son of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is a man on fire with love, who spreads its flames wherever

he goes. He desires mightily and strives by all means possible to set everyone on fire with God’s

love. Nothing daunts him; he delights in privations; welcomes work, embraces sacrifices, smiles at

slander, rejoices in all the torments and sorrows he suffers, and glories in the cross of Jesus Christ. His

only concern is how he may follow Christ and imitate him in praying, working, enduring and

striving constantly and solely for the greater glory of God and the salvation of humankind.”

(Constitutions 9)

• Although there is no documentary proof, Fr. Jaime Clotet testified that Claret used this for the first time in July 1849 during the spiritual exercises which he conducted for the newly born Congregation “to form us in the apostolic spirit which animated him”.

• There exists two versions written by Claret himself. The first is dated August 20, 1861, six days before receiving the mystical grace of conserving the sacred species.

• The second, somewhat briefer, which he included in his Autobiography finished in May 1862, just after having recounted the foundation of the Congregation. This can be indirectly collaborated by the testimony of Fr. Clotet.

• This ‘Definition’, a description of the missionary identity, has been from the very beginning of our Congregation one of the best summaries of our spirituality. It was sent by Claret to Fr. Xifré with the desire that all the missionaries carry it around with them.

• The first generations of Claretians were very much aware of the definition. Its contents have inspired Superior Generals and illuminated many important texts of the Congregation, especially those dealing with formation.

• In 1888 it held a central position in one of the first texts on the formation of novices. A century later, it forms the title-page of the General Plan of Formation.

Returning to the “definition of the missionary” helps us to eliminate the

ashes of routine and weariness, rekindles the burning embers of our vocation, and

renews the enthusiasm we need to be “on fire”, “to spread the flames” and “to

set everyone on fire with God’s love.” The “definition of the missionary” leads us to the core of a fulfilled human and

Christian life: love.

A new name (identity)

A new family (belonging)

A new lifestyle (spirituality)

A new way (formation)

A new sending (mission)

Membership gives us ...

Our Our newnew name name

Missionary Missionary SonsSons of the of the Immaculate Heart of Immaculate Heart of MaryMary

Our Our newnew family family

OurOur Congregation Congregation

Our Our newnew lifestyle lifestyle

To be on fire with To be on fire with lovelove

Our Our newnew way way

Disciples of Disciples of JesusJesus today today

To set the whole world To set the whole world on fireon fire

Our Our newnew sending sending

Part ThreePart Three

Our Priorities for Our Priorities for 2009-20152009-2015

To rekindle the To rekindle the firefire within uswithin us

To give special attention to our experience of God and to the mystical dimension of our missionary vocation

To encourage those processes that can help us to live each stage of our

life as a moment of spiritual transformation

To renew the covenant that unites us in community

To set others To set others ablazeablaze

To understand our mission from the perspective of love

To ensure that the Word of God nurtures our mission in all its forms

To strengthen our dedication to youth and vocation ministry

To be creative in order to improve our missionary activity

To pass the To pass the firefire on to on to future generationsfuture generations

To improve initial formation processes

To continue the revision of positions and the processes used in restructuring

Provinces and Delegations

To live more intensively our personal and community life of poverty,

through the sharing of goods and the co-ordinated management of our

resources

The Forge in Daily Life

Charismatic heritage

ReconciliationLectio divina

Encounter with Claret

Virtues to live in

community

Reading and study

Community as home

Discernment

Accompaniment

Personal project

Be a credible witness Vocational culture

Bible Ministry

Schools of the Word

Shared mission

“Dialogue of life” with

others

Solidarity with the

poor

“Missio Dei” is key

Internalization of valuesSchool for formators

Missionary availibility

Formation of

economes

Formation of formators

Self-sufficiency projects

Reorganization of our

structures

Projects of solidarity

Claretian MissionariesGeneral GovernmentRome 2009

Thank you very much to the authorsof the songs used in this presentation:

• CLARET , TEACHER AND FATHER (A. Ochagavía)• O MY GOD AND FATHER (C. Astiz)• LORD, RENEW IN OUR CONGREGATION (M. Tardío)• THE LOVE OF CHRIST (A. Ochagavía)• IDEAL IN HIS MIND (E. de la Merced)• YOU ARE CALLING US (J. Garrido)• JESUS PASSED ALONG (E. V. Mateu)