France. The Missionaries Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Claretian Missionaries, gathered in Toulouse to celebrate the ordinary Assembly of the Delegation of France. Fr. Gonzalo Fernández, General Consultor and General Prefect of Spirituality presided over it.
At 14.30 h. of February 15 the work began. Fr. Gildard Valencia, Delegate Superior of France, gave a welcome greeting to Fr. Gonzalo and to all the participants. Then Fr. Eugenio Gnansounou was elected as moderator and Fr. Pierre Zanga as secretary, helped by Fr. Raimundo Adormeo. After that, Fr. Gonzalo presented to the attendants his first impression after having visited all the communities and talked with all the individuals.
In his words, Fr. Gonzalo stated that the Claretian Delegation of France has 17 members representing 9 nationalities. This diversity can be a time bomb or a true “communion parable.” It depends on how the brothers accept this reality or how they prepare themselves to live it. The Delegation is a group of aged and young men. The challenge will be to reconcile the real concern due to the late paternity and to the reasonable expectations of the young ones who accept to live this peaceful stage that they share. Expressing our Claretian identity today is not a threat to the particular church. On the contrary, it is our charismatic way to contribute to the building of the Church of France.
The present cultural and intergenerational mixture of the Delegation will be a grace under three conditions: to meet one another and live in mutual dialogue of what we are; to stress what unites us, being Claretians that we have professed, and to follow the ministry of the Church of France. To attain this, it is necessary: to revive in us the fire of divine love, to communicate this fire to others and to transmit the fire to the new generations.
After the intervention of the delegate of the Superior General, Fr. Gildard Valencia, Delegate Superior, presented the report of the activity of the Council of the Delegation during the triennium 2007-2010. After a pause, we listened to the reports of Frs. Percival Redoña and Benito Cayuela, Prefects of apostolate and formation, respectively. Finally Fr. Jacques Sastre, Econome of the Delegation, presented the economic situation and the Missions Procure.
After the various reports, two groups were formed to work in the workshop around two questions:
1) – After the various reports, what aspects can be improved?
2) – What are the positive points of these reports?
At 18.45 h. we celebrated the Eucharist, presided over by Fr. Gonzalo and prepared by the community of Perpignan.
