Comboni Provincial Assembly in Chad

The new provincial superior, Fr. Pietro Ciuciulla, opened the activities in the afternoon of May 2 by thanking the confreres who had left their customary duties in order to take part in this important event of their Province – the Assembly called to put together the Six Year Plan, the program for the future of our presence in Chad, under the title of “From the Plan of Comboni to the Plan of the Comboni Missionaries in Chad.”

Following a brief presentation of the program by Fr. Amaxandro Feitosa, of the preparatory commission, and a discussion on the tools of Mission Promotion for 2012 (calendars and agendas) the Assembly gathered around the altar for the celebration of the Eucharist, presided over by the provincial himself. In his homily there echoed the encouragement to die to ourselves in order to build up with “one heart” the good of our province and of our people in Chad and to be born again in the Spirit, as Jesus suggested to Nicodemus in the Gospel of the day (John 3,5).

The morning of the second day of the Assembly, Tuesday May 3, was given to listening to the socio-political and ecclesial situation of Chad. In order to prepare our Six Year Plan we have considered it necessary to make an in-depth analysis of the current context of the country and of the life of the people where we are called to live and to operate. Fr. Raymond Madjiro, national coordinator of the Justice and Peace Commission, enlightened us with a concised and pertinent presentation, which gave rise to many questions and contributions. He started off with an analysis of the African environment in the light of the recent revolutions in Tunisia and in Egypt. He then tackled the consequences of the international situation on Chad and the themes of democracy, the role of civil society, of the political class, of the Church and of the participations of all citizens to the building up of a State which, as of now, does not yet exist.

The evening as well was given to listening, this time however to the inspirational elements of the Comboni Missionaries Chapter that had already been shared and assimilated by the local communities. Fr. Fidele Katsani, Master of novices at Sarh and vice-provincial, led us through a reading of the Comboni Charism in the light of the Gospel. The Gospel of John 10 inspired us to underline the role of the good shepherd, who walks with his people and who is indignant in the face of injustice. It is the indignation in the face of all forms of oppression and enslavement, the moving force of transformation.

In the morning of May 4 we tackled the theme of the larger French-speaking province. Looking at our future, all the confreres gave their contribution to help the Assembly evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of possible choices. The Assembly did not reach decisions, but produced various points for reflections that will be shared next week, during a session of the gathering of French-speaking provinces to be held in Lomé, Togo. Fr. Claude Ondongar and Fr. Stefano Melzani will be our representatives.

Finally, on Wednesday evening, there took place a reflection on the six year plan which led us to pick the priorities for the next six years. Our community discernment brought us to opt for “first evangelization” as the main axis of our presence and work in Chad. There followed an examination of our three priorities: Identity, Mission and Spirituality. It was a lengthy labor that gave us the opportunity, in the course of two days, to reflect, listen to each other and share our vision of mission.

On Friday morning, at the end of the session on the Six Year Plan, the provincial presented his report on the life and plans for the province. Following, the reports of the secretaries gave us the opportunity to define our activities with regard to Mission Promotion, Economy, Evangelization, Ongoing Formation and Basic Formation. Later on, with the reports of the local superiors and a brief evaluation of the Assembly, we moved to the conclusion which took place with the celebration of the Eucharist, presided over by the provincial. And now, it’s mission time, time to go back to work with a Plan and a great Comboni passion for turning it into reality, day after day.