Daniel Comboni
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Annual meeting of the ‘Tutti Fratelli’ Group in Rome
Monday, November 27, 2023
“Our experience at the Synod”. This was the evocative theme of the annual meeting of the ‘Tutti Fratelli’ (all brothers) Group of religious Brothers, held on Saturday, 25th November, in the Generalate of the Comboni Missionaries in Rome. Around 70 Brothers, from 15 religious institutes present in Rome, took part in order to reflect together on the impact that the synodal process is having on the different aspects of the Brothers’ vocation. Among the participants were ten Superior Generals.
The central part of the meeting was a round-table with interventions by three members who participated in the Synod on Synodality, two brothers and a priest: brother Mark Hilton, superior general of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, brother Ernesto Sánchez, superior general of the Marist Brothers, and father Tesfaye Tadesse, superior general of the Comboni Missionaries.
The speakers presented the theme starting precisely from how they had lived the Synod experience and emphasising the elements that struck them most: the central role of brotherhood as a fundamental element in building community; the methodology used, very much centred on listening to one another; discernment as an aspect that must accompany all processes in the Church; and the prophetic value of religious life as an element to be cultivated.
A worrying issue continues to be the low visibility of the Brothers in the Church, and also the fact that little is known about this vocation. Moreover, it is observed, with some concern, that many Brothers are abandoning religious life and that the demand for this type of consecrated life is significantly decreasing.
‘Tutti Fratelli’ (all brothers) is a group promoted by the Union of Superiors General which, since 2010, has been bringing together Brothers from different institutes to reflect on topics of common interest and the vocation of the Brother in the Church.
The group has also promoted some initiatives in the various areas of formation.
(Bro. Alberto Lamana, mccj)