Around the Provinces

Father General meets the Archbishop of Jakarta

The Superior General, Mario Absalon Alvarado, MSC is in Indonesia for his June-July 2024 Visit. One of the purposes of his visit is to have a meeting with the Archbishop of Jakarta, H.E. Ignatius Cardinal Suharyo Hardjoatmojo.

The meeting was eventually held on June 3, 2024 at the guesthouse of the Archdiocese of Jakarta. The General was accompanied by the Provincial Superior of MSC Indonesia, Samuel Maranresy, MSC and his council.

Pacific Regional Seminary of Saint Peter Chanel

We are thrilled to extend our heartfelt thanks to Fr Simon Mani for his exceptional leadership as the previous Rector at PRS. His guidance and support have been invaluable to all of us at the Pacific Regional Seminary, and he will be dearly missed as he takes on his new role as Bishop-elect of Tarawa & Nauru.

This morning, we had the honor of having Bishop-elect Fr Simon Mani preside over a memorable Mass. It was a poignant moment for us all to witness his transition from our beloved Rector to his new calling.

Additionally, during the Mass, we celebrated the change of student leadership. We are delighted to introduce our new Student President, Fetaraisa Popese, from the Diocese of Samoa-Pagopago. Joining him in leading our community are Vice President Tavite Uluilakeba from the Congregation of the Sacred Hearts Suva, Fiji, Soane Malau from the Archdiocese of Noumea, and Morino Lambamu as the Secretary from the Diocese of Port Vila.

Please join us in congratulating Fr Simon Mani Msc on his new appointment and offering our best wishes to our new student leaders. Let us continue to support each other as we embark on this new chapter together.

Bishop- elect Fr SImon will leave for Tarawa on Monday 15th July to continue preparation for this Episcopal Ordination on 28th July in Tarawa.

Meeting of MSC Provincial Superiors and Formators (Central America)

MSCs working in the Americas(from Brazil, Paraguay, Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Canada, Haiti, USA, and Ireland) gathered for their biennial meeting in Bogota, Colombia on July 10-17, 2023.

One of the highlights of the meeting was the presentation of and reflection on the “Emmaus Document” (the MSC Formation Document) facilitated by Humberto Henriquez, MSC of the Commission on Initial Formation.

Our Chapter Reports, end of the second week

We have already shared the news of Abzalon’s re-election as Superior General. These are the reports of the sessions.

Ninth Day. 26th September by Javier Trapero

The ninth day of the 26th MSC General Chapter was the first of the two-day process for the Election of the Superior General of the Congregation. It was a day dedicated to discernment and began, as in previous days, with the Communal Wisdom Prayer (Acts 15,22-31). The day was hosted by Simione Volavola.

Joe and Frances, facilitators, led the discernment process, this time with a question for reflection in the morning inviting the capitulants to ask themselves, “What, God, are You asking of the Congregation today and into the future?“.

In the afternoon, in the first session, the question was “What kind of leader are You calling?“. This concluded the discernment phase. After the break, the voting took place to nominate candidates from whom the Superior General would be chosen the following day.

The day ended with a Mass. On this occasion, it was a special Mass of the Holy Spirit, asking the Holy Spirit to enlighten the capitulants in the final vote. Edwin Borlasa, Provincial of the Philippines, presided.

Tenth Day. 27th September by Javier Trapero

The 26th MSC General Chapter reached a very important moment. After the last day’s discernment sessions, the tenth day was the day of the election of the Superior General. From the beginning of the day, every detail was charged with symbolism. In the Communal Wisdom Prayer, the text by Fr. Jules Chevalier, “The Heart of Jesus is the Center upon which all things converge”, was used together with the readings from Luke 24:28-32, which recalled the end of the journey of the disciples at Emmaus, when they invited Jesus to sit at table, and the reading Philippians 2:1-8, which says, “he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men.”

It was the turn of Humberto as host, who reminded that St. Vincent de Paul’s Feast Day was also celebrated in the Church that day. 

In the first session in the morning, Frances, facilitator, invited all the capitulants to a final moment of reflection, asking the question: “God, who are You calling to the service of leadership?” At that moment, a dialogue between brothers was recommended, small moments to discuss who should be the person to lead the Congregation for the next six years.

These meetings of dialogue, calm and serene, lasted the whole morning.

After lunch, all the electors were called back to the main hall to proceed to the voting. On this occasion, before the vote, a final question was asked to make each voter aware of what he was going to participate in, “Who do you sense God is calling to ‘stay with us’ as our leader for the next six years?”

The election of the Superior General took place in the first round and Abzalón Alvarado, msc, was re-elected for a second term. An official communiqué was then sent out which contained the main ideas of his speech after the election.

The day ended with a Mass of Thanksgiving presided by the former Superior General, Michael Curran, in which Abzalón made the Profession of Faith.

11^th Day – Excursion to Assisi

Twelfth Day. 29th September by Javier Trapero

After a restful excursion in Assisi,  the capitulants went back to the matters for consideration raised in the first few days, i.e., on the Constitutions and other documents. The visit to Assisi was a short rest after the election of the Superior General, the capitulants visited the birthplace of St. Francis, and where St. Clare and Blessed Carlo Acutis are also buried.

The day began with the Communal Wisdom Prayer (1 Corinthians 12:12-31a). After it,  John Mulrooney reminded the assembly of the Feast of Sts. Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Archangels and informed the capitulants that the Superior General’s consultation for General Assistants would take place over the next five days.

All the sessions, both morning and afternoon, were devoted to the final votes on the topics discussed in the previous days,  i.e., Safeguarding, Formation,  and Finance.

Once again, the day’s work ended with the Eucharist. It was presided by Ronnie Diniz, provincial of Rio de Janeiro, together with Mesías Neyra, provincial of Andean Union.

Our Chapter – opening Mass, and from Abzalon’s homily

Some pictures of the Mass – and if you look closely, you will find Stephen Hackett, John Mulrooney, Tim Brennan and, invited to the Chapter, Alison McKenzie. And Chris Chaplin with the General Councillors.

From the Homily

There is no point in counting forgiveness. Whoever starts counting how many times he/she forgives his brother goes down an absurd path that ruins the Spirit that must reign among those who follow Jesus.

In the face of a culture of vengeance without limits, Jesus proposes forgiveness without limits. We urgently need witnesses of Jesus who proclaim His Gospel with firm words and spread His peace with humble hearts—believers who live by forgiving and healing this unhealthy obstinacy of rivalries and revenge that has penetrated His Church.

Based on this evangelical invitation, which is to love ALL without measure and from our Spirituality of the Heart, during these six years we have tried,

• To develop a shared leadership according to the Spirituality of the Heart.
• To update the structures of our Society to better respond to the needs of our mission in a changing world.
• Promote and accompany congregational solidarity and the equitable sharing of the means of our Congregation, thus supporting the first steps of what will become the MSC Foundation.
• To commit ourselves to the promotion of Safeguarding Culture and integrity in ministry.
• Renew our MSC Spirit, seeking to transform clericalist and mediocre mentalities and attitudes towards commitment to JPIC and solidarity with those excluded and marginalized, such as refugees, migrants, and other areas of exclusion.

In commending our Chapter to a Mayan indigenous leader from Guatemala, he wrote me the fruit of his contemplation and prayer, and I share it with you today because, through the reflection of this Mayan leader, I feel that the Spirit is inviting us to become aware:

The Mayan indigenous leader said to me:

• There are many unresolved problems and difficulties trampling on the congregational journey.
• The health of our communities, in terms of community and generational relationships, is suffering from imbalances.
• The spirituality that characterizes us as a community needs to revitalize its roots from its originality.
• The Chapter is a time to allow ourselves to be shaken up so that new air can enter.
• As the Pope said in Portugal, we must deepen our relationships with ALL.
• We are called to weave new strategies of fraternal dialogue, and the quality of community life depends on the quality of our conversations.
• We are called to discern and seek remedies to heal unhealthy situations and solutions to the problems that distance us from the kingdom of God.

Brothers and Sisters, the theme of this Chapter is “Did not our hearts burn within us, as we walked along together“. It reminds us that this journey started in 1854 when Fr Chevalier began to feel his heart burning for the mission. It has continued to burn for 168 years. In the last six years, this journey has flowed in synodality and interconnectedness through the General Conferences of 2019 and 2021, the accompaniments carried out, the provincial activities and meetings, as well as the international encounters undertook.

Let’s make this time an opportunity for deep listening, freedom, and courage to believe in the process, trust the guidance of our facilitators, and, thus, build together an actual MSC ecosystem.

May Our Lady of the Sacred Heart help us so that we may create participative processes and deep and empathetic conversations during these three weeks of the Chapter Assembly.

Welcome to all, and we, as a result of this, declare the opening of our 26th General Chapter.

Abzalon’s letter to MSC Vietnam for the 20 years’ celebration.

With thanks to Bob Irwin for photos – but we will post them on the weekend so that visitors have more time to look at them.

Meanwhile, Superior General, Abzalon’s letter.

Rome, August 10^th 2023

To the superior MSC in Vietnam.

To the provincial superior MSC in Australia.

This Jubilee celebration is also a moment to stop, take stock, and start once again to live the present moment, open to the emerging future of the Congregation in Vietnam.

Obtaining official recognition of our MSC Society in Ho Chi Minh (Saigon) City is an important sign of God’s blessing on our presence in Vietnam. We are aware of the enormous efforts and patience that have been needed by you in striving for this goal.

Thank you, confreres, for your living witness of perseverance and resilience in the processes you have gone through so far. During these 20 years, you have shown to the whole MSC Society what our Founder said:

           The undertaking may appear foolhardy, but we have signs of God’s blessing. In so far as the arm of God remains with us, confidence is a duty. Our prayer is that the divine Heart of Jesus may guard and protect the Society always. May he give us, as one of his favours, a great fidelity in seeking only what brings him glory. (Jules Chevalier, 1866)

May Our Lady of the Sacred Heart continued to intercede for our mission in Vietnam so that the ministries you carry out may show that “we know and believe the love God has for us”. (1 John 4:16)

Please extend our congratulations to the Laity of the Chevalier Family, benefactors, and members of your families. Once again thank you and may God continue to bless you.

In Corde Jesu,

Mario Abzalon Alvarado Tovar

Andre Claessens, MSC

Paulus Pitoy, MSC

Chris Chaplin, MSC

Humberto Henriquez, MSC

MSC General Leadership Team