Today’s workshop, on the theme of redesigning the apostolate (the object of our upcoming continental meetings for the apostolate-administration) kept us busy all day long. “Revision of the apostolate in the light of our charism” is one of the areas that our 9th General Chapter invited us to improve, in keeping with the directives set forth in its final document (CD, nn. 23-40). In view of this, the redesigning process carried out over the past few years has focused on the need to start afresh in this area by rekindling our passion for the apostolate.
Continuing this reflection, we participated in a brainstorming session during which we tried to respond to two question: “What do we mean by the term ‘redesigning the apostolate’?” and, “How would you like to see this redesigning concretized?”
The answers that emerged were practical, open to the future and revealed a convergence of thought on the subject. Afterward, Sr. Battistina Capalbo, our facilitator, helped us enter more fully into a journey that is leading us toward a global Apostolic Project for the whole Institute, reminding us that this process must be realized at different levels.
To start with, we must reflect-especially in our continental meetings for the apostolate and administration-on our vision, mission and values. In other words, our mission ideal, which must be future-oriented and firmly rooted in our charismatic heritage (vision); communicating and carrying out our mission today (mission); and the values that support our apostolic choices, strategies and working principles (values). We must also identify our internal strengths and weaknesses, as well as the opportunities and threats deriving from the socio-ecclesial context in which we live and work.
To facilitate our work, what better “observer” could we have had than the General Government which, through its Visits (both Fraternal and those made for a specific purpose), has met the members of almost all our communities throughout the world in the past 3½ years?
In fact, the next step in our work was to analyze the rough draft of a document prepared by the General Government concerning our vision, mission, values, strengths and weaknesses ad intra, and the opportunities and threats we face ad extra. This document was corrected, modified and completed by our intercontinental work groups. On the small-group level, we also tried to identify the key problem to which we must respond through our apostolate today.
In our general assembly, which resumed after supper, we continued our discussion and tried to come to a convergence of thought in view of the further reflections that will be made on this subject during our continental meetings for the apostolate and administration.