GROUP MEETING:
INSTITUTES EXCLUSIVELY MISSIONARIES

For a deepening of what we heard yesterday and today, and taking into account the nature of our group, I think it useful we review the last part of Fr. J. Thomas’s conference. After a short but careful clear round concerning his Institute’s position vis a vis Ad Gentes, from its foundation, alongside its historical evolution, Fr. Thomas actually presents today’s situation (1985-1998)

I propose we refer to this evolution to verify if and to what extent we find it in our own respective Institute situation.

I briefly summarize it.

Theological presupposition
Ad gentes orientation becomes clear and specific, it emphasizes the ad extra aspect We are looking for situations - geographical, human - " on the borderline " with regard to the knowledge of Christ and to the poverty situation of people, society etc. We are considering our commitment as temporary: Our Institutes are willing to accompany Christian communities as long as there is specific need , then to turn to where our presence is more needed.
Concrete actualization
The " ad extra  " remains, and it has been redefined in regard to those members entering our Institutes, coming from countries traditionally considered as mission territories; Proclamation, interreligious dialogue, solidarity with the more acute situation of poverty form our concrete way of our acting. It is necessary to do " self-evaluation " of the effective coherence of our commitments with these orientations which express our Institute’s charisma today. This is done through: " missionary plan " which clearly defines " how to conceive the mission, in the specific context of the region where our confreres live and work today ". Conventions and contracts which present and actualize the charisma. the choice of new foundations which meet not only the requests for personnel but also our specific goal.
Structural difficulties
Often, we cannot guess the right moment when to leave what we have built, because of local personnel scarcity, or fear that very expensive structures could not be maintained. The effort and time required for acculturation and integration militate against the practical mobility we would like to have. There are psychological difficulties of the missionaries to leave persons and places where they have worked for a long time The fact of recruiting in the mission churches asks for taking root there, with some basic structure and missionary activities. The orientation to reduce economic dependency on the West means that we resort to local resources which are exactly in those activities and those well established structures we would be leaving, while they are scarce or absent on the borderline situations we are called to move to. The fact of relying on formation centers which are not ours constitutes a limit: our members are better prepared for the parish pastoral work than for our missionary specific objective. We have the serious problem of personnel: those who are between 40 and 55 years old who should assume responsibility for leadership and formation, those are very few.