Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
San Juan (Agenzia Fides) – From January 20-31, the University of the Sacred Heart in San Juan and the Saint Vincent Ferrer Preaching House in Bayamon are hosting a course entitled: “Episcopal Leadership in Today's World, in the Spirit of Aparecida.” The course was organized by the Department of Ecclesial Communion and Dialogue, in collaboration with the International Theological Institute of Puerto Rico. There are Bishops participating in the course, who come from 17 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, Venezuela, and the United States. The event coordinator in Fr. Cristoforo Dominguez, Executive Secretary of the Department of Ecclesial Communion and Dialogue of CELAM.
The course's main objectives are: analyze the present situation, the proposal of Aparecida, and the human and material resources that a Bishop needs to fulfill his mission. The initiative began at the 5th Conference in Aparecida, with the intention of promoting and extending this spirit among Bishops, and applying the document and its guidelines to their life and ministry.
The main activities on the opening day were the Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Roberto Gonzalez of San Juan, and the talk entitled “The Church's Mission at the Light of Aparecida. The integral formation of the missionary disciple,” which was given by Archbishop Ramon Benito de la Rosa of Santiago de los Caballeros (Dominican Republic). Several of the themes on the agenda are: Ecumenism (Abbot Oscar Rivera, OSB); Mary, disciple and missionary (Maria Clara Bingemer); Communications Ministry (Msgr. Baltasar Porras); Theology, liturgy, and communications (Msgr. Baltasar Porras); Ethics and deontology of communications (Bernard Carrasco), and Communications editing (Bernard Carrasco). Other topics will include planning, organizational dynamics, leadership in work teams, and how to auto-finance dioceses and ecclesiastical organizations. The course will end on January 31, with a conference on “the importance of public relations” and a Mass. The course coincides with the 500th anniversary of the Diocese of Puerto Rico and the 10th anniversary of ITIPRI. (RG) (Agenzia Fides 28/1/2009)
