EUROPE/ITALY - Freshly committed to being “witnesses of hope” Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate conclude 34th General Chapter

Rome (Fides Service) - The Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate closed their 34° General Chapter yesterday freshly committed to being “witnesses of hope” witnesses of Christ evangelising the poor in keeping with the General Chapter’s theme for reflection, "Witnesses of hope: a call, our mission". The basic question, which the chapter was called, to answer can be summarised as follows: what must we do to be missionaries of the poor in the world today? The answer was sought in reflection on five subjects: formation in view of mission; government and leadership; Mission and evangelisation; Oblate community and religious life; work with youth and vocation pastoral. Guidelines for life and mission of the congregation, which emerged from the reflection, will be published soon.
Father Guglielmo Steckling re-elected Superior general for a second term presided Concelebration of Mass in the Chapel of the General House in the presence of more than 200 people, chapter members and friends. “Bearing witness to hope: our hope is Christ. A call we are first of all disciples of Christ. Our mission: because we are disciples we are missionaries” Father Steckling said in the homily. “It all depends on our vital relationship with Christ, without him we can do nothing”. Obstacles, which prevent this vital relationship with Christ, include economies, which harm the poor, ethnic pride, which makes it impossible to see another person as a brother, the attitude of the secularised world, which thinks it, can live well without God. Hence the need for a “new birth, participation in Christ’s paschal sacrifice on the cross, oblation, self-giving even to martyrdom. Our hope must pass through the crucible of Christ’s death, only then will it become immense and have the power to raise the dead”.
Besides Father Steckling as Superior general, the following were elected for different posts: Vicar General Eugene King (Ireland re-elected); general assistants Father Oswald Firth (Sri Lanka) and Father Paolo Archiati (Italy); general councillor for Africa and Madagascar Father Jean-Bosco Musumbi from Congo, general councillor for Latin America Loudeger Mazile from Haiti; general councillor for Asia and Oceania Father Federico Labaglay from the Philippines; general councillor for Canada and the United States il Father Marcel Dumais from Canada; general councillor for Europe Luis Ignacio Rois from Spain (S.L.) (Agenzia Fides 29/9/2004; Righe 30; Parole 407)