News
PGC - Main Themes of the Day 5 - Tuesday, 4 June 2024
Migrants in the USA
Before listening to a report on the mission of a group of Assumption University students and teachers to migrants in El Paso, the PGC continued its reflection on formation and the economic situation of the Congregation as a whole.
Discussions on formation focused in particular on the fragile situation of the CIFA (International Assumptionist Formation Community) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, which for almost two years has been in need of a second formator to assist Fr. Marcelo Marciel, the current superior. In reaffirming the desirability of this place of formation in the Spanish-speaking world, the Provincials have committed themselves to gradually building up a team of formators within this CIFA. This could begin with the rapid dispatch of a religious for this purpose.
Returning to the economic situation of the Congregation, the PGC set out to identify our main sources of income: salaries, donations and bequests, and investments. We are workers, beggars and investors (Cf. 34th Gen. Chap., no. 262). Living essentially from the income and various remunerations of our apostolic work, it is therefore in our interest to maximize the fruit of these efforts and to integrate more fully the culture of sharing our goods in common. It is also in our interest to nurture the generosity of the faithful by ensuring the quality of our pastoral commitments. It's not enough to maximize income. We also need to keep a close eye on expenses, for example, by doing some of the domestic chores ourselves (cooking, laundry, cleaning, etc.), which could reduce the number of employees in our communities.
In the afternoon, the PGC was pleased to welcome Deacon Paul Covino from Campus Ministry and David Crowley, professor at Assumption University, who came to share the experience they had with students among migrants in El Paso. In a country with the highest number of migrants in the world (nearly 51 million), a number not so high in terms of percentage of the population compared to many other countries, this experience enables students to better understand the situation of migrants in border regions, to identify the reasons that drive them to flee their countries, and to reflect on their convictions and faith. They also take part in the Assumption mission, committed as it is (through its community in El Paso) to all those people in search of more promising horizons.
In the same apostolic thrust, the end of the day was marked by a time of information on the current life of Bayard. This was facilitated by Matthieu Guignard, in charge of coordinating works in the European Provinces, and in particular of accompanying Bayard on behalf of the Provincial.
The CGP remains grateful to our three speakers today.
P. Thierry KAHONGYA