The General Council held the Meeting of New Spiritan Major Superiors from 17th to 27th September 2024, with 12 participants.
The new superiors were from many different circumscriptions around the globe – Africa, Europe, North America, Latin America, Oceania and Asia – living and working in very diverse social, economic, cultural, political and ecclesial situations. These were Frs. Alberto Tchindemba (Mozambique), Antonio Mendes Mosso (Spain), Edward Khaemba (Oceania), Cycus Chungu (Zambia), Floria Marozva (Zimbabwe), Fredrick Wafula (Kenya), Innocent Abagoami (Switzerland), Joseph Lam Nguyên (Vietnam-India), Marcin Dusinski (Poland), Oliver Iwuchukwu (Trans-Canada), Pierre Kiounda Bilongo (Congo Brazzaville) and Tomás João Sanhá (Brazil).
They are all, with one exception, in the prime of their lives. They are therefore a group of experienced, dynamic superiors who are motivated by the demanding mission of guiding and animating their respective circumscriptions.
The meeting is a very important annual event for the members of the General Council and has three main goals. First of all, it gives the General Council an opportunity to get a sense of the challenges that our Spiritan leaders around the world are facing. Second, it gives the new superiors a sense of the various services available to them in the Generalate and the various ways in which they might be assisted in carrying out their ministry. Third, it is an opportunity for the members of the General Council and the new superiors to strengthen their collaboration as they work together towards a common understanding and a common vision of what it means to be a Spiritan leader in the world of today which is vital for a decentralised organization as ours.
The opening liturgy, presided by Fr. Alain Mayama, the Superior General, emphasized self-giving and leadership as service to others in “imitation of Christ, the Good shepherd, who came to serve rather than to be served and to lay down his life for the sheep”. A striking example of this service is given to us by our founders Claude François Poullart des Places and François Marie Paul Libermann, in their ability to lead others. They were spiritual mentors for their brothers in the imitation of Christ. For that reason there was a ceremony of washing of feet incorporated into the Mass, carried out by Fr. Alain Mayama and assisted by his Assistants, Fr. Philip Massawe and Fr. Tony Neves.
The meeting started with presentations by each new superior on the reality of his circumscription and followed by some discussions. Then members of the General Council gave inputs on Decisions of Bagamoyo II, Animation plan of the Congregation, Confreres in irregular situation, Interreligious Dialogue (IRD), Canonical Processes, Intercultural communities, Central Development Office/Mission Office, Justice Peace and Integrity of Creation (JPIC), Mission Appointments, Finances, Spiritan Formation and Education for Mission, Safeguarding Minors & Vulnerable Adults, Spiritan and Lay Spiritan Associates and Brothers, Preparation for Chapters, Enlarged Provincial Council and Group Assemblies and the joys & challenges of the Unions of Circumscriptions. The Superiors also had opportunity to visit and see different services at the Generalate. Fr. Yago Abeledo, MAfr was invited to give an input on Leadership for Service. Fr. Chika Onyeujiwa was invited to give an input on CESS/Kibanda. Fr. Fabian Adindu, VIVAT International in Geneva (Via Zoom) gave an input on Mission as Advocacy for Human Rights. Br. Carmo Gomes from Portugal was invited to help in audio-visual communication and translation. Fr. Elie Catien Coly and Fr. John Abugri from the Notre Dame community of priest students were also invited to help in the translation.
The Superiors also had the opportunity to visit the various departments of the General Administration and meet the personnel involved.
The meeting was not all work; the new superiors had an opportunity to visit the city of Rome, to attend the Papal audience and to spend a day in Assisi, the birthplace of Saint Francis. The Mass at Assisi was presided by Fr. Albert Ndongo Assamba who concluded his homily telling the new Superiors that “Coming to Assisi means making our own pilgrimage in the footsteps of our Founder Libermann, who came to Assisi in 1840 to learn from Francis how to use power. To come to Assisi is (also) to make a good entry into the second phase of the General Council’s animation plan on Spiritan Spirituality.
May Saint Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of the Venerable Father Libermann, intercede for each of us and for our Circumscriptions. Amen.”
Our new leaders have now dispersed; they have gone back to their circumscriptions, to their places of work. We hope that they now possess new vitality and new perspectives for the ministry they carry out on behalf of the Congregation.
