Vic, Spain. Members of the General Government and Provincial Governments of the European Conference of the Claretian Missionaries (ECLA) are currently holding an important meeting in Vic, which began on December 4th and will continue until December 14th, 2023. Provincials and council members from all five Provinces of Deutschland, Fatima, Polska, Santiago, and Sanctus Paulus, as well as the General Government members, are in attendance. The purpose of the meeting is to follow up on the General Government’s canonical visits to the European continent. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.
The meeting began with the celebration of the Eucharist, presided over by the Superior General, Fr. Mathew Vattamattam, CMF, who recalled some lights and hopes of the time of Advent in which the meeting is held and invited not to occupy the chair of the Holy Spirit but to be co-creators of the future with the Spirit.
The Eucharist celebration was followed by speeches from the Superior General, President of the Claretian Missionaries of Europe Conference (ECLA), and Provincial Superior of Sanctus Paulus Province, which hosted the meeting.
Fr. General’s words at the opening in Vic resonated strongly with those present:
“The Lord called St Anthony Mary Claret at a difficult time in the history of Europe to open new paths of evangelization when the traditional media were hindered.”
During his speech, he also stressed that, faced with the challenges of a changing Europe,
“our task is to remain faithful to what we are in the Church and to try to share what we have received, finding ways to enrich the Church and the world from our charism. (…) It is time to keep hope alive and to embrace our vulnerability by trusting in the Lord who guides our Congregation”.
On the first day of the event, Br. Carlos Verga, CMF, moderated the proceedings which commenced with a prayer session, followed by a presentation of statistics on the reality of the Congregation in Europe. The session also included a spiritual conversation regarding the challenges faced by the Churches in this continent. This conversation was facilitated by Sr. Jolanta Kafka, RMI, who had previously participated in the Synod of Synodality held in Rome last October.
