Kupang – Indonesia. In the context of the COVID 19 pandemic, which has brought suffering and pain to so many people, also our pastoral activities and interpersonal relationships have been affected, with visits and meetings drastically reduced. However, this context has opened unexpected doors to online communication and created new possibilities to continue our mission. Thus, the new Council of the Independent Delegation of Indonesia-Timor Leste organized a meeting through the Zoom platform on 7 and 8 December 2020, with all the prefects, local superiors, regional coordinators, and pastors of the delegation.
On the first day of the meeting all the local superiors and parish priests reported on the life and mission of the last three years in their respective communities and parishes. On the second day the new animation team of the Delegation, Fr. Nikolaus Ilan, cmf (Consultor), and Fr. Eugenius Paul Madoni, cmf (Consultor and Econome) presented their plan, program, and method for animating the life and mission of the delegation, in line with the creative fidelity of our charismatic roots. For this purpose, the Apostolic Prayer of our Father Founder, St. Anthony Mary Claret, was taken as a source of inspiration, in the light of the call to be witnesses and messengers of the Joy of the Gospel and of the congregational reflection towards a new General Chapter, “Rooted and Audacious.”
Towards the last session of the meeting all the members of perpetual vows of the Delegation had the opportunity to meet virtually with the General Prefect of Spirituality, Fr. Gonzalo Fernández Sanz, cmf. Fr. Gonzalo encouraged all the missionaries of the Delegation to have the ability to dream and to recognize the challenges that are presented to us at this time and to respond to them as missionaries. He also invited all the Delegation to always live with and in hope, as we are missionaries of Hope. Fr. Valens thanked Fr. Gonzalo for his availability and all the members of the Delegation for their participation in this virtual meeting and, at the same time, prayed for a better future in the life and mission of the Delegation.
