FROM EVERY NATION, PEOPLE AND
LANGUAGE;
SHARING INTERCULTURAL LIFE AND MISSION
Four Mission Priorities of the SVD
Region Timor Leste Based On The XVII General Chapter
After a long discussion, thus the
following points were decided as the four mission priorities in Timor Leste
region for the period of three years.
1. Primary and New Evangelization
2. Family and Youth
3. Migration
4. Education and Research
(The full report of the action and
plan is available in a separate document. Here are the matters being raised in
the discussion)
 |
| The socialization of the chapter was closed with a recollection |
I. Primary and New Evangelization
● Need to add the timeline in the action-plan table.
● The correct term is Adagium, not adigium
● Having many strategies being presented means that every
parish or community may choose one from the strategies which are proposed.
II. Family and Youth
1. A question was raised in regard to
who will be responsible for the presented strategies, since there was no
indication in the presented table. Response: we are responsible for the
programmes and are supervised by the coordinator of the Family commission. Post
meriages is corrected to Post–marriages
2.What is our response to the
increasing number of divorced families nowadays, which are excluded in the
programme presented by the group? Response: The group thinks that within three years, it
would not be sufficient to address all of the problems in a comprehensive way,
but we will try to accompany other families with their problems as much as
possible. This responsibility belong to all of us, not only the responsibility
of the Family commission.
3. Need a further explanation of the
term post-marriages. Single mother needs to be included in the strategy? A
family visitation is a good pastoral activity. In the visitation we should not
make preferences. The term post-marriage means a continued mentoring to the
couples who have been married.
4.Need a relevant and integral
preparation for married couples. This is called a short term programme, but we
also need a long term programme. For instance: a girl who just got first
menstruation is forced by her parents to marry even though she is not ready for
a marriage. Is it possible to offer a preparatory course for young girls and
boys? This point has been included in the
first part of the presentation.
III. Migration:
1. The word counselling was mentioned
in your presentation. This word is very crucial; it is a life and death matter.
We, SVDs, do not have the competency to undertake counselling; only the experts
can do that. Response: our main aim is not to resolve their problems. We
only can mentor them. Thus, the usage of the word counselling is understood in
that process.
2. Fr Ferdy agrees to form the special
commission of migration in the Region as was suggested by the group. Fr
regional takes the issue into consideration.
3. Fr Gaby: the focus of your
strategies and objectives are about migration in Timor Leste. I would like to
suggest that we also should pay attention to the migration of East Timorese in
other countries. The forum takes the call. Therefore, the elected coordinator
of migration needs to build up the network with other SVDs who are involved in
the issue where there are East Timorese migrants.
4. The confreres who are involved in
the ministry of migration should provide accurate data on the figures of
migrants in Timor Leste. Response: Fr Allan will provide the data of the
Filipino migrants and Fr Urbanus will provide data of the Indonesian
migrants.
5. Our concept of migration: what do we
mean by migration; those who have married and lived in East Timor or does it
include people who come only for a short time to East Timor? Response:
the term migration means every individual from another country who comes to
East Timor. In other word, it includes all who are not East Timorese citizens.
6. According to the experience of the
confreres who have been working with the migrants, how many people have
received our ministry, whether the number of migrants increase or decrease? Response:
it is not important to count the number of people who have received our
services. Our continued involvement is more important. The challenge is that we
do not have detention centre to accommodate migrants. Let us be realistic to
begin with the small things or group of people.
IV. Education
1.Need an explanation of the term SMA
in the presentation. Response: the target of our education is not
only a formal education (SMA) but also non-formal education such us vocational
trainings.
2. Building a new school? Where would
be the right place for building an SVD school?
The first option is Macadiki, because the land is a property of SVD. The
other option is to build it on our property in Oequsi, or at our new place in
Batugade. No decision has been made because we do not have the budget yet to
build a school. Fr regional asked all the confreres to certificate the land in
Makadiki and (others)?
3. Information from Fr regional that
Collegio Maliana will be handed over symbolically to the diocese on September
2013. The term and condition of symbolic handover are to be clarified.
4. Information from Fr Simon that a new
school-house is given to SVD in Uatucarbau. The suggestion was declined because
of the obscurity of ownership of the school.
AD INTRA: SHARING INTERCULTURAL LIFE
1. Spirituality
Spirituality is an integral part of our being as missionary
bothers and priests. We are called to live a Trinitarian and incarnated
spirituality. To fulfil this, we are encouraged to undertake spiritual
activities such as: retreat, intercultural recollections, etc. In this regard,
the coordinator of the commission of spirituality needs to get more information
on related issues from the AJS centre in Steyl.
2. Community
Intercultural communities insist our response and attention.
Our Timor Leste Region is an example of an intercultural community because we
come from various countries. We are reminded to continue to live in the spirit
of intercultural in our communities. Sometimes we encounter problems with
confreres in the community. We are required to be able to resolve such problems
in a brotherly spirit. An intercultural community is a community which
cherishes and respects differences which occur at all levels. How do we live an
intercultural community? We will have a workshop to enhance our understanding
on the theme. In an intercultural community, we are called to exercise an
interpersonal communication, conflict management, and correctio fraterna.
3. Leadership
In the workshop, provincials/regionals need to provide
materials on leadership. Every member is encouraged to take part on the
workshop. Issues of ethnocentrism and ethnicism may be addressed in the context
of leadership. A deeper reflection hopefully would help us to avoid the danger
of ethnicism in the election of a leader.
4. Finance
Uncertainty
will colour our finance in the future. This
phenomenon forces us to be self-sufficient in the community life. Also, we are
encouraged to live a simple life. Accountability and transparency are demanded
in managing the finance. The generalate treasurer asked the
provincials/regionals to supervise all of the financial expenses in the
corresponding provinces/regions. Regarding the sick and elderly confreres:
Generalate does not provide financial support for them. Each province/region
needs to be creative to overcome the issue.
5. Formation
The formation team in the formation house needs to teach the
candidates about intercultural life. Formation team prepares an intercultural
programme in the formation house, such as the student exchange programme via
OTP. The formators also prepare them through psyhco-social workshops so that
they can understand better about themselves.
Brotherhood vocation: we are called to proclaim the
brotherhood vocation to the people. Many people do not yet understand about the
brotherhood vocation.
Region treasurer: P.
Paul Kerans, SVD
March project for SVD was granted. Many proposals was
neglected by generalate.
Finance expenses
Q: whether the money for each commission can be taken all at
one times or depends on the need?
Treasurer: No problem to take the money. Do not forget to
submit the receipt.
Fr Roby: Our finance is very limited. Fr Roby suggested that it would be good if
fr regional will keep the money and he, with the consent of his council, will
decide money spending according the needs in our region. Response: a money
expense depends on the aim written on the proposal.
Fr. Regional:
According to the budget, regional has four thousands for the expense of the
office affair and meetings. Information regarding: the legalize process of the
land at Cristo Rei in progress but generalate does not agree to buy the land.
How do we overcome the problem? Some days ago the regional sent an emergency
letter asking money to buy the land. We also need a retired house which has to
be closer to the hospital. Nevertheless, we should find another way to overcome
the problem.
Fr Juje: The allocation of money from generalate is
for the commission of spirituality or family?
Regional:
Family commission was formed after commission of spirituality. The money
belongs to commission of spirituality.
Fr Kris: We should
spend money according the item which was mentioned on the proposal. The
generalate did not grant the budget with clear reasons
Fr Feliks:
as formal provincial experienced when the generalate refused the proposal to
buy a land. He asked regional and council to be wiser in spending the money. We
have proposed the good programmes but we do not have money to support such
programmes. It is the right time for us to find other ways earning money.
Fr Rikard:
I am surprised indeed seeing the condition of our budget. However, without a
big amount of money we are still alive. In the district of Viqueque, we
allocate our pocket money to support the district’s life. I invited other
districts to do the same thing.
Fr Regional:
A couple of weeks ago, regional with fr Lasarus, attended
the meeting with the provincial of SVD Timor. The meeting aimed to allocate
some funding for Timor leste Region according the number of the region’s
members. The agreement which was made between the provincial and regional has
been sent to Rome for approval. According the agreement, we will receive: $298.000.
This mechanism needs to follow. We should be optimistic.
Fr. Ferdi: we
should be optimistic. Do not lose our hope in the mission. We trust in God’s
providence. In Maliana we do not receive money from diocese but we are able to
manage our self.
Fr. Juje: just to
affirm on the idea of self-sufficiency. Together we can do it.
Fr
Ferdi: In regards to the
transparency, as we are experiencing it now, where the treasurer showed the
budget to all confreres, it is the first time in my life as an SVD. The
shortage of money should encourage the economic team to work hard building up
our economy.
Fr
John: do not lose hope. Trust in God. Do not be anxious about our future.
Our future belongs God. Our future is in God’s hand as written in the Bible.
Fr. John T: we
do not need to spend the money now because we are already in September. From
our experience in the parish, the diocese funding can meet our daily needs.
Tresurer: if
we do not spend the money, we can not make a report to Rome. The spending of
the money is to be made according to the relatoriu, and the relatoriu will be
sent back to Rome. If the district, for instance, does not use the money, it
still belongs to the district. General asked us to be honest in spending our
budget.
Fe
Lasarus: We come here to proclaim the Good News of the
Lord. No matter, how much money we have, we should move on. Arnold Janssen
said: money is always at the benefactors’ pockets.
September
Proposal (2012)
September
budget is an external requirement, that is, for the place/parish where we work
and not for SVD. That is why, in the September budget, we only proposed type C
and D budgets. All proposals have been sent to Rome. Please wait for the
confirmation.
Contribution
from the Confreres
More
than half of the confreres have contributed to the congregation. The treasurer
is still waiting for those who have not done so.
Visa
payment
Visa
payment is paid by region. But, the transports of the confrere is paid by the
parish/community where he lives.
Surrounding
issues
Region
will not pay any money for a confrere who attends a meeting while he is on
vacation.
Vacation
We
should make a proposal when we decide to have a vacation every three years.
Annual vacation is to be self-funded. For European confreres, the planning for
their vacation needs to be made one year ahead of the actual vacation time. For
Indonesian confreres, they may have a vacation for the period of one month,
while non-Indonesian/Timorese confreres: two months. For those who have
not taken any vacation this year, you still have a right for a three-week
vacation. The one-in-three-years vacation will commence next year. (2013)
Bro
Albert: for German missionaries, their
vacation is paid by German bishops.
Last Will:
Every
confrere needs to state his last statement on the form provided.
Fr
Andre: Information about insurance.
Treasurer: Insurance is given
only to some confreres. Every year we have to pay an annual amount of money for
the insurance to the ministry of health. We do not have any insurance in Timor
Leste. Some confreres got insurance from Timor province.
Fr
Ferdy: I think, the last statement is
important. (Kasmir Nema, SVD)
.JPG)
