3035 Assembly: Federation of Religious PNG-SI (FOR-PNGSI)
austraLasia #3035
Assembly: Federation of Religious PNG-SI
(FOR-PNGSI)
MADANG: 17 March 2012 --
From March
6-13, the Alexishafen Conference Center in Madang, Papua
New
Guinea, played host to more than fifty religious major superiors
and
delegates of the Federation of Religious from Papua New Guinea
and
Solomon Islands (FOR-PNGSI) for their Annual General Assembly.
Catholic
Religious Australia (CRA) and the Conference of Major
Superiors of the
Pacific Islands (CMSPI) also sent their respective
representatives. Fr.
Dominic Kachira was the delegate for the SDB while Sr. Alice
Fulgencio
and Sr. Annie Saligumba represented the FMA. The presence of
Bishop
Bill Fey, OFM Cap and Bishop Rolando Santos, CM, from the
Catholic
Bishops Conference of PNG-SI as bishops’ deputy for Religious
confirmed
the importance of this gathering.
The theme of this year’s encounter was Leadership for Communio.
The
workshop was facilitated by Br. Aengus Kavanagh, fsp, a
Patrician
Brother and Sr. Leone Pallisier, osu, an Ursuline Sister, both
from
Sydney. In the four-day workshop they helped the leaders see
the
importance of leadership from “inside-Out” for the
strengthening of
communion drawing from the framework of the Program Seven Habits of Highly Effective
People
by Stephen Covey. The contents of the workshop were presented
keeping
in mind the Melanesian context and the facilitators used a
process
which was both engaging and dynamic giving a chance for all to
share
experiences, express insights, bring out doubts and challenge
the group
to re-think processes, structures, etc. to reflect a more
proactive
stance and a planning mentality.
The synergy in the group was very much felt throughout the
workshop and
in the Federation’s deliberations of burning issues during the
business
meeting. The Socials night provided a welcome respite from the
hard
work of the past days and everyone with a talent in singing,
dancing,
drama, telling stories/jokes contributed to make the event an
unforgettable one. Even the two bishops gamely joined in the
fun.
The business meeting was a moment of crucial deliberation and
decision-making on some issues and concerns of the Federation
which
have been dragging on for the past years. Foremost among these
issues
is the future of Xavier Institute, a Center for ongoing
formation of
women and men religious. The federation voted on the motion to
keep the
Center open and for the congregations to take turns in running
and
staffing the Center. Many other important decisions were
reached which
will have an impact not only for the Church but for the
society as well.
In the concluding Eucharist, Bishop Rolando Santos pointed out
the
importance of going back to the source of our consecrated
life, Jesus,
in order that we may be prophetic in our witnessing and
life-giving in
the mission.
