Live Jesus !
Samarpanaram, September,2006

Dear confrere!

Oblate India awaits three big celebrations with joy.

On Thursday, October 12th 2006, we the Region as well as the community of Samarpanaram will celebrate Founders’ day in Samarpanaram, and this time combined with an anniversary. We will celebrate 40 years of priesthood of Fr. Alfred Smuda, the Superior of Bliss. While we will remember all Oblates who have been instrumental for our development in this part of the world and throughout the Congregation, we will especially celebrate with one confrere who has served the church and the congregation with his body, his soul, his voice, his spirit, and his whole being. In a special way Fr. Alfred Smuda is an example for us, for what the General Chapter of 2006 has asked us to keep in focus: the missionary character of the Congregation. It is good to come together as region and to express sincerely our gratitude for a confrere, who still aims at becoming a better Oblate. Seeing him on this journey inspires us to remain goal orientated, perseverant and patient as well. If you can, you are most welcome to join us on this auspicious day.

On Saturday, October 21st 2006, we have another opportunity to celebrate. Br. John George Kadavumkandathil has requested to make his final commitment in our Congregation and the Superior General and his Council have approved his request.  We welcome Br. John George in our community wholeheartedly. His personality adds one more flower to the bouquet India. In his self-evaluation Br. John George writes among other things: “First of all I am proud to be an Oblate. I see life in our Congregation and I am sure that the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales will never have a lack of membership.”  John George, we are proud to welcome you as perpetually professed member, and yes, with people like you, I do share your certainty that Oblates of St. Francis de Sales will never have a lack of membership.

Finally, on Tuesday, November 7th 2006, His Excellency Most Rev. Govindu Joji, Bishop of Nalgonda, will ordain Deacon Bala Swamy Dande priest. We are looking forward to this occasion to celebrate the gift of priesthood in Bala Swamy. Bala Swamy’s relative seniority has urged one or the other of us to joke. However I am very glad that Fr. (to be) Bala Swamy has persevered in his vocation and that God has enabled him to overcome any obstacles until his ordination. The Congregation receives in Fr. (to be) Bala Swamy the second priest from Andhra Pradesh and shares the joy of his vocation with his parents and his family. May, from his ordination onward, his daily life, as Saint Francis de Sales once resolved, be a preparation for the next mass. We will share this undertaking with him.

With this trinity of events ahead of us, I come to you to share recent events and decisions with you.

1. In the name of Oblate Asia I congratulate our newly elected Superior General Fr. Aldino Kiesel OSFS to his election. Father Aldino Kiesel hails from Brazil and has served many years as Novice Master in the Region of South America. He was General Councilor and became 2003 the Regional Superior of the South American Region. I assure him in our name total support. We are looking forward to his visit in May 2007, where he has consented to give us the yearly retreat. We also congratulate Fr. Mark Mealey and Fr. Konrad Esser in their new and old office as General Councilors and Fr. Bob Mancini to his re-appointment as General Treasurer. We are looking forward to welcome one or the other soon in India

2. The General Chapter 2006 has closed its session on August 8th 2006. I do attach the decisions of the General Chapter for your convenience as separate document. May I in short give a small résumé?

• The Chapter was marked of a true spirit of fraternity. Discussions were never about who is right or not, much more they were about how we can meaningfully continue to grow as a Congregation and continue to fulfill the vision of our founders.
• It became very clear that the missionary character of the Congregation would continue to play an important role in the life of the Congregation.
• Policies have been introduced that will help us as Congregation to address structural changes because of diminishing numbers in one part of the oblate world, and growing numbers in other parts of the world.
• A biography of Fr. Brisson has been written and is now in the process of being translated.
• An international community in France is being investigated.
• A meeting of formators has been encouraged by the Chapter and will take place at De Sales University next summer.
• Provinces/Regions are asked to review their formation programs regarding the missionary character of the Congregation being instilled in our young confreres.
• Provinces/Regions are being encouraged to look into how they can contribute more actively to a peaceful and just world.
• General Statutes have been added, deleted and revised.
• The work of the ICSS for the next five years has been encouraged.
• A focus is being laid upon the notion of Salesian education.
• The foundation for lay associations cooperating with the OSFS and sharing our vision as OSFS has been broadened canonically.
• The term “Chablais Spirit” has to be explored more.
• A protocol for new foundations has been approved as policy.
• Important policies for the Chablais Mission Fund have been decided upon.

Furthermore each Province and Region gave a detailed report about itself. We listened to each other, shared each other’s joys and pains and celebrated together liturgy. Highlight of the Chapter was, next to the election of the new Superior general, for sure the celebration of 100 years of Oblates in the Austrian-South-German Province. In a touching moment
Fr. Mathew Mukkath brought to the altar burning incense sticks from India during the offertory. The Austrian-South-German confreres wanted to express in that manner their gratitude to God for the growth of Oblate Asia, knowing that the Province had been instrumental in bringing that growth about. As a symbolic token of appreciation I offered in the name of the Asian Mission this plate and this incense stick vessel, which we had brought from India, to the Austrian-South-German Province.

I take the opportunity to thank all of you for having prayed for the success of the General Chapter 2006. The Chapter was a spiritual experience that will enable the Congregation to make its next steps into the future. I call upon the creativity of every confrere to now put into practice on a very personal level decisions taken by the General Chapter. I am most willing to participate in a dialogue with you in that matter. In concrete the Asian Mission will:

• find ways how it contributes to elaborating and putting into effect new initiatives of evangelization (Vita Consecrata, par 73), including initiatives that go beyond cultural, provincial, or national borders.
• develop its own protocol as to how to participate more actively in fund raising for the Chablais Mission Fund.
• develop initiatives to receive confreres and lay people for an intercultural encounter for a certain period of time (lay missionaries).
• continue to encourage our young confreres to study a subject beyond philosophy and theology in order to be better able to meet the challenging needs of the people, to more effectively reach out to all peoples of good will, and even to ensure financial income.
• slowly have to start formal conversations with the Superior General and hic council about its future status.
• participate in the formators meeting of the Congregation.
• participate in the discussion about the notion of salesian education.
• start investigating ways of inviting the laity to participate in our salesian heritage, its living  and its spreading.
• integrate in its formation program instruction in the meaning and implications of “the missionary character of the Congregation.”  This instruction should include a period of immersion in pastoral experience in another culture.
• explore contacts with religious order or ecclesiastical associations in order to inform itself about international peace and justice issues and how to be an influential voice therein.

As you can see we have enough to do. Let’s do it as Saint Francis de Sales once wrote to Mme. de Fléchère: “Put no trust in yourself for the success of your undertaking, but only in the help God gives you; believing in His care, repose in it, knowing that He will do what is best for you, provided you apply yourself diligently but gently to whatever work is at hand.”

3. Fr. Vincent has obtained admission for his M.Sc. studies at Montfort College and will start these studies immediately. He is therefore released from all his responsibilities in Samarpanaram. Though he will not be living in Samarpanaram, he continues to belong to the community of Samarpanaram. I thank Fr. Vincent for his contribution to the community life in Samarpanaram and wish that his studies might enlighten him. All the best!

4. Fr. Maichael has commenced his studies in MSW at Roshini College, Mangalore, on August 1st and is now a real busy man. God bless you in your studies.

5. As you might have heard I had asked already in May for some time off. I do wish to address a few personal issues and will do so in Vienna/Austria under the guidance of my former spiritual director, who is a Jesuit. I will be leaving India on October 23rd, then accompany the Superior General to visit the confreres in Italy, France and Benin and then go to Vienna. I will return to India on February 23rd. I kindly ask for your prayers during that time. In my absence Fr. Shaju, as my assistant, will be the acting Delegate Superior. I thank him and the advisory board for making this time possible. You can be assured of my prayers as well.

6. As you all know we have decided together to contribute to the Philippine foundation. Therefore Fr. Bruzily is awaiting the formalities and ready to go there for a period of three years. Before doing that he is being transferred to the community of Samarpanaram in order to assist Fr. Shaju in the community. I thank Fr. Bruzily for coming to Bangalore and supporting the work of the community there. His departure for the Philippines is scheduled for January 2007.

7. Br. Jayaraj has started his studies in Psychological Counselling at Darshan College and is quite enthusiastic about it. Find his address in the new address list I do add to this letter.

8. Our last advisory board meeting took place on September 16th. Among other things, we discussed also the growth of Oblate India. I had sent to all perpetually professed members a letter regarding decisions we were prepared to make regarding theologate, novitiate and school. This letter has served us for talks with the General Council and with confreres. Based on reactions from the General Council and from individual confreres to some of our ideas and considering the rather tight financial situation of the Congregation, we have become clearer, that we shall bake smaller breads, as they say. Therefore we have prioritised the projects and opted to focus at present on the Novitiate. This represents for us the first and foremost priority. The second priority is our theologate in Mangalore. This means that for time being we will remain in a rented house in Mangalore until opportunity arises and funds are sufficient to make a bigger step. Finally, the school will have to wait a little bit. We will continue to form our confreres in that direction, but we want to provide sufficient experience as well as we need to solicit and find funds for such a project.

9. We have also decided to appoint two new vocation promoters. Fr. (to be) Bala Swamy shall be responsible for the North-East, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu, Fr. Reji shall be responsible for Kerala and Karnataka. Before a final decision is being made they shall consult with the Superior of Salespuram. I thank both confreres for having accepted this important task. I promise them my full support and urge each one of you to contribute to our vocation promotion efforts. I thank Fr. Mathew and Fr. Xavier for having worked so well in the last years.

10. By next year we think to have Brisson Bala Bhavan filled. There should then be 20 boys and we need therefore to add a study hall to the present set up. The advisory board gave green light for such an undertaking. Most probably we will build a first floor onto the ground floor of the hostel for the area needed to have a study hall.

11. Already now I want to make sure that you are aware of the dates for our annual retreat and the General Meeting. Our annual retreat will be for all of us together (Fathers and scholastics) from Sunday, May 20th until Friday, May 25th. The General Meeting will take place in Samarpanaram from Saturday, May 26th to Sunday, May 27th. The renewal of vows will be as usual on May 30th.

12. In addition we discussed during our last advisory board meeting:

• Br. John George was permitted to be raised to the ministry of lector on October 23rd
• We talked about the next academic year and possible assignments.
• We decided whom to send to the Formators Meeting in DSU next year.
• We talked about issues of the Society related to the land: Land tax, conversion, commercial use, and permission to build a church on the compound.
• We had a mid term evaluation of the third year philosophers.
• Fr. Mathew gave us an overview of Salespuram, esp. +2 students.
• We discussed very informally Samarpanaram as possible sub-station or parish.
• The next meetings of the advisory board will be: October 13th 2006, Samarpanaram and March 3rd and 4th 2007 at a place to be determined at a later stage.

  13. Please remember our confreres who passed away:

11th June 2006:           Fr. Nicolaas Petrus Bergkamp [Namibian R.] 81 / Mariental – Miss.
28th June 2006:           Bro. Albert S. Pietrusinski [Toledo Pr.] 70 / Toledo - Cook, Teacher
27th July 2006:            Fr. Franz Gentgen [S.American R.] 94 / Santa Isabel – Missionary
29th July 2006:            Bro. Roland Bertrand [French Pr.] 78 / Chasse sur Rhône - Educator
11th August 2006:      Fr. Marco Agostini [Italian Pr.] 43 / Pomezia - Pastor

14. The community of Samarpanaram will in a special way pray during the month of October and offer one mass per day for the benefactors, who have contributed to the “Chablais Mission Fund”. It is one way for us to participate in the congregational effort to build up that fund. May I invite all of you to make a conscious effort throughout the month of October to keep the needs of these benefactors in your prayers?

Let me close my letter with a word of Saint Francis de Sales. It has struck me during the controversy around the remarks of the Pope about Islam. I am happy to see that a dialogue in faith seems to develop. I wondered what we as Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales could contribute to that dialogue, not necessarily on a theological level; I may be the wrong advisor for that, but on a very personal level. And then I came across a letter of St. Francis writing to Madame de Brúlart, who desired so much to see her own family to make progress in God’ service and Christian perfection. While Saint Francis praised this effort infinitely, he remarked:

“But I am always afraid that these desires which are not the essence of our own salvation and perfection, may have some trace of self-love and self-will in them. For example, we may indulge so much in these not really essential desires as to not leave enough room in our hearts for longings which are more justly indicated, more useful as for instance our longing to be humble and meek of heart. We might pursue these desires so ardently that they make us anxious and overeager; and finally we might not submit them so perfectly to God’s will as we should. This is what I fear in desires of this kind, and this is why I beg you to be very careful not to run such risks, but to pursue your aims in this matter gently and kindly; that is to say, without being a nuisance to those whom you would like to influence towards perfection, and without even letting them guess your intention; for, believe me, that would do more harm than good. So you must work by your example and by what you say, quite gently, sowing the good seed which might later on come up; and without making it obvious that you want to instruct them or win them over, you must gradually fill their hearts with holy ideas and considerations. And so you will do much more real good than in any other way, especially if you pray about it.”

I ask God to give each one of us the desire for being a good example for each other, for the people we are ministering to, and also for our Muslim sisters and brothers, or of whatever faith the people, we are encountering, have.

Our homepage has been updated recently. Just take a look: www.osfs-asia.net.

I remain as always your brother in our Holy Founders!

 

Fr. Sebastian Leitner osfs

 

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