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                                                                                             JULY 31, 2013 
CLC XVI WORLD ASSEMBLY- BEIRUT, LEBANON... 
July 30 to August 8, 2013
WA Logo
Theme: From our Roots to the Frontiers
"This is my son, The Beloved. Listen to what He says"(Mk 9,7)

With this theme, we intend to bridge the time from our inception as a 

lay Ignatian community till the present time - and our 450th anniversary 

which we will celebrate in 2013. We will reflect on the journey we have traveled together, especially since Itaici 1998, during which we confirmed our identity as a lay apostolic body. In addition, we affirm and explore our desire to respond to the signs of the time, ready to 

cross borders and touch new frontiers. 

 

 World 
CLC General 
Assembly here

 

DAY 2
CLC Canada's Delegates
MARY BALFE, PRESIDENT    LEANNE SALEL, YA
MaryLeanne Salel
  

Day 2: St. Ignatius Feast Day (and Mary's grandson Jonah's 4th birthday)

Thank you Gerri for doing such a splendid job with the e-newsletter.

I am presently sitting in the lobby waiting for Leanne to join me. Fr. Charlie is on my right preparing his journal as well. We decided that the delegate input would be to respond to what particularly caught our attention in the day.

Have you ever had olives for breakfast with the freshest thinnest pita, and a cream fresh of some kind...herbs to dress it up or guava conserve if one prefers, hard boiled eggs on the side. The coffee is Turkish and will take a spoon standing straight up!

Leading our first reflection as we moved into listening to echoes from our CLC history this morning was the following statement: "In Christian spirituality one cannot divide the old and the new into various parts. The reason is that what is new is authentic only if it preserves what is old, and what is old retains its vitality only if it is lived in a new way." Karl Rahner

A video helped us review our 450 year graced history and we were struck by the numerous peoples and communities across the world that have paved the way for us. To consider that the Jesuits were once suppressed (1773- 1840) and not until 1953 were the new structure of Principles and Norms were under way due to Fr. Louis Paulussen's perseverance to re-establish lay Ignatian communities under a Jesuit wing. It was 1967 that saw the Federations of Marian Sodalities take on a new name , 'Christian Life Community'. From '79 -'82 these communities moved from Federations to One World Community.

As we gathered for the 22 remaining communities to share their recent history of the last 5 years the headphones we were using for the language translation were not working properly so we were not only hearing the translation but the original language at the same time! It did not take long for the Exco to halt the process until it was gratefully resolved.

Leanne has expressed her delight in seeing a large number of young adult delegates who are representing their young adult communities, from a lot of the African countries, Chile, Philippines and more! When we come home we will share with you some of the difficulties that South Sudan, Congo, Cuba and Syria have 'lived'.

When it came time for the World reports, it was evident that member time, availability, energy and capacity are not only challenged at our national level but at the World level as well. Full digital reports will be available soon.

To close the day Elaine graduated the national delegation process through inviting once again a time of silent prayer with first and second rounds, leading to a third round in which we took the words and phrases of the first and second round and put them into a sentence. Ours was:

Filled with sincere gratitude we seek to love and serve the Lord.  (Psalm 115-116)

 

P.S.  Mary met Norbert Temble of Zambia who is asking for the Sullivans of Central Region who spent time in Zambia early in their CVX history.  He would love to reconnect with them so that they could accurately record those days.

P.P.S.  Also,  Enrique Fernandez of Santa Domingo, Dominican Republic, is delighted to hear that Central is still with the mission school in La Cienaga- we were impressed to see them bring their yellow umbrella for the "4% for Education" campaign which we supported.


NEA FR. CHARLES POTTIE, SJ
Fr Charles   

Dear All,

    Greetings for this feast of St. Ignatius....it is late, so this might be short.

    We had another full day (really the 2nd day of Assembly). Beautiful day again and this morning I went up to the roof to walk around and pray a bit looking down at Beirut and the sea....Inspiring.

   We started earlier today - 7:45 breakfast and then meeting at 8:45 am.....Today was a review of the history of the CLC since 1563 - 450 years of lay Ignatian community. We had a wonderful animated video of a ship being led by the Spirit over the years and places. Then Sophia - she and her husband are the secretariat for world ExCo - gave us a wonderful overview of the 450 years of the ongoing movement of the CLC up to the present. I was struck by the richness of the history of this lay movement - in various countries and to its state as a worldwide lay apostolic body committed to the mission of Christ.  After this presentation we had time for personal prayer and reflection on what struck on about this historical overview. Then we had a wonderful witness by one of the leaders in Lebanon of the development of CLC in Lebanon but also on the international level. He spoke with such sincerity and simplicity. Very impressive.

 

   In the last part of the morning we finished the presentation of the French and Spanish speaking national communities - France, Belgium, Rwanda, Chad, Cote d'Ivoire, Republic of Congo, etc. = about 22 countries. Very creative in their presentation of their symbol and what they are involved in since Fatima Assembly in 2008. The presentation by Syria's members was very moving, given what they have been through. They have minted a special medal that will have raise funds.

 

    Then we had dinner at 1 pm.... followed by a meeting with the North American group to prepare the Eucharist for tomorrow, Aug. 1. That meant no siesta! As a result I was struggling to keep alert for the rest of the afternoon's sessions!  These two sessions dealt with the World ExCo's feedback of what has happened in the last 5 years since Fatima. Each of the large regions of the world (Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, South America) had a report by one of the ExCo members. All very interesting - the steps forward as well as the challenges.

 

   Then we did our review of the day with our Process guide - in small groups of delegates. It was a day of gratitude for our history and what this is calling us to....

 

   At 7 pm we had the Eucharist for the feast of St. Ignatius. The Middle East group was responsible for this celebration. Fr. Kolvenbach was hoping to come, but couldn't after all. We all hope that he will show up for a short visit. He is well loved by CLC people because he was so supportive of lay involvement and commitment in the church. He was, as Superior General, the world Ecclesial Assistant for CLC.

 

   After the Eucharist we had a festive dinner with Lebanese red wine. A nice finish to the day. Some of the African participants organized some dancing in the garden. Always a delight to watch real African dancing....

  

   Peace /Salam / Shalom  to all

      
  
WA 5WA 6
WA 3WA 4
WA 1WA 2
World Assembly Process Guide
Elaine Nightingale
                
         Elaine Nightingale, Companions, Toronto

CLC Canada holds a special place in our hearts 
for Elaine as she answers her 'yes' for 
Christian Life Community World!
Assembly Objectives
  1. To gratefully remember our roots and how we have been guided over the centuries.
  2. To deepen our self-understanding as a Lay Apostolic Body.
  3. To touch the new frontiers that challenge and beckon us today.
  4. To enthusiastically renew our response to God's call.

 

Day Two:  31 July.  Feast of St. Ignatius. "Remembrance of Our Roots" our history since 1563 - testimonies and reflection on our history - testimonies on the transition to CLC - incorporation of new national communities - Eucharist with Fr. Kolvenbach.

 

 
Prayer for our Lebanon Assembly

 

Heavenly Father, you offer us Jesus, your Beloved Son, and ask us to listen to Him. 

 In response to this gift, we the members of the Christian Life Community commit ourselves to following Jesus more closely and working with Him 

to build your Kingdom.

O Lord, our World Assembly at Lebanon is part of a long and rich history

which you have bequeathed to us.  Today, your Spirit invites us to be present 

at the ever changing frontiers of faith and justice.  Relying on the intercession 

of the Virgin Mary Our Lady of Lebanon and St. Ignatius, we seek to deepen our 

identity and act effectively as a Lay Apostolic Body in the Church.  May your 

love and grace empower us along this journey.     

O God of Love, we ask your Blessings of Peace upon the whole world and especially upon the region of the Middle East.  Illuminate the hearts of your children; free us from all bitterness and strife; guide our steps along the paths of Peace. 

Almighty God, we entrust our CLC World Assembly to your loving providence.  

Eternal Father, confirm us. Eternal Son, confirm us, Eternal Spirit, confirm us.  

Most Holy Trinity, confirm us. Amen.  



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