{"id":528,"date":"2019-01-30T08:18:19","date_gmt":"2019-01-30T08:18:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.christianlifecommunity.ca\/wordpress\/?p=528"},"modified":"2019-01-30T08:18:19","modified_gmt":"2019-01-30T08:18:19","slug":"world-assembly-reflections-day-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianlifecommunity.ca\/wordpress\/2019\/01\/30\/world-assembly-reflections-day-9\/","title":{"rendered":"World Assembly Reflections – Day #9"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

July 30th<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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On this second to last day of our Assembly – Day #9 – we have come to\n the administrative business that we are also assembled for. In many \nways it was quite an exciting day, filled with drama, expectations, \nhopes, disappointments\u2026 as well as shear tedium. We were sitting all day\n deliberating in the big white tent… only allowed out for coffee \nbreaks, lunch and Mass. But this being said it was actually one of the \nquickest days. From early morning to nightfall we sat deliberating, but \nit seemed like a few short hours\u2026 and Michelle, Catherine and I \nreacquainted ourselves with each other once again by sitting together as\n a National delegation because we vote as one delegation\u2026 and we \ncontinue to like each other\u2019s company too:)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I will not go into the details of what we voted on today, but in \ngeneral today was a day devoted to voting on an amendment to a General \nNorm, 3 revisions of our General Principles, and upon the World CLC \nbudget for the next 5 years (until the next World Assembly). We also \nspent time on reading and providing input on the summary of our graces \nfrom our Assembly so far, as it was composed by the \u2018writers\u2019 of our \nAssembly. It doesn\u2019t sound like much, but with over 70 Nationals voting \namongst over 200 people, with some of the votes that require a 2\/3 \nmajority (GP\u2019s), with input from the floor before voting, it makes for a\n full day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the World Executive Secretary, Alwin Macalalad facilitating this\n voting time (an often challenging task at times given all the input \ndesired from the floor before the actual votes), the amendment to one of\n our General Norms passed by 2\/3\u2019s\u2026 a Norm pertaining to the makeup of \nthe World Exco. It took a fair bit of clarification from Exco on what \nexactly we were voting upon, and the consequences of our vote, but the \n2\/3\u2019s was attained. Then there were 3 proposed revisions to our General \nPrinciples, that also required the 2\/3\u2019s to pass. With surprise and \ndisappointment\u2026 none or these 3 proposed revisions passed. While these \nproposals seemed so clear and obvious – including one on revising our \nGeneral Principles to more explicitly reflect our ecological \nrelationship with God\u2019s Creation that was proposed by our own National –\n many concerns and lack of clarity arose amongst many of the National \ndelegations. I feel perhaps that I am not in as prayerful of a space \nthis evening as I need to be in sharing my thoughts on how the voting \ntranspired in a reflective way. I certainly understand many of the \nconcerns raised, and understand also how so many different cultures \nunderstand the proposals brought forward in a variety of ways. But one \ncan\u2019t help but still be a little disappointed of what could have been. \nBut as Mauricio Lopez, the World CLC President (until tomorrow) from \nMexico put it, can we move on in a spirit of community with decisions \nthat many of us had not personally hoped for? From the community spirit \nso evident among the Assembly delegates this evening after our \ndeliberations, we certainly can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Part of our day was also spent on looking at and voting on the next \nWorld CLC delegate. Our choices were tricky, and so took a lot of \nexplaining from the moderator of this part of our deliberations, Exco \nconsultor, Denis Dobbelstein (from Belgium). We made it through and we \nhave a budget! There will be a small change in our budget from how it \nhas been in the past, based upon our clear Assembly vote. But that is a \ndetail we will explain a little later.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also spent part of our afternoon listening to a draft of the \nsummary of the graces of our World Assembly. As you may be gathering by \nnow, it was a hard Assembly figure out. What have we \u2018achieved\u2019 this \nAssembly? What do we take away? Andre\u00e9 Richard, the President of CVX \nfrench Canada, summed it up very beautifully, saying that when she came \nhere to this Assembly she was expecting to take home a baby. Where is \nthe baby she asked today? The answer she has realized is that it is not \nyet delivered. We will leave this CLC Assembly pregnant with the mystery\n of God\u2019s gift that has been bestowed upon us. This Assembly has not \nbeen our Bethlehem moment, but our Annunciation. Like Mary, we are left \nto ponder what has been given to us by God at this moment, and where it \nwill lead us. But the gift for us to reflect upon more deeply does lie \nin the environment of a deepened sense of community that we need to be \nmore intentional in sharing during the next 50 years\u2026 through a deepened\n sense and regard for how we listen and discern with one another in the \nguiding presence of the Spirit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As always, we ended our day with Mass and dinner. Even at this late \ndate in our Assembly different CLC Nationals still have gifts for us \nfrom their home countries\u2026 chocolates, prayer cards, rosaries, little \ngift bags, packets of Columbian coffee beans (Michelle loved those!). \nEach and every day we are presented with new gifts\u2026 in more ways than \none:) Two of our interpreters who were hired also left today. On leaving\n they made the mistake of departing for the airport during our late \nafternoon break. They could not depart quietly. These people who\u2019s \nvoices were in our heads for these days, helping interpret God graces of\n our fellow delegates of different languages, were smothered with hugs, \nkisses, and affections from everyone, to their utter surprise. Looking \nat the emotion on their faces as they departed summed up quite \npowerfully the spirit of our Assembly and the family we have formed \nthese last days. I would not be surprised at all if these two \ninterpreters looked to reconnect with CLC\u2019s when they return home. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We also had a short visit from Fr. Raffi, the Jesuit pastor of the \nlocal parish in this Buenos Aires community who hosted our day of \nimmersion with the local community a few days ago. He came to tell us \nhow much his parish community – which includes chapels throughout the \ncommunity – truly treasured our presence with them, and to bestow upon \nhis his blessings before our departure. Catherine Kelly then looked to \nme with tears in her eyes saying how hard it would be to depart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But not for one more day. We still have one more full day in which we\n vote for the next World Exco\u2026 and to celebrate our Feast of St. \nIgnatius! Please also pray for all Canadian Jesuits as we form one \nCanadian Province tomorrow in a union of English and French Canadian \nJesuits. <\/p>\n\n\n\n