Bloom where you are planted!  Be what you are, be at its best!! To be nothing, if not human!!!    -SFS

Statement Call of the General Chapter Action Plan Memorare

Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales   18th ORDINARY GENERAL CHAPTER 19 May - 05 June 2007   Statement    Call of the General Chapter   Action Plan    Memorare         ACTION PLAN General Chapter 2007               Revitalize community life for a community based apostolate and a collective witness of our life as Fransalians - According to St. Francis de Sales and Fr Mermier           1.   Strive for a community centered life and mission.   2.   Organize Salesian recollections for the Local Communities and Apostolic Communities from time to time.   3.   Disseminate Salesian Spirituality through various media -  web sites, CD, DVD, translations and publications of Salesian literature into regional languages, etc.   4.   Declare the year 2008 as Fransalian Year honoring (marking) the 400th anniversary of the publication of “Introduction to Devout Life”. Make a special effort to read, reflect and study the “Introduction to Devout Life” individually and as a community during this year.   5.   Study the General Directory and implement in the Communities relevant directives .And evaluate its implementation in the regular community meetings   6.   Plan all apostolic activities in such a way that no confrere is left alone   7.   Form communities with confreres in ministry in close proximity.   8.   Work as a team and fulfill our mission in and through our shared life in community.   9.   Rearrange our apostolic activities in a way that will promote community life.   10. Restructure the schedule of communities to give priority to common prayer, Eucharist, meals and common recreation on a daily basis.   11. Provide opportunities for local superiors to get adequate training for spiritual leadership and administration.   12. Prepare individual and community budget and try to work within the budget. 13. Arrange regular (monthly) community meetings to reflect on values and concerns of community life, on how the apostolic activities reflect our charism and to review monthly expenses.   14. Take special care of the sick and the elderly in the community. Additionally a confrere should be assigned to this task.   15. Take up other relevant ministries, besides the main apostolate of the individual and the community, that will benefit the poor and the marginalized, if that is not the main ministry of he community.   16. Ensure that the community’s life-style reflect our preferential option for the poor.   17. Be very sensitive to the needs of Provinces or Regions with diminishing number of members and those Provinces or Regions seeking assistance for consolidation and extension of ministries. Reach out to them in their need and share the resources in a spirit of love and fellowship.   18. “Let your light shine”. Give witness to our life as consecrated men, men of holiness.                                  Restructure administration of the Congregation at all levels for efficient and effective governance and collective witness of our life as Fransalians.           1.   Interiorize and implement the prescriptions laid down in the General Directory approved by the General Chapter.   2.   Strive to nurture a new mind-set to imbibe the spirit of the General Directory.   3.   Re-structure the administrative system of the entire congregation at different levels as demanded by our revised constitution,   4.   Ensure collegiality, subsidiarity and fraternal collaboration and loyal compliance of individuals and community in matters of administration   5.   Organize ourselves better in order to meet the demands of our congregation that is growing fast.   6.   Be more transparent and accountable in fulfilling our various ministries.   7.   Empower all superiors especially the local superiors for better animation of the community by periodic  meetings called by the Provincial to train them for the  leadership of the community and to evaluate the implementation of the demands of the Constitutions and the Directory    8.  Inform General administration of all new ventures. Monitor and guide taking up new missions.                                  Guided by the Values of the Gospel take a stand and move with prophetic courage and work toward the transformation of the world that is struggling with injustice, violence, war, poverty, hunger, disease, etc. With renewed vigour and enthusiasm, respond to the cry of the poor and the marginalized.           1.   Give individual and collective witness to your commitment to service, especially to the less privileged and the marginalized.   2.   Be compassionate and take the side of the victims of globalization, religious fundamentalism, and discrimination in the name of class, caste, gender, language and race.   3.   Reach out to the economically poor as well as to the intellectually and spiritually poor. Move in a big way to quality education for the rural students who cannot afford it.   4.   Be more sensitive to the growing economic inequality, violations of human rights, abuse of women and children and other such slings and arrows.   5.   Take a stand and join hands with other groups and organizations to champion the cause of justice and peace. 6.   Organize human rights cells for justice and peace at the congregational and provincial level.   7.   Enter into New and Creative  ministries, like Legal Aid for the poor, caring for the HIV/AIDS, Leprosy Patients etc                                  Make our Formation Salesian in spirit, mission-oriented and people centred to grow as community in mission.           1.   Promote Vocations with a focus on “Community in Mission’ with proper screening.   2.   Give a Salesian thrust to our formation at all levels and for our on-going formation.   3.   Inculcate in our scholastics a love for pioneering mission and mission in developing countries  during the time of their  formation.   4.   Train scholastics to be competent in various ministries during their time of formation.   5.   Encourage and train both scholastics and those in ongoing-formation for preaching ministry.               (This document is approved by the 18th Ordinary General Chapter 2007)                                Statement    Call of the General Chapter   Action Plan    Memorare