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"Be what you are, Be at its best!"      - St. Francis de Sales

Editorial  Introducing the MSFS St. Francis de Sales  Fr. Peter Memier MSFS in St. Lucia  Fr. Louis Favre General Assembly 1997  Wellspring Fransalian Media Centre  Suvidya College     VISAKHAPATNAM PROVINCE Congress of the FRANCE-SWISS PROVINCE NAGPUR PROVINCE PUNE PROVINCE SOUTH-WEST PROVINCE NORTH-EAST INDIA TANZANIA Vol. 1  January 1999

Fransalian International

In accordance with the Constitutions of the MSFS, Father François, appointed Provincial Superior in May 1998 for a new three year term, convoked the provincial congress on 30th September 1998, in the precincts of the Saint Francis School, Ville-la-Grard.

A Congress is always an important event in the life of a Province.  It is a time to examine the past three years and to chalk out a programme for the future.  It is also an important moment of brotherhood and prayer, in fact, it is different form a chapter, which is made up of elected members.  A Congress brings together all perpetually professed members.  The date, 30th September, also represents an anniversary, that of the death of our founder, Father Peter-Marie Mermier.

After some time spent in welcome and prayer, the day opened with a report of the Superior on the life of the Province: persons, pastoral engagements and questions regarding the future.  Some 41 of the 53 confreres of the Province attended the Congress.  Fr. Mercier reminded the house that 10 confreres had passed away since the last Congress held three years ago.  During the same period we had the sacerdotal ordination of Father Ducrey in Switzerland and the perpetual profession of Brother Jean-Yves Le Tue at Ville-la-Grand.  Our pastoral engagements are varied, but they contain in some ways the three orientations given by Father Mermier:

• Preaching Missions.  This is no longer done by the parish or regional missions, which have had their 'golden years' in the past, but through pastoral engage­ments in the field of retreats and recollections (for priests, nuns or lay people, as well as Salesian retreats with individual guidance).  Father Jean-Paul Fournier spoke on behalf of the 'mis­sionaries' to which group belong the confreres engaged in such a ministry and who share their experiences and plans.

• Presence in the world of youth. Apart from the services we render through our schools of Ville-la-Grand, Florimont (Geneva), this service is also rendered through our presence at youth move­ments and as chaplains in other public schools. There is more and more co-operation with the lay people who bear the responsibility for the pastoral engagements in and the direction of schools and colleges.

After this report, Father Theodore Vannay explained the work done by the Formation Commission, whose task it is to help the Master of Novices and the Master of Scholastics in their work of discernment and service of the young and the not-so-young in search of their vocation to our ideal of religious and sacerdotal life.

Father Claude Morel, Provincial Bursar, then gave an expose on the material and financial situation of the Province. He highlighted the great generosity of the confreres and communities in sharing the burden of the finances of the Province.

The New Provincial Council

(from left)  Frs. Fournier, Carron, Mercier (Prov.), Ducrey, Vannay

The principal of the Ville-la-Grand school offered his services to the congress members and showed them especially the new additions made to the school building. What a change since the time when the old 'Juvenate' used to mainly receive the minor seminarians!

The working sessions of the congress ended with a few words spoken by Fr. Andre Chatenoud, episcopal delegate of the diocese of Annecy for consecrated religious life. He highlighted the strong bonds which have united the Congregation to the diocese since 1838.

The high light of this day of work and sharing was the celebration of the holy Eucharist. Our song of thanksgiving rose up to Him who has called us to follow Him. We also have to be thankful to Brother Jean Yves Le Tue who prepared and animated this celebration of the Eucharist. The 'Mass' means to be 'sent forth in mission', Fr. Mercier told us, and he reminded us of the words of our Founder who had enjoined upon us the need to become 'like other St. Francis de Sales for today's world'.

Fr. Yves Carron msfs

(Translated by Fr. Ivo Carneiro msfs)