World Assembly

CLC WORLD ASSEMBLY, BUENOS AIRES, 2018

Michelle, Trevor and Catherine, our delegates

OUR DELEGATES' REFLECTIONS ON THEIR WORLD ASSEMBLY EXPERIENCE

Reflections on the World Assembly

Where do I begin? I guess the first is in gratitude for each of you and your prayers! From beginning to end we felt connected and carried by your prayers from Nova Scotia through to British Columbia! The ‘felt’ support of your prayers lifted me to be ‘more than I could be’ as the song goes. (You Raise Me Up; Josh Groban)

From what I am told it was a ‘different” Assembly. We did not return home with any neatly packaged directives or recommendations and I still am pinching myself and relooking at my notes and pictures to remind me that it wasn’t all a dream!

One of my greatest surprises happened before I went to the Assembly when I was welcomed to sit in on a North American Regional Meeting. It was there I learned that an old CLC friend, Andree Richard, was also going as a delegate of CVX Canada. We had met years before at a National Assembly in Guelph where we ‘clicked’ in our passion and joy of CLC. She moved to Quebec and we lost touch. It was pure gift to reconnect on ZOOM and so we decided to become travel buddies. We met at the airport in Montreal and just seemed to pick up where we left off. In order to get the best deal on our flight we had to arrive in Buenos Aires 3 days before the Assembly. This time was great gift as we were on ‘ground level’, exploring Centro Loyola, meeting people and witnessing the culmination of 2 years of preparation by ARUPA. It was amazing to watch them work in teams of harmony and joy as they put the final touches in place. Andree and I had freedom to pray, walk and explore the grounds. We were like 2 excited children at the beginning of an important journey. Every evening at Mass there would be more people arrive from ‘the ends of the earth’ so that we had time to get to know people gradually.

One evening, Fr. Hermino SJ, spoke the homily in English. The gospel was about the Pharisees chastising Jesus and his disciples for picking and eating grain on the Sabbath. Hermino commented that, in a way ‘We are all Pharisees” in that we like to have rules, order and structure; indeed, we need it! We can, however, get attached to our rules, usually out of our own insecurity. He encouraged us to enter into this Assembly with an openness to change-to be less dependent on our rules and more dependent on God. He challenged us to be open and free with humility and courage, to break the rules that are no longer working. This spoke to me loudly, not only for the Assembly but for our CLC at home.

There were so many joys and consolations throughout that it would take a book to list them all. Some highlights were 1) the Opening of the Assembly where all individual nations (with their own flag) joined into a Body of Nations: the Assembly Flag. This was followed by very moving and challenging letters from Pope Francis and Cardinal Kevin O’Farrell. (please check on-line)

We also heard prophetic messages from Magdalena, Austin Iverleigh, Fr. Arturo Sosa SJ and Fr. Rafael SJ. We had so many opportunities to create Community in small faith sharing groups, unexpected connections (like with Francoise, ESDAQ and a person I know on PEI), the Immersion Experience finishing with Mass at dusk in an open park with the sun rays streaming through the clouds overhead. We also were community as we gathered over coffee and meal breaks, in meeting as a North American Region and , of course, as Catherine , Trevor and I faith shared, discerned and voted on behalf of CLC Canada.

One of the greatest disappointments was the experience of Communal Discernment regarding proposed changes to the General Principles. We were asked many times for ‘questions of clarification’ with information having gone out to delegates months in advance. Repeatedly, even the most mature CLC members made comments and suggested further changes to the previous proposed changes. The result was that there was confusion and swaying of opinions, inviting the false Spirit into the process. Eventually, none of the proposed changes were accepted, including the 5 year plan regarding Canada’s proposal to make the GP’s more inclusive of the environment. I felt very sad but also felt that the Spirit was telling us that we need to deepen our experience and understanding of communal discernment on ALL levels. As communities and individuals we need to ask ourselves: ‘Are we really Spiritually free as we enter into our individual and communal discernments?’

This is why I think that we did not come away with any major recommendations or resolutions. I believe that, at this time in our history, the Trinity is calling us to Deepen, Share and Go Forth with what we have already been given, especially the gift of Communal Discernment, in reading both the Movements of the Spirit AND the Signs of the Times.

Thank you again for your prayers and for taking the time to read this reflection. May God have Mercy on us and may we have Mercy on each other as we go forth to Love and Serve the Lord in this great gift of CLC.

Blesssings and Peace

Michelle Mahoney

The Charism of the Listening Heart

Catherine Kelly, M.Div., Delegate from Vancouver, BC

World ExCo president Mauricio invited delegates to remain open to the Holy Spirit. And so I arrived in San Miguel, Buenos Aires, Argentina open to the God of surprises and accompanied by la Señora del Camino [1] .

Mauricio opened the Assembly with a special letter from Pope Francis to us as delegates of CLC. My heart was touched and tears came to my eyes realizing that our Jesuit pope knew about our assembly, valued our role as a lay apostolic body in the Church, and was encouraging us and praying for us. Austin Ivereigh, Pope Francis' biographer, expressed the Pope's encouragement to develop the charism of a listening heart, which resonated with me.

On our local immersion, 250 delegates from 72 countries walked along the dirt road to San Alonso Rodrigues, where dozens of young people were in the street singing Alleluia , praising God for our arrival. Their joy and heart-felt welcome penetrated my open heart and tears burst out of my eyes.

Later in small groups we ventured out -- as "the church that goes out/forth" as Pope Francis describes -- with two young people who do ministry in the parish to visit a family with a 40-year-old severely disabled son who exists on a bed in the living room. I connected with family friend, Milta Noemi. Even though Spanish is not my first language, she opened her heart to me and shared the depth of her faith and life with me - how she prays, her relationship with Jesus, how she has faced letting loved ones die, and how she never let her babies cry (neither did I). Again tears were streaming from my eyes. I had traveled from one Pole to the other, to "the ends of the earth" as Pope Francis describes Buenos Aires, yet the intense connection between our hearts and our faith was undeniable and was repeated again and again in my encounters with the delegates. I was truly open to the encounter with the other. The love of God penetrated my open heart. The experience re-confirmed that I have the charism of a listening heart, one of the reasons I became a spiritual director.

Local Jesuit parish pastor, Padre Rafael’s homily on the multiplication of the loaves and the fishes (the Gospel theme of the Assembly) highlighted how Jesus had the people sit down in groups of 50 and 100: he had them form community so that they could share their gifts. Our vocation as CLC and as the church that goes forth is to form community and share our gifts of Ignatian spirituality with the world.

Daily I saw the love and joy of Jesus pouring forth through the eyes of so many of the delegates. The energy was invigorating! This openness and sense of profound connection among the delegates enabled us as an Assembly become one world body and to enter deeply into prayer and communal apostolic discernment about our CLC gifts, identity and vocation.

What surprised me?

Members on the Way Many countries included people journeying with CLC as "members on the way", what we would call pre-CLC members, who were not counted in Canada's tally. This mindset of inclusiveness impressed me.

Creativity in how the Spiritual Exercises are offered The way CLC offers the Exercises varies around the world. The format is not necessarily the 30-day or 19th annotation versions. General Norm 4 envisions creativity for CLC in offering their members a meaningful exposure to the dynamics of the Exercises and the tools of Ignatian spirituality but perhaps in a monthly all-day Saturday plus overnight (families included) or a series of 3-5 day retreats, or four 8-day retreats over four years. Witnessing this creativity and ability to read the signs of the times and unique cultural contexts was encouraging and invites CLC Canada to explore new models for offering the Exercises to CLC members, especially in the newer and pre-CLC groups in Western Canada.

Young leadership The number of young people engaged in CLC in Latin America, Africa and Europe - the presidents of Bolivia, Chile, Dominican Republic, Indonesia, Latvia, Nicaragua, and Venezuela, and the treasurer from Zambia -- were all under 35 and many more delegates were in their 20s and 30s. Their energy was transformative and offers hope for the Catholic church in North America where so many young people are absent.

Recognition The Jesuits from Macau, the Philippines and Australia recognized my training and formation and treated me as an equal. Fr. Paul from Macau invited me to come give a CLC retreat and Fr. Bob from Manila and I exchanged resources we use for spiritual formation. Fr. Iain from Australia and I discussed the challenges of seeking to be "justly paid" for our work as retreat directors and formators, as well as models for formation and offering the Exercises. English National Formation and Retreat Team Coordinator, Patricia, and the Dutch CVX President, Marielle, sought me out for conversation and consultation. Sr. Nadia from Haiti recognized me on one of the first days and warmly greeted me yet we had met only once via Zoom months earlier.

Gift of Languages On the first night, when Denis, ExCo treasurer, asked who spoke all three official languages (English, French and Spanish), I was one of five people who stood up. What surprised me was that people remembered me standing up! This gift from God -- the ability to speak multiple languages - enabled me to communicate with everyone there and to hear and understand the nuanced content of the inspiring plenary talks and homilies as well as the debates and informal conversations. The charism of the listening heart guided me as well.

Deep Friendships It was so easy to form deep relationships with the other delegates and to share matters of the heart as well as challenges of formation in our CLC contexts. I'm now part of a World Assembly What's App group, where we share daily updates and prayers. And further discern how we live out the call in the Final Document to DEEPEN our identity, SHARE our gifts of Ignatian spirituality, and GO FORTH to serve others and follow Jesus more closely with mercy, hope and joy!

[1] Due to space limitations, I’ll tell the story of la Señora del Camino another time. Perhaps at the National Assembly.

Catherine Kelly

SENORA DEL CAMINO

World Assembly Reflection

Trevor Scott, sj

CLC Canada Ecclesial Assistant

I arrived in Buenos Aires, Argentina after a busy and exotic summer. I had been in Europe for the previous two and half months attentive in developing my french. Then I was in Calgary for a retreat after returning from Europe and immediately before departing for the long journey to Buenos Aires… an exciting trip for anybody, but embarked upon already well travelled.

Our CLC World Assembly journey really began when I met Catherine Kelly at the Newark airport. Over dinner before our overnight flight we talked a lot about what we were most looking forward to, and what to expect from the Assembly. It was in Newark that I realized that I was not in Europe anymore, but about to enter into our long prepared for Assembly. Then we arrived… with over 200 other delegates. One had to quickly find their extroverted side. It took a day or two to adapt. But once one got into the rhythm of the schedule and adapted to living with so many others from all over the world in such close proximity, a CLC Assembly community soon formed among us… memories and graces of individual people and stories began to be born. This experience would help us to identify ourselves as a genuine world community.

I will remember the delegates and EA’s from Sweden, Hungary, Lithuania, Philippines, and Taiwan for a very long time. I now know them as individual people who I am delighted to know, not just names and statistics on a page. The welcoming and hospitality of the CLC members from Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay also left a very strong impression upon me. They showed how much being part of CLC really meant to them by how attentive they were, going out of their way to make our Assembly a positive and prayerful experience. For us, they were a family, welcoming their family relations from abroad. It really was a familial experience. There was also a deepened sense of the diversity of CLC members throughout the world… doctors, lawyers, scientists, university professors, etc, who made up CLC throughout the world.

Many delegates struggled with the focus of our Assembly theme though. As our days progressed in communally reflecting upon our experiences as CLC members - both our struggles and our graces in community - I found myself asking where we were headed… what was the destination of our Assembly, what were we being invited to share back home? So many of the delegates struggled with these kinds of questions.

We became aware that we were being asked, as a world community, to deepen the sense of our CLC vocations with greater apostolic effectiveness and witness. And we tasted the tools in order to do this as a community… through communal discernment. Our Assembly was a time in which we were reminded of some of the paralysis that our communities experience. But also a time in being reminded of how we can overcome such paralysis with a deepened sense of communal prayer and discernment. Many delegates were mindful of how CLC was little known in so many parts of our world, compared with other lay communities. Rooted in the Spiritual Exercises - which itself is rooted in the gospels and life of Christ - and a sense of community rooted in communal discernment, we can continue to grow and develop over the next 50 years.

I am immensely grateful for this opportunity to experience the World CLC Community. But also for the challenge it affords. We do not come away with a clear, task oriented mandate, something that I am much more comfortable with. What I, along with Michelle and Catherine, are challenged to do in our Canadian social reality - is to facilitate a greater sense of community… not merely for CLC, but also for greater witness and the life of our Church.

Trevor Scott, sj Ecclesiastical Assistant, CLC Canada)