RENEWING MISSIONARY COMMITMENT

James H. Kroeger, M.M.

JAMES H. KROEGER, M.M. is a professor of missiology and systematic theology at the Loyola School of Theology in Manila. He is the secretary-convenor of the AMSAL association, in conjunction with the “Mission Desk” of the FABC Office of Evangelization.

 

he Missionary vitality of the local churches in Asia was experienced in a unique way as all six of the Asian-born Missionary Societies of Apostolic Life (AMSAL) gathered in Tagaytay, Philippines for an international colloquium (August 17-21, 1999). This event marked the first time in history that Superiors-Generals and General Council personnel of all the AMSAL members were able to participate. An earlier organizational gathering in Thailand in 1997 had brought together some members of these indigenous Asian missionary societies.

The AMSAL body is comprised of the following mission societies--all founded in the Vatican II era: Mission Society of the Philippines (1965); Missionary Society of Saint Thomas the Apostle--India (1968); Catholic Foreign Mission Society of Korea (1975); Missionary Society of the Heralds of Good News--India (1984); Mission Society of Thailand (1990); Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Society--Philippines (1997).

These Asian societies, like many such groups in other parts of the world, bring a unique charism and focus to the missionary activity of the universal Church.  Their specific contribution is Ad Gentes, Ad Exteros, and Ad Vitam. They direct their efforts of evangelization Ad Gentes (to those who have not yet heard the liberating and salvific Good News of Jesus Christ), Ad Exteros (to peoples outside their own country, cultural milieu, and language group), Ad Vitam (through a life-long commitment to this unique form of missionary witness).

The purpose of the 1999 AMSAL Colloquium was to explore how these missionary movements could better facilitate Ad Gentes mission in Asia in the approaching third millennium. A first step in this endeavor begins simply with establishing contact and interpersonal relationships as a stepping-stone to sharing mission vision and purpose, experience, issues, and possible collaboration in mission, apostolates. AMSAL remains a totally voluntary organization; it has no legislative authority over members and makes no binding decisions. Its vision and purpose lie in fostering missionary animation, collaboration, and exchange.

Archbishop Jaime Cardinal L. Sin of Manila received the partcipants at his residence on the first morning of the colloquium. The Cardinal, a close friend of missionaries and a strong advocate-supporter of the two indigenous Philippines mission societies, spoke of the permanent need of the Church for selfless missionaries--especially for Asia and foremost for China. In addition, he described the national mission congress being planned for the Philippines in the year 2000. He emphasized the centrality of the family for missionary vocation and the importance of active recruitment for mission societies.

The working sessions of the five-day colloquium reflected on the mission insights and agenda that emerged from the 1998 Synod of Bishops for Asia: what does Ad Gentes mission mean in the challenging context of Asia; how do missioners realistically address Asian realities (demographics, peoples, cultures, religions, ecology, globalization, socio-politico-economic situations, etc.); how are missioners to be heralds and proclaimers of faith and redemption in Jesus--all in the context of great respect and reverence for the values, faith convictions, and freedom of conscience of everyone?

Although the majority of the input and exchange was among the twenty-one participants, two speakers, who attended the Asian Synod, were invited to address the assembly.  Archbishop Gaudencio B. Rosales, DD presented his paper “The Soul of Mission” in which he focused on the spirituality of the proclaimer within the Church’s mission of love and service in Asia. Father Luis Antonio “Chito” Tagle, member of the Pontifical International Theological Commission, spoke dynamically on “The Challenges of Mission in Asia: A View from the Asian Synod.” As a colloquium participant, Archbishop Petrus Turang of Kupang, Indonesia, who also was present at the Synod in Rome, shared several additional Synodal insights.

The colloquium did not remain on the level of theoretical explorations. As is common in all gatherings of missioners, practical questions were addressed: How are mission locations chosen and personnel assigned and prepared for mission? What kind of formation is needed to instill a creative and pioneering spirit in the missioner? How do the mission societies promote their Ad Gentes charism--especially when there are many pressing pastoral needs? How does one recruit and animate for mission in the local church of origin? How is our Ad Gentes, Ad Exteros, and Ad Vitam commitment promoted in young people and in the missioners themselves?

An additional recurring theme in the colloquium focused on areas of missionary cooperation. Participants received copies of the recent (October 1,1998) instruction Cooperatio Missionalis issued by the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples and explored its meaning for their societies.  In addition to direct inter-society collaboration in formation and overseas mission apostolates, the AMSAL delegates affirmed the importance of continued close cooperation links with the Office of Evangelization of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conference (FABC:OE). The presence of Saturnino Dias, Executive Secretary of FABC:OE was welcomed. The Secretary affirmed this linkage and spoke of the importance of this collaboration. AMSAL will find its natural link with the “Mission Desk” of the FABC:OE.

Archbishop Marcello Zago, OMI, Secretary of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples (CEP) in Rome, had planned to attend the colloquium, but health factors forced the cancellation of his participation. AMSAL affirmed its strong desire to continue close missionary collaboration with CEP through the person of Archbishop Zago. In addition, the colloquium was enriched by the presence of Bishop Vicente C. Manuel, SVD, DD, Chairman of the Commission on Mission of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP). Father Pedro Mesiona, MSP, National Director of the Pontifical Missionary Societies--Philippines, was present and spoke about missionary animation in the local church.

AMSAL welcomed the participation of representatives from additional local churches throughout Asia (Bangladesh, Cambodia and Indonesia) and invited delegates from Japan and Myanmar were unable to be present. The purpose of including “non-AMSAL” participants was to encourage mission-minded persons in those Asian local churches to consider their response to Ad Gentes mission. In this context, one final proposition (Number 28) from the Asian Synod was recalled: “This Synod recommends the establishment within each local Church of Asia, where such do not exist, of missionary societies of apostolic life, characterized by their commitment exclusively for the mission Ad Gentes, Ad Exteros, and Ad Vitam.” In addition, it was noted how Pope John Paul II had taken special note of this Synod theme and incorporated it into his 1998 “Message for World Mission Sunday” (Section 5).

A pervasive spirit of joy and missionary enthusiasm permeated the entire five-day gathering. Visits to the Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Society Seminary in Manila and to the Mission Society of the Philippines (MSP) Center in Tagaytay provided opportunities to meet priests and seminarians of the two hosting missionary groups. The visit to the MSP Center included a Eucharistic celebration, followed by a typical Filipino meal and short cultural program presented by the seminarians of the “Fil-Mission” Society. This visit added variety to the more formal colloquium events. These experiences affirmed the truth that missionaries must be “joyful evangelizers” (Paul VI) in order to effectively communicate the Good News.

The AMSAL-1999 colloquium issued a short statement as a brief summary of its deliberations and discussions. The statement is marked by a renewed commitment to the Church’s missionary activity. This commitment flows from the participants’ renewed appreciation of their unique charism as Ad Gentes, Ad Exteros, and Ad Vitam missionary societies of apostolic life. The official acronym of the organization (AMSAL) was augmented from ASAL (temporarily adopted at the initial organizational gathering in Thailand in 1997) by including the word “missionary” in the full title of the organization. The emphasis is laid on the particular charism of these Asian-born societies: Ad Gentes mission is the heartbeat of these missionary communities.

The AMSAL group sees itself following the rhythm of assemblies of similar missionary societies in other parts of the world. Each society is invited to send a participant to the International Assembly of the Missionary Societies of Apostolic Life to be hosted at Maryknoll, New York (April 29-May 4, 2000). AMSAL itself plans to gather again on a continental basis (similar to Europe, the Americas, etc.) in two years. The next AMSAL colloquium will be hosted in November 2001 by the Missionary Society of Saint Thomas the Apostle in India. The theme for the next colloquium will be ÔMissionary Spirituality and Formation.’ Finally, the continued work and position of Maryknoller James H. Kroeger as AMSAL secretary-convenor was unanimously approved by the colloquium participants.

AMSAL Statement:

Commitment to Mission in Asia for the Third Millennium

Representatives from all six of the “Asian-born” Missionary Societies of Apostolic Life (AMSAL) gathered from August 17-21, 1999 in the Betania Retreat House in Tagaytay, Philippines. This AMSAL group was joined by delegates from some other local churches of Asia and from a few foreign Mission Societies and the Executive Secretary of the Office of Evangelization of the Federation of Asian Bishops’ Conference (FABC). The focus of this five-day colloquium was to explore mission in Asia at the dawn of the new millennium, and the discussion drew upon the key mission themes and agenda emerging from the 1998 Synod of Bishops for Asia.

The fact that this was the first time in history that all six “Asian-born” societies came together was a special joy for the participants of the colloquium. These societies are the Mission Society of the Philippines, Korean Foreign Mission Society, Mission Society of Saint Thomas the Apostolate (India), Lorenzo Ruiz Mission Society (Philippines), Mission Society of Thailand, and Heralds of Good News (India).

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We superiors-generals and other delegates of the AMSAL Colloquium, after deliberating on the concerned issues, wish to make the following observations and commitment:

1.  Conscious that the originality of our Mission Societies is Ad Gentes, Ad Exteros, and Ad Vitam, we took stock of the following realities of Asian countries: that over 50% of the world’s population resides in Asia; that Catholics in Asia are only a small minority of less than 2% (the Philippines is the only predominantly Catholic nation); that the majority of poor people live in this continent; that Asia is the birthplace of the five major religions of the world (Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Judaism and Christianity); and, that there is the variety of deeply-rooted living cultures in Asia.

2.  With this background, we see the urgency of the implementation of the missionary mandate of Jesus Christ and hear the call specially addressed to us as Mission Societies Ad Gentes. We realize that:

a.  Jesus who came as a messenger of the love of God our Father is himself the Message of Life and must be proclaimed in word and life.

b.  Our message is that it is through his death, the breaking of his body and the shedding of his blood, that we receive forgiveness of sins. His death is the expression of the greatest love of God for us. Therefore, he is the only Savior of the World.

c. This message, which is being conveyed through our instrument- ality by the same Jesus and the Holy Spirit, who is the principal agent of mission, will be effective only if we witness to it through our life.

d. This message of the love of God the Father can best be proclaimed in the context of multi-religious and pluri-cultural Asia and prevalent poverty of its peoples through the mode of triple dialogue with the religions, cultures and poor among whom we live.

Therefore, we commit ourselves:

1.  To take every opportunity to make Jesus Christ and his message known in a way that is acceptance to Asians, presenting him to them with an “Asian Face,” using Asian cultural concepts, terms and symbols.

2.  To learn about the other religions and understand cultures, taking the Incarnation as our model.

3. To present the Gospel message as humble servants of the Kingdom of God, always sensitive to the religious and cultural traditions of the people where the Spirit leads us to make Jesus known.

4.  To strive to be transformed by a life of prayer and contemplation into presenters of Jesus Christ, the kind, compassionate, true and divine master.

5.  To inculcate this spirit and the specific charism of our Mission Societies in all our future proclaimers throughout their formation period.

6.  To be supportive of each other both through regular meetings and apostolic collaboration in the mission areas where two or more of our Mission Societies work.

We present this our commitment through Mary, Queen of the Apostles, to Jesus and the Holy Spirit, who is the principal agent of mission, ready to be led by this same Spirit where he wills.