The Cameroonian Province held its 6th Provincial Chapter in two sessions, the first in July 2023 and the second in early January this year. A true moment of province celebration, in the presence of Father Charles Aimée Koudjou, General Councilor.
“Sint unum! For a synodal mission”. It was under this theme, in keeping with current events in the universal Church, that the Province of Cameroon held its sixth Provincial Chapter at the Sacré-Coeur house in Ndoungué, the community of the Novitiate of the Dehonians of Cameroon, the heritage venue for Assemblies and Chapters in this entity which today counts 130 members and 23 communities.
Edifying presentations
With the participation of 37 SCJs, the sixth CMR Provincial Chapter opened with a series of presentations: First, the Status provinciae, in which the Provincial Superior outlined the current state of the Province. This was followed by Father Joseph Kuaté’s summary presentation of the five previous Provincial Chapters under the theme “From one chapter to the next”. Julien Tchinda on “Elements, methods and challenges in the elaboration of the CMR Provincial Strategic Plan”; an edifying talk in view of the planning challenges facing the CMR Province as it strives for growth. The presentation of the Province’s economic balance sheet by the Provincial Treasurer’s Office was also an important part of this first phase of our Chapter. It enabled the delegates to see what has been achieved in recent years and to sharpen their reflections on the decisions to be taken.
Chapter themes
After this phase devoted to presentations and exchanges, the delegates tackled one by one the six major themes set out in the instrumentum laboris, inspired by the themes for the General Chapter: Structure of government, Management of goods, Formation, Mission, Identity, Communion and sint unum.
Given the density of the discussions, the time allotted for the Provincial Chapter did not allow for all these themes to be addressed. It was therefore necessary to schedule a second session, scheduled from January 3 to 7, 2024. However, this session ended one day earlier, on the 6th, due to the speed of the work. As for this second session, it addressed questions on the themes of formation, Dehonian identity, mission, communion and Sint Unum.
Fruitful exchanges in two sessions
The exchanges during these two sessions proved fruitful for the future of the Cameroonian province, based on the synodal method used for the work: listening, dialogue and the participation of all delegates in a spirit of “Sint unum”. The delegates formulated motions in the form of recommendations or decisions, which were, in accordance with our constitutions, submitted to the Superior General for approval.
Two delegates for the General Chapter
Another important moment of the Chapter was the election of the two delegates to the General Chapter and their alternates; young and mature confreres who will participate in a decision-making moment in the life of our congregation.
The sixth Chapter of the Cameroon Province ended with a closing mass, during which the Provincial Superior thanked all the delegates, and in particular the General Councilor, Father Charles Koudjou, for his participative and enlightening presence throughout the two sessions.
