At the beginning of the new year the Superior General made a canonical visit of the ITM province. Starting from this Dehonian province in the south of Italy, on January 7th, Fr. General began a series of trips that in the coming months will take him around the whole of Europe to visit the Dehonian provinces of the old continent, to meet and better know each confrere, to guide the journey of the communities involved in the mission, and to awaken in all a sense of belonging to the Congregation.
At this first stage, in ITM, accompanied by the General Councilor, Fr. Paulus Sugino, he had the opportunity to visit the communities of Cosenza, Andria, Naples and Foligno, where the confreres gathered from the neighboring communities. Almost all the members of the Province, including the two missionary confreres living in Albania, wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to meet the Superior General by responding to the invitation and taking part in the meetings.
In these gatherings it was nice to meet and experience fraternity. Everyone had the opportunity to talk about himself, his community and the dreams he carries in his heart. Sincere sharing brings people closer to each other. Fraternity is a sure path that we must travel together, engaging each of us, to ensure that fraternal spirit in the communities grows and is safeguarded. It is good to open the doors of our houses to welcome confreres from different cultures and share in the Dehonian life and mission.
In the dialogue with confreres some worries and difficulties emerged, above all those concerning the present and the future of the Albanian mission. But there are signs of hope, recognized above all in the pastoral commitment of the Dehonians among the university students of Rende and in their presence among the poor, such as those in the suburbs of the city of Rome.
Father General had the opportunity to immerse himself in the liveliness of parish communities where he celebrated Holy Mass. Adoration, shared with the consecrated members of the Dehonian Family, was a particularly significant moment.
The visit ended on January 15 with a dialogue and a discussion with the Provincial Council on the current state of the Province and on future choices.
