Accompaniment: Belgium

Bernard Mongeau, MSC. Last Provincial Chapter. From June 8 to 15, 2024, I visited the confreres of the Province of Belgium to represent the General Council on the occasion of their last provincial chapter. During this Belgian stay, I stayed in the community located in Borgerhout, a district of the city of Antwerp. On June 8th at 10:00, I leave the Brussels terminal, and Herman Van Dijck welcomes me before we go to the provincial house. Brother Karel Vanhaecke recently returned from Congo, Kinshasa. The other confreres present are: Herman Cooreman, Bart Devos, André Claessens, Jan De Nil, Paul Verbruggen, Marcel De Pauw, Robert Erken, Herman Van Dijck.
On Monday, June 10, at 11 a.m., we have the Eucharistic celebration presided over by our missionaries returning from Congo, Kinshasa, Bart Devos and Karel Vanhaecke in honour of our 100 years of missionary presence on Congolese soil. Then, an aperitif was offered before lunch. The provincial chapter began at 2:00 p.m. in the presence of the following twelve capitulants: Herrman Cooreman, outgoing provincial, André Claessens, Marcel De Pauw, Bart Devos, Raf Ingels, Marcel Raymaekers, Mark Van Beeumen, Jozef Van De Velde, Herman Van Dijck, Germaan Van Muylder, Paul Verbruggen and Clement Sathish who was co-opted with the right to vote, replacing Jos Jans who had asked not to participate for health reasons. The first administrative acts undertaken since the opening were the call for candidates and the steering committee composition, including André Claessens and Bart Devos. The proposal to appoint Theo Te Wierik, provincial of the Netherlands, as moderator was unanimously approved. The proposal to appoint Bart Aben, administrative employee of the Province, as secretary was unanimously approved. Bart Devos and Clement Sathish were chosen as scrutineers, being the youngest members of the chapter.

From June 11 to 13, using communal wisdom, we began our days with extracts from a retreat given by Timothy Radcliffe, o.p. on the occasion of the Synod of Bishops on Synodality, October 2023. During this period, discussions focused on the acts of the last two provincial chapters, a draft of new statutes, the report of the provincial administration and the recommendations of the general chapter of 2023. All the exchanges took place in a respectful, fraternal, open-minded and open-hearted atmosphere.
The afternoon of the 11th began with the Provincial election process. Reading of the numbers of the Constitutions concerning the election was made by Theo. After three rounds of voting, André Claessens was elected with 11 votes out of 12, confirmed by Mario Abzalón Alvarado Tovar, msc, Superior General, following the call of Bernard Mongeau, General Councilor.
On the afternoon of the 12th, the Provincial Councilors were elected: Herman Cooreman with ten votes, Clement Sathish with 12, and Bart Devos with 11. Then, it was decided that the Belgian Province would request, from the general administration, a decree abolishing the Belgian Province on March 25, 2025, to be a community under the general administration before joining the European MSC Union.
The chapter ended at the end of the morning of the 13th with the reading of the twelve decisions taken during this chapter. Subsequently, all the members present signed the acts of this last chapter.
We can look forward to the future with optimism, as the new leadership team, despite the lack of experience of Clement and Bart, two men who have the ability and drive, are ready to face the challenges ahead. As the province enters a new stage, we are reminded of the last General Chapter’s call for shared leadership at all levels and its encouragement to pay special attention to the spirit of service and listening. With your cooperation and support, which we so desperately need, we are confident in our ability to meet these expectations. We appreciate your understanding of our limitations and your acceptance of the journey we are embarking on, a journey we believe we can accomplish day in and day out.
Thank you to all the confrères I met during this page of history, for their fraternal welcome and who gave me a better understanding a part of their reality.