MSC INDIAN UNION RETREAT & THE EXTRAORDINARY CHAPTER

 “I encourage you to return to your first and only love. Keep your gaze fixed on the Heart of Jesus and learn from Him how to love with a truly human Heart, to care for the lost and wounded members of His flock, to work for justice and show solidarity with the weak and the poor”.(Pope Francis, to MSC 2017 General Chapter.)

As we have started walking and working together to become a MSC Indian Province, we are filled with lots of emotions of joy, gratitude, hope and anxiety. Here I would like to share with you all in a few words what has been eventful in Indian Union in the last Month of January 2023, firstly retreat and followed by Extra-ordinary chapter which chose two delegates for the General Chapter in September 2024.

 In this light we have been asked to prepare for a historic event of growing to be a Province in the next year or so. Fr. Chris Chaplin msc who has been a leader and a companion to MSC India on behalf of the General Team of our Congregation has been animating us in this process of discernment and decisions making for the life and mission of MSC India. Last year in July we had our first retreat given by Chris on the theme “Chrism and Heart Spirituality in the light of the Province Process” and this year in January we had our second retreat on the theme “Mission in the light of the Province Process” and the third retreat will be in the coming months on the theme “Vision for the future in the light of becoming a Province”. In these last two retreats we have had a deep sense of coming together and praying for one another. Chris highlighted in his short sessions of reflections about the life of our Founder Fr. Chevalier and about our Heart Spirituality, finally how special Our Lady of the Sacred Heart was for Fr. Chevalier. He spoke about Fr. Jules Chevalier’s early life, his conversion after a fall from a cliff, had a great impact on his knowledge of God in the seminary where he was greatly influenced by Sulpician theology; how he was deeply convinced that the Heart of Christ is the healing place for the broken world. In the words of Fr. Chevalier, “Devotion to the Sacred Heart is a whole world of Theology… It embraces everything: dogma and morals, the past, the present and future. This is why this devotion is essentially social, setting things right” Fr. Chevalier “Le Sacre-Coeur de Jésu” 1900: page:280.

The retreat had many graced moments in our prayer time, group sharing and the Eucharistic Celebrations. It renewed our spiritual life as we had left all our pastoral works and set us apart a week long for this time of rest, reflection and renewal of body, mind and spirit. Fr. Chris taught us a wonderful method of discerning our life as MSC, what he calls it, “A Communal Wisdom of Discernment process”. We learn to listen deeply to God’s voice in each of the members of the community.

The Two days of the Extra-ordinary Chapter was very meaningful and helped us reflect, reason and revitalize our MSC charism and spirit. Darwin Thaddeus msc, the Union Superior of MSC India enlightened us with a topic on MSC INDIAN HISTORY AND OUR MISSION IN INDIA AND OVERSEAS. It was indeed informative and encouraging to all members that there is a bright future waiting for MSC India, though as of now we may feel that we are like an adolescent community maturing to be leaders and ministers in the church in India and outside. The talk of Chris was an eye-opener for us: he made an emphasis on a call to make a journey inward, ‘I’ to ‘WE”. Our MSC members should have the experience of conversion from ego-centric to ‘Eco-centric’ life. He outlined a process that many of us might have heard in recent times in our retreats; Encounter – Intimacy- Conversion- Commission- Mission. He also spoke about the need for true leaders in the Congregation and for the church that suffers crises of abuse of power, sexual scandals and clericalism. He told us that the idea of our General Superior Fr. Abzalon msc, on grooming church leaders is a synodal approach. He has restructured the model of leadership in our congregation: the change from General superior and Counsellors to General Leadership Team. Yes, only a Team can win any challenge set before it. In that light, during the chapter the capitulants proposed many ideas for the Union Mission. One of them is founding mission communities in England\Ireland and Singapore also sending more missionaries to other MSC missions. We spent a lot of time reflecting, praying and listening to each other for inspiration of the Holy Spirit to grow in communion and brotherhood as we dream of becoming a Province that can be a vital part of our Congregation’s history. 

Anthony Prem msc.