MSC Vietnam: Discernment gathering
Saturday August 31, 2024
Stephen Hackett MSC, the Provincial Superior of the Australian Province, writes to the MSC Vietnam Community back in February 2024:
You would know that the Provincial Chapter held in Sydney last April recommended “that the Provincial Administration organise a gathering in Vietnam, as a PRIORITY, to assess the current situation and plan for the future of Vietnamese MSC ministry.” Addressing this recommendation, the Provincial Council endorsed a proposal that this gathering use the ‘Communal Wisdom’ approach to discernment so that the focus of the gathering is attentive listening in prayer and in sharing to the Holy Spirit. We believe this approach will best serve the community as it looks to plan for the future of its mission, its ministries, and its community life.
- This statement brought us to the preparation process for the gathering early this year with the facilitation of Khoi, MSC and Hien, a diocesan priest in Australia with experience in Heart of Life. The Preliminary Discernment in the community (February-May 2024) indicated five main areas/themes:
- Potential
- Community Life
- Initial Formation
- Vocations
- Mission/Ministry
From July 23 to July 29, we all gathered as the whole group for the process of discernment in the spirit of communal wisdom, with the presence of 3 observers: Gene Pejo from the Generalate, Thoi Tran from Australia Province and Robert Irwin (staying in Vietnam for four months at the moment). The process of discernment is very fruitful and prayerful.
We started the gathering with the Opening Ritual in the evening. It was a wonderful time for the MSC Vietnam to gather on the night of 23 July at K’Long Don Bosco Centre to commence their discernment together with a ritual in which Bob Irwin, who was the Australian Provincial when the Australian MSC decided to come and begin the mission in Vietnam, brought in the light into the midst of the gathering. The light was, in turn, passed on to each community member. Finally, it was passed on to Thoi Tran, who has significantly contributed to the development of the mission for the first twenty years, now representing the Provincial, Stephen Hackett, in his turn, lit the discernment candle of the community. Gene Pejo, on behalf of the Superior General, said a prayer and conferred a blessing on the community to conclude the opening ritual.
On the first day, we commenced our communal discernment by reflecting on what communal discernment is for us at this time in our morning prayer. For us, Communal Discernment is: Deepening our relationships with God and others, Promptings of the Spirit, Being honest, Surrendering self-Open-minded to the Spirit in-depth, Journey of adventure with surprises and risks, Open with the surrendering heart for God’s will (not my own). Communal Discernment is NOT: Making decisions Consensus, Fear, Self-affirmation, or My belief/mentality. In the morning session, we discern our identity as human persons and Christians. In the afternoon, we discerned our identity as MSCs today. The Statements that the whole community came up with are as follows:
IDENTITY – Who are we as human beings and as Christians? We are unique individuals, born and nourished in love, called to acknowledge and embrace our strengths and weaknesses and be transformed toward holiness through our daily relations. (Ref. Jeremiah 1:1,4-10)
IDENTITY – Why did we choose MSC? And at present, how are we living our vocation? As MSCs, experienced and believing in an intimate and unconditionally loving God revealed in the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we willingly and whole-heartedly share these values with everyone daily. (Ref. MSC Constitutions #4)
On the second day, we spent the whole day praying, reflecting and discerning the area of Mission and Ministry. There were moments in the morning when the community sensed fear, anxiety and lostness while at the same time finding cathartic joy, gratitude, trust and hope in the God who is on the same boat with us. One of the significant moments in our day was when we acknowledged our group vulnerabilities and realised that we need to be healed before we can be sent out in our mission as healers in our context today. We are called to become ‘wounded healers’. Below is our statement on Mission and Ministry by the end of today.
With gratitude to God for His blessings and to the previous MSC generations for their legacy received throughout more than the last twenty years, we desire and confidently commit ourselves to continue the Mission of Christ entrusted to the Congregation by our presence, accompaniment, solidarity and healing in response to the signs of the time. We recommend establishing a special committee for the ministries of the community. (Ref. MSC Constitutions #20-21)
With the willingness to commit to service on the mission field in our own country and overseas, we would like to be supported in training of personnel, expertise, and finance in preparation for our mission, and we would like to establish a place/centre for pastoral purposes to developing quality of human life in terms of education (teaching English and other fields), faith (our own parishes, mission stations, basic ecclesiological communities, spiritual accompaniment, retreat guidance), family ministry (accompanying with broken and wounded families), and migrant ministry.
We, wounded and healed, desire to become messengers of healing of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. (Ref. Matthew 13:18-23)
VULNERABILITY- Not being listened to: Our community is a family in which each member carries within them wounds and fears caused by lack of listening, respect and dialogue; but when being able to share, listened to, pray and dialogue, we sense compassion, support, respect, empathy, generosity, trust, healing, freedom, outbreaking joy, with gratitude. Though imperfect hearts, we are still proud of the beauty in community life by choosing love and long to become messengers of healing of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. (Ref. MSC Constitutions, #33)
On the fourth day, another long but productive day for us. In the morning, we discerned Initial Formation with genuine sharing from all community members with respect and compassion for each other. In the afternoon, we worked on the Vocations area.
Initial formation: With gratitude, trust, and longing to become true missionaries of the Sacred Heart, we imitate the model of Jesus – the ultimately loving, humble and meek Formator – in the journey of formation and self-formation with the support, listening, and dialogue of the whole community. After 20 years, we recognise a need to update the formation program and model suitable to the contemporary context of Vietnam, based on the MSC Constitutions. We recommend officially establishing a formation committee cooperating with the local superior to support formators in their work. (Ref. Matthew 11:29b)
Vocations: We recommend the Vocation Committee prepare/update the Vocation Policy with clear guidelines about regions, age, education, English ability, health, psychology, accompaniment process, evaluation and assessment of applicants. Every community member is aware of the responsibility to promote vocation and support the Vocation Committee by our living witness of the Spirituality of the Heart and all our relationships. (MSC Constitutions, #93-95)
On this final day, we focused on Community Life in the morning again, with abundant genuine sharing from people and groups. In the afternoon, we reflect on all the statements we created this week. For the afternoon session, the groups creatively present what they want to express from reflection on all the statements by drawing and acting. We all were deeply moved and held by each other in the presentation.
Community Life: Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we acknowledge our community as a human community with limitations such as a lack of listening, dialogue, respect, equality, a sense of belonging, and individualism.
However, we, as an MSC community, have been endeavouring to build up unity, equality, and love through listening, dialogue, self-responsibility and co-responsibility, receiving and treasuring each other, especially our wounds, and creating conditions for each to feel free and confident to contribute and advance MSC family and culture. (Ref. MSC Constitutions, #33, 37)
In the evening, we concluded our week with the ritual of commissioning in which each member received the light from the discernment candle that had been burning with us as we gathered, prayed and discerned with the Spirit of God. We are now sent back to the world, to this country, for a renewed mission and vision.
