The first Congress of commissaries of the Holy Land of Asia was held from 7 to 12 February in  Jakarta and Bali (Indonesia) on the topic of “Formation and mission in communion.” The Custos’ delegate for the Commissaries of the Holy Land, Fra Silvio De la Fuente was present .

Fra Robertus Wowor, commissary of the Holy Land since 2008 for Indonesia, who hosted the meeting, emphasized that for him “the greatest challenge is to make known the Holy Land to the Indonesian people and collaborate on this with the bishops, provincials and priests. We have a duty and a responsibility to the Holy Land and the Christians who live there,” he continued.

Continuous formation

The Commissariats of the Holy Land in Asia are fairly recent. This is why much of the Congress and the initiatives for the future concentrated on formation. The idea is preparing commissaries to work with the Custody and serve the pilgrims as best as possible.

The topics discussed included the role of the commissaries of the Holy Land and their formation, the promotion of pilgrimages, care of the Holy Land and vocations, the collection of donations and offers, especially through the Holy Land Collection. 

“Mention was also made of the history of the Custodia, nature , competences and the purposes of the Commissariats of the Holy Land. They are established directly by the Order and by the Custody, and enjoy their own Charters and their own economic management, autonomously from the Province of the Order in which they operate.”

A mission in four points

The Custos of the Holy Land, Fra Francesco Patton spoke over zoom. After a short introduction on the nature and the purposes of the Commissariats, he listed the main areas in which the action of the commissaries is developing. 

“The first function is to make the Holy Land known, including through the media of  the Custody. The second aspect is to “organize pilgrimages” which have the value “both of strengthening the faith of the pilgrims and helping local Christians to contribute to peace.” The other task is to “promote the Holy Land Collection” and in general “the collection of funds for the Custody’s charities.” 

The last area concerns the life of the friars more closely, with “the promotion of the vocations for the Holy Land” both by “encouraging the friars of the province to come into service” and by “sending young men who want to follow a path of vocational discernment in the Holy Land.”

Experience of communion

During the five days of the Congress, the commissaries had the chance to get to know one another and exchange knowledge about their respective context of mission. They were able to dialogue during the work sessions, share experiences and spend time together during visits to some important places for the traditions of Indonesia, the host country.

“It was an enriching time for us all,” said Fra Silvio. “Everyone gave their contribution and were able to receive something new for their work.”

Fra Carlo Querulli, of the Province of  Taiwan, has been a commissary for only a few months: “This Congress has been an important formative moment and in particular has helped us get to know one another; to see how this service is carried out in various countries in Asia. I believe that our job is to connect the Custody, the Holy Land, with the other entities of the Order and with the dioceses, to increase awareness of the Holy Land and keep alive the spirit and the presence of the Franciscans in those places.”

Fra Joseph (Joe) Nasanathan has been commissary of the Holy Land for Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei for more than 15 years: “This meeting was fruitful and enlightening, because for the first time we met from all over the continent to share experiences, challenges and understand how we can help each other in our service. It was not only an official moment of work, but also time dedicated to the fraternity between us, in prayer, in sharing meals, in the excursions, a time that  helped us build up bonds between us.”

The next steps

At the end of the Congress, it was decided to make the relationship between the various commissariats of Asia more stable, forming a sort of Coordination, which will report to the Commissariat of Indonesia, which is the most structured one. 

“The main requirement is to meet our need for formation as commissaries of Asia,” Fra Joe said, and also that of “promoting  this service in the Provinces which do not have a commissariat yet.”  The hope is that other Commissariats join the eight already existing. 

In addition, a session of formation in the Holy Land by the end of the year is already planned. “We want to offer the commissaries the chance to do their service ‘professionally’,”  said Fra Silvio, “and without losing the most important thing which is the spirit of the pilgrimage: going to the Holy Land to discover Jesus in his land and walking in his footsteps.”

By Marinella Bandini | Custodio

Source Link: https://www.custodia.org/en/news/service-and-fraternity-the-first-congress-of-the-commissaries-of-the-holy-land-of-asia/