A Defining Moment
There are defining moments in the life and history of individuals and groups, moments which seem to sum up the essence of the situation at a particular time, taking into account what has gone before and glancing towards the future. Examples might be the U.S. Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima or the child who had been burned by napalm fleeing naked from the combat zone in Vietnam. Religious orders, too, have their moments of definition; decisions made, missions undertaken, which significantly affect the future direction of the institution. For Spiritans one such incident occurred towards the end of the General Chapter (meeting) of 1986.
In
common with other religious families Spiritans had spent the period
following the Second Vatican Council in a flurry of research,
position papers, questionnaires, input by experts and would-be
experts, meetings and much soul searching, all to comply with the
urgings of the Council to update mission and lifestyle in accordance
with Scripture, the spirit of the Founders and the "signs of the
times". It was an exciting period if at times nerve-wracking and
tiring. Finally in the summer of 1986 the General Chapter drew
together in Paris delegates from all parts of the far flung Spiritan
family to complete the revision of our Rule of Life.
It was a difficult exercise requiring the study and digestion of huge quantities of material compiled through almost 18 years of research, and then the condensation of this, in letter and spirit, into the new Rule. There were endless presentations, commentaries, corrections, reflections, re-writes, interim votes and final approvals all carried out in the three official languages of the Congregation - English, French and Portuguese. In the end the document was ready and weary delegates breathed a collective sigh of relief. Now all that remained was the addition of an introductory preface outlining briefly the history of the Congregation up to that point.
A European Vision
The Preface, carefully prepared in advance by a Spiritan well versed
in his subject, had been distributed to all delegates. In the general
euphoria that followed the acceptance of the Rule it was assumed that
the preface would sail through with perhaps a few minor
modifications. The content was fairly standard fare, the kind of
material on which European and North American Spiritans had been
weaned, mostly extolling the efforts of missionaries to bring the
Good News to various parts of the world. It was not triumphal in tone
and had studiously avoided words or comments that might be considered
derogatory (e.g. "abandoned souls", "pagan
races"). It was introduced to the Chapter confidently, almost lightheartedly.
A Global Vision
Then the wheels came off. One of the African delegates opened his microphone and said, in effect, that although he was a Spiritan he did not see his history in this particular document. His sentiments were echoed by others from Africa and the Caribbean: paternalistic, euro-centred, no reference to the pre-missionary presence of the Spirit, were some of the criticisms. The debate was on and a quick end to the Chapter was clearly slipping away. Some delegates attempted to defend the document pointing out that it was simply a routine summary of Spiritan history. That was just the problem, countered the opponents; history needed to be broadened to take into account non-European perspectives. Some Europeans and North Americans sided with the objectors pointing out that even if up to now this was the perceived story of the Congregation, it would be quite insensitive to insert it in the Rule over the objections of our brothers from the one time "mission countries".
The debate heated up. Gradually it was becoming clear that achieving a compromise or reaching a consensus was virtually impossible. A suggestion to re-write the Preface was scrapped because of the lateness of the hour. Finally, with time running out, the steering committee reluctantly called for a vote and in an atmosphere charged with tension and excitement the document was rejected. There would be no introduction to the newly minted Rule of Life!
Opponents were pleased, supporters miffed, but a handful of thoughtful delegates realized that they had just witnessed a defining moment in the 280 year old religious society. To this point "mission" had been seen largely in terms of movement from first world to mission-receiving (mostly "developing") countries. Now it was suddenly clear that the mission countries had come of age and were beginning to leave the imprint of their own personalities on the history of the Congregation. It was a whole new perspective amply confirmed by subsequent events; today three of six members of the General Council of the Spiritans are African; 25% of the membership is from the so called "Third Church" as is 80% of those in formation. Spiritans are now in the forefront of international missionary orders whose members come largely from one-time mission lands. It is a wonderful and extraordinary transition and one of which our founders would surely have approved.
Maybe now the time has come to write that Preface.
Michael Doyle, CSSp
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