Eighteen Spiritan Bishops of various dioceses across the globe convened at the Generalate from 14th to 16th May 2024, responding to an invitation from the Superior General, Fr. Alain Mayama.
We have already hosted a number of spiritan and non-spiritan bishops who came to the Generalate either before, during, or a fter their Ad Limina visits. But as far as anyone can recall, this is the first time in the 321 years’ history of the Congregation that Spiritan Bishops have been invited by the Superior General to a meeting at the Generalate.
In attendance were Cardinal Dieudonne Nzapalainga (Bangui–Central Africa), Archbishop Gabriel Mbilingi (Lubango –Angola), Archbishop John Bonaventure Kwofie (Accra–Ghana). Others were Bishops Augustine Shao (Zanzibar–Tanzania), Belmiro Cuica Chissengueti (Cabinda–Angola), Gerard Maximim County (Kingstown–St Vincent and Grenadines), Jean Gardin (Emeritus of Impfondo, from Paris–France), John Mbinda Makau (Lodwar–Kenya), José Altevir da Silva (Tefé – Amazónia–Brazil), Maurício Agostinho Camuto (Caxito–Angola), Oscar Wa Mpanga Ngoy (Kongolo–Congo Kinshasa), Pierre Jubinville (San Pedro–Paraguay), Rogath Kimaryo (Same–Tanzania), Séverin Nziengui (Makokou–Gabon), Teodoro Mendes Tavares (Ponta de Pedras-Amazónia – Brazil), Toussaint Ngoma Foumanet, (Dolisie–Congo Brazzavile) and Yves Monot (Emeritus of Ouesso, from Langonnet, France). Cardinal Maurice Piat (Emeritus of Port Louis, Mauritius) was also present on the third and final day of the meeting.
The meeting was opened by the Superior General, Fr. Alain Mayama. On behalf of the Spiritan Family, he warmly welcomed the Spiritan Bishops to the Generalate, telling them that in the path and spirit of synodality, it is opportune that we walk together with our confrere Bishops; to experience a moment of communion, fraternity, solidarity and listening to one another. This three days meeting with its theme of “Episcopal Responsibility and Spiritan Fraternity” had three objectives; first, to celebrate our fraternity, second, mutual encounter and fraternal sharing and third, collaboration between Spiritan Bishops and the Congregation (expectations and future perspective).
The first day was spent on the presentation of the state of the Congregation: strengths and challenges and was concluded by the Bishop’s appraisal of the congregation in the light of the challenges of missionary enterprise in the contemporary world.
On the following day, the bishops had an outing to visit the Papal palace at Castel Gandolfo.
The program for the last day of the meeting was dedicated to Pastoral sharing from individual Bishops on their respective missions and on collaboration between Spiritan Bishops and the congregation: expectations, evaluation and future perspective
Throughout the meeting there was a strong and unanimous expression from the part of the bishops of truly feeling at home and despite their episcopal responsibility, of a deep sense of still being proudly belonging to the grand Spiritan family.
The Meeting was concluded with the celebration of the Eucharist. We are happy that our confrere Bishops have travelled back to the their respective dioceses and to their episcopal responsibilities having experienced a unique, albeit brief, moment of fraternity, communion, solidarity and sharing. The same can be said of the General Council and the entire Generalate community. There is no doubt that, they had both just gone through a genuine Kairos moment!
