Spiritan Superiors and formators from Africa and the Islands together with representatives from the Generalate in Rome, met for their bi-annual meeting from 22nd until the 27th August 2017, in Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. Recognizing the multifaceted socio-political, and economic challenges faced by many countries, the conference committed herself to advance the following:
- We shall continue ministry in areas of primary evangelization, health care, education with a focus on inculcating our Spiritan ethos, humanitarian assistance in the face of natural disasters, health care and other areas of mission outlined in SRL 12.
- We recognize the missionary work of our Spiritan forebears from Europe and North America, and we commit ourselves to continue this mission in the continent of Africa and the Islands.
- We shall endeavor to advance the quality of Spiritan formation in our houses of formation by ensuring that trained formators accompany confreres in formation.
- We shall do our best for the welfare of our confreres in formation.
- We recognize previous Spiritan efforts in education, primary evangelization, health care, humanitarian services, conflict resolution which continues to be essential in the life of the people in our continent.
- We encourage financial autonomy within the circumscriptions in Africa and the Islands although we realize that sometimes the socio-political and economic situation of our countries poses a huge challenge towards our circumscriptions’self-sufficiency.
- We wish to advance a common SCCAI missionary project in Ethiopia. As Addis Ababa serves as the headquarters of the African Union where polices that affect the entire continent are made, we shall support the group in Ethiopia in establishing a presence at the African union.
- After making some amendments to our statutes subject to the approval of the General Council, we have set up a committee of the President, Vice President, Secretary and vice Secretary to form the core group that advances the goals and mission of SCCAI. This core group will meet in Addis Ababa before the end of this year to outline areas of focus as we move closer to the next meeting of the conference, which will take place in Abuja, Nigeria in 2019.
Jude Nnorom
