FOURTH SESSION OF FIC PROVINCIAL CHAPTER - GHANA PROVINCE

THEME: DEEPENING OUR IDENTITY AS FIC BROTHERS IN THE 21^ST CENTURY.

The fourth day Morning Prayer was led by the Liturgy Committee at 7:00am to commence the day’s work.  The leader of the prayer service (Br. Didas Toogumo) read a good will message from Br. Bernardus to Chapter Delegates on how to conduct the affairs of this Chapter. A brief summary of this message is captured below in italic for reflection. 

GOOD WILL MESSAGE FROM BR. BERNARDUS

Dear Chapter delegates,

May you read this Good will message in a good health and in a good spirit. I invite you to read this message reflectively as it is so dear to me. 

I lay the foundation and requested each one of you to build on it carefully which I believed you are doing.

I am happy and grateful to send you my good will greetings in this special period, the first session of your 2024 Provincial Chapter, which is so dear to our congregation.  I can still recall how tirelessly I worked towards the development of the congregation at the time, just as you are doing today!

I want to believe that you too felt a great love for those who were loved by Jesus, those who need special care and support and have decided to join me in this congregation that we may together fulfill our dream to live in the footsteps of Christ.

It is a great opportunity for each one of you to grow as a person and to deepen your life as an FIC brother, together with your fellow brothers with different attitudes and characters. You would have known that in my life, in my responsibility for the congregation, I had a great concern for the well-being and a good spiritual formation of the brothers.

You certainly know that the religious formation of the first brothers was very thin and that I made great efforts to change that.

I know that, being a religious brother in my time, in the 19^th century, is quite different from being a religious brother in 2024, in the 21^st century. I am clearly aware of that; however, the fundamentals of religious life are still the same.

These are:

1. 1.     Your relationship with God (prayer life)
2. 2.     Your living together with fellow-brothers (community life),
3. 3.     Your service to the humanity (apostolate)

These three are the cardinal points in the life of every religious, which make our vocation different from the other vocations in the church.

I encourage you to pay attention to these essentials of religious life during your discussion throughout the 2024 Provincial Chapter. Please know who you are in the church, be aware of the environment you live in and be conscious of the signs of the time in the formulation of policies and decisions marking during this chapter.

In this my Good will message, I will talk to you about some central values in my life as Brother Bernardus which have helped me to give direction and motivation to my life as a religious brother and the first General Superior of this our noble congregation. I am convinced that they can also help you in your growth if only you were truly attracted by my simple lifestyle to be an FIC Brother. So, pay attention!

I have always tried to grow in my relationship with God, by give time to daily prayer, with great discipline and faithfulness, especially internal prayer, trying to connect with God and become so to say ‘one’ with Him. Through this, my trust in God was growing, I trust in his love, his guidance and providence.

 Being a brother in your apostolate today is there still that practice of honesty, accountability and the common thinking of the future of the congregation among you?

You would have noticed that I like Msgr. Rutten, had a great concern for the poor. I said to my brothers: The Lord who has begun the work, will also complete it. But Brother, never neglect the poor. The congregation will be happy as long as we put the poor first.”  Do you still care for the poor, the underprivileged, and the marginalized in your province? Did you recognize  poverty in the environment where you live or work, especially the economic situation of Ghana todays? If yes, what are you doing about it?Again, I encourage you to be guided by these cutting issues throughout the 2024Provincial Chapter in your decision making and formulation of policies. Wishing you fruitful Chapter.

This inspirational message moved participants to begin the day activity which was to elect delegates to the General Chapter (GC). The moderator therefore, asked participants to moved into three groups to nominate General Chapter delegates those who can represent the Province. This exercise was successfully carried out. The Provincial and participants agreed to look at the proposals written by Brothers and communities for further corrections and consideration. These proposals and their elucidations numbered 1 to 34 and all were critical discussed. All Brothers participated fully in the discussion and offered good suggestions. Generally participants reflected meditatively on the proposals and suggest their honest opinion.

In conclusion the day was lovely and peaceful

The participants closed the day with a Eucharistic celebration officiated by the Moderator- 

Rev. Fr. Dominic Apee M. Afr. 

Compiled by: Br. Conrad Nakuma