O A S I S 2014 

FIC - JOURNEY TO SPIRITUAL ENRICHMENT 

November 20 – December 19, 2014 

Arnold Janssen Klooster, Wahlwiller – NETHERLANDS 

________________________________________________ 

c/o Prins Bisschopsingel 22, 6211 JX Maastricht, 

27 April 2015

The Provincial Councils FIC

and Animators

FIC Journey to Spiritual Enrichment

Chile, Ghana, Indonesia, Malawi, Netherlands

Dear Brothers

A RETROSPECT OF OASIS 2014

1. It is now more than four months ago that we organized the OASIS-stage for the participants of FIC Journey to Spiritual Enrichment. We are very grateful for the help and co-operation you gave us for a good preparation and organization of the OASIS 2014 event. By now you must have heard the experiences of the participants from your province. We ourselves experienced the whole process as also beneficial for our own personal growth. Herewith we would like to share with you our retrospection of the event.

2. Based on the experiences and evaluations of the past OASIS-meetings, this time we restructured the OASIS 2014. Inputs were presented mainly in the morning, while  in the afternoon there was time for personal reflection and group sharing, trying to help participants to integrate the topics in their personal lives. We also arranged and availed ourselves at least once a week to have a personal talk (spiritual direction) with each participant.  This restructuring turned out, as seen in the evaluations of the participants, to be very helpful for the participants. 

3. While preparing the OASIS carefully and meeting regularly, we also tried to give meaning to it and not just repeat what we have ever done in previous years. In this way we could already give some soul to the OASIS before it started and the participants felt it. We allowed the challenge to listen to the Spirit in our preparatory meetings, struggling, searching and allowing ourselves to be guided by that Spirit. It lead to a deep bonding and team spirit which carried us on during the OASIS. Our focus was on the process of spiritual renewal of the participants.

4. What contributed for a great deal was the translation equipment and the presence of the translators. Here was especially mentioned Bro. Valentinus Daru Setiaji, whose presence was highly appreciated! It was not only his part as a translator, but the way he was present, with open eyes, ready to help at any time and how he handled the challenges in a beautiful spirit. It was a gift to all of us, especially to the Indonesian brothers. We are very grateful for him too.

5. We could also feel that the provinces were able to make more effort in preparing the participants. For this we are very grateful.  Yet some participants expressed that they were not adequately prepared; and this is especially due to lack of good enough organisation in the province and to the load of works to be carried-out by the participants concerned. 

6. The Congregational Walk was a highlight of the OASIS 2014. It was highly valued and it came out clearly that we have to take more time for it the next time. We need also more careful preparation so as to get the opportunity to see and visit / enter important places. We find it important, then, to contact in time the persons involved or connected with those places, i.e. deacon Hanneman for St. Servaas Basilica, the Parish-priest of St. Mathias Church, the person(s) occupying the former family house (birth-place) of Mgr. Ruttten, etc. It is therefore highly recommended to look for a local permanent contact-person for the key-persons to be approached for future Congregational Walks. 

7. Furthermore there is the expressed desire of the participants to deepen more the FIC spirituality, and especially to hear more about Brother Bernard Hoecken. There seems to be a lot of written material about the founders in the archives. It is a treasure and of great importance for the congregation as a whole. We do hope that something can be done on this.

8. The participants expressed their desire to have the OASIS if possible in summer. Winter is a hard season to experience. The temperatures are too cold for most of them. Yet for some it even feeds their fantacies about the kind of needs (suffering) that the poor children were to bear and that our Founders were to serve at that time. 

9. The organising committee is aware of the importance to follow up the OASIS-participants, to still stimulate and accompany them in their continuing spiritual journey. For this, there has been a number of possible ways and means suggested and expected by participants. 

Besides the helping exercises to continue with the stages of the journey, we also intend to send some reflection materials four or five times a year. Yet we know that Provinces have been regularly providing the Brothers with themes and readings for reflections. To avoid overlaping of efforts, we would be very happy and grateful if you could inform us about the themes and / or the materials for reflection prepared by the province. On our part, we would rather do in such away that it supports the reflections programmed in the province. 

In addition, committee members will also establish personal contacts with participants whom he / she accompanied (in spiritual direction) during the OASIS 2014. 

 

10. With wholehearted gratitude for your trust and support, yours faithfully,

Preparatory and Organizing Committee OASIS 2014,

Bro. Guido Sukarman, 

Bro. Johan Muijtjens 

Sr. Claudia Theinert 

Bro. Theodorus Suwaryanto

PS.: for your information, attached herewith is the compilation of the end-evaluation.