Transcript Slide 1

S.C.B. ASSOCIATES
Prepared by:
Sr. Jane and Team
WHO ARE ASSOCIATES?
Associates are men and women who wish to associates
with a religious community, their spirituality, their
mission. The process and degree to which the
associates can be involved in the life and mission of the
congregation depends on how we want to share.
……
They do not take vow; they do not live with religious.
They do not get involved in the internal governance in
the congregation.
The vision and ministry and spirituality of
the religious men and women is expanded
to the associates.
They are given orientation period during which
they learn about congregation, its charism,
spirituality, history. Its apostates etc…..They may
make a commitment for one or two years,
renewable for as long as they wish.
They may be those who are already employed as
teachers, nurse, etc.or retired ones, parishioners,
or our former students, former teachers, etc.
We are living at a period of time in History which needs a
change of mentality.
That is what is meant by paradigm shift, a shift in our
pattern of thinking and acting.
Gone are the days when we religious conducted
ourselves as though we had the monopoly of all that was
considered religious and apostolic activities, teaching,
nursing ,catechizing, social service, pastoral services etc.
Religious thought that only they were called to life of
holiness and perfection.
In today’s globalized world, the Holy Spirit calling for
spirituality of communion between the religious persons
and laity in building up the Kingdom of God, and not work
in isolation.
The charism is a gift of God given to the founder and
transmitted to the members of the congregation, not to be
preserved as an exclusive property of the congregation. It
is given to be shared, extend, fructified (made fruitful
which ensures its continuation.
Reading the signs of the time we realize
that this is the age of the laity. It is the call of
the Church to give to the laity its rightful place
in the church and in the world.
We see around us how the lay faithful are
coming forward, getting more and
more involved, putting their time, talents and
potentialities at the service of the Church.
It is one of the signs of the times and it
urges us to build upon this strong force in
the church. The vocation of the laity and
faithful and the vocation of the religious
enrich, strengthen and complement each
other mutually, while each one maintains
its proper identity.
The religious must not expect that the lay
persons to live and work like them or vice versa.
Neither group must lose its identity.
There is a desire in the laity to share
our spirituality, our charism, our mission
without becoming one of us. This is a call
from God for both religious and laity.
Responding to this call to share our
spirituality and mission enlarge our charism,
extends it beyond the congregation.
The charism and the congregation takes on
another dimension, of living our consecrated
life, with its spirituality, charism and mission
not in isolation but in communion, in
partnership with others sections of the church,
the lay faithful. It develops anew way of being
Church, a new of building the church.
We religious must educate ourselves to a
change of attitude regarding our identity.
We have got so much used to the hierarchical
structure: religious were always at the head
of the school, hospital nurses, helpers,etc.
Religious had the
directing role and lay
persons had a helping
role so much so that
we find it difficult to
work under the
direction of the lay
people.
Kanada
We must start realising that we are
laity with the laity that we are part of
the People of God as they are.
That they are also called to holiness
and perfection as we are.
The UISG meeting in Rome last year, Challenged
religious to weave a new spirituality that generates
life and hope for all.
Weave implies; many threads, many colures and
shades, it implies intertwining.
Religious life can no longer say it is self
sufficient.In the past they could say that with
the numbers they had with the resources and
monopoly they had over all the important
institutions, Educational, hospitals Religious
now cannot live enclosed on itself, enclosed its
proper charism, its own traditions, its works,
Religious must open up more and more to
wider realities.
God’s mission today will truly be enhanced
if religious congregations recognized this sign of
the times in our midst though it will be difficult to
give up old ways of thinking and working.
It will be like the grain of sand in the oyster.
It will hurt, it will be demanding but gradually a
pearl will be forming inside, the congregation, in
the Church.
We must realize that new relationship with the lay
faithful, genuine mutuality, gives vigor to religious
life and its works.
We still have fears, our mistrust, our ignorance, and
our prejudices to work on, what are they?
Through our association with the laity and
helping them to form an association we are
providing for the lay people:
A group to belong to
A history to create
A language to speak
A way to pray
A work or ministry to undertake to respond
effectively to the needs of our world
A means to discover the face of God and
God’s action in the world.
Religious with all the training, formation, graces we have
received are in the better position to the lay faithful to
deepen their Christian life.
The Charism of our Congregation is
to incarnate the Compassionate love of God
for all people, especially the Poor and the
Marginalized through Christian education
in our ministries.
THANK YOU
LET US WORK IN COLLABORATION