DownloadGENERAL ADMINISTRATION
CENTRAL GOVERNMENT: A letter from the Superior GeneralNovember 4th 2010
Dear Brother Oblates,
This is to inform you that the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life has given its response to our request to approve the Constitutions modified at the recent Chapter. Three constitutions had been modified. C. 38, 98, and 141. The Congregation approved C. 38 and 98. It did not approve C.141 which deals with the election of the General Council and the time of transition between councils. This means that the new government, made up of Frs. Lougen, Archiati, Ngoka, Piñón, Rois, Brown, Fritz, Waidyasekara, and Chinyemba, is the only real governmental authority at the general level in the Congregation, and has been so since their election under the unmodified provisions of C. 141.
Since the Chapter, we have been acting on the assumption that the transition in authority would occur at the time of installation, which was the change indicated in C.141. The members of the new government left Rome on the understanding that they would not be in office until January 6th 2011, the date decided for installation. It was also assumed that during the interim period, until January 6th 2011, the former government would be in authority.
Even as things are now, the service of Government continues uninterrupted. Those members of the new government who will be in Rome until the beginning of the plenary session on January 10th 2011 will handle the normal business of the Congregation. The members of the new government who are studying languages, or providing for transitions in their home unit, will continue the programmes they established before leaving Rome. The new Vicar General with the Procurator General will clarify with the Vatican Congregation any issues which may arise from decisions taken since the time of elections during the Chapter.
Work continues on the final editing and translating of the Chapter letter and the Calls to Conversion which will be forwarded to all Oblates as soon as possible. The complete Acta of the Chapter will follow in due course.
May the Holy Spirit fill all our hearts with a deeper grace of conversion and a renewed zeal for evangelization of the poor.
In Jesus Christ and Mary Immaculate,
Louis Lougen. O.M.I.
Superior General
