Becoming an Apostolic Body

The many cultures present were a blessing for the Miami Assembly. The Vietnamese Community was welcomed into the body of CLC. We are called to become aware of and foster the expression of the different cultures in CLC, while also recognizing that we are all part of one world community.

We are called to be a prophetic voice in the Church and in the world. To accomplish this, two major themes emerged during the assembly: Formation and Communication. In addition, several other special issues were raised that we believe should be highlighted: Families/Youth/Young Adults, Adequacy of Resources for Development, and communication with and recruitment/involvement of Jesuits.

Formation is an integral aspect of the CLC way of life and our vocation to be on mission (to share Jesus’s mission). We are called to be contemplatives in action. Formation involves initial formation of new communities and is a continuing process for all existing communities. Key aspects of formation that were raised include:

• Understanding the meaning of common mission (what makes mission common)
• Being grounded in personal discernment and communal discernment (teaching and knowing how to live it out)
• Seeing the connection between the local, regional, national, and world community
• Rooted in (experience of) the Spiritual Exercises

Ways of accomplishing this formation that were identified include:

• Collecting and centralizing our formation resources
• Developing practical guidance materials (recipe book)
• Formation materials need to be age and culturally appropriate
• Developing guides courses and training guides

Communication is integral to sharing our experiences as one apostolic body. Communication was identified to accomplish some of the following objectives:

• To share our stories
• To share how we are being apostolic
• To disseminate information about the world around us and increase our understanding of the needs in our world
• To make connections between the local, regional, national, and international community
• To identify needs among our communities
• To distribute ideas and information about formation and our way of proceeding
• To raise awareness and visibility of CLC

Methods of achieving this communication include the web, newsletters, and various CLC publications.

Families, youth, and young adults in particular were raised for special attention in our formation processes. There is a concern that adults with children and families are not well-represented in CLC. However, there are some models involving families and a desire to share and develop these further. There is also a desire to expand our efforts to develop youth and young adult formation materials that draw on our existing experience and to identify ways for college age young adults to continue in CLC after they leave school.

The Assembly expressed concern about the adequacy of resources to achieve our development goals and become a fully apostolic body. There will likely be a need to explore other options for financial support beyond our traditional sources (dues).

The importance of our relationship with the Jesuits was highlighted along with the recognition of the dwindling numbers of Jesuits. We need to continue to explore how we can effectively communicate with Jesuits, recruit and involve Jesuits in CLC, and establish a more collaborative and mutually enriching relationship with the Jesuits.

These reflections highlight what we heard from the participants in the Miami Assembly highlight on how CLC-USA can more fully become an apostolic body: how we can become what we are – the body of Christ.

1. Multicultural - maintain, promote diversity

• called to be prophetic
• Stress global, part of world community
• Commonality = richness of discernment, giftedness, both personally and communally

2. Prophetic call - formation – communication, special elements, discernment (teaches and uses at both individual and communal levels, stress contemplative source of way of life. CLC is Vocation, way of life.

We become prophetic through:

• formation dimension
  • communal discernment
    • How do we do it? How to teach and use it.
    • individual and communal levels
    • initial and continuing
    • using stories to show how discernment has been successful
    • we can discern as a community (decisions) and/or community helping me with my personal decisions
    • discernment – intense (on various levels) changes in society
  • Balance between being and doing.
  • Contemplatives in action.
  • Commitment to daily Scripture-based prayer.
  • 2 types of formation: initial and continuing.
  • Culturally and age-appropriate
  • CLC as vocation, way of life
    • Vocation to be on mission, personally and in community.)
  • Common mission – still vague
• communication dimension
  • Telling our stories
  • Becoming more aware of world around us.

Social analysis – tell stories
opening our hearts, minds and eyes to the world around us. Trying to understand world around us and its issues. Becoming more aware. Beginning point as to how to understand.
Different instances of how you can do community discernment.

How???? People want a recipe for how to get started that is practical and simple.

Youth:
Youth transition after graduating from college. Formation – transition. Continuing of discernment.
Making young adult leaders in the new church.
Call for assembly for youth and young adults with its own council.
- Draw on existing models in our communities

What: Materials and resources

How: new CLCs, guides/leaders, culturally-appropriate, age-appropriate

Improve communication

Relationship with Jesuits:

• Communication w/Jesuits – involve Jesuits, must involve ExCo of the nation
• Formation leaders of ExCo need to form ongoing connections with formation leaders of Jesuits. – ties with Nairobi (relationship w/Jesuits) Two-way, mutually-enriching relationship. Working partnership moving toward group ministries. Influence way Jesuits are trained.

Lay people would like spiritual guidance. Ignatian way came from the Jesuits.

Training guides – can’t teach people over a weekend to be a guide. Takes time.

One body

Special issues:

• Family CLC - reach out and bring in those people, children involved in various degrees or ways. Children to grow up to belong to CLC. Family CLCs (Progressio) goes back to story telling.
• Collaboration with Jesuits (Communication, recruitment)
• Financial concerns - Financial viability for the leadership. Lilly and other endowment funds. Come up with viable projects. National S.E. guide teams to go around the nation. Resource base – money and more. Information about formation.

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