A Congress to Close the Eight Centenary of the Order

on 27 Dec, 2016
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Rome (Italy), January 2017, OP.- It is from the celebration of the Chapter of Trogir in 2013 that the idea of a Congress for the Mission of the Order was proposed as an important moment of the Jubilee celebration of the 800 years of the confirmation of the Order in 2016. The Congress will be somewhere between the two dates close to the approval and confirmation of the Order "of preachers": according to the two papal bulls complementary to each other in the confirmation of an Order "of preachers": see that of 22 December 1216 with the confirmation of Honorius III and that of 21 January 1217 which formally designates an "Order of Preachers." 

This is why the International Congress for the Mission will be precisely in the space between these two dates, 22 December 2016 and 21 January 2017, as solemn closing of the Year of the Dominican Jubilee and, especially, as a point of departure for a new path for the mission of preaching of the Order. The Congress’ main theme will be determined by the General Chapter for the Jubilee year celebration of the 800 years of the Order: SENT TO PREACH THE GOSPEL (Cf. ACG Trogir 50). The sisters of the general government and some sisters from various provinces will attend the congress and Srs. María Leonor Charria (General Government), Véronique Margron (France) and Doris Gilma Zorro (Guatemala) will accompany one of the workshops (mission forums). On the other hand, Sr. Gemma Morató (Spain) will preach a key-note on January 20th.

"Sent to Preach the Gospel"

Rome, 01/17-21/2017


A CONGRESS TO CLOSE THE EIGHT CENTENARY
AND AT THE SAME TIME RECONFIRM THE ORDER OF PREACHERS
Nuns, sisters, brothers and lay Dominicans

For the preparation of the Congress, the General Council of the Order has proposed the organisation of forums for the common reflection with the participation of brothers, sisters and laity, who work in the different fields and models of preaching today. These forums were organized by following the « Mission mandates » established since the General Chapter of Rome 2010 and formally determined in the Chapter of Trogir (Cf. ACG Trogir, 109 ss.).

1. OBJECTIVES OF THE CONGRESS FOR MISSION

1. Promote awareness and understanding of the different areas and contexts of the mission of the Order today.
2. Encourage and promote mutual cooperation between the regions and the entities of the Order.
3. Promote the creation of collaborative networks in specific apostolic fields (which may occur).
4. Identify presences and forms of apostolate of the Order that must be strengthened.
5. Propose common values and guidelines to the mission of the Order, in the aim to further deepen our specific contribution to the mission of evangelization of the Church.
 

2. THE PURPOSE OF THE CONGRESS

The main objective of the Congress will consider what the contribution of our preaching is to the mission of the Church and of the Order even in the immediate future:
 
a. How can it help the Congress to RENEW THE PREACHING OF THE ORDER, and encourage us and to renew our mission of preachers?
b. In what and how will the Order help to strengthen the preaching of the Church?
c. What is our specific responsibility in this mission?
d. How can brother and sister preachers put at the service of the Church the charisma that it expects from us?
e. When priority is given by the Church to the gospel of the family, what is the specific contribution that the Order can bring, from its community tradition, on the one hand, and the reality of the "Dominican Family ", on the other?
 

3. THEMES OF THE CONGRESS

In addition to the main theme of the Jubilee proposed by the General Chapter of Trogir: SENT TO PREACH THE GOSPEL, the congress workshops, forums preparations and the work of the groups will develop from the FORUMS OF MISSION, organized by following the « Mission mandates » established since the General Chapter of Rome 2010 and formally determined in the chapter of Trogir (Cf. ACG Trogir, 109 ss.).

1. Migrants.
2. Indigenous people.
3. Interreligious Dialogue and Ecumenism
4. Ministry in city centres.
5. Pilgrimages and devotion of Rosary
6. Parish ministry.
7. Education and evangelization.
8. Salamanca process.
9. Schools of preaching.
10. Study as mission of the Order
11. Human rights
12. Campus ministry
13. Art and preaching
14. Prison pastoral
15. Pastoral health care
16. Media

4. METHODOLOGY OF THE CONGRESS

The Congress -which will bring together more than 400 brothers, sisters, lay people, with guests of different regions, is organized in four main sessions (one per day), according to the broad lines of the mission of preaching of the Dominican Order: Day 1: Humanity: justice, peace and care of creation; migrants, indigenous people, human rights... Day 2: Meeting: inter-religious dialogue, unity of Christians, listening, education, media and digital world... Day 3: Service: Ministry of the Word, campus ministry, ministry in urban centres, parish ministry, health care, prison ministry... Day 4: Closing: Return to the central theme of the Jubilee - and therefore the Congress : SENT TO PREACH THE GOSPEL. This theme will be developed each day as follows: Day 1: The Gospel. Day 2: To preach. Day 3: Sent.

Each of the three days of the Congress will begin with a « Key-note », in a general introduction way, in order to open the daily work. After this intervention, the participants of the Congress will meet in workshop. Finally, each day at 14h (Rome time), all the provinces of the Order and the various branches of the Dominican Family will be connected virtually, in order to share experiences, ideas, suggestions, challenges and conclusions, from the different corners of the world about our common mission on the theme of the day. The last day of the Congress (21 January), will be a closing ceremony presided by the Master of the Order and representatives of the Dominican Family to present the conclusions of the Congress, obtained from the synthesis presented in different daily sessions of workshops and international panels made during the Congress.

Each evening, the Congress will move to go and pray in the various Dominicans places of Rome in a way of a pilgrimage of all participants: 18 January: Santa Sabina (Mass presided by the Master of the Order) and visit of the exhibition « Art and Preaching ». 19 January: Ecumenical Prayer to the Basilica of St Mary Major, where our Dominican brothers constantly exercise the ministry of reconciliation. 20 January: Visit to the Basilica of Santa Maria Sopra Minerva (Tomb of Saint Catherine of Siena and of Fra Angelico); to pay tribute to artist preachers and women preachers of the Order. 21 January: solemn ceremony of closure of the Congress and the Jubilee of the Order, presided by His Holiness Pope Francis, in the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, where the confirmation of the Order by Pope Honorius III took place 800 years ago.

5. VENUE AND PROGRAMME OF THE CONGRESS

The Congress will be celebrated in Rome, at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas - Angelicum, from 17 to 21 January 2017 and will be the solemn closing of the Jubilee of the 800 years of the confirmation of the Order.

GENERAL PROGRAMME OF THE CONGRESS

TUESDAY 17 JANUARY 2017: OPENING AND WELCOME

16:00 Registration
(Pontifical University of St. Thomas, Angelicum)

18:00 OPENING CEREMONY: Aula San Giovanni Paulo II

1. “Nueve años... Un destino”
Emmo. Carlos Alfonso AZPIROZ COSTA, O.P. Ex-Master of the Order

2. Hymn of the Jubilee of the Order
Choral Institute Saint Dominic – Roman Congregation of St Dominic.

3. Opening Prayer:
Emmo. Cardinal Dominik DUKA, O.P. Archbishops of Prague.

4. Official Opening of the Congress:
Fr. Bruno CADORE, O.P., Master of the Order

5. Inaugural Conference:
Fr. Mauro JOHRI, OFM,cap. General Minister and President of the Union of Superiors General (USG).

6. Concert: Preaching whit Music
Fr. Robert MEHLHART, O.P. and Die Neue Vokalkapelle München

7. Welcome cocktail

WEDNESDAY JANUARY 18: Theme of the day: THE GOSPEL

Module: HUMANITY (Justice, peace and care of the earth;
Human Rights, Migrants, Indigenous Peoples...)
 
08:30 - 08:55 Opening Prayer
09:00 - 09:45 Key-note:
Fr. Carlos MENDOZA ÁLVAREZ, O.P. (México)
Sr. Teresa HIESLMAYR, O.P. (Austria)

09:45 - 10:15 Break. Coffee.

10-15 -11:15 Session I for workshop
11:15 – 11:40 Break (each workshop at their own pace)
11:40 -12:30 Session II for workshop

12:30 - 14:30 Lunch - 13:15 Art and Preaching: Dominikus Swiss Theater (Aula Minor)
 

14:30 – 16:30 Panel: (Internet connection in the entire Order)

Panel MODULE 1: HUMANITY: Justice, peace and care of the earth, Human Rights, Migrants, Process Salamanca, Indigenous peoples.

Moderator: Fr. Jesús DÍAZ SARIEGO, O.P. (Hispania)

PANELLISTS:
- Hno. Gioachino CAMPESE, CS. (Italia)
- Hna. Marcela SOTO AHUMANDA (Bolivia)
- Fr. Emmanuel NTAKARUTIMANA, O.P. (Burundi)

18:00 Pilgrimage to Santa Sabina.

18:30 Eucharistic celebration in Santa Sabina (presides: Fr. Bruno CADORÉ, O.P.).

19:30 Exposition “Art & Preaching”. Glass of wine.

THURSDAY JANUARY 19: Theme of the day: TO PREACH

Module: ENCOUNTER (Interreligious Dialogue, Christian Unity, Education, Dialogue Science-Faith...)

08:30 - 08:55 Opening Prayer
09:00 - 09:45 Key-note:
Sr Mary Catherine HILKERT, O.P. (USA)
Fr. Felicísimo MARTÍNEZ, O.P. (España)

09:45 - 10:15 Break. Coffee.

10-15 -11:15 Session I for workshop
11:15 – 11:40 Break (each workshop at their own pace)
11:40 - 12:30 Session II for workshop
 

12:30 - 14:30 Lunch... 13:15: Art and Preaching: Piano Concert (Aula Minor): Fr. Arnaud BLUNAT, O.P. (France)

14:30 - 16:30 Panel: (Internet connection in the entire Order)

Panel MODULE 2: ENCOUNTER: Interreligious Dialogue, Christian Unity, Education, Dialogue Science-Faith...

Moderators: Fr. Jorge SCAMPINI, O.P. (Argentina)

PANELLISTS:
- Fr. Paul LAWLOR, O.P. (Iran)
- Prof. Claudio CARVALHAES (Brasil)
- Mme. Natalia TROUILLER (France)

18:00 Pilgrimage to Basilica Santa Maria Maggiore
18:30 Ecumenical Prayer

FRIDAY JANUARY 20: Theme of the day: SENT

Module: SERVICE (Campus ministry, parish ministry, pastoral in prisons, Health pastoral care...)

08:30 - 08:55 Opening Prayer:
09:00 - 09:45 Key-note:
P. Guilles ROUTIER (Canada)
Sr. Gemma MORATÓ, O.P. (Spain)

09:45 - 10:15 Break. Coffee.

10-15 -11:15 Session I for workshop
11:15 – 11:40 Break (each workshop at their own pace)
11:40 - 12:30 Session II for workshop
 

12:30 - 14:30 Lunch... 13:15: Concert (Aula Minor) Fr. Jean-Dominique ARBRELL, O.P. (France)
14:30 - 16:30 Panel: (Internet connection in the entire Order)

Panel MODULE 3: SERVICE: Campus ministry, parish ministry, pastoral in prisons, Health pastoral care.
Moderator: Fr Leobardo ALMAZÁN, O.P. (USA)

PANELLISTS:
- Sr. Faustima JIMOH, O.P. (Nigeria)
- Sr. Luma KHUDER (Irak)
- Mr. Jean DELARUE

18:00 Pilgrimage to Santa Maria Maggiore
18:30 – 19:00 Prayer in Santa Maria Sopra Minerva (Tombs of St. Catherine of Siena and fra Angelico). Tribute to Dominican women preachers and Dominican artists.
Art and Preaching: Spectacle of Dance on Saint Dominic’s Life directed by Fr. Dominic WHITE, O.P. from England.

SATURDAY JANUARY 21: Theme of the day: CLOSING

08:30 – 09:45 Groups sharing
09:45 – 10:00 Prayer

10:00 – 10:15 Coffee

10:15 – 11:15 Conclusion with the representatives of the Dominican Family
11:15 – 12:00 Address of the Master of the Order, Fr. Bruno CADORÉ
12.00 Missioning the Order

CONCLUSIONS GROUP:
- Fr. Buno CADORÉ, O.P.
- Mr. Duncan MacLAREN, O.P. (Scotland)
- Sister Ann BRADSHAW, O.P. (Trinidad & Tobago)
- Fr. Gustave INEZA, O.P. (Ruwanda)
- Sister Rosita YAYA, O.P. (Philippines)

16:00 PONTIFICAL CEREMONY of closure of the Congress and the Jubilee of the Order, presided by the Pope Francisco in the Basilica of St. John Lateran.