Samprhan, Thailand
A group of women religious from Asia and Oceania said they plan to make radical shifts in the way they carry out their missions of service to the church and wider world.
Their pledges came in a statement that followed a nine-day gathering here. Their words echoed the AMOR XV conference theme: “Jesus Encounters the Syro-Phoenician Woman: Women Religious of Asia-Oceania Called to Move Beyond.” AMOR stands for Meeting of Asia and Oceania Religious. The gathering was held Oct. 13-21.
Recognizing the shifts they hope to make will require much fortitude, they emphasized these changes will only come about through enriched prayer lives and through continued introspection.
During the conference the women offered their prayers and solidarity with U.S. women religious who are facing two Vatican investigations.
The conference's final statement, drawn up in the last days of the meeting, reads: “All these experiences and presentations reiterate in us the call to move beyond. We recognized that this will be possible only when we prayerfully reflect on who we are and what we are called to be. We acknowledged that moving beyond invites us to go back to the depth of our own being where we encounter the Source of Life.”
It commits the women to:
- be prophetic religious women who are deeply spiritual and work for the integrity of all creation and build up a more humane world;
- announce God’s dream in the light of Scripture through an attentive reading of the signs of the times in order to be witnesses of the incarnation of Jesus; creating a culture of life and hope at all levels as we work to transform the culture and the structures of death;
- review formation programs in the light of the prophetic mission as true disciples of Christ enabling all to be and become mature persons in self-realization and self-transcendence; share life-giving experiences and resources within and among congregations;
- enable and empower leadership through collaborating, networking, promoting mutuality and inclusivity in and among congregations, the church and society.
The women said they plan to place particular emphasis on four aspects of religious life: spirituality, mission, formation and leadership.
“We believe:
- in a life-giving spirituality which is rooted in the paschal mystery of Jesus Christ and our spiritual and cultural traditions; in a profound openness to God, a radical movement to be committed stewards of creation and a liberating love for all humanity;
- in a creative and committed prophetic mission which calls us to keep deepening the essence of our religious life in Christ in order to fulfill God’s dream for humanity and the cosmos; announcing God’s love and denouncing unjust oppressive practices, systems and structures;
- in an innovative, integral formation which enables us as individuals and communities to be engaged in a dynamic life-long renewal; to re-discover our unique identity and mission in the history of salvation today;
- in a collaborative, responsible and creative leadership inspired by individual and collective gospel discernment and incarnated in an authentic loving service based on the dignity and equality of every human person.
The women’s statement reiterated the process by which they came to their decisions to change the way the carry out their missions:
“We listened to the insightful social analysis of Thai society and the theological reflection that followed. They called us to recognize the silent presence of God in our realities and identify the boundaries that block us to reach the marginalized of modern society.
“These orientations were re-echoed in the presentation of the country reports. In convincing and credible ways each representative outlined both the challenges and the fruits of moving beyond in a globalized world naming the continuing struggles and the prophetic voices inherent in crossing religious, social, cultural, political, ecological and economic boundaries that inhibit life in all its dimensions.
“Through a very well prepared exposure program we were given an opportunity to touch and feel the reality of the people in Thai society and learn how they are responding to the challenges of moving beyond any form of oppression that deprive the human person to live life fully.
“Theological reflections led us to read our exposure experiences as well as the inspiring input of the resource persons as followers of Jesus, so that like him, we too, are challenged to move beyond religious, social, cultural and gender stereotypes.”
The statement goes on to say: “Each step of our AMOR XV journey has been accompanied by profound moments of prayer, the celebration of the Eucharist, personal and group discernment and reflection to know where and how our God is calling us within the ecclesial community to move beyond: beyond where we are, beyond what we are and beyond how we are.
“Our journey together enabled us to realize that it is imperative for us to continue to make radical paradigm shifts in our way of thinking, perceiving and living in order to move beyond as Jesus and the Syro-Phoenician woman did together.”
Fox is NCR Editor and can be reached at tfox@ncronline.org
