- svd-generalate
- / Fr. Anselmo R. Ribeiro, Superior General /
- November 14, 2024
“Mission is creativity,” says Father General
Anselmo Ribeiro participated in the celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Portuguese Province. As part of the closing of the Jubilee Year in Portugal, the confreres of the Province of Spain met with the confreres of Portugal in an assembly. In the presence of the laity, the representative of the SSpS Sisters and the General Procurator, the participants had the opportunity to share the Word of God, to reflect on the themes of the XIX General Chapter and to receive a briefing on the changes in the SVD Constitutions given by Fr. Peter Dikos.
During the solemn Eucharist, Fr. General reflected on the Letter of St. Paul to Philemon (Phlm 1:7-20). “The relationship between Onesimus, Paul and Philemon invites us to reconstruct our own relationships, which are often marked by power, authority, prejudices and cultures. Everything becomes relative when we stop thinking about people’s usefulness and begin to welcome them as sisters and children of Christ. A reconstruction based on faithfulness and coherence.
Regarding the context in which the mission in Portugal was founded, Fr. Anselmo stated that “The context in which the provinces of Portugal and Spain were founded seems to have been initially utilitarian. In post-war Eastern Europe, under regimes hostile to the Church, the Congregation of the Divine Word lost property and places of formation. However, the ability to adapt to the signs of the times brought about something new. From Brazil to Portugal, from Argentina to Spain, confreres arrived to begin new missions.
“When we place ourselves at the service of a new time or a new reality, such as the Kingdom of God, it is not an ostentatious act, but a creative one (Lk 17:20-25). Mission is creativity. The very word creativity implies the idea of creating, and the act of creating belongs to God. Therefore, mission is to participate in the action of God, who constantly and discreetly creates and recreates,” concluded Father Anselmo.
During these days of interprovincial meeting, the participants had the opportunity to pray the rosary together in the “Capelinha das Aparições” of the Sanctuary of Fatima, and the new house of the SVD community in the same city was blessed.
GMD
