Taipei, 5 October 2010
To All the Members
of the Congregation
Dearest Sisters,
Yesterday we concluded our meeting with the sisters of Taiwan, Macau, Hong Kong and Vietnam. The purpose of the encounter was to launch our new East Asia Delegation, which will consist of these communities. The decision to unite these four realities, which differ widely from one another politically and economically but which are very close to one another culturally, was made during the Continental Meeting to redesign our presences in Asia and the Pacific, held in Manila from 9-22 September 2009.
As was posted on our Institute’s webside (www.paoline.org), the new Delegation is made up of 34 professed sisters from 12 different countries (Taiwan, Brazil, China, Korea, Philippines, Japan, India, Italy, Macau, Singapore, United States and Vietnam). It is also enriched with four young women in formation (an aspirant from Taiwan, another from Vietnam, and two Vietnamese postulants). Communication among the sisters is a true miracle. In Taiwan, our sisters speak Mandarin Chinese; in Vietnam, Vietnamese; in Hong Kong, Cantonese Chinese and English; in Macau, Cantonese, English and Portuguese. We hope that in the future communication among them will be facilitated by English, which they decided to adopt as their common language at the Manila meeting. During these days, we were able to understand one another through translations. Babel? No–Pentecost!
In fact, the Holy Spirit manifested himself very powerfully in each sister and in the entire group, both during the preparations for this meeting and in the encounter itself. First of all, everyone opened her mind and heart to welcome the others with all their positive and negative points, virtues and flaws, resources and challenges. Love for God and for the people; a strong sense of belonging to the Congregation, to the Church and to the Kingdom of God, which has no borders; and the universal character of the Pauline vocation all form the foundation of this new Delegation. Naturally it will take time to harmonize differences and for everyone to adjust her steps to those of the others, but we are sure that the common objectives and projects that emerged during the meeting will lead this small “flock” toward a unitary goal, namely: to live and communicate Jesus Master to the people of these countries–populations that are apparently absorbed with the economic aspect of life and focused on the here and now, but that in actual fact hunger and thirst for the truth and for the Transcendent.
One of the common objectives of our sisters is to intensify pastoral work for vocations in every community of the new Delegation and especially in immense China. To this end, they plan to increase their animation and formation activities among young people, working in collaboration with the Local Church and with Institutes that have similar ends. Our sisters want to involve priests in Mainland China in this activity in the hope that they will recommend our Institute to young women who want to dedicate their lives to the Lord. Another activity all our communities of the new East Asia Delegation want to amplify is that of sharing our charism with the laity. Consolidating unity and developing the Pauline life among these sisters, who are called to live and communicate the Gospel to 1½ billion people will also be facilitated through common initiatives in the areas of spirituality, formation and the apostolate.
In concluding the Fraternal Visit to the communities of Taiwan, Macau and Hong Kong, and the meeting to launch the new Delegation, I want to sincerely thank these sisters for their commitment to living the Pauline charism in all its dimensions, and for the faith and courage with which they look to the future of our Pauline presence and mission in these countries.
I also want to thank all of you for having accompanied our service of animation with your prayers and self-offering. Together, let us live with fresh commitment the newly-begun month of October in harmony with the whole Church, which is praying for vocations and contemplating the mysteries of salvation in the traditional and fruitful prayer of the Rosary. May the Divine Master, to whom the Pauline Family dedicates this month, help us to penetrate ever more deeply the project of life sketched out by our Constitutions so that we can rekindle the flame of the charism, make it living and active in the Church and world of today (Const. 4) and reach the goal of our existence: to live and communicate Jesus Master Way, Truth and Life.
Please continue to accompany us with your prayers as we now begin the Fraternal Visit to Korea (8 October–4 November). My best wishes to all of you for a fervent and beautiful month of the Divine Master.
Affectionately,
Sr. Maria Antonieta Bruscato
Superior General
