 Short News, October  October 12 to 15. - The international committee of Oblate lay associates meets in Rome. Among other things, they are busy preparing their contribution to the General Chapter. October 9. - I spend a couple of days in Aix to provide some input for the De Mazenod Experience in Spanish. All the ten participants are from Latin America.October 4. - The Synod for Africa starts in Rome. There are 13 Oblate participants: 8 bishops and five scholastics in different services.October 1st. - During the present plenary session, Fr. Ryszard Szmydki has been appointed as the next provincial of Poland. Fr. Harry Dyer has received a second term as provincial of Australia and Fr. Claudio Bertuccio a second term as superior of the Delegation of Thailand.Fr. John Malazdrewich is the new provincial of OMI Lacombe, Canada, and Fr. Pedro Rubens Cabral the new provincial of Brazil.top
Gleanings
 From an interview with Fr. Kolvenbach, former superior general of the Jesuites.
What do you see today for the church in Europe? - Kolvenbach: I think about something Robert Baden-Powell, the founder of the Boy Scouts and a man who wasn’t himself particularly religious, once said: ‘I like my religion the same way I like my tea – boiling.'
"I consider the Gospel to be the Body of Christ" (Origenes)
"The Lord’s flesh is real food and his blood real drink; this is our true good in this present life: to nourish ourselves with his flesh and to drink his blood in not only the Eucharist but also the reading of Sacred Scripture. In fact, the Word of God, drawn from the knowledge of the Scriptures, is real food and real drink" (St. Jerome).
Instrumentum Laboris in preparation of the 2008 Synod on the Word of God, Nr 35.
Of all the teachings, learning the language must occupy the first rank. To express one’s thoughts, communicate one’s ideas is the very first need that humans have. This ability helps to establish relationships so useful for happy social interaction, becomes history and gives the true picture of a people. One can then recognize the genius, the character, the ways of different nations…and admire the different gifts of the Creator.
Father Albert Lacombe, OMI, 1827-1916
“Trade conditions favourable to poor countries, including, above all, broad and unconditional access to markets, should be made available and guaranteed in lasting and reliable ways. Provision must also be made for the rapid, total and unconditional cancellation of the external debt of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) and of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Measures should also be adopted to ensure that these countries do not fall once again into situations of unsustainable debt”, said Pope Benedict XVI in a letter to the Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, Angela Merkel, urged to keep poverty and Africa “high on the international political agenda”, during the German presidency of the European Union and in the run-up to the next G8 summit, to hosted from June 6-8 in Heiligendamm. (MISNA)
More gleanings on my blog, OMI-Context
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