Report from Mexico Meeting on 2012 International Conference

Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, México

 25 August 2010

Bicentennial year of Mexico’s Independence

Letter to the brothers and sisters of the lay fraternities of America

The coordinators of the sub-regions of North, Central and South America, together with our representatives of the International Team gathered in Patzcuaro, Michoacan, Mexico from the 20^th to the 24^th of August at the PROESA, IAP center where we lodged and assembled, and were hosted by Daniel Leal.

We deeply mourn the loss of our brother Patricio Rice, who together with his wife Fatima was responsible of the South American continental region.  He passed away on July 7^th of 2010 as he returned from Ireland after a work related trip on human rights.

Initially, on the 20^th and 21^st, two Mexican couples shared on their knowledge and living the spirituality of the message of Charles de Foucauld for decades.  Then, each region presented a report on the life of their fraternities.  We reflected on the journey traveled by each fraternity since the Rio de Janeiro Assembly in Brazil in 2000, and also on the agreements from the continental encounter in Santiago Chile in January of 2009.  We recollected on the Arusha Assembly in 2006 and reviewed the final messages from the reunions of the International Team of Spa, Belgium in 2008 and in Luxor Egypt in 2010.

We analyzed the challenge and the richness of the theme “To Risk the Encounter”, proposed by the International Team in Luxor for the next International Assembly of the lay fraternities which will take place in Europe in July of 2012, consistent with the rotational criteria of the continents which directed the International Team towards this choice.

We decided that the theme is timely and created for our American continent a sub-theme  “ To Meet in order to Share  the Joy of the Beatitudes”.  We invite each sub -region: South, Central and North, to guide the fraternities of their respective countries toward the reflection of texts supporting this theme, enriching it with other contributions that will be made available to all fraternities.  The theme should be adapted to the practice of living the fraternity in the American Continent.  Its synthesis on the reflections of each of the fraternities should reflect the life and the concerns of each group.

We recommend special attention to the role of the delegates as representatives of the countries as with its number and their selection criteria, keeping in mind that in the next International Assembly, each country will send delegates corresponding to the number of fraternities they hold.  Regarding each continent, we must also elect a new representative of America to the International Team.

During this encounter we lived moments of strength in prayer and living together.  We shared two liturgical celebrations, the first presided by Paco, Little Brother of the Gospel from  Chapulco, Puebla, Mexico.  On Sunday, the celebration  was presided by Don Alberto Suarez Inda, the Archbishop of Morelia, accompanied by the  parish priest of Santa Ana, Chiapitiro (Lacustre Region).  Also present were members of the communities near the lake region of Patzcuaro.

We thank Daniel Leal, responsible of the Central sub-region, who received and cared for us with affection and simplicity creating a kind atmosphere for the realization of our meeting.  We also thank , Santiago, Little Brother of the Gospel from  Ciudad Hidalgo, Michoacan, who accompanied us as interpreter and to the Little Sisters of Jesus, represented by Rosalia who received us and facilitated our arrival in Patzcuaro.

We reconfirm the decisions realized in the Arusha Assembly and the Chile Encounter, and invite all members of the fraternities in assuming the responsibility to ensure financial recourse to satisfy the need for interchange, formation and participation in meetings and assemblies at the local, continental and international levels.

We appeal to the national responsibles to maintain the regional responsables informed on the financial situation of each country and of the efforts undertaken to solidify the objectives of the Arusha Assembly and the Chile Encounter.  At the end of our meeting we received the terrible news of the murder of seventy two migrants from four nationalities, Brazilian, Salvadoran, Guatemalans, and Ecuadorians, fifty-eight men and fourteen women, in San Fernando, Tamaulipas, Mexico.

In the spirit of the pursuit of peace and justice we remain in communication with all of the fraternities of America.  With a great fraternal embrace.

Frank O’Sullivan – North Region (United States,  Canada)

Jim Pelikan – North Region (United States, Canadá)

Daniel Leal – Central Region (México, Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Cuba, Nicaragua y Guyana)

Fátima Cabrera – Southern Region (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Perú, Bolivia y Brasil.)

Roberto Delgado  Carvalho –International Team

Gislene Carvalho  –International Team