The Echoes from AEFJN No. 30 - July August 2016 are now available online. 1311 General Assembly and Closing of AEFJN’s Jubilee Year
The end of AEFJN’s Jubilee year, November 15th, coincided with the annual General Assembly in Rome. The celebration started with a thought-provoking prayer. The text of Luke 4, 16-19 reminded us how Jesus refers to the Spirit he had just received at his baptism as the source of his salvific message and action. Jesus is sent to the world to announce Good News to the poor. Baptized into his death and his resurrection, we ourselves are sent by the Spirit to do the same. Afterwards we meditated on the four elements—air, fire, water and earth— connecting them to the four cardinal points and recognizing how God continues to work in the world and that we are called to associate ourselves with this work of creation.
Fr. Agbonkhianmeghe E. Orobator, the Jesuit Provincial of Eastern Africa, was the keynote speaker for the closure of AEFJN's Jubilee. The title of his talk was “Living Faith Through Justice: Old and New Frontiers” (Click here for the text). The two respondents were Sr. Nzenzili Lucie Mboma FMM, Executive Director of SEDOS and Fr. Damian Weber, CMM Superior General. A series of lively questions followed.
AEFJN members and invited guests were able to socialize at the midday meal that was followed by the AEFJN General Assembly. AEFJN’s president, Sr. Roxanne Shares, SSND, opened the Assembly and presented the Executive’s report. Sr. Begoña Iñarra, MSOLA, AEFJN’s Executive Secretary presented the Secretariat report and Sr. Anne Rutter (SSJA) presented the Antennae report in the name of the Antennae. Then the Plan of Action for 2014-2018 was presented and approved by the General Assembly. After the presentation and approval of the accounts, the new members of the Executive were elected and those who had finished their mandate were thanked.
Sr. Roxanne Shares (SSND) the current president submitted her resignation, as she finished her second term on the Executive. Sr. Marie-France Correau (RSHM) who has finished her mandate in her congregation’s leadership team and is going back to France, submitted her resignation from the Executive. The Assembly thanked both of them for their service to AEFJN. Two new members were elected to the executive: Sr. Vicky Chiharula (MSOLA) and Br. Ernest was co-opted. The new president of AEFJN is Fr. Gervase Taratara (CSSP).