IACM NEWSLETTER
International Association of Catholic Missiologists
Number 9 – July 2007
www.iacm-aimc.com
FROM THE PRESIDENT
The IACM is now about a month away from its 2007 Missiological Conference and Third Plenary Assembly in Poland. Our theme will be “Sharing the Good News in the Interaction of Cultures”.
I am very happy to inform the members that through the efforts of Lazar Stanislaus we have obtained funding from MISSIO. This enables us to offer some support to our members who have requested assistance. I am also happy to let all know that 62 participants have already sent their registration to the Conference and Assembly. This is a very good sign of the interest and commitment to the IACM.
If there are those who still plan to attend, I ask that you inform our Executive Secretary, Bertrand Roy, as soon as possible(bertrand@smelaval.org). If people show up at the last minute, we could have difficulty with both rooms and transportation. If there are any question about the Conference and Assembly, please look at our web site (www.iacm-aimc.com).
The IACM theme of “Sharing the good news in the interaction of cultures” can also be at the service of the theme for this year’s World Mission Sunday: “All the Churches for All the World.” It is a call to local Churches on every continent to rediscover together the urgent necessity to re-launch missionary activity to face the multiple serious challenges of our times.
Pope Benedict has written in his Mission Sunday Message: “Every Christian community is by nature missionary and it is precisely courage to evangelize which is the measure for believers’ love for their Lord. We could say that for individual Catholics it is not simply a question of cooperating with the activity of evangelization, but rather of realizing that they too are agents of mission, they too share responsibility for the Church’s missionary activity.”
This reminds us of one purpose of the IACM as stated in our Statutes: “To be at the service of the diverse local Churches in their mission of evangelizing all peoples and all human situations.” Our missiological research and educational activities can offer further reflection on the missionary nature of each local Church and each Christian in the interaction of cultures and the communion of local Churches.
Bill LaRousse
wlarousse@Maryknoll.org
FROM THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
ABC of IACM 2007 Conference & Plenary Assembly
Arrival in Warsaw
The arrival at Warsaw will take place at the latest on Monday, August 27. Please send the information about your arrival (date, hour, airline, flight number) to: Andzrej Pietrzak for the Local Committee: onru@adres.pl with a copy to Bertrand Roy, Executive Secretary: bertrand@smelaval.org. The Local Committee will welcome you at the airport.
Board and Lodging
We will spend the first night in Warsaw (Monday, August 27) and travel together to Pieniężno in the north of Poland on Tuesday morning, August 28. This trip (3-4 hours by bus) will be a time of exposure (information on Poland and its history by the local committee, visit of historical sites, etc.). In Pieniezno, we will stay at the SVD Seminary:
Emergency address and phone number in Warsaw:
Dom Misyjny Ducha Swietego
Ul. Ostrobramska 90
04-118 Warszawa
tel: 00 48 22 6107953
Emergency address and phone number in Pieniezno:
Dom Misyjny sw. Wojciecha – Seminarium
Kolonia 19
14-502 Pieniezno
tel.: 00 48 55 2429100
On Sunday morning, September 2, we will travel together from Pieniężno to Warsaw. This trip will be a second opportunity for exposure (Sunday Eucharist with a local community, visit of historical sites, etc.). We will spend the Sunday night in Warsaw.
Departure from Warsaw
The departure from Warsaw (for the optional tour or for any other destination) will take place at the earliest on Monday morning, September 3.
Optional Tour
Here is the "basic plan" of the optional tour in the South of Poland. Participants will visit Warsaw on Sunday evening (September 2) and travel to Krakow on Monday, September 3. On Tuesday, September 4, they will visit Wadowice, Oswiecim (Auschwitz-Birkenau), Czestochowa and will return to Warsaw. On Wednesday, September 5, other visits in Warsaw. Departure from Warsaw on Thusday, September 6.
Missiological Congress
The Missiological Conference will open on Monday evening, August 28, and will last three full days, from Wednesday, August 29, to Friday, August 31. You can give a look at the program by visiting our web site: http://www.iacm-aimc.com/english/events/program.html
Plenary Assembly
The IACM Plenary Assembly will be held on Saturday, September 1. We expect at least 60 participants.
Continental Papers
Ten continental papers (5,000 words - 12-13 pages) will be given in five plenary sessions (presentation: 30 min. + questions: 15 min.). These papers will approach the general theme of the conference from a regional perspective. As soon as possible the text of each continental presentation should be sent by e-mail to the Executive Secretary (bertrand@smelaval.org) for the English or Spanish translation if necessary. The Executive Secretary should send these papers to the Local Committee for Polish translation and printing at the latest on July 31, 2007.
General Topic and Sub-Topics
The theme of the Conference is: SHARING THE GOOD NEWS IN THE INTERACTION OF CULTURES - “The Word of God grew and multiplied” (Act 12:24). This theme is broad and to narrow it down to certain contextual issues, the members of the Executive Board agreed on the following four sub-topics: (1) Integral Healing and Reconciliation; (2) Cultural Globalization and Asserting Identity; (3) Migration; (4) Intercultural Communication in the Church. Each sub-topic points to an area of concerns where intercultural relations challenge the experience, the understanding and the expression of the Christian faith.
Members’ papers
This will be a conference of the IACM where all participants will be presenters. Each participant is thus invited to prepare a contribution on the theme of the conference according to one of the four sub-topics. Please prepare your paper in advance and provide us with a computer copy. It will facilitate the eventual publication of the conference proceedings. These members’ papers (3,000 words or 7-8 pages) will be presented in three group sessions (presentation: 15 min. + questions: 15 min.). Each group on a sub-topic will have nine members and will meet for three sessions (three presentations per session). These group sessions will be multilingual. To facilitate the communication, we suggest that each member prepare a printed schema of his/her paper (one page) which could be distributed to the other eight participants in the group session.
Workshop discussions
Every afternoon, after the plenary sessions and the group sessions of the day, participants will be given the opportunity to share their reflection in linguistic groups (workshop discussion).
Study Groups
The Plenary Assembly in Pieniezno will be a golden opportunity to revitalize the four Study Groups which were proposed by our last Plenary Assembly in Cochabamba, Bolivia.
Registration
The process of registration and payment of participation fees will be completed on Tuesday afternoon, August 28 September, upon our arrival at Pieniezno. The registration fees can be paid by cheque or in cash (US Dollars or Euros). We apologize but we cannot accept the credit cards.
Need to Pay the Annual Membership Fee
One of the great difficulties of the IACM has been the collection of the annual membership fee as indicated in the statutes. Our Conference and Assembly is a good time to pay for the past years and for the next four years. We have been relying on the generosity of some donors and we have a grant from Missio for this gathering in Poland. We too should take our part in the financial support of the IACM.
Translation
Translation will be offered in English, Spanish and Polish as far as possible. The text of the continental presentations will be translated in English and Spanish (cf. Executive Secretary) and in Polish (cf. Local Committee) and, for this reason, should be submitted as soon as possible. A service of translation will be offered for the plenary sessions (with the help of the Local Committee for the technical installation). As we cannot hire professional translators, we will need to find voluntary translators.
Help
We need translators from Spanish to English and from English to Spanish in order to offer a printed translation of the ten continental papers to the participants and facilitate the work of the translators. If you can collaborate in this work of translation, please communicate with the Executive Secretary as soon as possible.
Local Committee
The Executive Secretary has been in communication with Fr. Andrzej Pietrzak, SVD and Fr. Ludwik Fas, SVD who are working on the logistics for the meeting and the optional trip after the meeting. Thank you to the Local Committee fot this collaboration.
Journals, books
Do not forget to bring with you some of your publications for an exposition at the Conference.
Future of IACM
One very important item for our discussion at the Plenary Assembly is the future of the IACM. What do the members want the IACM to be in the next four years? How can we use our web site? How can we best organize in each of the different continents? How can we revitalize the Study Groups or reorganize them? If you cannot attend the Plenary Assembly, you can e-mail your proposals and suggestions at the address of the Executive Secretary: bertrand@smelaval.org before 1st August, 2007.
Bertrand Roy
bertrand@smelaval.org