UCAO Meeting, Manila 25-28 November 2019

It was in response to the invitation of the Provincials of Asia and Oceania (Union of Constituencies of Asia and Oceania – UCAO) that I went to their meeting of 25-28 November 2019 held in Manila in the formation house of the Union. The objective was essentially to work together to strengthen or set up Local Development Offices (LDOs) in each province or in each group. The following countries were represented: Taiwan, Vietnam, Pakistan, India, Philippines, Australia/Papua New Guinea. This simple enumeration shows the diversity of situations and issues in each district.

I was very sensitive to the fact that during this meeting of the UCAO the question of the Spiritan charism at the centre of our mission of evangelisation was so present! The concern to work with the poorest and most abandoned is really present in the reflection.

But perhaps it is now necessary to go further and to think about setting up the necessary structures that will allow us to concretize this will! The Congregation now has a Central Development Office whose objective is to help the circumscriptions to equip themselves with the means to put development at the center of their mission of evangelization and to help them become financially autonomous.

A lot is already being done, but there are still “political” decisions to be made in order to achieve the objectives set, especially in the area of human resources: Are we convinced that it is necessary to train confreres in the area of development and project management and to entrust them with the task of setting up local development offices in each of our circumscriptions?
I have noticed that there is an interest in the matter and that the reflection was already well advanced… It is time, today, to take the right decisions to ensure tomorrow.