Director's Report
Several months have gone by since you received the last issue
of HI LITE. Summer has been a busy time for us at the C.E.E. In addition to
our regular work we coordinated several major efforts over the summer months.
A lot of time and effort was given to planning and working out the details for
the 1st USA Pilgrimage in the “Footsteps of St. Peter Julian Eymard”.
As I write, we have just returned from the Pilgrimage – there were 34 LITE
team members, SSS religious and others who experienced this wonderful trip.
We are sure that once others hear about it that we will have to start planning
another one.
Shortly before leaving on the Pilgrimage the C.E.E. coordinated the Workshop
on Prayer in the Presence of the Blessed Sacrament that was held here in Houston.
Nearly 100 people from all over the U.S.A. attended the workshop and we received
rave reviews. A day was given by Fr. Edward Foley, Capuchin from Catholic Theological
Union in Chicago. A second day of reflection was led by Fr. Kenan Osborne of
Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley, California. On the third day, our
own Fr. Norman Pelletier, sss, former superior general of the Congregation of
the Blessed Sacrament, spoke about eucharistic spirituality and practice today.
The final day of the workshop was given over to integration and was ably led
by Fr. Paul Bernier, sss and Fr. Ernest Falardeau, sss
Preparations are being made for the annual Administrators’ Meeting to be
held in Houston November 9-11. However, due to the September 11th attack and
the fear that it has instilled in many people, it seems that the number attending
the meeting will be smaller than usual. This inspires us to pray for our country
and also for peace in the world. In the Eucharist we know that we can find the
love that we need to be able to conquer hatred and prejudice. May the Lord strengthen
all of us and help us to work for the spreading of his honor and glory in the
Eucharist.
We thank Shirley Linde of the San Antonio LITE team for the lead article of
this issue on the International LITE meeting that took place in Dublin, Ireland
in June.
Fr. Thomas A. Wiese, sss
Director of the Center for Eucharistic Evangelizing
Houston, Texas
LITES International Meeting of SSS Coordinators and Lay
Leaders
Dublin, Ireland — 16-20 June 2001
The first international meeting of SSS Life in the Eucharist coordinators and
lay representatives was held 16-20 June, 2001, in Dublin, Ireland. Fr. Bob Rousseau
asked Shirley Linde to be part of the team that planned and conducted the meeting.
Fr. Hans van Schijndel, SSS, Vicar General of the Congregation, and Louise Borgione
rounded out the team.
The team met twice in Chicago to prepare for the meeting. The first session
was to determine its scope and possible content. Based on our discussions, a
questionnaire was sent out to potential attendees to determine what their issues
and concerns were with the LITE movement. The responses were collected and collated,
and when we met in March, we used this input to finalize the agenda.
One of the things discussed at the second meeting was the need for a group to
document general themes of the meeting and provide feedback to SSS leadership
and the LITES membership in general. This group was to be in addition to a secretarial
team that would be charged with recording the minutes of the meeting. Fr. Bob
asked Shirley Linde who had originated the idea for such a group to be the leader
of the “Dissemination and Communication Commission”.
There were two SSS priests and three lay people on the Commission representing
the Philippines, Australia, Great Britain/Ireland and the United States. The
team gathered every evening during the meeting to process the day’s interactions
and integrate observations across sessions. The final report was organized into
two major categories – meeting themes and survey results – with some
recommendations for follow-on actions. We thought that LITE team members in
the U.S.A. might be interested in a summary of our report and therefore the
report was submitted to the C.E.E..
Meeting Themes
The themes that flowed through the meeting were ones of excitement and joy for
the privilege of participating in LITES and a sense of deepening commitment
to the movement. Attendees were eager to share stories of personal conversion
and shared spirituality. The three major themes that surfaced focused on the
underlying principles of LITES, Eucharistic Evangelizing and lay partnership
with the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament.
Attendees were eager to share stories of
personal conversion and shared spirituality
Some of the discussion during the meeting centered on clarifying the underlying
principles of LITES. Because each participant brought his/her own experience
with LITES, there were differences in the group’s understanding of the
principles of the seminar, especially in terms of methodology and approach.
As for Eucharistic Evangelizing, it was agreed that LITES is a powerful tool
because it transforms peoples’ lives by deepening their understanding of
the Eucharist. We learned that LITES has truly become a way of life for many
LITE team members. For them there becomes a shift in perspective – from
mere consumers of the Eucharist to being real active participants.
The participants felt strongly that with lay partnership the LITE movement can
be a prophetic instrument for the future mission of the Congregation of the
Blessed Sacrament. What the SSS receive from St. Peter Julian Eymard’s
charism, spirituality, and understanding of the Eucharist, can be shared with
their lay partners. The latter, in turn, can live and share the same charism
and spirituality with others by (a) the witness of their lives, and (b) sharing
their faith experience to others. In order to do this, however, it will be necessary
to empower LITE laity to be in partnership with the SSS. This partnership does
not mean equality or competition between SSS and lay people. Rather it can be
a complementary relationship where everyone works together for the vision of
the LITE mission, helping one another to progress: men/women, lay/priest, young/old,
father/sister/brother. Through these complementary relationships, LITE laity
can bring the mission of the Congregation to areas where its religious are not
present.
Survey Results
One of the major goals of the meeting was to provide feedback to SSS leadership
on provincial support to the LITE movement and the status of training within
SSS provinces/regions that were represented. There were representatives from
ten areas: all had one SSS priest, and most had one or more lay people or religious
sisters.
During one of the sessions, SSS representatives were asked to report on the
kinds of support they received from their provincials for LITE. Support ranged
from a full time priest and a Center for Eucharistic Evangelizing (USA) to no
budget with no priest assigned as a LITE coordinator (Germany). Great Britain/Ireland
previously had a priest assigned full time to LITE, but currently he is also
acting provincial so for this report he was considered as a part time coordinator.
Australia currently has assigned Fr. Frank O’Dea, sss as liaison rather
than coordinator for LITE.
Training and training materials were areas of intense interest because they
affect many aspects of the success of the LITE movement. LITE training needs
were summarized into three areas.
Training and training materials were areas of intense interest because they
affect many aspects of the success of the LITE movement
LITE Training Needs
Many of the regions have the need for additional team training. Some of the
regions initially had some training by Fr. Robert Rousseau, sss. Then because
of scheduling conflicts had to complete the training by themselves. They now
feel that they need help to standardize and improve the training of their team
members. Other regions, like Brazil, are in the beginning stages of the LITE
movement in their areas and so need initial training. Several regions expressed
the need for money from their provinces to support their training needs.
Training Materials
Training materials are an important component of team training. There are
currently translations available in many languages, but there is no central
point where materials can be obtained — no “one stop shopping”
for LITE materials. There also is a unique situation in the Philippines. Because
of language differences and the autonomy of individual teams (they are widely
dispersed or on different islands), each team has developed its own training
materials. This has caused some consistency problems that Fr. Sammy Loterte
is hoping to address in the near future.
Another issue in ensuring consistent training and high quality LITE seminars
is how to “train the trainer”. Currently, there are few materials
for training LITE trainers, other than those used for training LITE teams themselves.
Consequently, there are two regions, Great Britain/Ireland and the Philippines,
that are developing their own “train the trainer” materials.
Training materials are an important component
of team training.
Ongoing LITE Team Formation
Ongoing formation of existing LITE teams is a challenge for every region.
Solving the issue of continuing to foster spiritual growth for team members
while developing their knowledge of the underlying theological concepts of LITE
is crucial to the continuing success of the movement. Two regions, Great Britain/Ireland
and the Philippines, are either planning to or have started developing a formal
formation program for their LITE team members. Austria has an approach for planning
and presenting its seminars that includes some team formation. The USA has a
series of one-day seminars on the Eucharist, which Fr. Thomas Wiese, sss has
presented or will be presenting to all LITE teams in the USA for their ongoing
formation. The remaining regions currently have no ongoing formation program.
Follow-up Recommendations
Based on the themes of the meeting and survey results, our team decided
to present follow-up recommendations for further discussion. Some of the major
ones are summarized below.
(1) The worldwide scope of the LITE movement, coupled with its magnitude, is
an indicator that its structure should be concretized into a formal organization
that is composed of SSS and lay people. This organization should reflect the
partnership that has grown between the SSS and LITE laity. It should also be
flexible and responsive to the changing needs of the movement.
(2) At the International Meeting there was considerable interest in creating
a Rule of Life for LITE laity, and it was recommended that a workshop be held
following the LITE Congress in Madrid to begin developing a Rule of Life for
LITE laity. The workshop would be open to anyone interested in attending.
(3) There are large quantities of LITE materials available in different languages
and on different subjects. These materials are not always easily available,
nor in all of the languages necessary. The Commission decided to recommend that
some centralized means be developed that would be responsible for overseeing
the collection, organization and dissemination of LITE-related materials (using
Web technology wherever possible).
(4) Presently, all or most of the training materials available are directed
toward training LITE teams. There are no “train the trainer” manuals
that outline the training objectives for each session so the Commission recommended
that an international workshop be held to develop “train the trainer”
materials.
(5) Another area of interest was reaching new audiences. While the Eucharistic
message of the LITE seminars tends to be universal, the stories and personal
witnessing could be off the target for some audiences. Consequently, the Commission
recommended that LITES be packaged to fit the needs of special groups (e.g.
youth, young professionals, religious, priests, etc.).
As you can see from these results and recommendations, the meeting was a major
point in the future of LITES. It was the first time that so many representatives,
both SSS and laity, gathered to discuss the “state of the LITE Movement”.
There was much to learn and much to share. The entire report is available from
the C.E.E. in Houston for those who might be interested.
Shirley Linde
San Antonio, TX
4th International Life in the Eucharist Congress —
Madrid, Spain
Friday, June 28 — Sunday, June 30, 2002
Plans are already underway for the 4th International Life in the Eucharist Congress
that will be held in Madrid, Spain in the summer of 2002. These plans are being
coordinated by Fr. Robert Rousseau,
sss with the help of Louise Borgione of the St. Paschal Baylon LITE team in
Highland Heights, Ohio. While final preparations are still in the making, the
following will give you an idea of plans available and approximate related costs.
Please note these are highlights of preliminary details (subject to change).
Thus all questions and clarifications should be addressed to Louise and not
to the C.E.E. in Houston.
Plan One: Round trip air fare (U.S.A. to Madrid, Spain) / LITE Congress
• Leave U.S. June 26th – Arrive Madrid Thursday, June 27th
• LITE Congress to be held from Friday, June 28th – Sunday, July 1st
• Return from Madrid to U.S. Monday, July 2nd
• Approximate Cost: $1,500 (includes airfare – round trip price will
vary depending on city of departure, baggage handling and most meals) Plan Two:
Round trip air fare (U.S.A. to Madrid, Spain) / LITE Congress / Land Tour —
Cities in Northern Spain and Southern France (as specified below):
• Leave U.S. June 26 – Arrive Madrid, Spain on Thursday, June 27
• LITE Congress to be held from Friday, June 28 – Sunday, July 1
• Monday, July 2nd – Free day in Madrid; or optional side trips to
Avila (home of St. Theresa);
Toledo (home of famous Spanish painter, El Greco).
• Tuesday, July 3rd – Departure for several cities in northern Spain
including Santiago de Compostella.
• From July 4th – July 9th, visit the following cities: Leon, Bilbao,
San Sebastian (Spanish Riviera), Pamplona, Barcelona, Loyola (home of St. Ignatius),
and Lourdes (France).
• Return to the U.S.A. on July 10th.
• Approximate Cost: $3,000 (includes airfare – round trip price will
vary depending on city of departure, baggage handling, complete tour itinerary
except for optional side trips and most meals)Please note these plans are still
in the formation stages, and more details will be available in mid-November.
To receive the complete informative brochure, please contact Louise Borgione
(Cleveland LITE team administrator) who is handling all the travel arrangements
through Kollander WorldTravel Agency, Cleveland, Ohio. Louise can be reached
at:
Louise Borgione
657 Jefferson Drive
Highland Heights, OH 44143
Tel: 440-449-1198
e-mail: louise.borgione@core.com
A brochure with complete and detailed information is in the making and will
be available in the near future. In the meantime, we hope that this tentative
information is helpful to you to begin making your plans.
Founder’s
Forum. . . . NEWS HIGHLIGHTS . . . .
One Day Programs on Eucharist — Two new one-day programs (days of reflection)
on the Eucharist are available to LITE teams or parish groups. The first is
entitled “Liturgy of the Word, Liturgy of the Eucharist, Liturgy of the
Neighbor” and examines the celebration of the Mass and relates it to living
the Eucharist in daily life. The second one day program entitled “The Eucharist
and the Catechism of the Catholic Church” highlights the teaching on the
Eucharist that is found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. These two new
programs have been developed by Fr. Robert Rousseau, sss, founder of the Life
in the Eucharist Movement in cooperation with Fr. Thomas Wiese, sss. Fr. Tom
would like to present one or another of these programs to each LITE team in
the USA in the near future. His travel would be paid by the C.E.E. since it
would be his regular yearly visit to your team. If you are interested in having
either of these programs, or both, just contact the C.E.E. in Houston and set
up a date for 2002. This could be an important team-building experience for
your team.
LITES Administrators’ Meeting — LITES Administrators from LITE teams
all over the U.S.A. will be meeting in Houston, TX at the C.E.E. for their annual
meeting to discuss the progress of the movement over the past year. A highlight
of this year’s meeting will be a presentation by Fr. Anthony Schueller,
sss, provincial superior of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament about
the LITES movement and the mission and charism of the Congregation of the Blessed
Sacrament.
Pilgrimage “In the Footsteps of St. Peter Julian Eymard”
to France — 34 weary travelers returned from France on Saturday,
October 20 having walked for 12 days in the “Footsteps of St. Peter Julian
Eymard”. Reactions were extremely positive and all felt that they have
gotten to know better this Apostle of the Eucharist. Leading the tour was Fr.
Thomas Wiese, sss and Fr. Norman Pelletier, sss. If there is interest in the
future, another trip will be planned.
International LITE Congress – Madrid, Spain – 2002In
this issue of HI LITE you will find information on the upcoming International
LITES Congress to be held in Madrid, Spain. The Congress is June 28-30, 2002.
Planning for the Congress, the trip and optional tours to follow the Congress
are being developed by Fr. Bob Rousseau, sss with the help of Louise Borgione
in Cleveland, Ohio. We’ll get more information to you as soon as we have
it.
Do you have something to share?
If you have some news, or information to
share with other LITES administrators, don’t hesitate to send it on to
us so that we can include it in this newsletter. We want to keep in contact
with each other as much as possible and not only at the years administrators’
meetings. So, take some time, sit down and let us know what is happening with
your team.
Happy Thanksgiving and Blessed Christmas to all!
All of us at the Center for Eucharistic Evangelizing
would like to wish you and your family God’s choicest blessings as we celebrate
our national feast of Thanksgiving and the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Eucharist is all about THANKSGIVING for the gift of the PRESENCE OF GOD in our
midst.
Annual Fund Raising Letter
Shortly you will be receiving our annual
fund raising letter for the Center for Eucharistic Evangelizing. We ask that
you please be as generous as you have been in the past. This is the one time
of the year that we ask for your financial help. We are most grateful to all
of you who can help us keep the light of the Eucharist shining in the U.S.A.
through the Life in the Eucharist programs.
SSS International | Eucharistic Theology | SSS USA | Saint Peter Julian Eymard
©
Copyright 2001
Rev. Thomas A. Wiese, SSS, Director
Mrs. Nancy MacRoberts, Administrator
Center for Eucharistic Evangelizing
9900 Stella Link Road
Houston, TX 77025
Telephone: (713) 661-3958 + Fax: (713) 662-2014