2020-02-06 GENERAL HOUSE

Advancing Legal Structures for the Mission of the Institute

Vicar General Brother Luis Carlos GutiĂ©rrez and Econome General Brother Libardo GarzĂłn made a contact visit January 28-30 to Belgium, Holland and Luxembourg, with the aim of specifying possible juridical structures for the mission and life of the Institute. We had the invaluable contributions and the company of Xavier GinĂ© (L’Hermitage), Brother Robert Thunus (Provincial of West Central Europe), Brother Jacques Scholte and Brother Maurice Taildeman. In Holland and Luxembourg, we met with professional agencies to analyze the possibilities, advantages and disadvantages of any decisions.

In a simple way, these structures are designed primarily to help in the animation and continuity of the mission in the most underprivileged places of the Institute. Several requests have been received for the Institute to take a more active role in caring for the places where the Brothers’ presence is diminished or at risk of disappearing. These requests will be addressed by offering the support of governance, management and animation so that our mission among children and young people and our service to the Church may continue in these places. In the same way, these entities will help in making decisions that will better serve the Institute in legal and patrimonial aspects, in such a way that wise decisions can be made in support of current ministries and that favor real solidarity among the Administrative Units of the Institute.

The project of Civil and Canonical Legal Structures has numerous recommendations, some of which are to be applied by the Provinces. It plans to open other ministries in parts of the world that will support local and regional structures.

We are very grateful for the communities that welcomed us during our visit. The brothers, the majority of whom are older, gave us a beautiful testimony of presence, joy and fraternity. In the same way, the visit to the House of Silence helped us to understand the uniqueness and beauty of this Dutch project, which serves more than 300 young people. Praise God.

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Br. Luis Carlos Gutiérrez, Vicar General

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