Looking to the future to build a great story!

The Commission entrusted with the task of studying the future of the places that witnessed the birth of the Institute met with the General Council in Rome to discuss the work so far accomplished.
The Commission has met several times at the Hermitage; we had asked the opinions of brothers and of groups that use the places. We then developed the first proposal for the use of the places and evaluated the reactions of the groups asked to comment. All of this material was gathered into a file and sent to all the Provincials so that they, with their Councils, could examine this material and make observations about it by suggesting the things they found to be positive. Having taken this information and observations into account, we started a technical study of the project on a global scale, without entering into too fine a detail, in order to give some idea of the major reality.

With the material developed by the Commission, with the responses of the Councils from Amazônia, Brasil Centro-Sul, Canada, China, Compostela, Cruz del Sur, Europe Centre-Ouest, Korea and Rio Grande do Sul, and with a draft technical plan, the Commission met in Rome to present the project to the General Council.
The Commission is conscious of having provided a service and developed a direction to follow and thinks that their work is now finished.
Now is the time to decide the future, with all that this brings, not only form an economical point of view but of personnel and future vision. The General Conference will be an opportune moment to look at the directions to be taken and also the concrete commitments that these directions demand for this project to advance further.
We know that at one time in the history of the Hermitage it was to be sold to be transformed into an agricultural school and someone intervened to block this decision. Perhaps today we have arrived at a similar decisive moment that will certainly have its repercussions on the future: conserve a house to remember the past or transform it so that it can become a radiating centre for the future. In Vita Consecrata John Paul II wrote: ?You do not have only a glorious story to remember and recount, but a great story to build! Look to the future??