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GOVERNMENT AND COLLABORATION.

COLLABORATION IN THE ORDER IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARRIBEAN

fr. Miguel Concha Malo OP, Provincial of Mexico on behalf of CIDAL

I - Introduction.

Over the last 30 years, the Order in Latin America has begun to effect different examples of regional co-operation and collaborative activities/projects. This is an on going process, often difficult and sometimes accident prone, but it is also steady and now irreversible. It is not divorced from reality nor from the social and ecclesiastical situation in Latin America. The understanding attitude of the different Masters of the Order and their socii for the area have played a fundamental role in the development of the process

II - The meaning of the terms "co-operation" and collaboration"

Although the words "collaboration" and "co-operation" are used synonymously in ordinary parlance, there is a substantial semantic difference between them. This difference has an important effect on our lifestyle and form of government. Nominally, co-operation simply means "working with others to a particular end." It has the sense of helping, of supporting, of contributing to the successful outcome of a job. On the other hand collaboration means "working with others on the same task." It implies the planning, deciding and execution of a particular task together. It is synonymous with allying or associating yourself with others to complete the same task together. Although our Constitutions speak of both forms of support, to refer to different situations (LCO, Chapter XIV, Art. VII, Nos. 390-395,) we prefer to use the term "collaboration." As a universal community of brothers, we work together on the same mission. Collaboration is fundamental to our Order. Dominican Spirituality also derives from collaboration. Collaboration is one of the most important challenges that the post-modern world culture presents us with.

III - From Isolation to Collaboration

In 1973 The Inter-provincial Conference for Latin America (CIDAL) was founded in Bogotá, Columbia. It was an amalgamation of regional organisations that had arisen after the Council, and expressed our Superiors' disposition to implement the 1968 Constitutions. The then Master, fr. Aniceto Fernández began this to build better bases of co-operation and collaboration in the region, taking the spirit and direction of Vatican II and the New Constitutions into account.

In 1977, the Master of the Order, fr. Vincent de Couesnongle, instructed the sub-Continent's Major Superiors and the Diffinitors to meet at Amecameca in Mexico for the IV Assembly of CIDAL. De Cousnongle had participated in the General Chapter in Quezon City and he called the assembly to iron out and overcome the Order's natural, and sometimes hostile, reactions to Vatican II and the II General Assembly of the Latin American Episcopate (Puebla). Since then CIDAL has met every three years. Its participants have advanced from being, isolated, mistrustful and intransigent strangers to an understanding group, disposed to dialogue and the search for greater communion. The earlier isolation was caused in part by the situation on the sub-Continent and the reactions in society and the Church to Vatican II and Puebla. Although we were thankfully never divided, we have moved from our once fragmented situation to collaboration, this promises a better future for the Order in Latin America.

Although Latin America is seen by outsiders as a single Geo-Political unit, we should not forget that, it is a rich mosaic of stories, cultures, personalities and politics. Although most of the provinces share a more or less similar historical origin, the provinces from which they were founded influenced their internal organisation in different ways. As a result of this, Latin American Dominicans had notable differences on the levels of nationality, mentality, generation and their interpretation of how the Dominican Charism is understood and lived.

Seen retrospectively, every three years the Assembly of CIDAL provided us with an opportunity and useful catalyst for exploring all this richness. This was further encouraged by the missionary spirit of fr. Damien Byrne and his socii for Latin America. Each meeting revolved around a central theme. This theme took the religious and social situations of the sub-Continent as its context and considered questions in the light of the general challenges of the Order, of the Latin American Episcopate and of the documents from the Conferences of Religious. The discussions addressed this main theme: the mission of the Order in a sub-Continent dependant, both socially and economically, on foreign capital, a mission in societies founded on privilege for an ever increasing minority, societies based on marginalisation and on the exclusion of the greater majority.

IV - Activities promoted by CIDAL

With patience and effort CIDAL slowly began to organise meetings of Major Superiors at national, area and regional levels. It also organised meetings of brothers working in similar areas: Regents of Studies, Formators, Directors of School and Colleges, University Chaplains, Parish Workers, etc. CIDAL advocates the importance of Justice & Peace, it appoints regional promoters and organises workshops and lectures. In 1980 the meeting of CIDAL in Caracas created a team for Theological Reflection. CIDAL also promoted the organisation of meetings for Dominican historians in Latin America and the Caribbean, it also organised courses on the Church and the situation on the sub-Continent. CIDAL also set about the creation of an Institute of Higher Studies that would allow the members of the Dominican Family to study the link between Theology and the situation in Latin America. The magazine CIDAL and the bound Dossiers also play a part in this.

Various entities of the Order in Latin America and the Caribbean have initiated joint activities with other entities already. These collaborations are most common in the areas of formation and the apostolate.

There is a long standing tradition of Theological Colloquia in the history of the Order in Latin America. There have also been many meetings of the Historians of the Order. Next September the VI International Congress of Dominican Historians will take place in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The actual collaboration in Latin America is the fruit of many years of struggle to better understand each other. Within CIDAL the Order accepted, discussed and developed its policies for the inculturation of the Order in different countries. CIDAL has helped us to develop stronger Provinces and Vice-Provinces that are better prepared to address: the varied apostolic challenges that we are faced with, the promotion of vocations, formation and government. CIDAL also encourages us to own and support communal initiatives like the Noviciate in Trinidad and Tobago for the Caribbean entities; the Course on Church and the Latin American Situation in Cusco, Peru; a common institutional formation between the Province of San Juan Bautista and the Vicariate of Santa Rosa (Spain) in Peru; finally, the Institute of Pedro de Córdoba in Chile. A special mention should be given to the joint Ratio Formationis Particularis and Ratio Estudiorum Particularis agreed by the entities in the Cono Sur.1

V - Purpose and Organisation of CIDAL: Paragraph deleted

VI - New Ideas for Collaboration

• Lately, the Latin American Entities represented at CIDAL have adopted the following areas as places where we can collaborate better.
• We can intensify, consolidate and increase our co-operation in the areas of government; formation; studies; finance; etc.
• The field of investigative and reflective theology brought more to an inter-disciplinary level.
• Working together in inter-religious and inter-cultural dialogue. Addressing the great challenges of inculturation of the Gospel, native theology, the autonomy of peoples and the rights of communities.
• Justice and Peace, strongly orientated to human rights and an affirmation of the dignity of the human person.
• The area of defence of life and the environment (ecology)
• Human communication through use of mass media.
• The presence and actions of the friars in organisations and places where economic, political and cultural decisions take place.

VII - Our Spirit of Collaboration.

All of these areas have been developing, remembering more or less the suggested areas of collaboration elaborated at Caleruega: Gospel Values; Fraternal Communion; pastoral work and internal government (ACG, Caleruega, 1995, 71).

It is important that at this Chapter we continue to speak of, plan and concretise collaboration in the Order at different levels. It is important that we continue to do this working from the actual situation in the world and from our spirituality.

VIII - Conclusion

One gets the impression that, in recent times, the Order has lost its ability to move towards and respond to common projects. This can be seen in the difficulty composing teams to work in areas where the Master of the Order has specifically asked for collaboration.

We believe that the Chapter in Bologna must analyse the successes as much the difficulties encountered in our search for collaboration.

The difficulties are caused by, among other problems:

• A lack of formation for teamwork.
• A lack of formation that is disposed towards collaboration.
• Having the self as a limitation of horizon.
• A democratic method that is content to debate and decide small issues so that nothing changes in the end.
• The comfort of our lives and missions.
• The lack of clarity in our projects.

We believe that the Chapter in Bologna must ordain that the entities of the Order should form themselves in a spirit of collaboration and dispose themselves to the fact that a percentage of its formed should prepare themselves for collaboration outside the provincial boundaries.

We believe that the Chapter must ordain that Provincial Chapters, in planning their projects for the common life and mission, should refer to continental projects or general projects of the Order and address the training and sending of brothers to these projects.

We believe that the Chapter should try to clarify and define common projects, at least one per continent, where collaborative teams can work.

For example, in Latin America, it is imperative that we strengthen and solidify our actual presence in the mission territories of Mexico, Guatemala and Peru. We must also respond with some urgency to the challenge of the evangelisation of Cuba. We must also, in conjunction with the rest of the Dominican Family, strengthen our support for the Institute of Pedro de Córdoba in Chile.

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