0
0
0
s2smodern

Europese Jesuit Vocations Promoters in Lebanon.

A warm, Lebanese welcome greeted vocation promoters from twelve European provinces at the beginning of May 2019. The promoters were joined by Franck Janin, President of the Conference of European Provincials, and his Socius, Jose De Pablo.

Bikfaya

The annual meeting took place in a town called Bikfaya, 23kms north-east of Beirut, and in the shadow of Mount Lebanon. The name derives from the Aramaic Beit Kifa which means House of Rock. When the Jesuits returned to Lebanon in 1830, after the restoration of the Society, they settled their first community in Bikfaya and constructed a Church, Notre Dame de la Déliverance, naming it after an image of the Madonna brought by an Italian Jesuit. Thought to have miraculous powers, the image, and the Church it was housed in, soon became a shrine and place of pilgrimage.

The meeting provided an opportunity for the promoters to share their experience of vocations ministry in their respective provinces, and to hear input from Frank Janin on the theme of ‘Indifference: crucial for the accompaniment of vocation and discernment.’

Remembering Nikolaas Kluiters

There was lots of opportunity for prayer and personal reflection and for small group sharing and liturgy. The chance to share good practice and resources was greatly valued. The days also offered ample time for visits to places of interest and especially to the village of Barqua where Dutch Jesuit, Nicolas Kluiters had lived and worked.

Kluiters is remembered with great reverence for restoring pride to the village which had become despondent about its future as it started to lose its youth to the towns and cities in search of work. He dedicated himself to developing the village so that people would stay and encouraged the residents to build a school and clinic, a sewing workshop and several other micro-industries to generate employment and create wealth.

On March 13, 1985, when Father Kluiters was returning from celebrating mass in Hermel, in the Bekaa valley, he disappeared. His dead body was discovered in a ditch 17 days later and showed signs of having been tortured and shot. He was 44 years old.

Beirut

Other visits included an afternoon in central Beirut, largely rebuilt after the civil war, and an evening barbecue with some of the community at St Joseph’s University.

Towards the end of the meeting a new organising committee was selected. Damian Ristic (Slovenia,) Gregoire LeBel (France,) and Grzegorz Lojtek (North Poland) kindly accepted the appointment and offered to serve the group for the next three years.

It was also decided that the next meeting will take place in Slovenia from Monday, 18th May 2020 (arrivals) until Friday, 22nd May 2020 (departures.) A number of topics were suggested and discussed as possible foci for the next gathering, and after a round of votes, it was decided to look at ‘male spirituality and its significance for religious vocation.’

Finally, the group thanked Jad Chèbly of the Middle East Province, for his careful and patient attention over the days in Lebanon and for the planning and organisation that had taken place before it started. The group were deeply grateful.   

0
0
0
s2smodern