Charism: Sharing our Charism with Lay People – Mission: Primary Evangelization
On September 10, 2025, two presentations were given by members of the General Council: Fathers Anselme Tarpaga and Pawel Hulecki.
Father Anselme continued with the second section, which concerns our charism namely “Sharing Our Charism with the Laity”. First, he recalled the 2022 Chapter’s recommendations on this topic. Then, he guided the participants through the General Council’s actions. The most significant development was the drafting of a Lavigerie Family Charter by a joint M.Afr. & MSOLA committee. He acknowledged that the Provinces and Sections had welcomed the ongoing process positively. However, he identified some challenges, notably the lack of clear statutes and the need to strengthen formation. Before concluding, Father Anselme observed: “Now the time of the laity is beginning. It is up to us to help our lay brothers and sisters to welcome the Charter, to organise themselves, and to embody Lavigerie’s charism in their own realities”.
With Father Pawel Hulecki’s intervention, the participants then turned their attention to the second point of the Capitular Acts, which concerns mission. Throughout his presentation, he addressed the various aspects of primary evangelization in line with the Chapter’s recommendations. For each recommendation, he discussed the strengths and weaknesses that emerged from the reports of our Provinces and Sections.
Among the strong points, we can highlight the following: language learning is recognized as crucial for mission; six years fosters stability, trust, and continuity in mission; clear commitment to peripheries and vulnerable people; experienced confreres provide concrete support; General Council has reinforced the Communication Team; some provinces regularly publish structured content on social networks.
Of the weaknesses, a few are worth mentioning: ongoing language and cultural formation strategies are unclear or absent; community conflicts can push for premature transfers; limited strategic planning for new insertions; risk of overloading experienced confreres with responsibilities; media efforts lack coordination and strategic direction; the quality and presentation of content on social networks are not always good and relevant.
After each presentation, the participants returned to their respective teams. They concluded the morning together, around the altar of the Lord. Father Arsène Kapya, Provincial Superior of PAC, presided over the Eucharistic celebration. In the afternoon, the secretaries of the various teams presented their reports to the group. Looking to the future, participants globally affirmed the need for formation for all stakeholders in the Lavigerie Family Charter. Regarding primary evangelization, it emerged that this requires the missionary to be a mature Christian with zeal, conviction and passion for God and humanity.
By: Serge Zihalirwa Boroto, M.Afr.,
