FINAL MESSAGE - Annual Meeting of the General Coordination Council of the Union

​FINAL MESSAGE
Annual Meeting of the General Coordination Council of the Union
Rome, April 21st ˗ 25th, 2018.
 
Dear Brothers and Sisters!

We, the members of the General Coordination Council of the Union of Catholic Apostolate, meeting at the Casa La Salle, Fratelli delle Scuole Cristiane, Rome, from April 21st to 25th, 2018, send you our warm greetings in the spirit of Saint Vincent Pallotti.
 
We are happy to share this message with you, a fruit of communion and coresponsibility in the Pallottine charism.
Our meeting began on the very significant date of April 21st, the birthday of our Founder who accompanied us during the meeting.
The Holy Spirit gathered this Council in service of the Union, and we recognise that, before all else, the Union is a gift received from God; the task of each one of us today is to live this gift with responsibility and commitment, by reaching out to and serving the people of God.
 
Pope Francis invites all of us to get our hands dirty in serving others.
We wish to remain close and attentive to people, walking with them in their lived social, family, personal and faith experience. We want to touch their hearts in order to help them to fully perceive and live out their call, the place prepared for them by God in the Church and the world.
In order to accomplish all of this, it is necessary to live with the same passion which Jesus had, as did Saint Vincent Pallotti in his time with the first companions of our Union and with those from every existential periphery.
 
We are all invited, in communion, to renew our sense of belonging to the Union every day.
This will lead us to grow in collaboration and unity in order to give credible and effective witness in our life and mission.
On April 23rd, the birthday of Elisabetta Sanna, the first lay member of the Union to be beatified, the General Coordination Council re-elected Ms. Donatella Acerbi President of the Union and elected Fr. Gilberto Orsolin Vice President. We assure them of our closeness, our collaboration and our prayers.
 
The succeeding days saw the renewing of the International Commissions which are tasked with helping all members and collaborators of the Union in their particular mission.
 
This week dedicated to the Good Shepherd made clear to us once more the need to invest in interpersonal relationships, taking on His very gaze and care, especially towards the least and most needy of all.
During this meeting, the enduring timeliness and spiritual richness of our Founder once again came to light, which are reflected in the Apostolic Exhortation “Gaudete et Exsultate” on the universal call to holiness.
Our Pallottine charism, today, is in fact seen to be a model in the Church and opens new horizons, in particular between charismatic families (cf. Pope Francis, Letter to All Consecrated People, III, November 1st, 2014).
In this way, we are invited to live the charism as a gift for the Church, being in the Union and for the Union. This is our path to being disciples of Jesus Christ in the Church and the world.
 
We would like to conclude our message with the words of Pope Francis, quoted in the homily of Fr. Jacob Nampudakam, SAC, Ecclesiastical Assistant of the Union, during the opening Mass:
“Being poor of heart: that is holiness [70].
Reacting with meekness and humility: that is holiness [74].
Knowing how to mourn with others: that is holiness [76].
Hungering and thirsting for righteousness: that is holiness [79].
Seeing and acting with mercy: that is holiness [82].
Keeping a heart free of all that tarnishes love: that is holiness [86].
Sowing peace all around us: that is holiness [86].
Accepting daily the path of the Gospel, even though it may cause us problems: that is holiness [94]”.
 
 
(Gaudete et Exsultate, In the light of the Master).