EUROPEAN COUNCIL OF LAY DOMINICAN FRATERNITIES

Newsletter 1/2013
1. 4TH ECLDF MEETING (9TH 11TH MAY 2013) IN ROME, ITALY Our 4th ECLDF meeting took place in Santa Sabina, Rome. This time we were hosted by fr. David Kammler OP, our General Promoter and friars from Santa Sabina. We thank especially the Master of the Order, fr. Bruno Cador OP, for his presence among us during the meeting. We thank very much fr. David Kammler for his constant help to the ECLDF over the last six years. As we were informed, fr. David Kammlers successor in office will be fr. Rui Carlos Lopes OP from Portugal, who we are looking forward to cooperating with. 2. VISIT OF ECLDF MEMBERS TO PROVINCES As usual, we started our meeting on Friday (9th May) with evaluation of what has been done since the last meeting in Estavayer-le-Lac, in November 2012. In Switzerland we agreed that projected visits of the members of ECLDF are very important for unity and closer cooperation of European Lay Dominicans and for understanding the work and ministry of ECLDF council. As minimal expenses are needed, the members agreed to visit Provinces/Vicariates near their home Province. Eva had already visited Lay Dominicans from the Czech Republic as a guest at their Formation meeting in Kostoln Vyd, on 21st April 2013. Eva introduced the work of ECLDF as well as the European Formation project run by Leny Beemer de Vos. Visits of Ruth Anne in United Kingdom, Leny in Germany, Jose Antonio in Portugal and Jean Michel in Belgium, will follow. 3. FORMATION WORKING GROUP Leny Beemer detailed information regarding continuation of the Formation Project. The Working group had met 1-3 March in Utrecht, Netherland, to make further progress. The Working group had received response from 18 out of 26 European Provinces/Vicariates, which is very encouraging! All remarks will be included in the ECLDF Formation Framework. The basic point however remains the freedom for each Province/Vicariate to organize their formation as most suitable for the local situation. The Formation Working Group will give only recommendations and suggestions on organization and programming as help for each Province/Vicariate. Leny informed us also that during their meeting in Utrecht, Fr. Henk Jongerius OP was invited to talk about his experiences with formation courses for responsible workers in parishes. Maybe this experience can give some suggestions how to make a formation programme for responsible formation officers. The final conclusions from the work of the Working Group will be sen t to each Province/Vicariate after November 2013. It is necessary to say that although payment for travel expenses of the Working Group was approved by ECLDF in the Estavayer-le-Lac meeting, the members of the group decided not to charge the European Council account. This is very generous and we appreciate your implicit donation! 4. FINANCES AND FUND RAISING Jose Antonio Munoz Mata, the ECLDF treasurer, informed the Council that the amount of money in the Bank is a little bit under the balance needed. ECLDF again encourages provinces and vicariates to send their annual contributions for 2013 and the previous years. Jose Antonio introduced also an idea to open a Paypal account linked to the Pax-

Bank account and to set a crowd-funding page. The first fund raising page will be launched to be able to carry all ECLDF projects (Formation Working Group, Assembly organization, visits to Provinces/Vicariates, ordinary meetings or the Council). This initiative opens a lot of possibilities for fundraising projects launched by the ECLDF and under its supervision in the future 5. INFORMATION FROM ICLDF Klaus Bornewasser, our European delegate to ICLDF, had for the first time joined the ECLD meeting and made a presentation of his activities. He informed us that in 2017 the next World Dominican Congress will be held, 10 years after the Buenos Aires Congress. He also informed us about RENOVABIS, a German Catholic foundation, which in the past made a donation to ECLDF. He gave the information to Jose Antonio and offered help with the procedure of asking for financial support for the next Assembly. 6. UNITY IS THE MAIN WORD OF THE ORDER Fr. Bruno Cadore OP, Master of the Order joined the ECLDF meeting and for nearly two hours stayed in discussion with the council members. He reminded us that the first wish of St. Dominic was to preach communion, to go from divisions to communion, from individual identity to one common identity. As St. Paul wrote in 1Cor we belong to Christ. Fr. Bruno told us: I am concerned about this word communion. Then he continued that in the Church and in the Parish level it is strong. Then there is a second level of belonging (renewal, charismatic movements, congregations, orders), and it means that I want to choose my degree of belonging to the Church. But we are living in the times of Facebook. How many friends do we have? The first level is institutional, very strong, the second level wants to be stronger, but there is a third level, it is me, I am, I choose. From this individual level I have to mak e one step and go from my choice to my intermediary belonging and to my belonging to the Church. The common goal is to belong to Christ and to be happy with that. This is the way to participate in the New Evangelization. Sometimes we consider the Church as the house and we are discussing where and why the walls are cracking, how to avoid it, how to have the Church undamaged. But, what we need to care about is that the doors and windows are open, that the fresh air can come in. Fr. Bruno also told us: The goal is unity in Christ. Unity is the main word of the Order. To be Dominican is to be friends without discriminations or degrees of Dominicanity. All our brothers and sisters are Dominicans, right and left wing, conservatives or progressives. We have to find the way to live community in our fraternities. We must also reinforce the community. All my sisters and brothers are Dominicans and we must be Dominicans together. We must stop creating through separation. Nothing is perfect. At the time of creation of the Order, the temptation was perfection. Still nothing is perfect! Fr. Bruno then showed Council members on the map which Asian countries he recently visited.

7. LAICATUS PRAEDICANS CLOSED Since the project doesnt progress, after discussion with Karin and Fr. David Kammler, ECLDF decided to close the web page for now. It might reappear again in the future. 8. PREPARATION OF EUROPEAN ASSEMBLY OF LAY DOMINICANS IN 2014 Saturdays meeting was dedicated to preparation of the upcoming Assembly in Bologna. Ruth Anne Henderson has done already an enormous work by arranging and organizing of all practical issues as accommodation, contact with local friars, etc. As is already known, the Assembly will take place in Bologna from 21st 26th May 2014. ECLDF decided that 3 short lectures in English will be delivered to the Assembly by Julia Scherbina (Ukraine), Robert Mickens (a journalist from the USA, living in Rome and a close friend of the Dominicans), and Francesco Andriulli (former member of IDYM). A new Logo of the Congress was also approved by the Council. To reduce the cost it was decided that the Assembly and plenary sessions will be in English, however working groups will be gathered according to linguistic factors (French, Italian, Spanish, etc.). It was also discussed, that for election there will be only one nominee per Province/Vicariate allowed and he/she has to speak English and have no problem to use internet. Regarding the delegates, if there are two delegates from the same Province/Vicariate, at least one has to understand English. ECLDF also decided, Provinces will be asked to send their presentations in advance. Further important issues were then discussed like calendar of preparation, arrival of delegates, Liturgy, social programme, etc. 9. PILGRIMAGE OF A PICTURE OF SAINT DOMINIC ECLDF initiated a project by which they would like to approach the two very important events which the OP laity will celebrate in the year 2014: the year dedicated to Laity in the Jubilee Novena of the Foundation of the Order of Preachers and the Assembly of European Lay Dominicans in Bologna in May 2014. The picture of Saint Dominic was painted by fr. Felix from Spain. Eva and Jose Antonio will design the optimal route. 10. GUIDED TOUR TO SANTA SABINA In the end of our stay in Santa Sabina, fr. David gave us a guided tour. We have learned, that the church was built on the site of the 4th century house of the Sabina a Roman matron originally from Avezzano in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Fr. David showed us the depiction of the crucifixion on the wooden door of Santa Sabina, which is one of the earliest surviving depictions of the crucifixion of Christ. In the basement, he showed us evidences of the oldest times. Dear fr. David, it was extraordinary experience, thank you! 11. NEXT MEETING OF ECLDF The next meeting of the European Council of Lay Dominican Fraternities will be held in Bologna, Italy, from 7th to 10th November 2013.

Eva Zdorov ECLDF Communication Officer