The fifteenth day was dedicated to the centrality in Jesus Christ, following the work of the Chapter and sharing, in the last session, the mission of Guatemala, where the Piarists are present since last year.
The morning Eucharist of the XLVIII General Chapter was presided by the Province of Nazareth. Fr Juan Pablo Anduquia shared his reflection on the Gospel of the day, emphasizing that the “authority” of Jesus is related “to the inner struggles that allow us to understand ourselves and also to know the inner struggles of others and to be able to accompany them better”.
Fr Christian Ehemba from West Africa, Fr Juan Alfonso Serra from Central America and the Caribbean, Fr Mateusz Pindelski from Poland and Fr Juan Pablo Anduquia from the Piarist province of Nazareth. In a relaxed atmosphere, the four protagonists shared their vocational story from their particular experience. Christian Ehemba focused his contributions on the importance of the religious community. “We don’t need ‘snipers’, the mission is a community project”, he affirmed in his presentation.
Fr Juan Alfonso Serra, shared his testimony focusing on the missionary dimension. “We have to draw shreds of hope from reality”, he said during his intervention, “especially in contexts of poverty and scarcity”. Pindelski emphasized that “the centrality of Jesus is not important in itself, but as a door to reach the depths of the Father”. Finally, Fr Juan Pablo Anduquia described community life as “the privileged place where you can make your life transparent”. The morning ended with an interesting dialogue in which the Chapter Fathers took part.
After lunch, the Chapter Fathers went back to the work of the Chapter, dealing with the Nucleus about the Piarist Spirituality, and in the second afternoon session, the voting of propositions and proposals began. At the end of the afternoon, Fr Paco Anaya presented the mission of Guatemala, one of the most recent in the Pious Schools. Located in the towns of Cabricán and Huitán, the mission was established last year and is in charge of three schools and a parish, serving about 300 children. It is an inter-demarcational project, supported by three demarcations, the Provinces of USA-Puerto Rico, Mexico and the Vice-Province of the Californias. Francisco López, a Piarist layman assigned there, retale his daily life in the mission and his rich experience in the joint community.
