DRAFTING A PROVINCIAL MISSIONARY PROJECT
(General Committee on Mission)1
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
1. A CURRENT PROFILE OF THE PROVINCE (‘SEE’)
1.1 Information about the Countries and Societies in relation to our
missionary challenges
1.2 A General Description of the Local Church
1.3 A General Description of the Province
2. A CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND DEFINITION OF THE LOCAL MISSIONARY
CHALLENGES (‘JUDGE’)
2.1 Analysis of the local missionary situation
2.2 Defining the local missionary challenges
3. PRIORITIZING OF THE CHALLENGES AND PLANNING (‘ACT’)
3.1 Prioritizing of these Challenges
3.2 Planning the Implementation of the Missionary Project
4. THE PROVINCIAL MISSION STATEMENT
4.1 The Group’s Identity
4.2 Its dreams, vision and goals
CONCLUSION
1 This is a document of the CICM General Government, made in 1996. Some parts of it were
reformulated and updated by the General Committee for Mission (GCM) in its meeting in
Rome, October 2015. The revised document was approved by the General Government in its
meeting on Dec 18, 2015.
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INTRODUCTION
This document presents the basic elements of a procedure to draft a Provincial
Missionary Project (PMP). The articulation of missionary projects responds to the
call made by the XIth CICM General Chapter (1993) for us to be more faithful to
our double mission: fidelity to the world and fidelity to our CICM identity.2 As
mandated by that General Chapter, we now have Guidelines for Mission, 1996
(GM), which provides some clear criteria for our missionary activities to be
articulated in a Missionary Project (GM, ch. 4-5). The CICM General Government
then published this document on Drafting A Provincial Missionary Project (1996)
and it has been used extensively ever since. Later, the XIVth CICM General
Chapter (2011) decreed the creation of a General Committee on Mission
(GCM) that should - among other things – help in “the formulating of questions
that would facilitate the evaluation of the missionary projects of the Provinces”.
The GCM therefore revised this document in its meeting in Rome, October 2015.
The drafting of a Provincial Missionary Project is, in the first place, a tool for the
discernment of our missionary works, and not simply a justification for them. It is a
way for the Province reflect upon the missionary challenges emerging from our
discernment on the needs of the People, the local Church, and the Province.
Only when a Province has drafted its PMP using group discernment can it be
useful as a way for confreres to own the missionary project as a group, and as
individuals.
A good way to draft a Provincial Missionary Project is to follow the See-Judge-
Act method of Cardinal Joseph Cardijn:
See: First, we look at the challenges in the countries, societies,
Local Churches, and the CICM Province we live in.
Judge: Then, we make a critical analysis of the challenges, and judge
whether these challenges correspond with our CICM charism.
Act: Finally, we prioritize these challenges and draw up a plan of action.
While the overall number of confreres will continue to diminish, we are beginning
to see an increase in the number of younger confreres. This requires us to be
more open to new ways of doing mission. Updating our PMP is an occasion for
the Province to review its existing projects in the light of the aspirations and
talents of these younger members. The PMP is meant to be implemented by the
whole province. Thus this document becomes a point of reference in our
missionary life, work, and communities. It will unite the confreres, their efforts and
their spirits into ‘One Heart and One Soul’.
2 Acts of the XIth CICM General Chapter, 1993. At the Service of the Kingdom, p.7
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The Missionary Projects of the Provinces are made available to the young
confreres in the initial formation communities to assist them in responsibly
expressing their mission preferences and to help the GG in determining their
missionary destinations. The PMP will also help the young confreres during their
Internship. These Missionary Projects should therefore provide an honest and
realistic picture of the mission in the Province.
It takes time to build up a good PMP. Community gatherings every 6 weeks for
prayer and discernment during one to two years seems to be a good practice.
Possibly an Ad Hoc Committee can be erected to cooperate with the different
communities and committees of the Province.
It is also important to agree on the date and the process of the next updating of
the Missionary Project. It is advisable that PMPs be updated soon after a
General Chapter.
1. A CURRENT PROFILE OF THE PROVINCE (‘SEE’)
The profile is primarily an introduction to the Missionary Project. It is descriptive
and informative (factual). It gives the reader a realistic picture of the actual
situation of the country, the Church and the Province, using concrete and
objective data, preferably with references. It should indicate prevailing trends in
the socio-economic, political, cultural and religious life of the people.
However, a certain selection already begins at this stage. In gathering the data,
we keep in mind the kind of missionary involvement we want to engage in on
the basis of our charism as CICM. We know, for example, that JPIC is an essential
element of our mission. Thus the 14th General Chapter has recommended that
our PMP clearly shows how JPIC is integrated in the whole of our involvements.3
Besides the points mentioned below, other points can be added according to
the Missionary Projects of the Province (eg. education, poverty, etc.). The
direction in which the project is headed should already be clear from the very
beginning.
The following questions are given as suggestions; other questions can be
added.
3 Acts of the 14
th CICM General Chapter, 2011, p. 21
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a.1 Information about the countries and societies in relation to its missionary
challenges:
- 1.1.1 A geo-political description: What is the nature of the country?
How is it structured politically? Does the political structure of the
country promote the participation of the people or is political power
concentrated in the hands of a few? How does the political structure
influence our missionary work? - 1.1.2 A socio-cultural description: What are the social and cultural
aspects that stand out and are important for our commitments or
challenge our view on mission? - 1.1.3 An economic description: How are the resources (GNP) of the
country distributed? Are the benefits of the macro-economic growth
reaching the less privileged and low-income earners of society? Is
there a plan for sustainable development in the country? - 1.1.4 A religious description: What is the place of the Catholic Church
in society? How does it relate to other religions? Is there a trend
toward secularization, a rise or decline of Islam, Buddhism,
Protestantism or other religions?
a.2 A general description of the local Church, especially in the dioceses
where CICM is present:
- 1.2.1 What are the main characteristics of the local Church?
(Concentrate on what is particular to it: eg. role of the lay-people). - 1.2.2 Are their serious problems or obstacles preventing the local
Church from becoming a self-reliant and mature Church? - 1.2.3 What are the important challenges that the local Church is
confronted with, or will be confronted with in the near future?
a.3 A general description of the Province:
- 1.3.1 Give some statistics about the confreres and their work (number
of retired, working ad extra, ad intra or in initial formation). What are
the projections for the next five years, the next ten years? - 1.3.2 List the confreres who have done special studies. List those who
are currently studying (what, where, what for). - 1.3.3 How is the deployment of personnel managed? How is
teamwork promoted? - 1.3.4 How many confreres live in community? Are there international
communities? - 1.3.5 How are the different missionary commitments interlinked? How
often are the present missionary commitments reviewed and
evaluated? Is there follow-up or a monitoring system to accomplish
this?
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To help define the characteristics of our missionary presence, one can find a
more exhaustive list of questions in the Guidelines for Mission (p.52-60).
2. A CRITICAL ANALYSIS AND DEFINITION OF THE LOCAL MISSIONARY
CHALLENGES (‘JUDGE’)
2.1 Analysis of the local missionary situation
According to our foundational assumptions from which we approach
our mission,4 there are two separate fields to be analyzed here:
Ad extra: Is the group doing its best to be present in ‘frontier situations’,
engage in ‘dialogue’, undertake ‘first evangelization’, and promote
‘world solidarity’? Do we really care for and defend the poor and
abandoned ones?
Ad intra: Are we living in multicultural evangelizing communities? How
are we taking care of confreres who are facing difficulties? How do we
take care of the elder and sick confreres? What is the quality of the
teamwork in parishes or other commitments? How do we accompany
our young confreres in initial formation to live out CICM identity and
spirituality?
The term critical analysis describes the major components of this
section. First, critical, in a double sense: we criticize and are criticized.
On the one hand, the members of the Province are asked to consider
the local situation from the perspective of their mission statement (i.e.,
the group’s identity and missionary intent). On the other hand, they are
asked to examine the practice of their calling in the light of the usually
harsh reality of the people’s lives.
The approach is also analytical, that is to say, systematic and sustained,
presupposing data gathering and multilevel consultation with the
representative sectors of the local community and with experts.5
2.2 Defining the local missionary challenges
A critical analysis of this sort is undertaken in view of helping the group
situate itself within the general mission of the Church in that country. The
4 Cf. Guidelines for Mission p.41-43. 5 Cf. Joe Holland and Peter Henriot sj, Social analysis: Linking Faith and Social
Justice, Orbis Books, first edition 1980.
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operative question here is: What could be CICM’s specific missionary
contribution to the local Church?
Thus critical analysis means here: asking the members of the Province to look at
the situation through the eyes of our CICM charism and to define the missionary
challenges they see ad extra and ad intra.
Explanatory notes:
a) It must be borne in mind that critical analysis is evaluative from the point of
view of our charism and is, therefore, selective. Consequently, it is not meant to
discover all of the needs of the local church. Its objective is to identify specific
missionary challenges from the CICM perspective, i.e., challenges specifically
addressed to CICM, not to the church in general.
b) The critical analysis should conclude by being able to identify the major
missionary challenges addressed to the group as CICM missionaries working
and living in that particular country. Ultimately, critical analysis should enable
the group to answer the decisive question: Should we continue working in this
place, or with this people? If the response is positive, three basic questions must
be addressed: 1) With and for whom should we be working? 2) Where should we
be? 3) What should be doing and how?
If, however, the response is negative, then the critical analysis undertaken for
the purpose of having a more focused missionary presence has served as an
evaluation of the presence itself, indicating that the Province should consider
termination.
c) At this stage in the process, it is useful to line up the possible missionary
challenges addressed to the Province. The group is given a global viewing of the
local missionary challenges corresponding to its charism. This part of the process
is important in making the members of the Province aware of the fact that no
matter what and however much they undertake, their missionary endeavors are
and always will be only a partial response to the needs of the local church. We
cannot and are not called to satisfy all the local missionary needs. The process
should foster both missionary realism and humility, as opposed to expansionism
and messianic complexes.
d) These definitions identify the challenges that fall within the charismatic
response and dream of the group; and conversely, eliminate those that should
be addressed by other groups or instances, like the local government, NGO’s,
social welfare and philanthropic organizations, or the local Church itself.
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3. PRIORITIZING OF THE CHALLENGES AND PLANNING (‘ACT’)
3.1 Prioritizing of the challenges
a) Discernment
After defining the local missionary challenges, the group will first have to
discern which challenges have to be prioritized. How can we
collaborate with the local Church as pioneers? This calls for a
discernment process based on prayer, group-sharing, and personal
reflection.
The leading questions here are:
How do the People see/feel these challenges?
How does the Church perceive them?
How do we as CICM with our specific charism see/feel them?
Discerning means that we try to follow the will of God, which is not
always the most logical or common way of looking at missionary
realities. It is advisable to use local Church documents as a source of
information.
b) Scrutinizing
The selected missionary challenges will then have to be scrutinized on
the basis of what CICM can actually do in the given situation. This is a
crucial point that can make or break even the most beautifully
formulate Missionary Project. The danger of accommodation usually
arises at this point. Superiors might tend to accommodate everything
and everybody in order to avoid conflict, unconsciously surrendering the
prophetic edge called for in prioritizing our commitments.
c) Decision
Prioritizing is decision making. Choices, a selection from among the
possible missionary challenges, will finally have to be made. Prioritizing
simply means choosing the challenges that the group is capable of
responding to from among those charismatically identified, namely
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those missionary challenges addressed to the group as a missionary
congregation. The prioritized challenges will constitute the basis of a
specific provincial missionary project.
Provinces that span several countries may decide upon both challenges
common to all of their countries as well as challenges that are specific
to a particular country.
3.2 Planning
a) How will the plan be made concrete? The last part in the drafting of a Provincial Missionary Project is
the planning. “How?” and “Who?” are here the pertinent
questions. Can the Province do what it wants to do? Is it
capable of doing what it should be doing? Here we are dealing
with reality, not just dreams. What can the missionary group
actually do given:
1. its real capacity: personnel and other resources; and
2. the local situation: the economic, cultural, socio-political, and
religious factors that limit our missionary space.
Ignoring the limitations imposed by the local situation will surely
undercut the effectivity and capacity of the group to implement its
project. Unwarranted idealism or naiveté can only lead the group
to disillusionment.
b) What relevant activities need to be adopted in order to implement
the corporate commitment laid out in the plan? What then follows would be similar to what is ordinarily presented to
funding agencies as a project proposal, namely an overall plan and
time schedule which normally includes:
1. a description of the missionary activity
2. human resources: local & non-local participation
3. material resources: budgetary & related financial considerations,
including local contributions
4. a schedule of the duration of the activity including the expected
length of CICM participation
5. periodic evaluation
Another way of developing with a project is expressed through the
acronym ‘SMART’. The project should be: Simple, Manageable,
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Attainable, Realistic, Time bound.
c) What monitoring system will be put in place in order to assure the continuity and the effectivity of the implementation of the strategic
plan?
Monitoring and follow-up of the project are also necessary for its
success. An example of how to do this is given in the appendix.
There should not be ‘partial’ thinking, but rather a ‘linking up’ of all the
different groups within the Province when it comes to the realization of a
certain project.
d) Other Considerations: Other very important considerations are the implications the
involvement will have on the confreres participating in it, for example
community, life style, sustenance, training or the preparation of future
confreres participating in the project, ongoing formation, evaluation,
and animation.
4. A PROVINCIAL ‘MISSION STATEMENT’6
When the three steps in the process to update or draft a PMP have been
thoroughly developed, the group is ready to express their mission goals for
the coming years in clear and inspirational language.
The mission statement presents:
2.1 The group’s identity: Who we are? What is CICM?
2.2 Its dreams, vision and goals: What would we like to be? What would we
like to do, ad intra and ad extra?
This provincial mission statement functions to focus the group and could
almost be used as a prayer. It is the ‘slogan’ of the mission in that specific
Province or country.
Explanatory notes:
6 cf. Vade Mecum B, Appendix 7a
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a) The mission statement is a declaration of identity and intent. It should
therefore mention the characteristics and traits of our specific missionary
charism: ad extra & internationality; ad gentes & universal brotherhood; our
preference for the poor & frontier situations; our religious life style: community,
prayer, teamwork. It is also a call to group action: a slogan in the good sense of
that word – rallying the group to be what it should be and to do what it should
be doing.
b) To serve its purpose, the mission statement needs to be a highly focused
declaration of identity and position vis-à-vis the local situation. It helps the group
to focus itself charismatically. It serves to identify who we are within the universal
mission of Christ. As a declaration of our calling as a congregation, it should
inspire the members of the Province to think, plan, and act together since they
share the same calling.
c) A mission statement is precise, inspirational and exhortatory. It is not an essay,
or a reflection paper. It should be able to deliver its message and make its point
at first reading.
CONCLUSION
The Provincial Missionary Project has to be owned by all the members of the
province, as well as by the laypeople who are involved in its implementation. It
will enhance ‘CICM awareness’ that can inspire others to join.
One of the possible difficulties in the implementation of the Provincial
Missionary Project is arriving at the consensus needed for the collective
ownership of the project by the confreres. A 100% owned Missionary Project
does not exist. We may not expect or demand its spontaneous acceptance by
all the members of the Province. The confreres will have to be assisted to
understand and appreciate its long-range value for the whole Province, for
them personally, and for their work. It is not necessary, however, for everyone to
agree with the project. What’s important is that they have the opportunity to
express their views and do not actively obstruct its implementation. The
Provincial Leadership must see to it that the Missionary Project conforms strictly
with the exigencies of the CICM charism in order to withstand the criticism and
resistance of confreres.
Though it might seem a tedious task, the process of articulating a Missionary
Project is the right place for confreres to meet each other and to build unity in
the Province. The Missionary Project we have been given a valuable instrument
of unity. It serves to unite us around what brought us together in the first place –
our common missionary calling, our CICM charism.