or
the first time in their 106-year history, the Xaverian Missionaries will
hold their General Chapter outside of Italy, the land of their
origins. The setting will be the Seminary of Guadalajara, Mexico,
during the months of June and July. The occasion will also mark
the 50th Anniversary of the Xaverian presence in Mexico, presence which,
by God's grace, has proven to be one of fruitfulness and youthfulness.
Mexico has a long history of Christianity which goes back to 1518 when Fr. Juan Diaz first celebrated Mass on Mexican soil. But it was the Virgin Mary, who appeared to Blessed Juan Diego (December 9, 1531), who opened the hearts of the Mexican people to evangelization. It was also the idea of a Mexican mother to found a Catholic College at Mazatlan. Fr. Ugo Cattenati, who arrived in Mexico in 1951, brought that idea into being. In that first school, the life and spirit of the founder, Blessed Guido Conforti, was made known to hundreds of youngsters. The "Instituto Cultural de Occidente" (ICO), as the school was known, thus cleared the way for the opening, some twelve years later, of the seminary in San Juan del Rio. Since then, the Xaverian family in Mexico has become ever more numerous, with the Theology Community being located for some years in Guadalajara, and then in Mexico City. 1977 witnessed the first ordination of a Mexican Xaverian.
"The history of the Xaverian presence in Mexico, - so writes Fr. Francis Marini, Superior General, - is full of faith, boldness, imagination and courage on the one hand, and good harmony and generous response on the other... The enthusiastic response of the people in general makes us think that there is a kind of innate compatibility between the Xaverian charism and the Mexican soul. So much so that in no other region have we had such a vast response, in support and vocations, as in Mexico."
The history of the Xaverian presence in Mexico, is full of faith, boldness, imagination and courage on the one hand, and good harmony and generous response on the other...
The spirituality of Conforti, his life project and the sons of Mexico were bonded together. Vocations continued to enter. After Mazatlan, San Juan del Rio and Guadalajara, other houses were opened: Salamanca, Arandas, Toreeon, and Mexico City itself. All of the various communities were oriented to prepare missionaries for non-Christians. However, the Xaverians could not remain deaf to the pressing appeal of the indigenous peoples who live far from the densely populated centers, at Santa Cruz and Acoyota. Thus they committed themselves to the pastoral care of these ethnic groups of rich and ancient culture.
Mexican Xaverians, in a congregational total of 853, today number 128, of whom 68 are priests, 57 students, and 2 deacons. With an average age of 37.6,. Mexican members constitute the youngest Xaverian Province in the world. Concludes Fr. Marini: "Today, the Mexican confreres are spread throughout almost all the Xaverian provinces and they are playing an ever greater role in the life of their own province. In these last years, day by day, the Xaverian missionary life in Mexico has made decisive strides toward mission to non-Christians. Their contribution to the life of the Xaverian Congregation and to the service of the mission will surely be even more significant in the coming years."
We join the Mexican Region in the celebration of its 50th Anniversary, and send our best wishes for the future. And we pray that as it provides the setting for the 14 Xaverian General Chapter, it may also offer the Congregation "a refreshing youthful breeze."
(From Xaverian Mission Newsletter)