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Dear Companions
in Christ,
The summer is
passing, and some of us are excitedly preparing back to school and
some for their career. Meanwhile, the preparations are underway for
the regional gathering in Dallas for the Midwest region and in
Pennsylvania for Northeast region.
Also
noteworthy was the meeting in June between Đồng Hành and the National
Coordinating Council (NCC) of the Christian Life Community of the USA
(CLC-USA). This meeting is part of a continuing process that started
more than three years ago to incorporate our community into the
structure of the Church. Due to the grace and love of God, CLC-USA and
we are moving into the last phase of discerning about Đồng Hành
becoming the 11th region in CLC-USA. After a discerning process, the
NCC will reconvene and decide in February of 2004. If all goes well,
Đồng Hành will be invited to the national gathering of CLC-USA in
Miami in July, 2004 as the new region of CLC-USA. Let us pray that we
discern His will and follow His guidance in this matter.
At the end of
our Đại Hội 2002 in New Orleans, we heard from the young and single
companions that their spiritual needs were not met from our
community. True-the community does not have a specific formation
program to respond to the needs of our young and single companions.
Thus, we need your presence, my young companions in Christ, there to
discern the need for spiritual growth and to form a program
accordingly.
Cha Long has
been trying with all his heart and strength to show us the way to
spiritual growth in the way of Đồng Hành (CLC). It began with the
national youth gathering in Kansas City in 1997. Many youth groups
were born and formed. The World Youth Day in Toronto last year might
be the pinnacle of many of our youth groups, with inspiration and
faith renewed and strengthened. If that was truly the pinnacle, then
what follows could be a dangerous time if we are not clear about the
way of life that God has called us to live and its process of
formation. Some groups might suddenly find themselves in crisis: lack
of identity and purpose for the group. Impossible as it may seem,
desolation is part of a growing process, for desolation will force us
to cling closer to Christ. In the midst of despair we rediscover
ourselves in Christ at a higher level, and we continue our spiritual
journey, together.
The October
retreat is not reserved for people with specific responsibility in our
community, but it is opened to all, young and not so young. Anyone
who cares about his or her Ignatian spirituality, about the life of
one’s group, and about the direction of the community. Why? It is
simply because we are all responsible for one another, for each group
in the community, and for the gracefulness of the community. We
sincerely invite you to make plans to be with your companions in
Virginia from the evening of October 30th to the evening of November
2nd.
Pray for one
another and keep each other close to our Love.
Lê Thanh Liêm
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