Apostolate 3: Past and present

Apostolate as it was done in the past

Most of the congregations were founded as a concrete answer to a concrete need of their time. A war had created many orphans, nobody was educating girls, the health system was very poor etc. The bishop would gather some young ladies, entrust unto them the work and little by little this small group of ladies transformed into a congregation.
Even Don Orione started with the oratory and then with a small seminary because these were the needs of Tortona at his time.
Most of the foundations, houses came into being as answers to the local needs.
A peculiar aspect is that in all those houses our religious (priests, brothers, sisters) were doing the whole work from teaching to taking care of the handicap or elderly, bathing them, feeding them etc.
In the last thirty years a threefold crisis struck all the congregations:
Government requires now that all the staff in the institutions, have proper qualifications (which most of us do not have), and demands much more personnel, better facilities and higher standards.
There is no more need of such works as before because many others do the same and government itself has much better facilities compared to the past. So our works are not anymore the best or most available.
The number of religious has reduced drastically and the average age of the remaining has risen considerably. Where we used to have ten young religious there are now three, two of which are quite old.
Are our works still useful? Are they still charismatic? All over the world we had to close many houses some of which with a glorious history. Often our confreres find themselves relegated in the administration with too much work to do and no time for the real contact with the children, the sick, the elderly etc.
About thirty years ago, Vatican called all the congregations to a process of renewal in the fidelity to the founding charism. A process of returning to the roots to discover the spirit behind the foundation. So we do not ask anymore “What Don Orione did”? But “Why did he do it”?
The process was called “To be Don Orione today”.

Apostolate now

In many occasions we have spoken about the relationship between Apostolate and vows, prayer, community and we do not need to add more.
Given the pressure imposed on our congregation by the changes in society, the geographical relocation of our communities and the signs of time, how to make our apostolate fruitful and not suffocating?
For more than a decade our Superiors have introduced a threefold instrument: The personal – community – apostolic plans.
To learn how to make a plan, to apply it and stick to it is a time consuming exercise which needs discipline, patience and also humility.
For many people used to work in freedom, it is difficult to enter in this new mentality, but we already started seeing fruits. Coordinating forces and entrusting tasks helps us to save time and money.
I remember once a confrere saying that our Congregation was like the emergency room of a hospital. He said that we may not be specialized in anything but should be available for everything.
It is indeed important to be ready for any emergency arising from the people of God. But to have time and strength for the “unexpected”, we have to make sure that all the “normal” activities go well and so planning not only is not against emergencies but is actually a necessary instrument for it.
Having said that, apostolate remains very much in the hands of those who do it and so will be always

influenced by his ideas and character.

An interesting reading can be the letter of Fr. Flavio: “What charitable works?” August 2005.