Pilgrimage to the Shrine of Aparecida for the 60th anniversary of the Teams of Our Lady in Brazil
On May 13th, 2010, the Teams of Our Lady will celebrate 60 years of their presence in Brazil. In order to commemorate this event, there will be a pilgrimage to the National Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida on May 22nd. Monsignor Raimundo Damesceno, archbishop of Aparecida, will celebrate a mass of thanksgiving that will be followed by a convivial gathering. All the bishops and priests in Brazil have received a special invitation from the organisers of this event. The Movement arrived in Brazil on May 13th, 1950, thanks to a couple from São Paulo, Nancy & Pedro Moncau. Today in Brazil, there are approximately 18 000 couples and 2000 spiritual counsellors, priests, monks, nuns or seminary students who belong to the Teams of Our Lady movement.
Team of Our Lady celebrate 50th anniversary
Hundreds of married couples from all over Britain came together in St Gregory's Catholic church in Cheltenham on Saturday, to mark the 50th anniversary of the British Teams of Our Lady ( Equipes Notre Dame).
Mass was celebrated by Rt Rev Geoffrey Scott, OSB, Abbot of Douai, with the Abbot of Prinknash, Dom Francis Baird, OSB. Among many other clergy present were Canon Bosco MacDonald, Rector of St Gregory's and Canon Alan Finley from Clifton Cathedral.Cllr. Lloyd Surgenor, Mayor of Cheltenham attended the Mass and buffet in St Gregory's School afterwards. Founding members of the Cheltenham Teams, Mr Harry Meigh and his wife, Clotilde, were there to cut the celebratory cake. Leading members of the international Teams of Our Lady, Maria Carla and Carlo Volpini had travelled from Italy to join the celebrations. An interpreter translated as they spoke to the congregation in Italian.
70 years of service to Love, Fatima, Portugal, 21 & 22 November 2009
The Teams of Our Lady in Portugal have given 70 years of service to Love. Love to one another and to God. A Movement of spirituality and training for couples, they want to follow Christ. With the charter, the ‘Letter', the ‘Guide' and the Movement's method based on endeavours and sharing. With this method, they tried to pursue three ways of being: to know themselves, to make themselves known to others in truth, to try and discern God's will and to connect with others in communion. After 70 years, they all agree that this route has been marvellous because it has helped them to grow in and through the Lord and to remain close to him, who is humble and loving. The various Portuguese Teams met up at a National Gathering in Fatima to celebrate the grace they share of belonging to the Teams of Our Lady and to thank Mary for her protection. They stand ready for service, so that others also may belong to the Movement and may grow in and through the Lord.
T.O.O.L. - Satellite Team "old teams and old team-members"
The satellite team "old teams and old team-members" met in London,May 23rd and 24th 2009 in the presence of To and Ze Moura Soares to give a progress report on its work. The team compiled a working paper with use for persons in charge of the Movement on the old team-members and the way of giving them all their place in the Movement. This document was given to the College of Rome last January and it is under examination by the Super-Regions. A final version will be prepared for September 2009. The team also started its thinking about the ideas to be proposed for the teams having already a certain seniority and wishing to go further in their life of faith and charity as for those who want simply to return to the sources of the charisma of the Movement. It will be based on the experiments already known in this field, in particular the years of deepening and the old teams which existed in the years 1960-1980. Its work will lead to the drafting of a working paper at the end of 2009.
MEETING OF THE SATELLITE TEAM FOR TRAINING, VERONA, SEPTEMBER 4-5, 2009
The Satellite Team for Training, consisting of four couples from three different countries, with its leaders, To and Zé Moura Soares, met in Verona, Italy, in the first weekend in September. Over these few days of intense work, the exchange and familiarity between us grew and strengthened the work already developed throughout the whole year. During this second meeting, we revised the general document on training, together with various specific training files within the Teams of Our Lady framework. Afterwards, we put together a work plan for the next year concerningpermanent training and a dictionary in 5 languages of the terms most used in the Teams of Our Lady. It is terribly important to realize that the work method accentuates good communication between the Super Regions and the ERI (International Leading Team), so that there is a fruitful exchange about the various documents worked upon. It is a service that ought to answer the Super Regions' needs and ought not to be felt as a burden. The idea is to see training as a continuous and continual way for team members to grow and mature within the Teams of Our Lady movement, so that they realize and understand their calling to holiness and to serve others. It is also important to understand that the international aspect is always present in these documents, since they are propositions made for the intention of all countries where there are teams. In addition, the goal of unifying the movement and being faithful to the charisma of the Teams of Our Lady is essential. Finally, despite the fact that these documents were the primary concern of the couples participating in the Satellite Team for Training, the wonderful, warm hospitality of the Verona team members must be remembered and thanked.
EDUCATIONAL SATELLITE TEAM (ESP1)
The third meeting of ESP1 was held at the Social Centre of Saint Mary's Church, in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, USA, from July 31st to August 2nd, 2009. All members of this team, together with the Spiritual Counselor Father Ricardo Londoño, and To and Zé from the ERI (International Leading Team) participated. A new couple, Lourdes and Sobral from Brazil, were introduced to the Team. They will replace Cida and Raimundo, who have been nominated to take up the leadership of the Brazil Super Region. At the beginning of this meeting, To and Zé, who are in charge of the Satellites Teams' work, presented a synthesis of all that the Satellite Teams have accomplished, and then set out the directions and end goal for the new document that the ESP1 will produce, a second Study Topic. During this meeting, we developed the first document produced by ESP1 in view of its publication; we evaluated the final text of the second piece of work, the Study Topic, that is already finished; and we drew up a plan for the next piece of work, in line with the directions and end goal presented by To and Zé. ESP1's various pieces of work should be finished for the International College of International Leading Teams (ERI) in 2011.
The meeting of the International Leading Team
The International Leading Team (ERI) will meet in Madrid July 23-28, 2010. A meeting of the International College will follow this, July 28-August 2 and a zone meeting, August 2-3, will round up the College meeting.
Suite of the mail
TEAMS IN THE REGION OF INDIA
Although we have been Zone Liaison Couple for almost 3 years, it was only in February this year that we have been able to make our first trip to India to meet with the team members there. What a wonderful experience. Our first stop was Mumbai, an amazing busy and colourful city. It was here that the Teams in India first started in 1969. Antoinette and Cecil D'Souza were the first Responsible Couple. They went on to see the growth of many teams in India. In 1970 the D'Souzas visited Rome for the Regional Couples Meeting and as the Indian representatives were part of the very select group who were introduced to Pope Paul VI by Fr. Caffarel. A number of the photos from that occasion can be seen in Antoinette's living room. Over the years, the teams in Mumbai had diminished, but with the assistance of Antoinette (now a widow) there is new life. While in Mumbai, we were privileged to be part of a team meeting and to witness their commitment and celebrations. Fr Gavin, the son of the D'Souzas, is the spiritual counsellor. This team includes 3 of its original members and plans to start another team. They have invited a young couple to join them until there are sufficient couples for a new team. Next we travelled to Cochin in the State of Kerala where we met with the current Regional Couple, Baby and Rosie, the Regional Spiritual Counsellor, Fr. Hormis Mynatty and those in positions of responsibility in the present regional team. We were able to share in the news of Fr. Mynatty's new appointment to a parish, an exciting change for a priest who has spent 20 years lecturing theology students. A considerable part of the next day was spent travelling to Trivandrum through the beautiful countryside of Kerala. By late-afternoon we were able to see the work of the Catholic Church in the local St Mary's Maliankapa Major Seminary on a campus that comprises students from kindergarten to university level. We had a wonderful evening with the local team members although talking was somewhat restricted by the noise of the celebrations of a Hindu festival. We also had time with Mathew and Mary Mathew who were the Responsible Couple for the first team in Trivandrum and who are still working with young couples in the Church. The following day we started early in order to be in Alleppey for the Annual General Meeting of the India Region. We were very fortunate that they had postponed this meeting until we were able to be with them. It was wonderful to see the enthusiasm and hear the reports of the various sectors. Like all areas where teams have been established for many years there has been some attrition and they are looking to create new teams. They have an ambitious agenda for each team to start a new one and there has already been some good results. They are very interested in finding ways to appeal to younger couples. From a Teams point of view the most enlightening part of our time was a visit to a local bishop. While speaking to an auxiliary bishop we were told that there are 17 to 20 movements in each parish supporting the work of the Church. If Teams of Our Lady wish to be recognised we must realise that the name is misleading, "more like an order of nuns than a couples' movement". More importantly he indicated that we would be more likely to have Church support if we can reach out to couples in their first 5 years of marriage. This is the only area where most parishes need support.
Although comparatively small in numbers, we were impressed by the enthusiasm of the India team members during our short stay. Travelling home we reflected on their wonderful generosity and hospitality and how fortunate we were to have a better understanding of the people, their culture and the direction for teams in the future. Jan and Peter Ralton - Eurasia Zone Liaison Couple
Mail 2010
Dear Friends,
During the last gathering of the Regional Responsible Couples in Rome, January 2009, we pinned upa white pagethat everyone was supposed to fill in progressively with their needs, demands, and hopes in relation to the next International Gathering of the Teams of Our Lady.
At the time we were somewhat horrified to see that the page remained desperately white, awaiting our remarks and our comments. Finally, a few elements began to make their appearance...
The first mark that was inscribed was the place-Brazil! Writing Brazil on that white page was a wonderful moment. Indeed, the desire to experience an International Gathering outside of Europe fulfilled many peoples' expectations. And it is really going to happen! As of now, we have begun that walk along the route we have opened together. But it is a route that is not very well mapped out. Brazil, or even better, Brasilia, the city at the heart of that great country, has become the precise location towards which our thoughts go when we imagine ourselves reunited once more on the occasion of the XI International Gathering.
The enthusiasm that has accompanied this choice of location has been huge and very tangible. All team members think of this event as something of great interest and above all, as a way to experience the international aspect of our movement in a more concrete manner. We are believers and we must gather together in the unity of Christ's love by pushing back the borders of the world. But we are also team members and for us, the word ‘international' takes on extra significance: it means that we feel at home in every country because in every country of the world, we are able to experience a team meeting with the same familiarity as if it were taking place back home and because we are convinced that, in union, in communion even, with our brothers in the Teams, the methods put in place in the Teams of Our Lady are indeed a means to holiness.
However, on the white page another important mark appeared: the topic. It will accompany our thoughts and discussions throughout the Gathering. It will take up the true sense of the Gospel verse that we are going to study closely-Luke 10, 27. The idea for this topic came to us when we collected up the scattered words that were either said or written by regional couples in Rome in 2009. These words today appear to have found their most harmonious synthesis in the simple, but intense phrase: Go with the Gospel in the sense of "dare to experience the Gospel".
Dare This verb resounded frequently in the hearts of those who suggested it and for whom it had various meanings: dare to love, dare to hope...to have the courage to...etc. The International team realized that all that could be resumed in the word ‘Gospel'. A word which contains all the Father's love, the fact that He gave us his only son, all our hope in Eternal life and in a Kingdom that is being built every day in man's history. Today, with more and more intensity, we feel confused when confronted with events that we do not understand. And at the same time, and with the same intensity, the desire to affirm the great value of the Gospel is also emerging. The world is hungry for words that are able •to propose an ideal and a sense of hope for the youth, •to renew older people's confidence and trust, •to offer dreams to young couples, •to renew the energy of men & women who are tired in the face of the great difficulties encountered today, •to propose human relationships with those who experience pain or solitude, •to heal with great tenderness the numerous wounds of love. The world needs to hear words about love and peace. The Gospel is that long awaited Word for us, believers and team members.
Go with the Gospel means believing that we can testify to a life filled with the Word of God Go with the Gospel means that we can testify by means of our daily lives Go with the Gospel means that we can extend the spiritual horizons of our civilization.
Right now, we are waiting for other signs to appear on the white page. For example, the steps of team members throughout the word who are setting out two by two towards Brasilia 2012!
Rome, May 6th, 2010
Thought for Today
"As soon as a man Is fully prepared to be alone with God, He is alone with God wherever he is, In the country, the monastery, the town."
The International Leading Team (ERI) will meet in Madrid July 23-28, 2010. A meeting of the International College will follow this, July 28-August 2 and a zone meeting, August 2-3, will round up the College meeting.
News
Dear Friends,
