(Bonn, Germany) The Provincial Councils of the Provinces of Indonesia and St. Clemens met in the Redemptorist monastery on September 24 and 25, 2019 in Bonn, Germany, to discuss further cooperation. So far, the relationship between the provinces has been structured and shaped by the 2018 Memorandum of Understanding.
The conversation took place against the background of and in acknowledgment of the fact that both provinces share a long, successful, shared history with each other, which began in 1957 when the first missionaries from the former Cologne Province came to Sumba. Since then, there has been continuous cooperation and a common mission, both in Indonesia and in North-Western Europe. Continuity of the common mission will also be important in the future.
The provinces recognize that they are equal and share responsibility for mission in both parts of the world. Mutually, the joy was expressed that both provinces share the personal and financial resources they have. A binding statement was made, that the provinces will continue to support each other on a permanent basis. This includes among others a common formation and preparation of confreres coming from Indonesia to St. Clemens Province. The Province of Indonesia intends to prepare two confreres for the Dutch-speaking area of the Province of St. Clemens (The Netherlands and Flanders). There are already some Indonesian confreres working in Germany.
The talks also took place against the background of the restructuring process in the respective conferences. Both Indonesia and St. Clemens work together with various other partners within their conferences and beyond. Cooperation with each other is still a priority and a guiding principle.
The discussion of the memorandum focused on the legal status of members (such as voting rights), communication, financial aspects, and meetings. In the future, there will be better communication about the existing and new areas and projects in which the provinces work together.
Fr. Eric Corsius, C.Ss.R.
