The Missionaries of the Precious Blood of the Cincinnati Province spent their 2018 assembly thinking about the future: they talked about what they hope to create and become with the Missionaries of the Kansas City Province, and they elected new leadership that they hope will help them get there.
Fr. Jeffrey Kirch, C.PP.S., was elected provincial director. Serving with him on the provincial council will be Fr. Kenneth Schnipke, C.PP.S., vice provincial director; and Fr. Ben Berinti, C.PP.S.; Fr. Steve Dos Santos, C.PP.S.; Fr. Tim McFarland, C.PP.S.; Br. Juan Acuña, C.PP.S.; and Br. Tom Bohman, C.PP.S.
“I’m humbled by the call to service,” said Fr. Kirch. “I see my role as supporting our members and Companions in their service to the people of God. I’m also looking forward to working with all the members of the province as we move into this new adventure, this new phase of our life, with the Missionaries of the Precious Blood of the Kansas City Province.”
Also at the assembly, the province talked about the new creation, which is the ongoing process for it and the Kansas City Province to become one province in the U.S. Members and Companions heard presentations on Tuesday of the assembly, including by Fr. David Kalert, OMI, who was instrumental in the process when five provinces of Oblates formed one unit, the U.S. Province of the Oblates.
The Oblates had to work through many issues, including differences in policies regarding vacations, stipends and retirement. They had to sort through financial issues.
“Really, there are a lot of details that go into become a new province,” he said. “But those are administrative things. The key is to stay focused on your ministry.”
As with the Missionaries, he said, the Oblates “didn’t want a merger—we wanted to be something new. That was very important for us.”
After Fr. Kalert’s presentation, Missionaries and Companions held small-group discussions in which they talked about their hopes and fears for the new creation. Group leaders gave reports on those discussions.
The new creation presentation also included a talk by former moderator general Fr. Barry Fischer, C.PP.S., on the history of the C.PP.S., its spiritual development in recent decades, and its many collaborative efforts over the years that have helped shape and define it as a worldwide community.
The charism of the Community “is alive, it reflows, it takes new forms,” he said. “We talk about being creatively faithful to our charism. We want to capture the holiness of St. Gaspar, but let it take forms in response to the needs of today. We’re also growing in our appreciation of being an international congregation, growing in our connectedness. We are no longer thinking just within the confines of our provincial structures. . . We say, ‘WE are in India. WE are in Chile. WE are in Poland.’ We’re family! We’re in this together. I like to imagine Missionaries of the Precious Blood as Missionaries without borders. We had to think broader than just where I am located, where I am.”
Fr. Kalert, along with Fr. Larry Hemmelgarn, C.PP.S., and Fr. Joseph Nassal, C.PP.S., provincial directors of the Cincinnati and Kansas City Provinces, respectively, took questions about the new creation on Wednesday of the assembly.
Fr. Hemmelgarn said later that the assembly had offered a good opportunity for honest discussion, which creates the foundation for a promising future: “This (new creation) could radically change us, if we really enter into it and put everything on the line,” he said. “That doesn’t mean we’re going to leave all the ministries that we’re currently doing. But it does mean that we’ll go into the future responding to a vision that we have, that we’ve developed together.”
Also at the assembly, 24 Companions made their covenants with the Community, including six new covenants. The covenants were received during a Tuesday evening liturgy.
Fr. Kirch preached the homily at the closing liturgy on Friday, May 25. “Over the past week, we had the chance to think about our future in North America and how we can be even more effective in our parishes and ministry sites, but also minister to people we have not encountered yet,” he said in his homily. “The entire week was devoted to reflecting on our future and electing our brothers who can help shepherd us toward that. But we don’t do it alone. We are standing on the shoulders of the people who have served this Community before us. Our future is built on the sturdy foundation of the past decades.
“We are people who are possessed: possessed with the love of God. Let us recommit ourselves to having the fire of the charism of the Precious Blood burn in our hearts so that we can go out and amaze those we meet with what we know the world needs: the Love of God that we proclaim.”
Article and photos provided by Jean Giesige
