|
Home > News 
East-Asia Oceania Carmelite Fraternity Meeting
Sydney, Australia, 18 - 22 November, 2002
Mount Carmel Retreat Centre, Varroville, was the venue for the
gathering of the OCD East-Asia Oceania Fraternity in 2002. The EAOF
has been in existence for the past 8 years, and provides a possibility
for the Discalced Carmelite Friars in this region to come together
every year for sharing ideas, planning, and fellowship.
The Fraternity began with a meeting in Uji, Kyoto, Japan in 1994,
with the superiors of the Discalced Carmelites from the Philippines,
Japan, Korea and Taiwan, known as the Far East Carmelite Fraternity.
The aim was to foster (a) the sharing of information and experience
on formation and on inculturation of our charism; (b) fraternal
communion and collaboration; and (c) the promotion of Carmelite
spirituality in the local church.
The following year, in 1995, the Fraternity met in Manila, Philippines,
and the Australian region joined the Fraternity, which was renamed
"East Asia and Oceania Discalced Carmelite Fraternity".
This meeting recommended (among other things) "that each circumscription
actively promote exchange-collaboration in the sphere of language,
cultural and Carmelite/theological formation." In 1996, the
EAOF met in Varroville, Sydney, Australia from 24-29 November, and
the Indonesian superiors and delegates were represented for the
first time.
Since 1999, the meetings have been running in a three-year cycle:
Year 1: Superiors & Council;
Year 2: Formators;
Year 3: Students (Friars in Temporary Vows)
The meetings, therefore, have been held in the following
years and locations:
1994 - Uji, Japan
1995 - Manila, Philippines
1996 - Sydney, Australia
1997 - Mason, Korea
1998 - Taipei, Taiwan
1999 - Uji, Japan (Major Superiors)
2000 - Yogyakarta, Indonesia (Formators)
2001 - Manila, Philippines (Students)
2002 - Sydney, Australia (Major Superiors)
There will be a EAOF meeting of formators in Korea, from 20-24
October, 2003. The major superiors will also take the opportunity
to meet with the next Definitor General for the region at the General
Chapter in Avila, Spain in March-April, 2003. There will be a meeting
of the representatives of the Brothers in 2004, and of the Students
in Singapore in 2004.
Other resolutions to emerge from the EAOF 2002 meeting included
the establishment of the office of coordinator for the term, initially
with the role to foster and facilitate better communication among
the circumscriptions, including the establishment of a webpage,
hosted here at carmelite.com. Fr Joel Borreo was given the task
to investigate the feasibility of an Institute of Spirituality in
the Philippines.
2002 Participants (drawn from each country's Superiors & Council):
Thomas Kalloor
Felix Elavunkal
Indonesia
Augustine Nakagawa
Thomas Arai
Japan
Bernard Chang
Vianne Lee
Korea
Joel Borreo
Enrique Fuentes
Herminio Gaylan
Philippines
John Chua
Singapore-Taiwan
Aloysius Rego
Shane Kelleher
Greg Homeming
Australia
|
