On Saturday / Sunday March 30-31, the North American Theological Commission had the first of their two annual meetings. This time it was in Toronto at Sacred Heart House. The meeting was attended by John van den Hengel (chair), Gustave Lulendo and Charles Brown.

The meeting brought the group up to date about the activities of the International Theological Commission and the work of other theologians on the five continents. It also discussed the topic of the  next Theological Seminar, entitled “Sint Unum Today” that will be held in Ngoya, Cameroon, in July 2020. The Seminar will explore the actuality, challenges and implications of Sint Unum for the Congregation today but also for the world that is increasingly marked by nationalisms, racial and religious tensions, tribalism, ethnicisms, casteism, etc. In his reflections with the International Theological Commission in December, Fr. General raised this issue and suggested Sint Unum as a topic for next year’s seminar. He asked: Is Sint Unum really part of the DNA of the Congregation?

The committee members also gave a report on their individual research on the topic of “pure love” in the writings of Leo Dehon. This has been the topic of the North American Group since 2017. Fr. Dehon saw pure love as the spiritual mission of his Congregation. In the end, Charles Brown said in his evaluation, “This is a type of forum that I love.” The committee will meet again in the beginning of October.