The Xaverian Commitment to Spread the Gospel Through the Example of Saint Guido Maria Conforti
I. Introduction
An ancient proverb says that fruits do not fall far away from a tree. It means that children cannot be totally different from their parents in many things. The character of their parent becomes their characters. Similarly, Xaverian missionaries cannot be totally different from their Founder. The life of the Founder is drawn as a model of living out their lives and doing their mission. From the life of the Founder, they will manifest what the Founder had dreamt about.
Regarding the theme that I chose, “the Xaverian commitment to spread the Gospel through the example of Saint Guido Maria Conforti, I have at least two reasons that motivate me; first, as a Xaverian student, I am very glad to reflect on our Founder, Saint Guido Maria Conforti’s life and his spirituality. I wish that this reflection upon his examples in living out the commitment to proclaim the Good News to everybody fosters my commitment and my spirituality as a Xaverian. Secondly, our Founder has just been canonized since October 23rd 2011, so it is an opportunity for me to know better the life of our Founder. That’s why; I try to choose the life of our Founder, which has significant influence for the Xaverian identity, Xaverian lifestyle and Xaverian missionary activity, especially in being committed to spread the Gospel to whole humanity. How his life journey that helped him to have an intimate relationship with God, so that he was aware of being sent by God to participate in His mission to open his heart and to serve others, could be meaningful to nourish my own journey as a Xaverian student.
II. St. Guido Maria Conforti’s Life
If we are talking about Xaverian commitment to spread the Gospel, we cannot separate it from the life of Xaverian founder, St. Guido Maria Conforti. Xaverian commitment to spread the Gospel is deeply grounded on the very life of its founder. What St. Conforti lived out is what his “children” are living out now. That’s why; it is necessary to present St. Conforti’s short biography, so that we can have a clearer understanding of Xaverian commitment to spread the Gospel.
Saint Guido Maria Conforti was a diocesan bishop who had a strong commitment for the evangelization of the whole world, especially the world that is not Christian. It was evident that even though he was a bishop of a diocese, but he was eager to found a missionary congregation. Even he was entitled with a shepherd with two flocks, the priests in his diocese and his missionaries. It became evidence since as a diocesan bishop, he opened his heart not only to his own diocese, but rather it was open to the whole world.
He was born on 30 March 1865 in Casalora, Ravadese, Italy. He belonged to a big family. He was the eight child of Rinaldo Conforti and Antonia Adorni. His three siblings died at their early age. He spent his childhood with his six other siblings who had characterized his life. Being growing up in the big family helped him understood the importance of his family in forming and characterizing him. He shared everything with his brothers and sisters. He spent his time with them. He experienced many things with them and learnt many things from them. What they were doing to him had significant effects for his life. Because of his experience with his family, he understood the significant values of the family spirit. That's why; it was not surprising for us that he emphasized the fraternal relationship and a keen family spirit to characterize the congregation he has built.
At least there were two kinds of illness that had significant repercussions on his later life [1]. First, it was a peculiar illness. He got it when he fell down from a tree. This experience brought him to an illness that had similarity with an epileptic attack which would afflict him when he was adolescent. Another illness was his problem with bronchitis. When he got a serious bronchial problem, we suffered. It led him to suffering all the time, especially when he would be a bishop in Ravenna. This state of being weak made him realized to be dependent on God. He was aware that he could not depend on his own skills, abilities, and his human resources. When one was sick, everything he has could not help him. Even it might be a burden for him, because it seemed that he had everything, but he could not apply what he had for himself and others. From his deep reflection, the only thing that could be his attitude is to be radical and total in poverty spiritually and physically. In his suffering, he dealt with the will of God. He reflected everything on the light of faith, what the loving God wanted him to be, and to do. It led him to his significant reflection on “to see, to seek and to love God in everything”.
There were two important moments of Conforti’s life. First important moment of Conforti’s life was his experience when he was 8 years old. At that time, he experienced a deep contemplation on the crucified Jesus. For him, the crucified Jesus seemed to be attractive. He was attracted by Him. It seemed that He was alive and asked a little Conforti to spend more time with Him. He profoundly contemplated on Him and he had an impression that the one, who was crucified, seemed to say many things to him, “he looked at me, and I looked at Him, and He said many things to me”[2]. This experience was the starting point of his vocation as he said, “for me it is a miraculous crucifix: I owe my vocation to it”[3]. This encountering with the crucified one had influenced the way he prayed. A personal and profound experience of Christ led him to Christ as the center of his life. The way Jesus saw, the way Jesus spoke, the way Jesus did became the way he saw, spoke and did. The moment of the contemplation, for him, was a way to recognize, to understand and to respond the reality as Jesus understood.
Another important moment of his life was when he read a biography of Saint Francis Xavier. The story of Saint Francis gave him an awareness of the importance of doing mission. The figure of Saint Francis attracted him to follow his path as a missionary for the gentiles. Somehow, it was a revelation for him knowing the great figure of the missionary for Asia [1]. Even, Conforti saw him as a true hero of the Gospel, because the way he proclaimed the Gospel, even in a difficult situation was without ceasing. The life of Saint Francis who proclaimed the Gospel to those who don’t know yet Christ and those who are far away from his own origin remarked on his life and on his mind. After reading such a biography of the Saints, he decided to become a missionary just like his true hero, Saint Francis Xavier. However, it was impossible for him because of his health and other reasons. This obstacle to become a missionary could not take away the desire of the missionary spirit from his life. It still remained in his mind. He deeply nourished and lived out the missionary spirit as he could. Finally, he manifested it by founding a missionary congregation which is dedicated for foreign nations.
III. Xaverian Spirituality
To know the identity of a Xaverian missionary, we should know its spirituality. It is closely related to who a Xaverian missionary really is. That’s why to make it clearer before presenting its spirituality; I would like to briefly mention about the spirituality of Xaverian Congregation in the light of the lif of Saint Conforti.
The Xaverian Missionary Congregation is founded by Saint Guido Maria Conforti in December 3rd 1895, on the feast day of Saint Francis Xavier. It is not by accident why Saint Conforti chose the name of Saint Francis Xavier as the name of the Congregation and took him as the patron of it. As it was mentioned above that the life of Saint Francis Xavier was evidently too remarkable for him. That’s why he wanted his missionaries follow the path and the example of the great missionary for Asia. Even he dedicated it for the exclusive purpose to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom of God to those who don’t know yet Christ.
Xaverian Spirituality derives from the spiritual experience of its founder, Saint Guido Maria Conforti. As the founder of it, he passed on his spiritual life to his “children” as the spirituality they should follow. It is very evident to recognize his spirituality that he passed it on to his missionaries on the Xaverian Constitutions. At least, there are three main elements of his spirituality that are very remarkable on the Constitutions; Christ-centered spirituality, the love of the community/family, and the spirit of doing mission for the poor, the marginalized, especially those who have not known Jesus yet.
III.1. Contemplative Life
Saint Guido Maria Conforti emphasized the prayer life as an essential element of the life of the missionaries. The awareness of the importance of prayer came from his own experience of it since he had been very young. He recognized that without prayer life, which is a way to have an intimate relationship with God, he could do nothing. Only with God, he could do something greater. He realized that only God alone could make something wonderful. As we have mentioned above, his childhood experience of being weak and sick led him to recognition of the importance of prayer.
In the book of Xaverian Constitutions, he highlighted the identity of a missionary as a man of prayer [constitutions. 42]. The missionary life only can be sustained through the union with Christ from whom he draws his inspiration. A missionary does not do what he wants to do. He is not pursuing his own need. Rather, he takes part in Jesus’ mission. His mission is not grounded on his own interest, but it is to continue what Jesus had done in His mission. His commitment to do mission can be remarkable through the life of prayer, “prayer sustains his fidelity and his apostolic commitment”[ Constitutions. 43]. Therefore, it is important for the missionary to draw an inspiration through the meditation of the Word and contemplation on the Crucified one.
“In Omnibus Christus”- Christ is all and in all (Col 3:11) - was the phrase Saint Conforti lived out. It is the spirituality of Xaverian Missionaries. Christ is put in the center of a missionary life. The Christ-centered spirituality nourishes the life of a Xaverian missionary. It helps foster the desire of a missionary to imitate Christ in all and for all. When he contemplates Christ in his prayer, the same Christ would appear in what he is doing. It means that how Christ sees the reality becomes the way the missionary sees the reality, as it is written in Ratio Missionis Xaveriana:
“a personal and profound experience of Christ, the missionary of the Father, is necessary if we are to live this Christ-centered spirituality in an all-embracing manner: the Christ we encounter in people and in history, the Christ to whom we listen in the Word, the Christ we must serve in the poor, the Christ we must announce as Good News until the ends of the earth, the Christ we celebrate in the Eucharist,…….” [4].
The life of Christ is the Source and Spring of a missionary. Through contemplation and meditation on Christ, a missionary would renew and refresh his missionary spirit.
I do believe that the relation between the payer life and a missionary is like the relation between reading and a teacher. Without reading, the teacher could not properly teach his students. For a teacher, reading is a main source of his knowledge. By reading, he can renew and refresh his knowledge that can be used to help his students. Similarly, the missionary life depends on the prayer life. A missionary only can “survive” if he has an intimate relationship with the Source of his life, God. Prayer life will help him to grow deeply in his relationship with God who makes his missionary spirit and works become fruitful.
III.2. Community Life
Being grown up in a big and loving family made Saint Conforti realized the values of fraternal relationship. Even, he had a great dream to transform the world into a single family. The influence of his family was so deeply implanted in his heart and helped him found properly some ways to live in the context of community life.
Since he had been in a minor seminary, he realized that living in a community that consists of people from different backgrounds was not an easy job. Furthermore, the community should not only be a place where many people come and gather together. If it is a case, it could be a mess. But the community should be a living witness to, first of all, everybody who joins the community, and secondly, to others around it because the community is not only the work of human hands, but the work of the Spirit of God, as it is written in our constitutions, “Through the Founder, the Lord has gathered us into one religious family so that the Church, the new brotherhood in union with Christ, may be made present among non-Christians”[1].
I remember one “trivial” suggestion of my former regional superior, the late Fr. Vincenzo Baravalle, “if it would be possible, we should build our house not from bricks and cement, but from glasses so that people, who even just pass by in front of our house, would see our lifestyle of living out community life. Our community should be a visible and credible witness of how Christians are living”. The community life becomes the manifestation of God’s love to each member. It means that the love of God can be concretely experienced and perceived in the community. That’s why, practically speaking, in our constitutions, it highlights how the family or community life can be cultivated and fostered.
In this writing, I would like to highlight two important elements of the fraternal spirit. First, even though the Xaverian family consists of brothers of different ages, origins, backgrounds, characters, temperaments and formation, it is only one single family that God puts all its members together. It is not by chance we live together in one family or community. God Himself brings us to the same community in order to “share everything: faith, apostolic commitment, hopes, joys, concerns, spiritual and material goods” (Constitutions no.35). For Xaverian missionaries, it is not a peculiar experience if once a week we exchange our personal skills to other brothers, such as a moment to cook together as a way to introduce different food from their own origin. In short words, by sharing what we have, we enrich each other, “the community is where we evangelize each other… and help each other to a greater fidelity to the kingdom and to the task entrusted to us y the Church” (Ratio Missionis Xaveriana no.19). Secondly, the Congregation is considered as a mother. It is a mother of all brothers. This characteristic highlights the importance of a keen family spirit. The Congregation cannot be only a community, but rather it has a strong bond of family spirit. Even the family spirit of Xaverian missionaries could be stronger than the spirit of natural family, “This new family is based, not on flesh and blood, but on the Trinitarian love of which it is a joyful sign and participation; its reference point is not so much the natural family as the new relationships that the Gospel creates around the person of Christ and in the love of Christ which is by far superior to any natural affection” (Ratio Missionis Xaveriana no. 29.1).
III.3. Apostolic Life
The life of Saint Francis Xavier was too remarkable in Saint Conforti’s life, until he dedicated himself to the mission in a special way, as a father of missionaries. His strong desire to be a missionary was clearly related to the greater need of people to know about Jesus. He gave Xaverian missionaries an evident example through the missionary spirit he had lived out. His business as a bishop could not hinder him to get involved in missionary activities, for example “on April 27th 1916, on the occasion of the Ad Limina Visit, he presented the Statute of the Missionary Union of the Clergy and urged that it would be approved” ( Ermanno Ferro, Guido Conforti: Brief Chronological Biography). Even, as a bishop, he was committed to seek out the lapsed as his constant preoccupations and his greatest concern, “I give everything especially for you who have abandoned the Lord’s way” (Gulielmo Camera, Guido Maria Conforti: Bishop and Missionary, p.16, Parma 2010). His apostolic life was strongly grounded on the contemplation of Christ as the Missionary of the Father for those who are poor, marginalized by societies and the suffering, “Many sworn testimonies during the process of Beatification bear witness to Blessed Conforti’s love for his neighbors…..All who saw his admirable practice of charity considered him to be saint and said so openly……the servant of God practiced both corporal and spiritual works of mercy” (Gulielmo Camera, p. 17).
The encounter of Saint Conforti with God, that made him experienced of being sent by God to serve others who are “unfortunate”, has enriched the apostolic spirituality of Xaverian missionaries. The need of others leads us to openness to serve the Gospel of life especially to those in need. The poor, the marginalized, and the suffering, especially who have not known Jesus yet, are the best friends of ours. We see them nothing else than Jesus himself who manifests Himself in them, as Matthew Gospel says, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me” (Mat 25:45).
IV. Xaverian Characteristics:
As Xaverians, we are grateful for having specific characteristics that distinguish us from others. These characteristics help us know how we are supposed to be. The characteristics we have, ad gentes, ad extra, and ad vitam are not something new in the mission of the Church. They are already common and familiar among missionaries in the Church. But, we, as one of many missionary congregations in the Catholic Church, want to take part in the Church’s mission through living out the mission ad gentes,ad extra and ad vitam in Xaverian way. It does not matter what kind of activities a Xaverian missionary may be asked to carry it out, he knows that what he does is a continuation of striving towards the full realization of these three characteristics (Ratio Missionis Xaveriana no.10). What he plans or what he does for mission should be in accord with the spirit of Xaverian in doing mission ad gentes, ad extra and ad vitam.
IV.1. Xaverian Mission Ad Gentes
We realize that the call to mission is indispensable for any Christians, moreover for us Xaverian missionaries. The call to make disciples of all people (Mat 28:19) deeply rooted in the heart of Saint Conforti. It seemed that without accomplishing it he could not sleep well. He wittingly understood that since the beginning of humanity, people have been longing to hear and to receive the Good News. Many people have been waiting for the arrival of a missionary who will bring them Good News. This awareness of a missionary need illuminated Saint Conforti so that he could actively respond to such a need as not something optional, but as a duty, “Conforti was not afraid of broadening his own pastoral horizons to embrace the entire world, and he saw this as an integral dimension of his communion and apostolic responsibility” (Guglielmo Camera, p.20).
The call to embrace the entire world and to proclaim the Good News is the characteristic and the orientation of Xaverian missionaries towards the first proclamation of the Gospel to those who have known Jesus yet. It is the sole and exclusive commitment of Xaverian missionaries to go to evangelization to those who have never received the Good News. The identity of Xaverian missionaries can be flourished in the realization of the exclusive commitment towards evangelization. The demand of evangelization is so attractive for us, as Saint Paul wrote “how beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!” ( Rom 10:15). To be sent to non-Christian society is the dream of all of us. It can nourish our identity as Xaverian missionaries; because the first proclamation to the “gentiles” is inseparable from the Xaverian identity. But, the problem arises when as Xaverian missionaries, we are sent to a place where Christianity is the majority. Somehow we are out of place. It can be a hindrance for us to convince ourselves as Xaverian missionaries, “how can we nourish our missionary identity if we cannot proclaim the Gospel to those who have never heard about Jesus?
Such a question is still valid and relevant for us to help seek and deepen our missionary identity. The discernment to purify it cannot cease, even for us who are sent to the place where there is no any Christian. It does not matter where we are sent, but the most important thing is how we integrate our missionary identity with the missionary spirit we are called to be. Working in non-Christian areas cannot make us more missionary than those sent to Christian areas. Baptizing many people or less people does not make us greater or less missionaries. Even the great apostle for the gentiles, Saint Paul did not baptize many people, “I baptize none of you except Crispus and Gaius...and I baptized also the household of Steph'anas ” (1 Cor 1:14,16). But he is well known as the greatest missionary in the history of the Church. The one that made him as the great missionary was not the place where he was working to proclaim the Gospel, but the missionary spirit that inflamed his heart made him totally different from other missionaries. By looking back at the life of Saint Paul as the greatest missionary, something that makes us totally different from other missionaries is not the place where we are sent to, but our missionary spirit that helps us always seek, see and love our task as missionaries in the context of the missionary spirit for the first proclamation of the Gospel. Therefore, Xaverian mission ad gentes should be always put in the light of the missionary spirit for the first proclamation of the Gospel, not in the light of a geographical context.
IV.2. Xaverian Mission Ad Extra
To go to a new place or a new culture and to meet new people are the ideal of any missionaries. And, it should be done. The mandate to “go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good news to all creations” (Mrk 16:15) inspired Saint Conforti to take part in sending his missionaries to go to a different country from their country origins, “by virtue of our specific charism, we are sent to proclaim the Gospel to non-Christian beyond the boundaries of our own cultural milieu and local Church” (Constitutions no.9). Mission ad extra is one of Saint Conforti’s commitments to exclusively dedicate his missionaries to proclaim the Kingdom of God out of their country origins. The first two Xaverian missionaries were immediately sent not to one region in Italy, but they were sent to China. By sending his first two missionaries, he actualized his commitment.
Not by accident that the mission ad extra is one of the characteristics of Xaverian missionaries. It is in the line of our Founder who dreamt about making the whole world as one family, “to transform the world into one single family”. The mission ad extra stresses the demand to leave our own cultures, countries, families, friends, food and many things related to our own origins to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to make “new” disciples in Christ to a new place. That’s why; it demands our willingness to be open to new realities that we have never experienced. But at the same time it is an opportunity to accomplish the mandate to go to all nations and proclaim the Gospel.
The call to the mission ad extra qualifies the mission ad gentes. If the sole and exclusive commitment of Xaverian missionaries is to proclaim the Good News to non-Christians (ad gentes), it is necessary also to leave our own origins (ad extra). Implicitly, as Xaverian missionaries, we are always ready, willing, and have to go to another country where Jesus is not yet well known. The mission ad extra becomes one of characteristics of Xaverian missionaries. Even when we are still in formation, we have an opportunity to exercise the mission ad extra. It is essential for us in order to actively respond to the need of others who are now far away from us, but still waiting for our arrival in their midst. That’s why; it is not “so surprising” (because somehow we know already that we will be sent to a new place different from our origins), but actually, it is so surprising that now we do not know each other, but one day, we would be possibly meeting them.
IV.3. Xaverian Mission Ad Vitam
The life of Conforti was dedicated to continue the mission of Christ. He dedicated his entire life not only to his own family, but also to the need of others. More over his whole life was for mission. His personal encounter with God, when he was a little boy, awakened him to actively and seriously respond to the will of God. He did believe that total self-giving life to do the will of God was God’s gift that should be responded through taking part and participating in the mission of Jesus. The title that had been given to him as a shepherd of two flocks made evident that he entirely dedicated himself to bring the Good News to everybody. As a bishop, both in Ravenna and Parma, he clearly desired to love all his people, the rich and the poor, the healthy and the sick, the suffering and the marginalized without an exception with the heart of a father (Guglielmo Camera p.16). Then, as a father of missionaries, He strongly encouraged his missionaries to completely consecrate themselves to the mission of Jesus who totally gave his entire life to the people of His time, even up to death on the cross. He embodied his commitment through privately making religious Vows: Chastity, Poverty and Obedience.
The letter of Saint Paul to the Corinthians, “All I do is for the sake of the Gospel”, seemed to motivate Saint Conforti totally to focus his entire life on the missionary vocation. And, for him the total dedication for mission only could be manifested through the profession of the religious vows, together with the vow of mission ad gentes, “through the profession of the religious vows we die to all earthly things in order to live a life hidden in God with Jesus Christ” (Testament Letter no.2). Our total self-giving commitment is a way to exemplify Jesus Christ as the sole model of being committed to do the will of God. It requires renouncing everything: family, friend, food, country, affection, and will. This needs to be put in the context of our long-life commitment and total dedication to the missionary zeal and vocation.
V. Commitment to Spread the Gospel
The commitment to spread the Gospel is related to what we do. It arises a question what we should do. We realize that many works can be done by missionaries. But does it mean that we should take everything that can be done by missionaries? “No” is the short and right answer for us. What we are doing will affect our identity. Similarly, who we are will determine what kind of works we will do. Therefore it is not every work we can take as our missionary work. We need to think, to discern and to choose missionary fields that help us deepen, cultivate, and foster our identity not only as missionaries but as Xaverian missionaries. As it is mentioned above, our commitment is for the first proclamation of the Gospel, so what should be done is always in the light of the commitment. That's why; being committed to spread the The Gospel is essential for Xaverian missionaries.
A Proclamation and a missionary are inseparable. As it is mentioned, our charism is to announce the Gospel to people who have not yet known Jesus, especially the marginalized, the poor, the suffering, and the afflicted. In short words, our charism is to be a messenger and a witness in the midst of non-Christians, especially those who are more “unfortunate”. It is the first and foremost commitment of Xaverian missionaries. The first proclamation of the Gospel is the first criterion that guides us in choosing our missionary works, in drawing our programs, and in assessing accomplishment of our works as missionaries.
VI. Conclusion
In Gaudium et Spes, we find that the Church has strong solidarity to humanity, especially the vulnerable one, “the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ” (GS #1). Through Christ, Christians are called by God to serve and to love all humankinds. It becomes a call for any Christian to give his or her heart for the sake of all humanity. The life of Saint Guido Maria Conforti is in the same line of what Gaudium et Spes echoes. It makes sense because in his entire life he dedicated his life to respond the beautiful call of God to serve and love humanity. His personal encounter with the crucified one brought him to an awareness of being called and sent by God to take part in His mission to serve and give his heart to whole world. Cardinal Joseph Roncalli, who became Pope John XXIII, called him “bishop of Parma and missionary for the whole world”.
The life of Saint Conforti contains a message for us in our our time. It challenges all the Christians to have open hearts to the whole world and to announce the Good News to everyone. His life journey is an inspiration for us as Xaverian Missionaries and for all Christians to reach out further and further in our awareness to proclaim the Kingdom of God until it leads us to a reality where we can proclaim the Good News to the people who have not yet heard about Jesus, especially who are more “unfortunate” and make Him present in their lives. In this time, he seems still to echo that the first proclamation of the Gospel is not yet over. Moreover, the demand to announce the Good News seems to impel us because of the new reality we are facing, which are the reality that tends to be secularist and skeptic to religions, and the reality that are full of injustice, war, poverty, and so on and so on. Therefore, his commitment to spread the Gospel is still relevant for us today, here and now.
[1] Augusto Luca, “Guido Maria Conforti: Bishop and Missionary”, Xaverian Missionaries, pp. 18-19.
[3] Ibid, Augusto, p. 21.
[1] Xaverian Missionaries Constitutions and General Rule, no. 2.
[2] Constitutions, no.42
[3] Constitutions, no. 43
[4] Ratio Missionis Xaveriana
[1] Constitutions no.35
[2] Ibid.