Lay Movement Symposium

            Members of the Scalabriniann Lay Movement from up and down the east coast met at the Center for Migration Studies November 2-5, 2000, for an introduction to the lay formation materials that they will in turn be using to extend the movement in their particular locations.

            The weekend began Thursday evening, when people arrived from Montreal, Rhode Island, Florida, and Queens, and sat down to catch up with each other’s activities and to enjoy a buffet dinner

            The workshop portion of the weekend began with an overview of teaching technique demonstrated by Maria Sorrentino and Mary Brown.  Perhaps the most important message such a session can convey is there is no one right way to teach anything.  Every kind of material requires its own approach, and every group of learners requires a different approach.  This message reinforced by Father Joseph Fuaglo’s excellent discussion of the concept of formation as distinct from teaching.

            After lunch, Father Fugalo and Father Vincenzo Ronchi then launched the group on its way through a systematic introduction to the seven parts of the formation program.  The two priests covered the first two parts: “”Cultural Identity and Diversity in a World of Migration” and “Why Do They Leave?  Were Do They Come From? Where Do They Go?”  Father Peter Ciallela the discussed “Human Rights and Migration.”  The group then celebrated mass together, had dinner, and returned to the meeting area for a talk by Julio Vera on the Scalabrini Pastoral Center for Migrants in New York.  As Alcido Fank from the Toronto Centre was there, and as many lay movement members are familiar with

the idea of a help center for migrants, Mr. Vera’s presentation inspired some discussion.

            Saturday morning, the group regrouped for a second presentation by Maria Sorrentino on “Scalabrini:  A Father to the Migrants.”  Father Fugalo returned to the subject of formation in his presentation on “Spirituality of Incarnation/Incarnation of Spirituality.”  During the long lunch break, some people went outside for fresh air and to see the harbor from the front yard of the Center for Migration Studies, putting themselves in the place of the immigrants who came through that harbor, and thinking of what those people needed then, and what we need to do now.

            When the group regrouped, Mary Brown gave a presentation on “The Vocation and Mission of the Scalabrinian Laity.” Actually, this was an introduction to a little workbook that can be used to introduce people to the history of Blessed Scalabrini’s original plan for collaboration between clergy and laity on behalf of migrants.  Father Ronchi finished the series of overviews of the different parts of the formation program with his presentation on the last unit, “Towards a Scalabrinian Lay Ministry.”  Then, it was time for the group to go out to a nearby Italian restaurant for pizza.

            At this point, different people are at different stages of participation in the lay movement.  We have some members who live the migration experience themselves.  There are Scalabrinian parishes that have newly arrived migrants in need of material assistance, and parishes that have newly arrived migrants working to preserve their particular Catholic culture.  There are many individuals still trying to discern their calling to migrant ministry.  This formation symposium was a great inspiration to people in all these stages.