Dear Cavanis Family,
As a Church and as Cavanis Congregation, we are experiencing a very special moment. The Jubilee Year is underway, celebrated every 25 years, and in its biblical origins (cf. Lv 25:8-13; Is 61:1-2; Lk 4:18-19), it was meant to restore a just relationship with God, among men, and with creation. It involved the remission of debts, the return of leased lands, and the restoration of territories. We live this time of spiritual renewal in communion with the whole Church.
This year, our Cavanis Family is preparing itself for the 36th General Chapter, which, according to our Constitutions, “in addition to being an important juridical-administrative event, is a salvific event, an ecclesial occurrence, and a family gathering of disciples who come together in the name of Jesus, guided by the Word and the Holy Spirit, to continuously renew their service to others” (Const. n. 116).
The preparation involves not only the 22 delegates who will directly participate in this Assembly but also all those who love the Cavanis Charism and wish to contribute through fervent prayer, advice, and proposals (which can be sent directly to the Chapter or through its members, Const. n. 120/a). I am publishing the names of the religious members of the chapter so that we may recognize the diversity and origins of those who hold the great responsibility of discerning the signs of times and defining the direction our Institute will take in the next six years.
List of Delegates and Representatives:
- Fr. Manoel Rosalino Pereira Rosa – General Superior (Ex officio)
- Fr. Irani Luiz Tonet – Vicar General (Ex officio)
- Fr. Ciro Sicignano – 2nd General Councilor (Ex officio);
- Fr. Paulo Oldair Welter – 3rd General Councilor (Ex officio);
- Fr. Armando Masayon Bacalso – 4th General Councilor (Ex officio);
- Fr. Giuseppe Moni – General Secretary (Ex officio);
- Fr. Rogério Diesel – Provincial Superior (Ex officio);
- Fr. José Sidney do Prado Alves – Regional Superior (Ex officio);
- Fr. Edmilson Mendes – Delegate Superior of Italy (Ex officio);
- Fr. Emmanuel Kifuti Kiese – Delegate Superior of Congo/Mozambique (Ex officio);
- Fr. Edemar de Souza – Province of Brazil – 1st Delegate (Fr. Braz Elias Pereira – Substitute);
- Fr. Franco Allen Somensi – Province of Brazil – 2nd Delegate (Fr. Jorge Luis de Oliveira – Substitute);
- Fr. Mario Valcamonica – Province of Brazil – 3rd Delegate (Fr. Caetano Ângelo Sandrini – Substitute)
- Fr. Adriano Sacardo – Province of Brazil – 4th Delegate (Fr. Rodrigo Duarte – Substitute);
- Fr. Daniel Musulu Nkoy – Andean Region – 1st Delegate (Fr. Julio Bolívar Rosero Guillén – Substitute);
- Fr. Francisco Armando Arriaga Moran – Andean Region – 2nd Delegate (Fr. José Henry Calderón Acosta – Substitute);
- Fr. Alvise Bellinato – Italy Delegation – 1st Delegate (Fr. Luigi Bellin – Substitute);
- Fr. Pietro Luigi Pennacchi – Italy Delegation – 2nd Delegate (Fr. Antônio Élcio Aleixo – Substitute);
- Fr. Pietro Antonio Fietta – Italy Delegation – 3rd Delegate (Fr. Tiburce Barbeault Mouyéké Misère – Substitute);
- Fr. Jérémie Mundele Naïn – Italy Delegation – 4th Delegate (Fr. Héritier Bwene – Substitute);
- Fr. Joe Lio Maghanoy – Philippines/Timor Delegation – 1st Delegate (Deacon Joseph Vũ Văn Sy – Substitute);
- Fr. Benjamin Insoni Nzemé – Congo/Mozambique Delegation – 1st Delegate (Fr. Théodore Muntaba Eyor ‘Mbo – Substitute);
We rejoice with the Cavanis Mission in Santa Cruz de la Sierra (Andean Region) and the Philippines/Timor East Delegation, which this year celebrate their 25th anniversary of foundation. We give thanks to God, who has made possible the sacrifices and love of so many religious and lay people, in bearing fruit with initiatives and works dedicated to welcoming, protecting, and educating youth and children.
Many challenges have been overcome throughout the years with unwavering trust in Divine Providence, as taught by our Venerable Founding Fathers. May this celebration be an occasion to cast our nets into deeper waters (Lk 5:4), as the challenges and dangers for young people continue to evolve daily. Changes are occurring at a much faster pace than we were accustomed to, requiring flexibility, creativity, and the courage to make decisions.
It is important to remember that we Cavanis are “collaborators in the educational mission of the family” (Const. n. 2). Therefore, responsibility must be shared, ensuring the involvement of families and public and private institutions.
I invite everyone to fully participate in Cavanis Week 2025. Each territorial part will organize it according to its particularities. The General Offices of Communication and Postulation have provided resources for a greater unity of purpose. In general, this Cavanis Week will be celebrated in light of the Holy Year of the Jubilee, under the sign of Hope and the upcoming General Chapter.
As we have done for many years, during this week we will commemorate the key dates of our Institute, honor the holiness of our Venerable Fathers, deepen our charismatic identity, give thanks to God for His constant protection, and renew our filial love for our beloved Mother Mary.
This will likely be the last circular I have the opportunity to send you. I thank each of you for your dedication, testimony, and sacrifice in serving the Cavanis educational mission. In the past six years, we have experienced beautiful and difficult moments, such as the three-year jubilee of our Venerable Fathers and the Covid pandemic.
We are witnessing a restructuring of the global economic order. The globalized world of the past 40 years may no longer be the same. Every generation faces its own struggles. The duty of parents is not simply to provide their children with a future but rather to prepare them for the future, which unfortunately we cannot foresee. The foundation remains human values and the Gospel. Institutions evolve constantly, but Jesus Christ remains the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8). Through Him, we can achieve great things.
If we have had any success as General Government, it is thanks to the fraternal spirit, collaboration, and mutual trust among its members. For mistakes, limitations, and omissions, for which I take full responsibility, I ask for your indulgence and forgiveness. To be a father, a guide, and responsible for the Congregation tests all the capabilities one believes he possesses. For me, it has been a great privilege and honor to serve as General Superior, despite my personal limitations. I find consolation in knowing that “we are in God’s hands, and that is enough to walk the path of the impossible!”
To all of you, members of this beloved Cavanis Family, I wish, on behalf of the General Government, a Holy Easter. Jesus, our Master and Lord, gives us the certainty of the victory of Love over every form of sin and evil. With Him, we have new life, leaving behind the yeast of malice and fear. This is the ultimate victory, the one that truly matters.
We are invited to renew our hope, for He has conquered the world (Jn 16:33), and the force that conquers the world is our faith (1 Jn 5:4).
Through the intercession of the Mother of the Schools of Charity and of our Venerable Fathers, I invoke upon you abundant heavenly blessings.
Sola in Deo sors!
“May the most just, most high, and most lovable Will of God be done, praised, and exalted forever in all things!”
Fr. Manoel R. P. Rosa, C.S.Ch.
General Superior