FAITH AND CULTURAL VALUES: INTEGRATION IN THE CONSECRATED LIFE

Charity Imoeko

Abstract


The necessity and beauty of inculturation can never be overemphasized as it appears to pose a challenge on the essentials and the values of our root and on the significance and impact of our mission. Culture as a way of life brings out a practical aspect of our Christian life. In this paper, we shall see how integrally our cultural values cannot be exempted from our Christian values. More so, the role of Consecrated persons in integrating authentic cultural values into every aspect of their witnessing to the Gospel values. To this end, this paper will reflect the meaning of the word ‘Culture’. It will also consider the integral understanding on how it primarily appears as an awareness on our own identity despite its diversity. It will also reflect the meaning of Consecrated life; and how through the beauty of our diverse cultures, our Gospel witnessing will be in the limelight while not compromising our Christian faith. However, the role of Consecrated persons in achieving the aforementioned through self witnessing is highly important. Based on this, it will correlate culture with our mission as Consecrated men and women and with our community life.

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Charity Imoeko, SSH, is a member of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She presently works in the National Secretariat of Nigeria Conference of Women Religious (NCWR) in Iva Valley, Enugu, as the Assistant Executive Secretary.

From the website: Definition of Culture. The American Heritage ®New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Visited 12/9/2016 3 Cf. www.culture and religion.com ( website created in November 7, 2004, last edited in January 10, 2016. Visited 12/9/2016 4 Gergen M, and Gergen K.J. (2003). A Reader, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publication 5 Ferraro, G. (1994). The cultural dimension of international business (2nd edition) Englewood Cliff, NJ: Prentice Hall 6 Rohner, R. (1984). “Towards a conception of culture for cross-cultural psychology,†Journal of Cross Cultural psychology, (p. 36) 7 Ross, N. (2004). Culture and Cognition: Implications for theory and methodology. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publication (p.8) 8 Gauduim et Spes, #53. All quotations from the documents of Vatican Council II are taken from Vatican II: The Concilliar Documents, ed. Austin Flannery, Dublin: Dominicans Publications, 1988 9 Father Wilhelm Steckling, OMI, Inculturating the Gospel and Consecrated Life: A reflection on USG-USIG in Rome, January 18, 2005. 10 The Code of Canon Law (1983), Canon 573 para. 1&2 11 Paschal Robert, OFM, Religious Life in the Cultural Context of Pakistan. Ref: Focus, Vol. 31, 2001 12 Fr. George Ehusani, Fully-African-truly-Christian; the challenge of inculturation,(1999) p. 6 ; Cfr. Vatican Council II, Ad Gentes, (Missionary Activity of the Church), n.22. 13 John Paul II, Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Ecclesia in Africa (Church in Africa),(Yaounde, 14/9/1995), #59. 14 Ecclesia in Africa #78 15 Ecclesia in Africa #62 Fr. George Ehusani, Fully-African-truly-Christian; the challenge of inculturation,(1999), p. 10. 17 Ecclesia in Africa #60-61 18 Pope John Paul II, Encyclical Letter, Redemptoris Missio (December 7, 1990) #85-86 19 Ecclesia in Africa #61 20 Pope John Paul II, Encyclical Letter, Redemptoris Missio (December 7, 1990) #87 21 Apostolic Letter of His Holiness Pope Francis to all Consecrated persons on the occasion of the Year of Consecrated Life. Vatican, November 21, 2014, Article 1 ‘Aims of the Year of Consecrated Life’ #1 22 Ecclesia in Africa #29

Gaudium et Spes #57 24 Ecclesia in Africa #77 25 Arrupe, (P. 1978). A Letter to the whole Society of Jesus on Inculturation. May 14, 1978 26 Ecclesia in Africa #54 27 Father Wilhelm Steckling, OMI, Inculturating the Gospel and Consecrated Life: A reflection on USGUSIG in Rome, January 18 2005 28 Gaudium et Spes #53 29 Balmes Raymond, Lessons in Philosophy, t.1, ed. School in Paris, 1965, p. 76 30 Louise-Marie Diaw, Initiation to Religious Life in Africa- A Culture of education or formation? Pub. June 14, 2014 31 Louise-Marie Diaw, Initiation to Religious Life in Africa- A Culture of education or formation? Pub. June 14, 2014 32 A Catechism of Christian Doctrine, Special Edition. Imprimatur by John Cardinal Heenan, Archbishop of Westminister, July 18, 1971 33 Cf. www.culture and religion.com ( website created in November 7, 2004, last edited in January 10, 2016. Visited 12/9/2016 34 Ecclesia in Africa #78 35 Paschal Robert, OFM, Religious Life in the Cultural Context of Pakistan. Ref: Focus, Vol. 31, 2001 36 Pope John Paul II, Post Synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Vita Consecrata (On the Consecrated Life and its Mission in the Church and in the World), #85 37 Louise-Marie Diaw, Initiation to Religious Life in Africa- A Culture of education or formation? Pub. June 14, 2014 38 Jane Wakahiu, Journey of Faith: African Girls and Religious Life, p. 4 , (September 21, 2015) 39 Jane Wakahiu, Journey of Faith: African Girls and Religious Life, (September 21, 2015) 40 Ecclesia in Africa #48 41 Congregation for the Religious and the Secular Institute, and the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, “Instruction ‘From October’ to the Conferences of Religious Men and women in Africaâ€, 3 June 1978, in: Enchiridion della Vita Consecrata: Dalle Decretali al rinnovamento post-Conciliare (385 -2000), nn.5214-5231). Fruit of meetings with the Major Superiors of Religious institutes present in Africa, this Instruction from the Vatican Offices, first of all, admits that “The determination to develop an authentic religious life among Africans was manifest throughout the meeting and was unanimously accepted in the discussion that took place. Religious Life in Africa seems to be enjoying a real springtime with all that this conjures up by way of vitality and promise for the futureâ€. Then, after highlighting the importance of formation, and the contribution made by religious life to the local church, the document emphasizes the necessity and value of what it calls “africanization†of religious life, nowadays known as inculturation of religious life. This “so necessary africanization†of religious life (n.5225), the Vatican’s Instruction states, involves the following points: ï‚· Africanization “demands that one’s consecration to God be lived within a specifically African socio-cultural context and that it be seen by those around us as authentic love for God and for our neighbour.† Africanization “means integrating into it [Religious Life] those African cultural values which are in agreement with the Gospel. ‘The Church looks with great respect on traditional African moral and religious values’.(Paul VI, Africae Terrarum, n,14). You do not have therefore to renounce your cultural values but you should examine them carefully in order to discern what is good and true in them and then give them a new meaning by your religious life.†“Certain of them may be assimilated immediately: the natural feelings Africans have for the presence of God, their joy, readiness to share, hospitality fostered by the clan system, value placed on fecundity, etc. All this demands research ad effort and you are aware of it.† Africanization implies that: “...you must remember that every culture, just like every man, needs to be converted in spirit and in truth (Jn 4:24) and that the passage from African values to the religious life will always demand a higher qualitative standard and must transcend the real values so far accepted.† “Your religious consecration must take account of the socio-cultural context within which we live (Vatican II, Ad Gentes,n.18; Populorum Progressio, n.40). This is an indispensable condition for our consecration to be seen as a witness (Ad Gentes, n.20; EN, n.69).† “This africanisation must extend to all various types of vocationâ€, not to only becoming brothers or sisters but also to becoming religious priests. “This africanisation (must) extend not only to institutes made up only of Africans but also those which have an international membership.â€

Ecclesia in Africa #50 43 Father Wilhelm Steckling, OMI, Inculturating the Gospel and Consecrated Life: A reflection on USGUSIG in Rome, January 18 2005 44 Guadium et Spes #58 45 Father Wilhelm Steckling, OMI, Inculturating the Gospel and Consecrated Life: A reflection on USGUSIG in Rome, January 18 2005 46 Guadium et Spes #59 47 Father Wilhelm Steckling, OMI, Inculturating the Gospel and Consecrated Life: A reflection on USGUSIG in Rome, January 18 2005 48 Ecclesia in Africa #79 49 Vita Consecrata #80,90 50 Guadium Et Spes # 60 51 Ecclesia in Africa # 79 52 Father Wilhelm Steckling, OMI, Inculturating the Gospel and Consecrated Life: A reflection on USGUSIG in Rome, January 18 2005 53 Vita Consecrata #46 54 Father Wilhelm Steckling, OMI, Inculturating the Gospel and Consecrated Life: A reflection on USGUSIG in Rome, January 18 2005 55 Ecclesia in Africa #43 56 Ecclesia in Africa #66 57 Father Wilhelm Steckling, OMI, Inculturating the Gospel and Consecrated Life: A reflection on USGUSIG in Rome, January 18 2005 58 Cfr. Father Wilhelm Steckling, OMI, Inculturating the Gospel and Consecrated Life: A reflection on USGUSIG in Rome, January 18 2005 59 Vatican Council II, Ad Gentes, #18, Paul VI, Populorum Progressio, #40 60 Ad Gentes, #20; Paul VI, Evangelii Nuntiandi, #69 61 John Paul II, Vita Consecrata, #79-80; Ecclessia in Africa, #59, #62-63 62 Paschal Robert, OFM, Religious Life in the Cultural Context of Pakistan. Ref: Focus, Vol. 31, 2001 63 Father Wilhelm Steckling, OMI, Inculturating the Gospel and Consecrated Life: A reflection on USGUSIG in Rome, January 18 2005. 64 John Paul II, Address to the Italian National Congress of the Ecclesial Movement for Cultural Commitment, [Jan. 16, 1982]


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