Irish-British Province

BOGOTA/COLOMBIA
Meeting on Biblical Dimension

Bogota hosted the fifth Panamerican Zonal Meeting of the Biblical Dimension from February 6-10, 2006.

Seventeen SVDs, 6 SSpS and one Dominican Sister from the ECU Biblical Centre took part in the meeting. Two laywomen of the BOL team could not reach due to a pilots’ strike in Bolivia.

Bro. Uwe HEISTERHOFF, the BOL coordinator, made it but two days late! Only USS, ARS e PAR failed to send a representative. The presence of the Generalate Biblical Coordinator, Fr. Guido TISERA and Sr. Maria Salome Labra of the SSpS PANAM coordination team was very much appreciated.

The meeting was organized by the two Zonal coordinators of the Dimension, Tom HUGHES (BRS) and Sr. Zulema Rome SSpS (ARN).

The meeting aimed at greater integration of the Provincial coordinators, many of whom had changed since the last meeting in Ponta Grossa three years ago, organization and planning on the subzonal level, and study - which this year was based on the relationship between the Biblical Dimension and the Fourfold Prophetic Dialogue, a theme of interest not only to SVDs, as dialogue is one of the main complex and burning questions in mission theology today.

Talks were also given on the extremely complex socio-political situation of Colombia and the role of the Biblical Apostolate in the Americas since the publication of Dei Verbum. Time was also found for an interesting cultural tour of the hinterland of the capital.

Each subzone agreed on commitments for the next three years, and there were clear advances, such as in the organization, for the first time, of the Northern Subzone (USA Provinces) and the reorganization of the others, including the setting up of a new subzone of Mesoamerica (MEX and CAM).

The next meeting is scheduled to take place in Cordoba, Argentina from April 27 to May 1, 2009.

Source: Arnoldus Nota