Young religious prepare for future leadership

July 10, 2012: The Conference of Religious India (CRI), national association of major superiors, has begun its first national convention for the young religious in the Indian capital New Delhi has the theme “Leadership for Consecrated Life 2020” and is attended by over 200 people.

The meeting being held at the Don Bosco Technical Institute, Okhla, concluded similar conventions CRI organized at its 12 regions across the country during the past two years.

“This meeting aims to make an agenda for the next 10 years to reframe religious life for future,” said CRI national secretary Brother Mani Mekkunnel.

The Montfort Brother said the young religious would prepare strategies about how to face the challenges of the modern world. “They will form the leadership groups,” he added.

The participants are in the age group of 30-35 years and belong to more than 100 congregations.

Bro Mekkunnel claimed the convention as the one of the successful projects of CRI. It is also a paper-less conference where everything is done through laptops.

The participants would reflect on 12 goals during the meeting, including good governance in religious congregations, learning modern technology to be effective leaders and partnership and networking for evangelical effectiveness.

Brother Mekkunnel said that the young religious would make action plans to bring the goals into reality.

One of the participants, Sister Sincy Francis of the Society of Jesus Mary Joseph, said that she hopes that some concrete changes would take place in young religious’ commitment to people and their congregations.

“We will be able to read the signs of the time and do something for the people rather than just attend meetings,” she said.

Brother Basant Kujur of the Society of Mary said the meeting would give the participants a new way of looking at the religious life and help them do things with the latest technology.