The IMC Asian Region (RAS), comprised of South Korea, Mongolia and Taiwan groups, has gathered in Yeoju, Gyeonggi province in South Korea for its first ever Regional Conference which started earlier today 15th of May, and will run up to 18th. Participating in the conference are also the Superior General, the General Council, the Secretary General and the General Administrator.
This historic regional conference was preceded by a very inspiring one-week annual spiritual retreat, which was done jointly with Consolata Sisters working in Mongolia -as is custom every two years. After the retreat, we used the opportunity of being gathered together to have various activities of fraternity and communion followed by a day of joint on-going formation and information relevant to our IMC mission in Asia.
The commencement of the conference was marked by an elaborately inculturated opening ceremony, also characterized by the diversity of our current RAS context. In the opening remarks, the Regional Superior Fr. Tamrat Defar exhorted all the members present to ponder this historic moment of our institute in Asian continent and earnestly unite the best of our initiatives as we entrust our mission to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and our Mother Consolata. He reiterated that this very conference is a now-renewed continuation as well as culmination of the great missionary effort and experience that has been lived since the establishment of our three presences in Asia before we were designated one body as a region two years ago. Therefore, it is imperative that we all dedicate ourselves to duly discern our pastoral priorities which will guide the course of our missionary action over the next six years.
On this note, the Conference has started with a lot of positive energy, optimism and faith as we plan IMC mission in Asia for the next few years.