Blessed Alberione was someone who was deeply convinced probably more than anyone else of his time that what matters or counts or what is indispensable in our apostolate of communication is organization: organization at various levels; international, national and local in every aspect of our apostolate.
Don Silvio Pignotti, our former Superior General, wrote in his introduction to the Interchapter Assembly celebrated in Caracas, in May 1995, articulating almost the mind of Blessed Alberione: “The challenge of becoming a single multimedia publisher...... Certain apostolic works, and even certain Circumscriptions, will go into an irreversible coma unless we soon come to collaborate at international level. Such links will certainly bring their own problems for the Circumscriptions and these will have to be solved with the good will and commitment of everyone. But there are not alternatives: either ‘we unite for the apostolate’ as the Founder insisted (cf. UPS 1, 382) or we are destined to become insignificant and even to disappear in one or other part of the world”.
Organization at the level of our apostolate is no more an option but an obligation, is a matter of our very survival in the world of communication. With the promulgation of the document Handbook of authority in the Society of St Paul (May 1, 1996) in response to the request of our V1 General Chapter, the congregation has provided for itself a well defined organizational structure for its apostolate at three different levels: Congregational (CTIA), Inter circumscriptional (CIDEP,GEC and CAP-ESW), and circumscriptional. Apostolic collaboration at all levels presume that every form of apostolic organization/structure in the congregation is made to function effectively and this will lead to the apostolic collaboration that Blessed Alberione had visualized for the congregation.
The following elements are indispensable or rather often found missing at least in part in the organization of our apostolate which has made it really weak and at times non-functional.
Culture and disciple of work
A firm commitment from the part of every Pauline to a culture and discipline of work is not only desirable but is essential. The quality of our apostolic organization will be greatly influenced by our preparedness to work within the structural frame of the apostolate adapted by the congregation in general and the circumscriptions in particular. Our Founder’s law of work is a perennial reminder to every Pauline of every generation on the dignity of human labour and the necessity of the same in order to realize Pauline mission.
Team work
Our apostolate is par excellent communitarian (cfr. No 15, Const.) and it can be achieved only in and through the collective efforts and contribution of everyone involved. One of our weaknesses, struggles or even failures in our apostolic endeavours is the lack of Team Spirit. Great and noble apostolic ventures have been unsuccessful and even abandoned at great loss due to inner conflicts within the team. Any weakness in this area will weaken the entire apostolic network of the congregation.
Effective management of time
We are living and working in a world of speed and time is valued more than anything else. If our Founder were to be alive today, he would have certainly put effective use of time as a way of living Pauline poverty and a failure of which would be one of our failures in the same. No organization, local, national or international can work effectively, realize its objectives except within an established time frame.
Communication
Effective and timely communication within the organization itself and among related organizations is their very breath. In our globalized world communication holds the keys to success no matter to what area of our life we refer to. Efficiency, accuracy and speed in communication will determine the quality of any organization.
Professionalism
What will help the organization to realize its set goals is the touch of professionalism applied to its functioning at all levels. Professionalism is a combination of human talents, preparation, competence and experience. Chapters after Chapters have been reminding Paulines of every generation to bring in professionalism, to apply sound principles of professionalism to the various aspects of our apostolate: at the level of organization, planning, execution, evaluation and consolidation. The prophetic words of Don Pignotti, ‘we unite for the apostolate... or we are destined to become insignificant or even to disappear in one or other part of the world’ should stir within each of us a firm will to collaborate not only at international level but at all levels. Such a collaboration will become possible only when we get ourselves and apostolate organized in true Pauline spirit.
