This bicentenary is not a celebration of our greatness or our successes, but rather a celebration of God's blessings over these 160 years of our CICM history.

Today is a significant occasion for us CICM as we reflect on the short but truly remarkable life of a man who dedicated himself to spreading the Gospel, first in his native Belgium and then in China.

Verbist lived in constant prayer and union with God, with a solid and tender devotion to our Lady, whom he invoked as the Immaculate Heart of Mary and Mary Immaculate.

There is no more noble way to honor this Chapter experience than to bear witness to the world as promoters of peace, love, wisdom, and missionary audacity.

After almost four weeks of work, labor, and tiring efforts, with meetings, talks, exchanges, reflections, a pleasant outing, dinners, celebrations, and long sittings, all this not without joy and happiness, we are coming to the end with these last concluding words, presented with the conviction that we have had a significant and intense General Chapter experience.

Let us commit ourselves to listening to each other in such a way that my listening is aimed at understanding the other person and letting their words mean what they mean to them, not what they mean to me.

The joy of a religious missionary community animated by a spirit of fraternal communion is the right place to become passionate about and debate the best way to honor the task of guiding our common vocation and reflection as we put ourselves individually and collectively under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to discern God’s will for CICM.

The theme chosen for this very important gathering was: “Witnessing to the Gospel in the Changing World.” Indeed, the Lord has called us from the four corners of the world and gathered us together for this very momentous event in the life of the Congregation.

“ The Lectio Divina, the various opportunities for group sharing, the open forum conducted, the jovial exchange during meals, the communal prayers, the moments of recreation and the group outings, as well as the recollections, and the celebration of the Holy Eucharists were, among many other opportunities for cultural interaction helped us to share quality and meaningful time together.