The 10th Ordinary Assembly of the Catholic Biblical Federation (FEBIC) took place in the beautiful city of Mar del Plata, Argentina, from 15-21 April 2023. The theme of the encounter was Proclaiming the Word, and its motto was “Source of Life for a Fragile World” (cf. Rom. 8:22-23). 141 delegates from 70 countries participated in the event.
The Catholic Biblical Federation was created as a response to the Vatican Council II directive to promote and develop biblical ministry in order to make the Word of God a dynamic source of inspiration for all areas of the Church’s life and mission in the world today.
Through conferences, round table discussions, workshops, times of prayer, Eucharistic Celebrations, and sharing sessions according to regions and continents, the FEBIC Assembly invited its participants this year to proclaim the Word of God in their concrete situations.
In the final two days of the meeting, the members of its executive committee were elected and a work plan was sketched out for the next six years. The Daughters of St. Paul of the Congregation’s Southern Africa region were elected associate members of the FEBIC. While this is an acknowledgment of all the work done by the FSPs in the biblical field around the world, it also challenges us to make the Word of God ever more central to our lives and, as missionaries, to continue to proclaim it as a gift of life to our fragile world.
Some of the priorities chosen by the Assembly for the next six-year period are closely related to the Pauline charism, including biblical formation as a fundamental aspect of Christian formation, an emphasis on digital communication, and the search to find creative ways to spread the Word and knowledge of it.
