The General Commission on the Social and Pastoral Care of the Sick, which was established after the General Chapter, met for the first time on 11 and 12 November 2019.
In order to represent all the Regions of the Order, the Commission is made up of the following members: Brother Benigno Ramos (President); Brother André SENE (Secretary); Brother Francis MANNAPARAMPIL (Asia-Pacific Region); Mrs Susana QUEIROGA and Mr Peter WEINHAPPL (Europe Region); Brother Théodore SOSSOUE (Africa); Mr Hector Raúl Valenzuela Becerra and Brother Daniel González (Latin America Region), and Brother Tom OSORIO (WEONA Region).
This first meeting was mainly intended to enable the members to get to know each other and share the pastoral care work being performed throughout the Order. The head of the Commission, Fra Benigno Ramos, briefed the members on the work carried out in the previous Sexennium, and urged them to work together to attain the general objective approved by the Definitory. He therefore asked each member of the Commission to put forward proposals to work better and more effectively, to foster pastoral care in the Centres and facilities where it was falling short, and to boost it where a pastoral care team was already present.