From 19th-22nd July in the Year of the Eucharist 2005, we 15 Bishops, 53 Women Religious, 27 Men Religious and 7 Lay Persons coming from 20 countries of the Asian continent met at the Salesian Retreat Centre in Hua Hin, Thailand for the Symposium on “The Role of Religious in the Building Up of the Local Church in Asia”, its first, organized by the FABC Office for Consecrated Life (OCL).

Inspired and challenged by the Holy Spirit at work among us at this Symposium, we commit ourselves to pursue the building of communities imbued with the spirituality of communion under the fraternal guidance of our Bishops so that we can become credible and effective witnesses as well as courageous prophets in the building up of the Local Church in different situations of Asia.

Hence we resolve to:

• establish a clear, direct and personal communication at appropriate levels in the diocese in order to assure a participatory and collaborative Local Church;
• promote constant dialogue between Bishops and Superiors of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life;
• foster understanding and esteem among priests, religious and laity in the pastoral ministry;
• promote and incarnate values that sustain the human spirit and enable us to realize our call to holiness;
• enhance and strengthen greater knowledge, esteem and promotion of all forms of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, particularly that of Religious Sisters and Brothers;
• assume the attitude of continuous, humble, and loving dialogue with the poor, living traditions, cultures, religions and life-realities of the people;
• undertake positive, critical and dialogical discernment of cultures and religions in order to realize true inculturation of charisms;
• discover and identify the cultural, transcultural and countercultural elements(1) particular to each Institute’s charism in order to make a unique contribution to the Local Church;
• recognize and uphold Asian characteristics and values that are integral to the proclamation of the Gospel;
• put the Institutes’ particular charism at the service of the Local Church;
• engage in a mutual “interchange of gifts”(2) to foster greater collaboration and participation in the pastoral and missionary calling of the Local Church.

We pray that this reflection will help us understand more deeply the important and indispensable role that we play in communion with the Bishops, Diocesan Clergy and Laity in the Local Church. May we always be in profound communion with the chaste, poor, and obedient Christ. May we, like Mary, be ever open and attentive to the Holy Spirit who is our constant companion and guide in this challenging journey towards the building of the Kingdom of God.