Nearly 100 of us gathered for our CANA Indian Ocean meeting in Mauritius: 7 couples from Madagascar; 2 from the Seychelles; 9 from Réunion, including 3 who are in ministry; and 22 Mauritians, including 10 who are in ministry. Also in attendance were the Provincial Superior of the Indian Ocean and the leaders of the CCN countries.
The arrival of the seven couples from Madagascar filled the Community in Madagascar with hope: with almost all of them in Nazareth, we can sense a new generation emerging—it’s wonderful. They were very grateful to be among us, and most of them went out of their way to generously contribute to the costs of their stay.
The presence of the two couples from the Seychelles also gave us hope. Joseph & Chrysta, the new CANA leaders since February 2026, were there, and they face the challenge of reviving CANA in the Seychelles.
We began by listening to the questions and concerns raised by everyone. From there, we established seven working committees:
- Visibility and Communication of the CANA Mission
- Attracting the Next Generation to CANA
- The Role of Children in CANA
- The Relevance of CANA’s Teaching Methods and Tools
- Training Needs for Core Members, Servants, and Fraternity Leaders
- The Stages of Growth for a Couple Committed to CANA
- Adapting CANA to Our Logistical and Economic Constraints
The countries were happy to work together, and the follow-up meetings were generally constructive. At the same time, the countries had prepared an overview of their respective islands and the challenges faced by couples and families at the societal level. This allowed us to come together while acknowledging our different realities. Over the weekend, I gave a presentation on CANA’s mission and its challenges, which led us to present the CANA year. Following that, the countries had a productive working session with their CCN country leaders: it was an opportunity to review everything they had heard and to consider directions for the CANA mission in their own countries.
At the core, we were able to rediscover the right balance between listening to the realities of each country and the need to speak with one voice in order to embrace a shared vision and direction for the mission.
At the heart of all this work, times of prayer were precious (personal prayer, Masses, adoration, and confession…), the work of reconciliation centered on our histories (service for the unity of peoples, “Indian Ocean” reconciliation…), the celebration of our cultural riches (a cultural evening with booths featuring traditional games and dances, Mass led by different countries, a festival in traditional dress…), not to mention a worship service on the beach and a few breaks for swimming!
Ultimately, this CANA Indian Ocean gathering was an opportunity to convey the essence of the Chemin Neuf Community: unity among peoples, synodality, diversity of states of life, formation, reconciliation… It would be great if we didn’t have to wait more than five years to experience such a gathering together again!
