Day 12 of the General Assembly of the Congregation of the Mission marked the final elections of the Assistants General and the presentation of these new members of the Congregation’s general council or “curia.”

For those who may not be familiar, the curia of the Congregation of the Mission is a group of elected advisers to the Superior General. Their tasks will be assigned by Fr. Mavrič, the newly elected Superior General, after dialogue with them. For certain decisions he is required to consult or even get their consent. They are not “representatives” of the members of the Congregation, but are responsible to give counsel drawing upon their ministerial experience, their academic and/or professional expertise, their faith life, and their particular personal backgrounds.

 Fr. Francisco Javier Álvarez Munguía was re-elected Vicar General of the Congregation of the Mission. The vicar general helps the superior general and substitutes for him when he is away or impeded. Father Alvarez, of the Province of Madrid, was born in Pedrosa de Muñó (Burgos, Spain), on March 20, 1954. He entered the Congregation of the Mission on September 11, 1973. On November 8, 1982 was ordained a priest by Pope John Paul II in Valencia (Spain).[divider]

Meet the new Assistants General below!

Fr. Aaron Gutierrez currently serves as the Provincial of the Province of Mexico.  He is 65 years old, a former missionary in Bolivia and former director of the Daughters of Charity in Mexico.[divider]

Fr. Zeracristos Yosef, from Eritrea, was re-elected and was first elected to the General Council in 2010. He is the former vice-visitor of the Province of St. Justin de Jacobis (Eritrea).[divider]

Fr. Matthew Kallamkal was re-elected, and was previously appointed to the General Council in 2013. He is the former visitor of North India.[divider]

Fr. Miles Heinen is from the Western Province USA, and serves as the Director of the Vincentian Solidarity Office. Miles is 65 years old, was a missionary in Guatemala and worked with Latinos in Arkansas (USA).[divider]

Superior General and new General Council of the Congregation of the Mission: (from left) Fr. Aaron Gutierrez, Fr. Zeracristos Yosef, Fr. Miles Heinen, Fr. Tomaž Mavrič, Superior General, Fr. Javier Álvarez, Vicar General, Fr. Matthew Kallamkal. #AG2016

To watch the election of the Assistants General, click the video below: