30th Day: XXII General Chapter_Closing Ceremony

30th Day: XXII General Chapter_Closing Ceremony

Sep 30, 2024

On the last day of the general chapter, another faith-sharing was done focusing on the gospel of today, and they shared on what gratitude they carry in their hearts in this shared journey of faith. The regular faith-sharing created in the capitulars the sense of the “holy” within them, as starting the day with the words of the Lord is indeed a blessing.

The first half of the day was spent on the two points needing formal voting, after some kind of deliberation and the meeting of the capitulars by continent. This meeting calls for an agreement on some plans and program designs where the different units in the continents strengthen their collaboration in the different areas of concern as Salvatorian religious life.

In the afternoon, the very meaningful closing liturgy was organized by the members of the Steering Committee. It is incorporated in the Holy Mass presided over by Fr. Milton Zonta, SDS– General Superior of the Society of the Divine Savior (Salvatorian Sisters), with Fr. Agustin Van Baelen, SDS – General Councilor/Secretary. In his homily, he spoke of gratefulness too. He thanked the capitulars for their apostolic service and their sense of belonging to the Salvatorian Family, together with the other branches. In regard to today’s gospel, he asks them to be very attentive and not to be carried away by mechanisms that cause division and counter-witness in our relationships with others.

In the evening the sisters cerebrated the joyful sisterly union that eliminated all tiredness and brought them more closer the sisters more closer to each other.

 

30th Day: XXII General Chapter_Closing Ceremony

30th Day: XXII General Chapter_Closing Ceremony

On the last day of the general chapter, another faith-sharing was done focusing on the gospel of today, and they shared on what gratitude they carry in their hearts in this shared journey of faith. The regular faith-sharing created in the capitulars the sense of the...

29th Day: XXII General Chapter_Keep up the Christian tolerance.

29th Day: XXII General Chapter_Keep up the Christian tolerance.

The day started with the celebration of the Holy Mass presided over by Fr. Alexander Mariadass, Ph.D.  a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. He recommended the sisters to keep on to the Christian values especially...

26th Day: XXII General Chapter_What have I silenced?

26th Day: XXII General Chapter_What have I silenced?

“What voices have I silenced within me during this chapter?, this is the point of reflection in today’s faith-sharing among the capitulars, with basis from the gospel of St. Luke, chapter 9, verses 7-9. In this gospel, Herod imprisoned and beheaded John the Baptist...

29th Day: XXII General Chapter_Keep up the Christian tolerance.

29th Day: XXII General Chapter_Keep up the Christian tolerance.

Sep 29, 2024

The day started with the celebration of the Holy Mass presided over by Fr. Alexander Mariadass, Ph.D.  a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. He recommended the sisters to keep on to the Christian values especially the Christian tolerance and to keep away from scandalous life examples. The liturgy was prepared and organized by Italy Province with a touch of interculturality, explicitly expressed through the different national costumes of the sisters from five different countries who belong to the Italian Province.

The capitulars were given a recapitulation of the process that they underwent. Now that the general chapter is getting to its close, the decisions, ordinances, and resolutions were reviewed and further finalized. This was done in the morning.

Another important responsibility of the chapter is to re-enact or revise ordinances established by the previous general chapter and to issue new ordinances and to modify, when necessary, in conformity with the constitutions, by a two-thirds majority vote and to interpret the general statutes authentically and to decide by two-thirds majority vote any necessary modifications in the constitutions and submit them for the approval of the Holy See, which alone can interpret the constitutions authentically. In the afternoon, the formal voting over the decisions, resolutions and ordinances was done. The voting body or the capitulars were able to work in an atmosphere were there is an open exchange of ideas whenever clarifications over items to be voted were raised.

30th Day: XXII General Chapter_Closing Ceremony

30th Day: XXII General Chapter_Closing Ceremony

On the last day of the general chapter, another faith-sharing was done focusing on the gospel of today, and they shared on what gratitude they carry in their hearts in this shared journey of faith. The regular faith-sharing created in the capitulars the sense of the...

29th Day: XXII General Chapter_Keep up the Christian tolerance.

29th Day: XXII General Chapter_Keep up the Christian tolerance.

The day started with the celebration of the Holy Mass presided over by Fr. Alexander Mariadass, Ph.D.  a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. He recommended the sisters to keep on to the Christian values especially...

26th Day: XXII General Chapter_What have I silenced?

26th Day: XXII General Chapter_What have I silenced?

“What voices have I silenced within me during this chapter?, this is the point of reflection in today’s faith-sharing among the capitulars, with basis from the gospel of St. Luke, chapter 9, verses 7-9. In this gospel, Herod imprisoned and beheaded John the Baptist...

28th Day: XXII General Chapter_Put into practice the true mission of Jesus

28th Day: XXII General Chapter_Put into practice the true mission of Jesus

Sep 29, 2024

Fr. Agustin Van Baelen, SDS celebrated the Holy Mass at the start of the day. In his short reflection, he shared that the followers of Jesus never ceased to marvel at what Jesus was doing and what his closeness could do to people. However, Jesus points out that their wonder had better not turn into static admiration because he did not come to be admired, rather, he came to open people’s hearts and minds and to make them marvel at what God is really like.

With this words, the day of the capitulars was inspired to work harder and finish the important statements, decisions, proposals and would be enactment of the general chapter. The day was also a time to finalize the non-conventional way of presenting to the congregation, to the members of each unit what is the fruit of the general chapter. There was a rich sharing of one’s abilities, one’s willingness to contribute, one’s openness to listen to what one is sharing and come to an agreement. A beautiful synodal synergy became alive this day.

As Fr. Agustin said in his parting words in his short reflection, “Dear Sisters, may your eyes be opened as capitulars, as well as those of the sisters in your units at home, to recognize and put into practice the true mission of Jesus, together with the people entrusted to you”.

30th Day: XXII General Chapter_Closing Ceremony

30th Day: XXII General Chapter_Closing Ceremony

On the last day of the general chapter, another faith-sharing was done focusing on the gospel of today, and they shared on what gratitude they carry in their hearts in this shared journey of faith. The regular faith-sharing created in the capitulars the sense of the...

29th Day: XXII General Chapter_Keep up the Christian tolerance.

29th Day: XXII General Chapter_Keep up the Christian tolerance.

The day started with the celebration of the Holy Mass presided over by Fr. Alexander Mariadass, Ph.D.  a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. He recommended the sisters to keep on to the Christian values especially...

26th Day: XXII General Chapter_What have I silenced?

26th Day: XXII General Chapter_What have I silenced?

“What voices have I silenced within me during this chapter?, this is the point of reflection in today’s faith-sharing among the capitulars, with basis from the gospel of St. Luke, chapter 9, verses 7-9. In this gospel, Herod imprisoned and beheaded John the Baptist...

27th Day: XXII General Chapter_Time to ask questions and a time to give answers…

27th Day: XXII General Chapter_Time to ask questions and a time to give answers…

Sep 27, 2024

To paraphrase today’s first reading, we could say that there is a time to ask questions and a time to give answers. In addition, in the gospel reading from Luke 9: 18-22, it seems to be a time of asking questions for Jesus when he said, “Who do people say that I am?”. With this question, capitulars once again started the day with faith-sharing.

The whole day once again, is a time of working together, of getting nearer to something that we would like to tale with us to each of our units when we come back from this general chapter. The joy of being together, the commitment finish what has been started, to make improvements to what has been created and to confirm what has been written created an atmosphere of a synodal congregation. At this time, the capitulars prayed, listened, analyzed, dialogued, discerned and agree on making decisions which corresponds as closely to the will of God.

The day culminated with the celebration of the Holy Eucharist presided over by Fr. Vito Patera, CP who reminded us that charity and prayers go hand-in-hand and they are expressions of each another, and in this our lives should be modeled. The delegates from the Polish Province organized and prepared the liturgy.

30th Day: XXII General Chapter_Closing Ceremony

30th Day: XXII General Chapter_Closing Ceremony

On the last day of the general chapter, another faith-sharing was done focusing on the gospel of today, and they shared on what gratitude they carry in their hearts in this shared journey of faith. The regular faith-sharing created in the capitulars the sense of the...

29th Day: XXII General Chapter_Keep up the Christian tolerance.

29th Day: XXII General Chapter_Keep up the Christian tolerance.

The day started with the celebration of the Holy Mass presided over by Fr. Alexander Mariadass, Ph.D.  a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. He recommended the sisters to keep on to the Christian values especially...

26th Day: XXII General Chapter_What have I silenced?

26th Day: XXII General Chapter_What have I silenced?

“What voices have I silenced within me during this chapter?, this is the point of reflection in today’s faith-sharing among the capitulars, with basis from the gospel of St. Luke, chapter 9, verses 7-9. In this gospel, Herod imprisoned and beheaded John the Baptist...

26th Day: XXII General Chapter_What have I silenced?

26th Day: XXII General Chapter_What have I silenced?

Sep 27, 2024

“What voices have I silenced within me during this chapter?, this is the point of reflection in today’s faith-sharing among the capitulars, with basis from the gospel of St. Luke, chapter 9, verses 7-9. In this gospel, Herod imprisoned and beheaded John the Baptist because he wanted to silence him.

The facilitators guided the capitulars, as the day started to move towards decisions that the general chapter aims to finalize. In an “out-of-the-box” dynamics, the capitulars were given the freedom to belong to different working groups. A group of three to four persons who are gifted with the ability to write compelling story is formed and their task is to describe, as in a story or novel the congregation that this chapter wants to give birth to, anchored in the energizing posters made by the capitulars, looking for what is common, using some images or metaphors from the said poster. The second group is composed of eighteen to twenty-two sisters, where they re-grouped themselves into five groups and they were tasked to create decisions as a chapter, and these decisions are linked to a point that came up in the energizing posters. The third group is composed of six to eighth capitulars and their task was to look at the unit proposals that were sent to the chapter and check whether each proposal is actually a chapter proposal or it could be dealt with at another level. The fourth group is composed of six to eighth capitulars and they are tasked to study and see the statutory points that this chapter has to settle and what does these statutory points indicate. The fifth group is also composed of six to eighth capitulars and they are tasked to reflect whether there are other themes, or topics and issues that the chapter needs to address. The last group is composed of three to four creative and artistic capitulars and they are tasked to imagine what would be the output of the chapter would look like. This can be in a form of a document, a video, a song or a prayer, or any means that the spirit would move the group to create.

The whole day is truly a spirit-filled day of working together, of sharing and of inspiration from each other and from the processes that was done days ago. Before the session ended, reports from each group were truly an inspiring output.

Fr. Lawrence Rywalt CP celebrated the Holy Mass which is organized by the delegates from Sri Lanka Province with the theme, being “ONE in the Spirit, ONE in the Lord”. Each capitular was asked to write on a piece of paper what this chapter meant for them. These papers were turned into chains, reflecting unity. During the mass the priest emphasized that the venue of our Chapter holds the 2000 years history and the great devotion of the Sts. John and Paul who stillcontinue to inspire the faithful through their witness to Christian life. All of us are ultimately called to fulfill this duty to be witnesses of Christ’s love.

XXII GC NEWS 26 SEPTEMBER 2024

30th Day: XXII General Chapter_Closing Ceremony

30th Day: XXII General Chapter_Closing Ceremony

On the last day of the general chapter, another faith-sharing was done focusing on the gospel of today, and they shared on what gratitude they carry in their hearts in this shared journey of faith. The regular faith-sharing created in the capitulars the sense of the...

29th Day: XXII General Chapter_Keep up the Christian tolerance.

29th Day: XXII General Chapter_Keep up the Christian tolerance.

The day started with the celebration of the Holy Mass presided over by Fr. Alexander Mariadass, Ph.D.  a member of the Vatican Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. He recommended the sisters to keep on to the Christian values especially...

26th Day: XXII General Chapter_What have I silenced?

26th Day: XXII General Chapter_What have I silenced?

“What voices have I silenced within me during this chapter?, this is the point of reflection in today’s faith-sharing among the capitulars, with basis from the gospel of St. Luke, chapter 9, verses 7-9. In this gospel, Herod imprisoned and beheaded John the Baptist...