GENERAL CHAPTER 2017 Sisters of Charity of Saint Charles Borromeo Maastricht, 16 th July - 6 th August 2017 General Chapter Chronicle 16 th - 21 st July The General Chapter 2017 was held in our Mother House Onder de Bogen - Maastricht, The Netherlands. The delegates from each Area arrived in the Mother House safely. Each group s arrival was always greeted with a warm and loving sisterhood. It was followed by a prayer of gratitude in our main chapel of Onder de Bogen, for the safety of their trip.
On July 16 at 10.00 in the morning, a Eucharistic celebration was held in the main Chapel of Onder de Bogen for the opening of the General Chapter. It was attended by our Sisters coming from the different communities of Onder de Bogen compound and by some guests. The Eucharistic celebration began with a short procession led by Sr. Rosaria who carried a burning candle bearing the logo of the General Chapter. Eleven sisters carrying the flag of the countries where our Sisters are present followed her. They placed them next to the altar.
After the short procession, Sr. Guiseppo spoke words of welcome in English and in Dutch language and gave particular thanks for the presence of all the delegates. The Eucharist was celebrated sacredly through the support of the choir of the Sisters of Onder de Bogen. The Sisters did the intercessions in different languages from each country to symbolize the internationality of the Congregation.
Before the mass ended, Sr. Rosaria invited and introduced each Chapter delegate, together with the facilitators and minutes taker to come forward in front of the altar. Father Antonio Pernia, SVD, the spiritual and theological reflector followed it with a prayer of blessing for the delegates during this General Chapter.
Gathering in Cecilia Room with the Sisters of Onder de Bogen community after the Mass became an opportunity of sharing, communicating and mutually reinforcing each other as one family. The afternoon session was more of orientation on some practical matters to ensure that all Chapter delegates were sufficiently acquainted with the set of documents contained in the Chapter s kit. Another agenda was to inform the delegates about other aspects of Chapter life during the next three weeks. The second day was a recollection day facilitated by Fr. Antonio Pernia SVD. The recollection theme: The challenge today to the Mystic-Prophetic Vocation of the Consecrated Life.
The points that he emphasized were: 1) The need for the Church to be a missionary church. 2) The challenge of multiculturality and the challenge of poverty. The challenge of multiculturality: This huge movement of people across the globe is changing families, societies and the world itself, and how it is affecting individuals who live in the midst of two or more cultures. The challenge of poverty: That many people are living under the poverty line. 3) The need to discover the Other face of God, the unfamiliar, the God who is not like us. He suggested that the above challenges offer a fundamental invitation to seek the Other Face of God, the unfamiliar God and neighbor rather than the safe, domesticated God which so often characterizes our worship and life together in the church. 4) The need to develop a mystagogic language of the strange and unfamiliar God and neighbor. Mystagogy is not about an intellectual understanding but a lived relationship, which moves us from what is familiar and comfortable toward the deeper mystery of ourselves and God. He suggested that we should begin to understand the world from the perspective of the poor, those who have been pushed beyond the margin. 5) The need to live the consecrated life out of the perspective of prophecy and mysticism. It is the challenge of those who professed religious vows to understand that the poor, excluded and in the periphery, live them not out of choice but because that is their imposed condition of life. 6) The act of encounter. Allowing ourselves to stand open to others and remember that the totally other was the Son of God who, though he came to live among us, never lost his otherness. He ended his presentation with this word: We become fully human when we become more than human, when we let God bring us beyond ourselves, in order to attain the fullest truth of our being. During the whole day of silence, we reflected on the three challenges he posted to us: 1. What do I do to be able to encounter those who are different from me-culturally, socially, economically, religiously? 2. What do I do to be able to develop a mystagogic language and adopt the perspective from the margin in my apostolic ministry and personal life? 3. What has been my image of God since my novitiate? Have I seen an other image of God since then through my encounters with people in my ministry? The formal procedure of opening the Chapter started with a prayer ritual on the next day, graced by the presence of some invited guests. After the formal opening, we joined with the invited guests for a cup of coffee or tea in Sion Room.
The report of the General Board was delivered from Tuesday until Thursday. At the end of the report, the GB summarized it through a symbol. The symbol was a vine with its branches that already bear fruits. It symbolizes that during their term of service the focus was on deepening the mystical and prophetic dimension of our Spirituality as a Congregation. The mystical dimension is like the branch that is rooted in the vine in order to bear fruit. A CB sister should have a strong and intimate relationship with Jesus in order to bear fruit in their daily life. This mystical dimension is also our source of unity and solidarity within the Congregation. During the term of office, the GB encouraged all Areas to strongly build unity and solidarity, a unity and solidarity that find its source in our relationship with our Lord, Jesus Christ.
On the fifth day of this week, all the delegates were invited to give a general observation, evaluation and remarks, with regard to the report of the General Board and the General Treasurer. All the delegates were satisfied and very grateful with the leadership of the General Board in their term of office. All Areas accepted the General Board s and the Treasurer s report. They were decommissioned, after which a ritual was prepared to thank them. Every delegate expressed her gratitude and then we were invited to go to Sion for a short celebration.
This was all in the first week agenda of the General Chapter 2017. The schedule for the second week will be the presentation of the report from each Area. At the general chapter the general superior presents a report on the policies during her term of office. This report must have been previously approved by her board. After its presentation it may be discussed by the chapter. The general treasurer gives the financial report which has been previously approved by the general superior and her board (Constitution # 160). The general superior presents to the general chapter a report on her policies at the end of her term of office. The general treasurer presents to the general chapter a financial report (The Directive # 148).