Where do we want to go as a Congregation?

January 17th

This was the theme for reflection – “where do we want to go? – on Monday, January 17, in preparation for the setting of Congregational Directions. The reflection began with faith sharing in groups early in the morning.

After several days in which the Chapter members received a lot of information such as reports, sharing of the continents, presentation of the Arnold’s family and many other contents, a new stage in the process of the 15th General Chapter has begun.

The sisters are now more familiar with the methodology of the chapter and organized in base groups and consensus groups.  After deepening each theme in the base group, each sister goes to a different consensus group and shares the reflection of the base group. In this way everyone has a perception of the process they are doing as a whole.

Sr. Katherine O’Flynn, one of the facilitators, introduced the topic of Congregational Directions, inviting the capitulars to reflect on where the wind of God is blowing something new?  What is God’s desire for us? In which direction do we want to go together?

She insisted that we must let go of the previous Congregational Directions and overcome the temptation to repeat the existing. That is why we need to ask for the gift of a new direction and allow the Holy Spirit to show the way – she said.

The facilitator also gave some guidelines for personal prayer suggesting to imagine the Holy Trinity looking at the world today with compassion. Then to place ourselves next to the Trinity and look at the complexity of the world today from God’s gaze to sense in which direction the Congregation must go.

The Chapter members had the rest of the morning for personal prayer and to identify 3 possible directions thinking about the whole congregation. In the afternoon they met to share in their respective base and consensus groups. The proposals were sent to the Writing Commission.

In the last joint session the capitulars began to reflect on the proposals sent by the provinces to the General Chapter. Afterwards they all participated in the celebration of mass.