Friday – July 26, 2024

1. UNITED TO THE VINEYARD

Celebrating the feast of the holy grandparents of Jesus, Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, Sisters Janaina Clara Nazário and Ana Maria Gomes da Costa encouraged us to pray for a long life, remembering our grandparents and our elderly Sisters who in the past and present were and are witnesses of love and dedication to God. Following the divine service, we had the holy mass, which was celebrated again by Father Gabriel Manarim Dalmolin. During the celebration, the priest said that happiness consists in seeing and hearing the Lord. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that the desire to seek Him and reach the truth is to achieve happiness.

For us, disciples of Jesus Christ, we seek happiness and fulfilment. Vocation is a sign of happiness. God placed in our hearts the desire to be happy. The sign that a person is not in her vocation is when they are not happy.

Pope Francis speaks a lot about the importance of discernment. Listening to the Word and discerning: we are happy because we can hear the Word and discern. The General Chapter is a place of hope. On the eve of the Jubilee of Hope, we have the grace to look at our Institute with hope.

Today, Grandparents’ Day, we can remember our elderly Sisters, who are a sign of hope. Hope is timeless, it is part of the past, present and future. If we have challenges, we have opportunities. We cannot become complacent. May this Chapter be a time of hope.

In the afternoon, the Sisters responsible for the liturgy performed the parable of the Green Star. Through their play, they left us with the message that the Green Star, the star of hope, remains among us. The prayer ended with the presentation of a green star to each capitulars, on which we wrote the name of a Sister who helped or helps us on our journey.

2. STEPPING ON THE GRAPE

The chapter work began with the reading and approval of the minutes from the previous day, read by Sister Maria das Dores Paz, which were unanimously approved.

After the coffee break, the third Committee began presentation of the theme: Prophetic Care of Life – Institution. Sister Maria José Barbosa dos Santos took the floor and introduced the team. Following, Sr. Denise Mezacasa read the Gospel of John 6, 5-13, about the sharing of the bread. Sr. Ana Maria asked us “What are the hungers of the world?” Each capitulars sister, in an atmosphere of prayer, shared the hungers they identify in the world, summarized as: peace, fraternity, God, equality, sharing. Likewise, she asked us about what hungers of our Congregation has, and during the sharing, words such as: coherence, acceptance in fraternity, hope, unity, availability, among others, emerged.

As a dynamic that portrays the sharing of bread in the reality of fraternal life, we were all satisfied with a delicious bread shared among the capitulars. Continuing the presentation of the Commission, Sister Maria José brought to light the aspect of the Prophetic Care of Life carried out in an exemplary manner by our foundresses Maria and Giustina Schiapparoli.

The Commission worked divided into subgroups. The first was composed of Sisters Sonia Mabel Medina Arguelho, Fabiana Seabra Santana and Mariella Vaccaro, who worked on the 1^st subtheme: SAV in mission countries: Challenges and Possibilities. The sisters invited us to reflect on what we can do to find new ways to awaken new vocations with the Charism of the Congregation. Several proposals emerged for moving towards new vocations. Some highlights were highlighted: the Holy Spirit Delegation and the mission in Guinea-Bissau are moving forward with the native sisters, strengthening the communities where new vocations arise.

Sr. Narcisa Maria Pasetto, Sr. Denise Mezacasa and Sr. Ana Maria presented the second sub-theme: Lay Role in the Charism. They highlighted the presence of lay people in the history of the Congregation. Sr. Narcisa, very enthusiastically, spoke about the lives and examples of some laywomen who lived in the communities and truly lived the Charism of the Congregation, sharing the local mission with the Sisters, since the time of the Foundresses. Sr. Denise then gave us a retrospective of our last Chapters, which already spoke about the lay people who participate in the lives of the Sisters as Oblates, Members of the Benedictine Spiritual Family, as well as the people who work with us in our missions, whether they are workers or volunteers. Sr. Ana Maria continued by telling us how the Oblates, Members of the Benedictine Spiritual Family and other lay people are organized in each of the three Provinces. The team made it clear that the presence of lay people is a gift that God offers to our religious family.

Sisters Maria José Barbosa dos Santos, Eliene da Conceição Lima, Margareth Nanjala Mang’oli, and Angela Andries introduced the 3^rd and final subtheme: Financial Maintenance of the Works, with a song. In addition to reflecting on the lyrics, we also had a moment of relaxation.

The team brought some principles for reflection, which are needs of those served; communion between Province, Institute and the Church; and coherence of life. In light of these principles, the Team emphasized that it is urgent to consider our economy in fidelity to our Charism.

After a long day of work and much reflection, strengthening fraternity, we concluded our activities with a special moment of joy and relaxation, sharing the different cultures from which the Chapter members came. There were dances, typical foods, and great joy.

Nova Veneza / Brazil, July 26^th, 2024.

Communication Team