Thursday – July 25, 2024

1. UNITED TO THE VINEYARD

In our morning prayer, we celebrated of the feast of Saint James, the apostle, Sisters Eliene da Conceição Lima and Emily Zawadi Odhiambo inspired us to begin the day by remembering the great testimony of Saint James, who gave his life for the love of Christ.

The Mass was presided by Father Gabriel Manarim Dalmolin, from the Parish of Our Lady of Fatima in Criciúma. In his homily, he highlighted two points: “The Gospel teaches that a disciple is one who identifies with the Lord, with his words. He is one who, more than following, seeks to identify with the Lord. He becomes so similar to Christ that he is capable of giving his life; he does not think only of himself, but also of the community.”

He also the priest said: “The General Chapter is the heart of a Congregation. In the General Chapter, we must sharpen our ears and everyone must speak. Prayer is fundamental for us to listen to the Holy Spirit, but also to listen to each other, with the aim of keeping the Charism alive without losing its originality, its essence, in a different world and context.”

In the chapter hall, as every day, there was a moment of sharing from the Conversation in the Spirit Groups, held previously, where prayer was highlighted as a nutrient that nourishes Consecrated Life.

2. STEPPING ON THE GRAPE

The day’s proceedings began with the reading of yesterday’s minutes, prepared by the Chapter Secretary, Sister Luciane Francisco. After minor corrections, the minutes were unanimously approved.

Then, the Committee 2 began presenting its theme: “The Benedictine Sister of Divine Providence lives the joy of fraternity – Inculturation.” The theme was presented through three subthemes: Charismatic identity in the dimension of fraternity; Conflicting situations: communitarian, generational, cultural; riches and challenges of initial intercultural formation; psychological weaknesses of sisters and candidates and risks to mental health.

The introduction to this presentation was made in the entrance hall of the Sacred Family Institute, which for this Chapter was named “Hall of Flags.” In prayer, we brought each sister from the different communities and countries where our Charism is present.

Then, Sister Maria Paola Magugliani and Sister Maria das Dores Paz spoke about Fraternal Life, Synodality and Aging, which are central issues in our daily lives and deserve special attention. After a historical memories, in which they invited us to contemplate some instruments of penance that our first sisters used to sanctify themselves, the duo concluded the presentation with the phrase: “Let us transform all our houses into living temples of God, the Provident Father”.

After the lunch break, we returned to the Chapter Hall, where Sister Gema Cojocariu spoke about community, generational and cultural conflicts, highlighting the Trinitarian dimension of our community life. She also made it clear that conflict has a positive dimension, helping us to grow individually and offering the opportunity to improve relationships with the sisters. Sr. Goreti de Lurdes Possamai and Sr. Sandra Regina Ribeiro Lustoza, who spoke about the richness and challenges of initial intercultural formation, presenting the third sub-theme. They mentioned the importance of moving from multiculturalism to interculturalism. We then had a group conversation about the topic presented.

After a delicious Brazilian coffee break, Sr. Clara Rosa Medeiros led a moment of relaxation and self-knowledge as part of the presentation of the sub-theme: psychological weaknesses of Sisters and candidates and risks to mental health. This topic was discussed in depth by Sr. Bárbara Cristina Brito, who warned us that we can live with people for many years without necessarily living in true fraternity.

Still in a spirit of deepening the topic, Sr. Bárbara discussed three weaknesses: in the human dimension, in the psychological dimension, and in the dimension of inculturation and interculturality.

Sr. Eliana Aparecida Fernandes concluded the presentation of the third commission by talking about CARE STRATEGIES TO AVOID GETTING SICK: limiting stress, practicing physical activities to help with emotional balance, celebrating community day, maintaining good sleep hygiene and balancing the use of technology.

Nova Veneza / Brazil, July 25^th, 2024.

Communication Team