Dearest
Sisters,
from
the beginning of our arrival, we thank the Lord for allowing us to meet in Rome
to celebrate the General Chapter in person.
On
the first day of the Chapter, in silence, under the guidance of the
facilitator, Fr. Francisco, we reconsidered our existential reality: Who am
I? Who are we? Am I interiorly free? Has our charism remained alive through us?
The
General Chapter was opened during Holy Mass; invoking the Holy Spirit, we
began our journey, having in mind the disciples of Emmaus and the theme
chosen for this Chapter. We walked from the chapel to the chapter room with our
hearts open, knowing that this is our goal, our desire: to have burning
hearts, and recognize the Lord during the sharing and searching for the
right way.
In
the first two days, we looked at the past by analyzing reports from the
jurisdictions and examined what we were able with God's help to do well and
what remains as a challenge to improve in the future.
Then,
as we walked forward, we shared our desire for renewal at personal,
community, and apostolate level. In the "two by two" sharing dynamic,
we experienced the sentiments of the disciples of Emmaus and recalled the
Lord's promise: For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with
them. For this reason, we also believe that the Lord was present during the
work in the small groups and the sharing in the plenary group.
In
the following days, the sharing continued during the explanations and
discussions on the new models of government;
On
the same day, we devoted time to presentations and explanations of the proposals
sent to the Chapter.
At
the beginning of the new week, we voted on the proposals. We
believe that the voting results showed the action of the Holy Spirit.
Like
the disciples of Emmaus who returned with joy and a new message to their
companions, we would like to return to our Sisters and bring them Good News.
The content of the Message for the
Sisters is not only a wonderful work of the Writing Committee, but the outcome
of our search and feel that it was created under the Holy Spirit’s guidance. I
think that now we can return to the Sisters with joy and witness, that the
Spirit can keep our hearts burning and our charism alive when we walk together
and give our free response to His guidance.
Dear
Sisters, I proclaim the General Chapter of Affairs concluded.
Sister Květa Vinklárková, OSF