Rome, 14 September 2019
In Synodal Style…
Dear Sisters,
First of all, many thanks to each of you for you affectionate closeness, which we have felt through your numerous messages and the offering of your prayers, by means of which you are accompanying and supporting us.
Our General Chapter, on the theme “Arise, go on your journey (Dt. 10:11), trusting in the Promise,” opened with a Eucharistic Celebration in the subcrypt of the Queen of Apostles Sanctuary, Rome, presided over by Fr. Valdir José de Castro, Superior General of the Society of St. Paul. In addition to the 60 Chapter delegates–60 sisters (20 by right and 40 by election), representing 52 countries from all the world’s continents–were joined by many sisters from the various FSP communities in Rome and different members of the Pauline Family.
Afterward, at Ariccia, we immersed ourselves in silence, prayer and listening to the Word of God from 6-11 September by means of a retreat guided by Fr. Giacomo Perego, ssp, who used the Book of Ruth as the golden thread running through his conferences. Contemplating the action of God in our history, we felt more closely united to the people of God.
On Thursday, 12 September, Superior General Sr. Anna Maria Parenzan officially opened our 11th General Chapter, inviting us to live it according to the recommendation of Pope Francis: “in synodal style, aimed at walking together, fully involved in mutual listening and discernment, so as to make pastoral choices that respond to reality.”
Afterward, the Chapter’s Iter (Mode of Procedure) was presented, studied and approved by the assembly.
13 September opened with a Eucharistic Celebration presided over by Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. After breakfast, the Cardinal spent a brief time in dialogue and fraternal sharing with us, during which he invited us to joyfully live in a sisterly spirit, to offer everyone the witness of a credible life, and to recapture the beauty of the religious vocation by placing the Word of God at the center of our lives.
That same day, we elected the Officials who will guide our Chapter work:
| Secretary | Sr. Annunciata Bestetti (Italy) |
| Undersecretary | Sr. Gabriella Collesei (Italy) |
| Moderators | Sr. Anna Caiazza (Italy) Sr. Maria Leonora Wilson (USA-EsC) |
| Representatives of the Assembly | Sr. Godelieve Mastaki (Congo-Ivory Coast) Sr. Angela Grant (Great Britain) |
| Tellers | Sr. Oluwakemi Matilda Akinleye (West Africa) Sr. Mariangela Tassielli (Italy) |
The Central Commission–formed by the president, secretary, undersecretary, moderators and representatives of the assembly–will function as the Chapter’s directive team. In its first meeting, it made the following appointments:
| Editorial Team | Sr. Bruna Fregni (Italy) Sr. Stella León Ordóñez (Colombia-Ecuador) Sr. Teresita Park (Korea) |
| Information Team | per il sito internet: Sr. Mariangela Tassielli (Italia) per il bollettino: Sr. Julieta Stoffel (Southern America) Sr. Francesca Pratillo (Italy) |
| Team for reading the minutes | Sr. M. Antonieta Bruscato (Brazil) Sr. M. Francisca Matsuoka (Japan) Sr. Gisèle Lafontaine (Quebec, Canada) |
| Recreation Team | Sr. Sandra Maria Zuleta (Peru-Bolivia) Sr. Triphonia Kim (Korea) Sr. Lucia Macuacua (Southern Africa) |
We have finally entered the central phase of the Chapter, in which we will “contemplate” the Congregation’s journey from our 10th General Chapter up to today. This phase opened with the reports of the Superior General and the Bursar General. We will give you more information about this in another bulletin.
We send you our grateful and affectionate greetings, inviting you to follow us more closely on the page dedicated to our Chapter on the website: www.paoline.org.
Information Bulletin Team
Sr. Julieta Stoffel and Sr. Francesca Pratillo
