Synthesis Provincial Reports for Plenary Council

March, 2009

Charism

  1. Preoccupations
  • Jewish Christian relations, dialogue is of the essence of our charism, foster interfaith dialogue
  • Our charism is needed more than ever today
  • Challenge and necessity of living the charism in Israel because of political situation, where do we stand in the Israeli Palestinian conflict (Do we have a voice?), we must dare to love the Jewish people
  • Sion should have a voice internationally and be heard in moments of crisis
  • Contact with younger persons – vocation work
  • Official church’s seeming retrogressive movement in relation to Vat II, and its effect on Jewish Christian and interfaith relations
  • Living commitment to biblical justice, peace building, reconciliation
  • Human mobility screams for our attention; human trafficking especially women (UNANIMA)
  • Understand the development of prejudice towards certain groups in society,
  • Visibility of the congregation in Jerusalem is diminishing
  • Environmental situation seen as an assault on nature
  • Continual renewal of the charism based on our constitutions
  • Our articulation of the charism needs to be continually updated, concretized where we are, living the charism in whatever we do
  • Finding ways to articulate the charism more simply for parishes, young people – some find it too “intellectual”, use modern communication media
  • Finding ways to ensure a future for the Biblical Programs in Jerusalem
  • On-going formation of all sisters in the charism, especially younger members
  • Specialized formation of more younger members, associates/friends in scripture, Jewish studies, JC relations; continue certain key ministries or open others
  • Forming lay people who will be “multipliers”, e.g. teachers in our schools, catechists
  • New spiritualization theology emerging and effect on understanding Jesus in his Jewish milieu, new Christology needed in touch with understandings of scripture, JC relations, Jewish self understanding
  • More local involvement with parishes, pastors, Jewish groups
  • Cultivating a mutuality with friends/associates
  • Development of basic materials on the charism in: scripture, catechetics, films, internet sites
  • Create a team (sisters, brothers) to build formation programs for groups and different levels
  1. New ministries
  • Contact with younger persons, students – vocation work – how to present the charism, making it attractive to the young, making ourselves known, using internet (general and provincial sites kept updated), apostolic/contemplative/brothers as a group participate in local and international gatherings for the young, offer retreats to those seeking
  • JC team
  • Public corporate witness of charism in modern communication media, all of us need to be well formed and informed to respond in public or private
  • Formation to the charism of associates/friends, lay people in our schools, etc.
  • International novitiate
  • Sunday lectionary commentaries
  • Interfaith ministries
  1. Ministries: challenge? Change or adjust?
  • Give priority to ministries that express our charism: biblical formation, dialogue (JC and inter-religious), Jewish studies, ecumenism, Hebrew language, work of justice from perspective of charism
  • Importance of Biblical programs in Jerusalem
  • Need for skills to work in peacemaking, reconciliation
  1. Formation of younger members and associates/friends in the charism
  • This must be an on-going concern: all provinces have made this a priority, some still looking for ways to do more
  • Importance of study time in Israel
  • Importance of knowing second language
  1. Collaboration
  • Work more with brothers, associates in our Jerusalem houses
  • International exchanges
  • Discovering other groups working in similar areas, collaborate with them, creating networks
  • Improve collaborative, communication skills among us
  • UNANIMA: how can we collaborate more with other congregations/groups involved in this type of work

Reconfiguration

  1. Links with contemplative sisters
  • Use all occasions of sharing among us
  • Retreats: individual, groups, directed by a contemplative for the apostolic sisters or vice versa
  • Vocation work together
  • Theodore suggested the possibility of apostolic sisters having time to be renewed with contemplatives or a contemplative needing a time more apostolic…
  • Sharing themes of reflection, scripture sharing
  • Affirmation of meetings like ConnecSion
  • In Jerusalemthere are closer ties and apostolic commitments between brothers and sisters, apostolic and contemplative
  • Brazil: while respecting principles of contemplative life, that they become integral part of province, participate in meetings
  • Provinces that do not have contemplatives value the links that are created at international meetings or when sisters are in Jerusalem
  1. Renewal of community life
  • Challenges: accountability, decision-making, sharing of life
  • Question of isolation of sisters not in community groupings
  • Study of community life at Sion: how is it linked to and expressive of the charism?
  • Community life as priority, importance of taking seriously formulating the Project of life
  • All provinces feel they have too few communities able to receive younger members or those searching
  • Deep sharings around the Word, some by correspondence, studying/sharing the Word has united the province, personally and communally nourishing, opened horizons, united them with other ecclesial groups
  • Communities formed by common apostolic involvements; possibility of forming communities with sisters, lay members, volunteers
  • Our communities should be “open” according to their individual realities, sometimes associates/friends/volunteers living in, or who share moments like Entry into Sunday/retreats/feast days/bible study.
  • Kinds of communities: sisters living in community groups, sisters living individually meeting regularly as community, sisters living singly long distances from others. This presents challenges for receiving new members.
  • Openness and respect for cultural differences among us and in our world

Strengthening local groupings: There is not yet enough experience in the provinces on this point. The topic will be dealt with in the discussion on reconfiguration.

  1. Regrouping
  • Med > Europe, UkIre, Romania, Med
  • Europe > Europe, UkIre, Romania, Med
  • UKIre > No consensus, need more clarity, not necessarily geographical reconfig: int’l gatherings
  • CA > Brazil (Difficulty of language and cultural differences, awareness that we must do something
  • AustPhil > no consensus – 2 groups out of 3 suggested not joining with another province
  • Brazil> interchange between provinces to strengthen personnel, break down barriers; General Team of 6, one for each of: general, formation, charism, education, popular catechesis, elderly; similar team for each zone according to local priorities, one person being regional leader.
  • CanUS no consensus – struggle to imagine reconfiguration because of distances, costs, language, culture. How can reconfiguration avoid 3 levels of government and the difficulty of finding leaders? Other alternatives: reconfiguration according to themes: formation, finances, schools…
  • Suggestion: Election of Superior General and 3 representatives from 3 zones of congregation; GLT spend half time in their zones and half time in Rome
  • How to take into consideration the minority groups within the congregation and give expression to the richness that is inherent in these groups
  1. Jerusalem
  • Jerusalem is at the heart of our identity, a sign of God’s faithful love for his people and for humanity: we must continue to drink from her wisdom and her spirituality, unique place of formation for us and others in Scripture and Judaism; possibility of becoming involved in works of peace-making and reconciliation
  • We must make an effort to remain always in Jerusalem
  • The more difficult the situation the more important for Sion to be there,
  • Possibility of associates/friends spending periods of time as volunteers while doing some formation to charism
  • Have one stage of formation in Jerusalem for younger members
  • Possibility of some members of GLT living in Jerusalem, or alternating their presence between Rome and Jerusalem
  • Jerusalem should be linked directly to GLT – (1 province); Jerusalem should remain linked to a zone– (2 provinces) , but institutions remain under GLT
  • Develop volunteer programs for young people as “being sent”, include formation aspect as part of their experience
  • In Jerusalem, try to put younger sisters and students in touch with broader realities and movements that exist in Israel: Hebrew speaking parish, Neve Shalom, inter-religious dialogue activities
  • An on-going commitment of every province to have one sister serve in Jerusalem, could be part time ministry and part time study
  1. Associates/Friends
  • Their presence/participation on provincial and community levels give us fresh way of looking at ourselves and our future
  • We have grown from our relationships and collaboration with them, we have lost our fear, we are growing in praying/studying/ministries/relaxing together
  • Concern for on-going formation of associates/friends
  • One province has experience of associates/friends on provincial leadership
  • Associates/friends should be included in the concept of strengthening local leadership
  • Clear objectives for associates/friends when they participate in provincial meetings
  • Other forms of belonging to the family of Sion: teachers in our schools, former pupils, friends, families, Christian mothers, former sisters of Sion
  • Not sure how associates/friends can be part of reconfiguration process
  1. Other suggestions
  • More frequent Plenary councils (1 province)
  • More international meetings (2 provinces)
  • Concern for the elderly: could lay person be coordinator of community?
  • International teams become vital in life of congregation: IFT, Associates, JC, Formation
  • Plenary composed of GLT and zone reps – initially reps from current provinces

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