4thFebruary 2012
The wind blows where it pleases...
Jn3:8
…3 years on
1. Introduction
We are gathered here in Pune, India for the Enlarged General Council with thirty-two newly elected provincials and sixteen provincials who are continuing for a second mandate.
Blessings of peace to each one of you, and to your sisters in the provinces!
This is an historic moment, as it is the first time in the history of the Institute to have an Enlarged General Council meeting in India, a country so dear to the heart of Blessed Mary of the Passion, and for that matter the first time anywhere outside of Rome in 135 years. We are extremely grateful for the generosity and service of many of our Indian sisters, who have worked so hard to make this meeting a reality, especially the past and present provincials.
The most important motivating factor for this decision was financial.When this current General Council took the responsibility of the leadership of the Institute in October 2008, the world was facing its worst global economic crisis in decades. No one knew what the years would bring, and yet in the midst of this crisis, we had to make decisions about planning for meetings, in line with our responsibility towards the Sharing Fund. Somewhere outside of Europe where our costs could be minimized, seemed to be the way forward, and as the Chapter had asked us to return to our Franciscan sources, we also thought we could return to the country where the Institute began, and saw this as a sign of the Spirit’s leading.
2. Theme of EGC
The theme Embracing change: with Francis and Mary of the Passion, towards freedom of heart and hope for our world.
2.1 We all know that we are in a world that is rapidly changing, in every aspect of our lives, in society, in the Institute and in the Church; some would say that the only thing that is permanent is change! Change can be seen as crisis or opportunity. Our faith calls us to risk, to live our lives like the seasons of time, each season making way for another and always for new life, a continuing paschal mystery. Our Creator God has been caring for the Universe for 13.7 billion years, it is the same Spirit that has been poured upon us, that we hold within, that moves through all life and creation, in unending change and newness. Can we dare to embrace this continuing flow of change, with naked trust, even when we do not understand its reasoning,yet sure of the God who calls us forth?
2.2 Francis and Mary of Passion were two people of faith who went with the unfolding of their own life’s events, responding as best they could to the circumstances that confronted them, in a spirit of trust and faithfulness to the God that they were convinced was the foundation of their lives. We all know their stories, of the situations they faced, in the Church and in their own communities. Yet there was always Someone more important to whom they surrendered themselves, letting the Spirit carry out the Father’s work in them, as did Mary our sister in faith.[1] They are companions on our journey.
2.3 The reflection of the General Council with regards to this theme,in its aspects of freedom and hope which are so intricately linked, can be expressed in the following quote from the recently released document in preparation for the 2012 Synod on New Evangelization:
“…Humanity needs hope to live in these present times. The content of this hope is “God, who has a human face and who ‘has loved us to the end’…May it mean for us- as it did for John the Baptist for Peter and Paul and for the apostles and for a multitude of splendid evangelizers all through the Church’s history- an interior enthusiasm that nobody and nothing can quench. May it be the great joy of our lives. And may the world of our time which is searching, sometimes with anguish, sometimes with hope, be enabled to receive the Good News not from evangelizers who are dejected, discouraged, impatient or anxious, but from ministers of the Gospel whose lives glow with fervor, who have received the joy of Christ…[2]
3. Since the General Chapter 2008 (GC08)
3.1 Our Context
3.1.1 In these few recent years we have witnessed on our planet, tumultuous events that have affected the lives of millions of our sisters and brothers: the major ecological crises of floods and droughts, earthquakes and threats of nuclear contamination; the continuing human disasters of famine and war; the significant changes in government in North Africa, as a result of the people’s struggle for freedom and democracy; the global economic crisis and its record high levels of unemployment; the financial fragility of the European Union that has brought the downfall of governments, needing the collaboration of others in an attempt to maintain stability.
3.1.2 Also in these three short years, the Vatican has suffered its greatest shock and humiliation, when the darkness and horror of the clergy sex abuse scandalsthat have plagued the Church in other parts of the world for more than twenty years, were revealed in Europe. This only added to the growing lack of credibility in the Church, as an institution to sustain the spiritual and pastoral needs of people and has resulted in many, many thousands of people actively distancing themselves from the Church. The actionsof Pope Benedict XVI in making public apologies to victims, admitting that the Church has its own sin,implementing guidelines and prevention measures, and saying that there is a need for purification, means that the officialChurch is also being called to live the ‘kenosis of Christ’ in concrete ways.
3.1.3 Even Women’s Religious Life witnessed a totally unexpected and unprecedented event in early 2009, when the former Prefect of CICLSAL[3] announced a formal Vatican Visitation into the quality of life of women religious in the USA. The FMM were obliged to participate in this process. This was followed soon after by the announcement of anInvestigation, this time by the Congregation of Doctrine and Faith, into one of the USA branches of the Conference ofwomen leaders of religious institutes. The International Union of Superiors General (UISG) Rome was shocked by these events and publicly supported their sisters in the USA. Fortunately, at the end of 2010 there was a change of leadership in CICLSAL, one which encourages openness,dialogue and communion.
3.1.4 Yet, as a response to the USA Visitation, the UISG organized a Theological Seminar in Rome in February 2011 to reflect on religious life in the context of today, entitled: ‘Identity and Significance of Apostolic Consecrated Life’. I was privileged to be invited to attend this gathering of an international representation of women and men congregational leaders and theologians. In spite of the shock and hurt caused by the Visitation it has called many of us to reflect upon and articulate the essentials of our consecrated life for the world. Hopefully these reflections are continuing.
3.1.5 As a consequence, we can see that our world, our Church, our context of presence and mission cannot continue on any level with their former securities. In the midst of it all, we are called to find our strength,by living from the convictions that spring from the depths of our personal relationship with the indwelling Spirit, the God who calls us forth to live our mission in freedom, hope and love.
3.2 Our Institute
3.2.1 With the call of the GC08 to return to our Franciscan sources, we have seen many provinces that have made great efforts to respond, by focusing on our Franciscan identity, in retreat themes, chapters, sessions and formation programmes. We could say that there is a real desire in the Institute to develop this aspect of our charism, not just as aresponse to a Chapter orientation, but as a genuine search to understand more deeply this spirituality that is so relevant for today.
3.2.2 In 2009, the General Council invited the whole Institute to be involved in deepening three themes that emerged so strongly from the last Chapter. For the year 2010 it was The Humility of God, then in 2011 Reconciliation and now for this year it will be Solidarity. The offer of possible study materials from the General Council, on the theme of Solidarity, will be given to you before the end of the EGC. The responses that we have heard from the provinces have been quite varied, with some provinces making great efforts to develop their own materials and include them in personal and community reflections, sessions and retreats, whereas others made very little or practically no effort, depending on the theme.
3.2.3 On 22 October 2011, we saw the unification of the two provinces of Brazil North and Brazil South to the one province of Brazil. This process started many years ago, but concluded with a great sense of collaboration, engendering optimism and hope for the future. Our special thanks to the three provincials concerned. We can say that there are also other provinces in the Institute who are seriously reflecting on possible future configurations. These efforts need to be encouraged, as well as reflections undertaken, with the involvement of as many sisters as possible in the province. Where it is available, the help of an external advisor can be very beneficial. We would also see that some provinces would need to engage in an internal re-structuring before focusing on a possible external re-structuring. There are a number of provinces that have already taken this as their priority. The Vatican is very flexible with regards to the shapes of re-configuration, as it concerns many congregations, especially those much smaller than our Institute. So we can approach this with a certain sense of creativity.
3.2.4 In nearly three years, from Jan 2009- Oct 2011, the number of sisters decreased by approximately 360, to a total of 6603 sisters. This trend will continue for a significant number of years. Therefore, we cannot ignore the fact that in many areas of our life and mission we have no choice but to change, and that change which comes as a result of planning, is preferable to change forced upon us by crisis.
4. Formation for Mission
We are aware that there is a different focus of formation required today, in order to assist the young people to respond to the call of religious life and its mission of living Gospel relationships in our fast-changing world. A call that cannot necessarily rely on the support of past structures, but must be founded on a conviction that the Spirit Within is shaping us through experience and transforming us into the image and likeness of God. Hence,the importance of basing such a formation on awareness of self, reconciliation with the events of our own unique life’s journey, as well as our capacity to grow, change and be transformed in inner freedom by the experiences that come our way.
4.1 Institute Formation project
4.1.1 In addition, the GC08 recognized a need for a more integrated formation, when it stated: ‘We recognize the space existing between what we are called to be and what we often are; we are searching for ways to close this gap.’[4] So in response to this, the General Council decided to modify our usual practice in the Institute of havingan international meeting of Novice Mistresses in Rome between Chapters. Instead, it was felt that there was a need for a much wider participation in any such gathering, namely that of entire Province Formation Teams, so that there would be a common focus and understanding of formation, within the different provinces and across the Institute. The idea of having regional sessions, with a common language, seemed the best way to transmit this new understanding of formation based on personal experience.
4.1.2 Twelve regional sessions have been planned for 2011-2012. Six sessions have been held so far: in Korea, Ghana, India Bangalore, Morocco, Congo Lubumbashi and Sri Lanka. There are six more sessions to be held this coming year: in the Philippines, Poland, Mexico, USA, Burkina Faso and Colombia. So far in 2011, more than one hundred sisters have participated in these sessions, with an approximate similar number foreseen for 2012.
4.1.3 The General Council is deeply grateful tothe three core team members and the eleven sisters who joined them to be part of the different facilitating teams in the regions. Also to the provinces that released the sisters for project planning meetings and regional sessions, or hosted sessions in their provinces. The evaluations of the sessions thus far have been very positive. We would foresee that in the future, it would be good to have a meeting with those sisters involved in the facilitation of these sessions,in order to assist the General Council toreflect onfuture animation of formation in the Institute.
4.2 Province Collaboration in Initial Formation
4.2.1 Since the General Chapter we have seen a growing collaboration among provinces in the area of common novitiates. The recently established common novitiate in Ecuador, for three of the provinces of Latin America, now includes the participation of nearly all of the Latin American provinces. Also, there is now a common novitiate for North America in Canada. In addition an Asian Formation Centre has been established for Chinese-speaking novices in the Philippines, a project of the Province of China, Hong Kong, Macau, in collaboration with Taiwan.
4.2.2 The need has also been realized in Africa, where at the end of 2010, there were 10 official novitiates for 29 novices. So, the three French speaking provinces of the Congo will start their common novitiate in Kinshasa this year. The three English speaking provinces of Africa plan to start next year in South Africa. And the provinces of Europe have already had several meetings reflecting on their future directions in this area of initial formation.
4.3 Concerning Discernment for Admission to Vows
4.3.1 For a number of years now, there have been annual sessions for Young Religious just before making Final Vows: in India, with the participation of other Asian provinces and in French speaking Africa, with the participation ofthe Middle East province. Recently a programme was started in Mexico for the provinces of Latin America. There has been a slight change in focus for these sessions. They are now considered by the General Council as a further level ofdiscernment, in addition to the levels of the community and of the provincialcouncil. Hence, the request by the young sister for Admission for Final Vows is now considered by the General Council, after the session, which is in contrast to the previous practice ofapproving their Admissionbeforeparticipating in the session.
4.3.2 On the subject of Vows, the advice that we have received from the Vatican CICLSAL is that, if there are some doubts about novices or young religious, it is better for them to be helped to leave for a while, as there is provision in the Code of Canon Law 690 that allows for them to return again, if we consider that the experience away has been helpful for their growth.
4.3.3 In the case of requests for Admission to Final Vows in the Institute, where the General Council has doubts about the capacity of the young sister, the decision is made for either Non-Admission, or in certain cases, a prolongation of Temporary Vows with serious accompaniment. In our experience, for the majority of sisters who request Dispensation from Final Vows, already doubts about her vocation had been documented during the initial formation period. In the past three years Nov. 2008 to Nov. 2011, at the request of the General Council, the Vatican has grantedDispensations from Final Vows to 36FMMfrom 21 provinces, with two-thirds of that number being between the ages of 33 and 50 years. The new Prefect of CICLSAL recently said:” Nearly every day I sign between 10 to 15 departures from convents and monasteries.”[5] He considers this to be the result of women and men who have not found their place in religious life.
4.3.4 We are not just looking for numbers in vocations, but for young women who with guidance and formation have the capacity to grow and change, to develop internal strengths to live in a changing world, to be fully members of the Institute. We often say that young people today are so fragile and wounded from a lot of instability in earlier life. Yet inner fragility is not an obstacle as such, in fact it can be an asset, as the Spirit of God is most at work in our vulnerability and weakness, as St. Paul tells us.[6]
4.3.5 We are all called to grow in the image and likeness of God, and be able to witness to that relationship. Mission now is in the quality of our relationship with the other, from a place of minority, not on how much service I can render another. The question is, are the blocks and defenses so great, that the person is incapable, even with help, of being able to grow and change? This is awhole new way of looking at formation and discernment of vocation, but it is what the Spirit is doing in our world.