Nice to Meet You

Today we feature our delegates from Brazil, particularly Sr. Norma Helene Santos who was born in Poté, Brazil.  She is a teacher and works in the area of education.  She is one of the founders of our mission in Venezuela and was there for ten years before she returned to Brazil where she is now a principal in one of our schools.  Sister is happy to be here at the Chapter and for her it is an interesting experience of friendship and internationality.  To you our followers she says “I wish you who are following us on the internet many blessings from God!”

Brazilian Delegates

 

What’s going on?

Today, we finished our discussions on the Revised Constitutions.  In the last four days, the Chapter Assembly reviewed the Revised Constitutions chapter by chapter. Comments and questions from sisters before the Chapter and from the floor were received and thoroughly discussed.  At the end of each day, the steering committee met to summarize the discussions in the sessions and came up with proposals that the Chapter Assembly then considered.  The process of reviewing the revised constitutions resulted to a deepening of the sisters’ understanding and appreciation of our rule of life.  We believe this deepening will in turn lead to a renewed and revitalized living of our charism and mission in the Church.
 

Looking back with us:

The General Chapter has always been a major spiritual event in the life of the Congregation.  Here is a short history of a General Chapter to give us some perspective into the value of this important event.

FOURTH GENERAL CHAPTER

Issoudun, 25-29 June, 1927

After a long exile the General Administration returned to France in November 1923; hence the fourth General Chapter could be held in Issoudun for the first time. Then M. Gertrude read out the Report of the General Administration. In her account she mentions her visit to Australia and the missions of New Guinea and New Britain. (from December 1921 to December 1922). She also mentions her visit to Alfenas (Brazil) in 1923. She speaks also about the foundation of the French and the Dutch Provinces, both in 1925; about the new mission in Congo, where meanwhile a second group of Belgium missionaries had gone already. At this stage the Congregation numbered already  465 professed sisters:

§  in Australia                                        161      37 of them in the missions

§  France/Belgium                                 185      67 in the missions

§  Netherlands                                       119      30 in the missions

  There were 80 postulants and novices in formation.

Moreover, new foundations had been made in every Province, so that Mother Gertrude, not without reason, finished with the exclamation:

“Don’t we have good  reason, dear Mothers, to be very grateful...?”

The General Chapters in the History of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart

Sr Immaculata van Wijngaarden 

In our Agenda

We are now ready to start the process of election of our Congregational Leader.  Tomorrow, the election process will be explained to us and the next day, Friday, will be election day.  Sisters, we all know that these are really important and sacred days for us, days when we listen to the Holy Spirit in a really attentive way. Please accompany us with your prayers. 
We will not have a post tomorrow. The next post will be on 25 Nov, soon after the election of the Superior General.