NICE TO MEET YOU

Today we want to introduce Sr Margaret Bob to you.  She is from Manus, Papua New Guinea and has been in our Congregation for 27 years.  Sister is a member of the Provincial Council and this is her second mandate.  Since she is trained as a nurse, she is also working part-time with the government in the area of health.  As a nurse, she worked for many years in various parts of PNG.  This is the first time that she has participated in a General Chapter and is enjoying it.

Sr Margaret says “I hope that this blog will inspire many young people to hear God’s call to religious life and be challenged to follow that call as a Daughter of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart.”

PNG Delegates

WHAT’S GOING ON

Today we had enriching and interesting discussion on various items on our agenda.  This afternoon most of the delegates met together in their inter-continental groups and their sharing brought life to the members.

LOOKING BACK WITH US

Here below is the final article on the topic of previous General Chapters.

THIRTEENTH GENERAL CHAPTER

Rome, 2 August - 1 September 1981

In her opening address M. Gerarda set the tone for this Chapter:

“This is a unique occasion. We are gathered here from many different countries to carry out the important mission entrusted to us. For the first time in our history, we have been asked by the Church to revise our Constitutions in a major way… From the beginning we have realised that the aim of the Church was not merely to rewrite the text of our Constitutions, but to renew our lives according to our particular vocation in the Church.

The work on the first seven chapters of the Constitutions and Directory was finished by 21 August. The prepared text on Formation took the following two days and Authority and Government was the last Chapter to be discussed.

On Sunday 30 August, foundation day of our Congregation, M. Gerarda opened the ‘Year of Mother Marie Louise’ (100 years since her entrance), a year in which the Congregation would pay special attention to this courageous woman of faith, to whom it owes so much.

The important moment for the voting on the new texts of the Constitutions and Directory had now arrived. This was done chapter by chapter; for the Constitutions an absolute majority was required, and for the Directory a relative majority.

Mother Gerarda made a formal proposal:

“I propose to the Assembly that we abrogate our 1969 Constitutions by machine vote.”

After unanimous acceptation, she continued:

“I propose that we accept the new texts of the Constitutions, with the amendments.

This also was unanimously accepted. After singing the Magnificat and the Ametur the session closed. In the evening all the participants celebrated the birthday of the Congregation with a festive meal and then sat down in the garden in the cool of the evening, enjoying a program of singing and dancing performed by the various Provinces.

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

Sr Immaculata van Wijngaarden

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE CHAPTER

IN OUR AGENDA

Tomorrow our discussions will centre around Mission and Ministry and we will vote on the Revised Constitutions.  We hope that you will accompany us in your prayers.