Moving to the "meat" of the chapter
Work on the Instrumentum Laboris
Fr. General introduced the chapter's next task by reviewing last week's work, "where we received a panoramic view of the congregation," he said. Now, the chapter will move toward discerning the congregation's direction for the next six years, as well as the leadership who will guide SCJs in that direction. "As you talk with one another, remember that the Lord speaks to us through our brothers," he continued. Individuals may or may not like a particular process of discernment, but regardless of the method there is always an opportunity "to listen for the Holy Spirit."
As they walked into the plenary room delegates randomly received a colored sheet of paper that indicated which group they would be in for their morning discussions. Each group had a facilitator. Facilitators were chosen from the delegates and trained for the process. With the process, the groups reflected on several questions about religious life, as well as the Dehon Study Center. Prior to the discussions, the first straw ballots were collected. During the small group meetings, these ballots would be counted.
Sharing the discussion
Back in plenary, the groups shared their discussions. In regards to religious life and community, there was a common call for SCJs to "put Christ at the center of our communities," said one delegate. Many communities struggle with individualism and the strong pull of consumerism. These take away from the call to community and sharing. Prayer -- individually and on the communal level -- needs to be reinvigorated. The same was said about spirituality. "For many of us, our spirituality is too superficial," said a delegate reporting for his group.
Too often, individuals let work and the other "busy-ness" of their daily lives consume them, taking them away from the pillars of religious life -- prayer and solidarity. It is easy to settle into a sense of mediocrity; a comfortable routine.
There was a call for more community sharing, days of reflection and other exercises to help the membership refocus on who they are as SCJ religious. Others suggested that common projects and ministries could be a way to revitalize SCJ communities. Also, there is a need to work on reconciliation -- it is a major part of SCJ spirituality; members need to better embrace it to live together more fully in community.
Several groups called for better use of the Dehon Study Center and for more extensive formation on the founder and SCJ spirituality; perhaps even a year-long course on the founder based in Rome
Many suggested that a more comprehensive biography of the founder be done, while others said that the congregation already has a lot of good materials on Fr. Dehon and his writings but that they need to be better utilized and in particular, be made available in more of the languages of the congregation. Also, there was a call to better integrate Fr. Dehon's spirituality in today's world. How does his charism address the concerns of today? How can the Dehonian identity be rediscovered in today's world?
Perhaps what is needed is not an enhanced Dehon Study Center, but instead, said a delegate, a center of animation for SCJ spirituality.
Initial staw ballots
Before breaking mid-day, delegates learned the results of the preliminary straw-ballot. The actual straw vote was taken in the afternoon. With the mind of the chapter more clearly defined, the canonical vote for general superior will take place on Wednesday.
Vietnam, Canada, Poland and Central Brazil
Throughout the chapter delegates will continue to hear brief reports on the various entities of the congregation. On Tuesday, there were four reports.
Speaking about Vietnam, Fr. Rino Venturin emphasized that the SCJs' presence in the country "is not a fishing expedition." The community did not go there simply to find more vocations.
There are currently three SCJs in Vietnam who teach English and "pre-screen" possible candidates for SCJ formation. Now, there are 15 students from Vietnam studying with the SCJs in the Philippines. Eight are professed and one is in novitiate. Having the Vietnamese students study in the Philippines has been a very positive experience both for the Vietnamese and for the Philippine students. The Vietnamese especially have benefited from the cross cultural experience. It is hoped that one day they will be able to return to their country to minister.
To demonstrate the bilingual and bi-cultural character of the Canadian Region, Fr. John van den Hengel used both French and English in his report. In 2010, Canada will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the congregation's first arrival in the country. Giving the history of SCJs in Canada, he noted how the congregation grew to two provinces (French Canada and Anglo Canada). However, numbers have diminished and In 2001, the two entities converged into one region. Today, there are 24 SCJs in Canada.
There have been significant but not insurmountable challenges in bringing the two Canadian entities together. However, it is a reflection of Canada itself, which is not only a bilingual and multi-cultural country, but one that also welcomes many immigrants each year. The region lives this reality in community and in ministry. It welcomes SCJs from around the world to live with, study in and minister to the region. A significant focus of the region is to immigrants.
Fr. Wieslaw Józef Swiech, with the Polish provincial superior, Fr. Tadeusz Michalek, shared information about the Polish Province. Currently there are 245 members of the province with an average age of 46. Thirty-five Poles serve in what would be considered Mission Ad Gentes and 65 are in various SCJ entities in Europe. "We live the congregation's motto of 'We the Congregation.'" said Fr. Wieslaw.
Poland has an extensive formation system and has professors in several universities. It also has parishes, social missions, a publishing house, youth work (a week-long youth gathering hosted by the SCJs attracts up to 700 young people), and spiritual activities (including retreats) for lay persons. The Polish Province has a significant lay Dehonian movement as well.
Attached to Poland are several districts and other dependent communities, including entities in Finland, Bylorussia, Moldavia, Ukraine and Slovenia. Each entity has its own unique challenges. In Finland, there are few Catholics. One diocese encompasses the entire country. Ministry there requires extensive travel. However, there is also a wonderful sense of ecumenism.
Fr. Paulo Hülse spoke of the Central Brazilian Province, which includes ministries in Maranhão. The Central Brazilian Province was founded in 2003 as a spin-off of the North Brazilian Province. Much of the province's focus is in parish ministry and formation. "Our greatest wealth is our membership," said Fr. Paulo, who noted that almost 60% of the province's budget goes toward formation. "But this is where our future is!" The province not only educates its own students but diocesan seminarians and the laity.
There are currently 214 members of the province and 10 novices. Outside of formation, ministry is parish-based primarily because of the needs of the church, especially in Maranhão. There is also a shelter for children and adolescents.
Central Brazil welcomes collaboration and has several SCJs from other entities now studying with it, and has sent its own men to other SCJ entities.
Regarding finances, Maranhão is working toward becoming more financially independent. It operated a candle-making factory, but for various reasons the factory had to close its doors. It is now looking at other possibilities, such as a small store for religious items.
Minutes
The last task of the day was the approval of the minutes from May 21 and 22.
NOTE: The majority of photos taken at the General Chapter will be posted at the congregational website,
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I'll be posting some of the photos I take at http://www.scjusa.smugmug.com To see them, click on the first gallery, or go directly to:
