Fr. General and two councilors elected
As noted in an earlier e-mail today, Fr. José Ornelas Carvalho was elected to his second six-year term as superior general. "Thank you for your trust in me and your commitment to the congregation as we work together toward the future," said Fr. Ornelas after accepting the position of superior general. "May the Lord be with us as we journey ahead." Fr. Ornelas first professed vows with the congregation in 1972 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1981. He formerly served as provincial superior of Portugal.
Following Fr. General's re-election, the chapter moved into the election of the council. Fr. Paulus Sugino of the Indonesian Province was the first to be elected. Fr. Sugino was professed in 1979 and ordained in 1982. He has served in formation and in provincial leadership.
Fr. Claudio Dalla Zuanna was the next councilor elected. This will be his second term, having first been elected to the council in 2003. Originally from the North Italian Province, Fr. Claudio was a member of the Mozambique Province prior to his service in Rome. He was professed in 1978 and ordained in 1984.
Fraternal life and mission
As they did on Tuesday, delegates started the day in small groups in which languages and cultures were mixed. This morning the group discussions focused on ways in which to better involve the membership in the mission of the congregation. Or more accurately, what can be done to help more members embrace and take ownership of the mission of the Priests of the Sacred Heart -- both its works and its communal life based in the Eucharist?
Again, common themes quickly emerged from the small group reports shared in plenary. The members of the congregation need to first have clarity about what it means to be a Dehonian before the Dehonian charism can be shared with others. Community life, an emphasis on personal and communal prayer, sharing, and living in transparency are all parts of what it means to be SCJ. This SCJ spirituality must be taught from the earliest stages of formation and continually reinforced.
The internationality of the Priests of the Sacred Heart must be embraced by the membership, especially the young. Several small groups suggested that those in formation -- including formators -- be given cross cultural experiences as a part of their studies. At all stages of an SCJ's life he must be open to going "beyond his own mindset," keeping his heart and mind open to a wide variety of possibilities. Confreres must develop a missionary spirit; a willingness to be open to new cultures and new ideas.
The need for all members of the congregation to learn at least one other language than their mother tongue was also stressed.
As had been mentioned in discussions last week, a common project could help to better build a sense of community. The need for enhanced communication -- both internal and external -- was noted. How can there be a better exchange of information between the entities? How can the internet be better utilized for communication? One group suggested that electronic presentations on each area be developed and shared with others on a regular basis.
Emphasis should be placed on working with youth, which could involve being present in education (especially on the university level) and in non-academic youth programs. There is also a need to focus on social ministry and issues of justice and peace, as well as the issues of immigrants in this increasingly globalized world.
There was an openness in some groups to extending the congregation's mission to China and Paraguay while others suggested a renewed focus on Europe where secularism has taken hold in many areas. Instead of "giving up" on Europe one group said that the SCJs should focus on re-evangelizing the continent.
After the groups reported, there was time for individual reflections on the morning's discussions. One delegate noted that much of what is being suggested isn't new. In previous chapters and other international gatherings the need for SCJs to know more than one language has been repeatedly emphasized. Perhaps this time, instead of simply naming something of importance that needs to be done the chapter should work on finding ways to implement these concerns. How is the congregation going to move from simply urging its members to learn a second language to actually ensuring that it is done? And this -- language skills -- was just one example of repeated themes or concerns.
However, another delegate said that while learning a second language is always beneficial this is not at the heart of the congregation's concerns. Repeatedly, it is community life that comes up as a significant issue. How can SCJs live a more Dehonian reality? How can they be better religious brothers to each other? "Language skills are important, but our more significant concerns about religious life are based in communities where a shared language is spoken."
Entity reports
Throughout the chapter delegates will continue to hear brief reports on the various entities of the congregation. On Wednesday, the assembly heard from the United States Province. Fr. Tom Cassidy, provincial superior, spoke about the three "corporate works" of the province: Sacred Heart School of Theology (where many members of the congregation have taken part in ESL), Sacred Heart Southern Missions (which focuses on parochial, educational and social work in the nine northern counties of Mississippi) and St. Joseph's Indian School in South Dakota (a school for at-risk Native American children).
He shared several of the province's collaborative efforts, including financial commitment to the Asian missions, the sending of personnel to other entities (such as India and South Africa), ESL, and a cultural exchange program with St. Joseph's sister school in Handrup, Germany. Fr. Cassidy also noted that the Indonesian Province will soon be sharing personnel with the United States. Fr. Christianus Yoseph Hendrik will be joining SCJs in ministry in South Dakota and it is hoped that in the future other Indonesians may join him.
Fr. Cassidy said that the U.S. Province has challenges -- in particular, an aging membership that is declining in number -- but also much hope for the future.
Synthesis Committee
A committee is working together to bring synthesis to the work of the chapter, helping delegates identify themes and determine what further work needs to be done to better address them.
At the last chapter, three central themes emerged: community, spirituality and mission. These themes have been carried into the 2009 chapter. However, now the focus is on how each theme is interconnected with the love of Christ. This is the core from which the congregation can live and act.
The committee prepared a list of specific issues that they identified from plenary discussions and reports. Work will continue on better refining these themes.
