Congregation of Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
XXII General Chapter
Rome , November 22, 2007
Dear brothers,
A warm greeting from the commission charged with preparing the next general chapter. We met in Rome from November 19-22, 2007 and present you with our resulting reflections and proposals.
The XX General Chapter had as its theme: We the Congregation: in Service to the Mission , and the emphasis was put on We the Congregation ; the XXI General Chapter accentuated Mission , a topic given additional reflection at the General Conference in Warsaw . For the XXII General Chapter ( Rome , May 17-June 12, 2009), we wish to center on Christ ; He is the source of our fraternal life and it is He who invites us to take the message “elsewhere”….
The title we chose is:
“The Love of Christ impels us” (2Cor. 5:14)
As ardent lovers of Christ uniting us in brotherhood, we proclaim the gospel
The bible verse emphasizes our roots in the Word of God, particularly the experience of St. Paul , the great disciple and apostle; his center was the love of Christ which instills in every person and community those motives for action that enliven us and heal our wounds and take away our preoccupations.
In our congregation fraternal and apostolic life must begin in the fact that each of us rediscover the centeredness that Christ has, that we be “ardent lovers” of Christ, of his Heart, of his love.
The preparatory commission welcomed a request from the Major Superiors' Meeting (October, 2007) to involve every single member, whether from the Northern part of the world or from the growing and developing areas in the Southern and Eastern parts, in chapter preparations.
Method:
- To involve each person the commission foresees asking three personal questions that each religious is asked to personally reflect on and that can serve as the basis of dialog with a trusted other. The fruit of such work will bear upon the chapter preparations.
- A survey will be sent each community and each chapter / assembly so as to involve each member; responses should be sent to Rome , c/o of Preparatory Commission for the General Chapter by December 15, 2008 .
- Three questions shall be sent Major Superiors and their councils, based on their specific knowledge, about the hopes and problems for their specific contexts / geographic area; responses are due by December 15, 2008 .
An internet link will be set up on our web site: www.dehon.it that will provide space for articles, studies, and a forum .
The commission will prepare an Instrumentum Laboris that will be sent to each chapter delegate and participant.
We thank you for your collaboration in the common reflection we make and for the journey we will make toward our XXII General Chapter.
Preparatory Commission
Fr. Carlos da Cunha Sousa Lobo (MZ),
Fr. Giampietro Brunet (IS),
Fr. Heinrich Wilmer (GE),
Fr. Jesús Crescenciano García García (VEN),
Fr. Paulus Sugino (IN)
** Attachments:
Survey A (for individuals)
Survey B (for communities and chapters)
Survey C (for major superiors and their councils)
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