General Chapter -- 11th English Report

The following is a summary of the activities of the 20th General Chapter on Thursday, May 29 Those reading these summaries are reminded that the chapter also maintains a web page at: http://www.scj.org

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Following morning prayer and approval of the minutes, the moderator (Fr. Adilson Colombi) spoke of the importance the chapter's work for Thursday and Friday. "We are at a decisive moment in the chapter," he said. "We are about to chose the priorities which will mark the character of the congregation in the future."

Yesterday, small workgroups took the reports from the linguistic groups on the four topics of discussion (mission, sharing/communion/collaboration, social commitment, and formation) and from them, developed a statement and several proposals for each. These were distributed to the delegates.

"We have many options before us now," said Fr. Bressanelli. "But we can't do everything. We need to take this time now to identify the options we should pursue... this is very important because the commitments we are making are on behalf of the whole congregation." And finally, he urged delegates not to be stuck on words but to look at the content or concept of the proposals.

Chapter members were to take the proposals and spend approximately 45 minutes on their own, reflecting on them in light of the previous work and discussions of the chapter. The delegates then gathered once again in their linguistic groups to try and find one proposal within each topic that they could support. Immediately after these discussions, the delegates returned to the meeting hall to hear the results of the linguistic meetings.

Back in the meeting hall, much frustration was voiced. While the work of the groups who compiled the proposals was appreciated and commended, delegates were concerned as to what criteria had been used to develop the proposals. The recommendations of some groups were incorporated but not all. Some felt that the nuances of the linguistic groups' work had been lost.

The moderator noted these concerns, but asked that chapter continue with the reports as planned.

The first topic was "The Mission and the Missions." The workgroup assigned to this topic had developed three proposals:
1) that the 20th General Chapter asks that animation tools be developed to allow each province/region to effectively incarnate reconciliation in its own context,
2) that the 20th General Chapter asks the General Council to consider internationality as a criterion in every new foundation, and
3) that the 20th General Chapter asks the General Council, in collaboration with the provinces concerned, to study the possibility of setting up new prophetic communities in a secularized world.

Although several groups wanted to enhance the proposal, the third one received the greatest endorsement. An equal number of delegates were split between the first and second proposal. Some thought that parts of each (1 and 2) could be united into one proposal. Others felt that the synthesis paper, which summarized the responses of the groups on all four issues, was a better representation of the mind of the chapter.

The Steering Committee noted the discomfort many had regarding the methodology for approving proposals and they did not want to push the delegates into decisions they were not ready to make. Before the first afternoon session was to begin, the committee met with the chairpersons of the linguistic groups to review the process being used.

When the delegates gathered for their first afternoon session the moderator shared the concerns raised in the meeting of the Steering Committee and linguistic group chairpersons. While they understood that the process has been difficult for some, much good work has been done. It was decided that the chapter would continue to hear the reports from the linguistic groups on the rest of the topics.

"Communion/Sharing/Collaboration" was the next topic discussed. Delegates considered three proposals regarding it:
1) that the members of the congregation should be able to speak two languages, one of which should be English,
2) that the coordination of the sharing of personnel and financial resources will be under the direction of the general administration,
3a) that it is necessary to broaden the scope of the General Aid Fund and there is no need to have a Solidarity Fund, and
3b) that there is a need for both the General Aid Fund and the Solidarity Fund.

Few groups reached consensus on just one topic. Many delegates were in support of the concept suggested by the second proposal but thought the wording should better reflect the idea of "communion of goods," and not simply coordination of resources. A few noted the importance of the first proposal, clarifying that the reason English was suggested was that it has been approved as the common language of the congregation. Those who supported one of the final proposals said that somehow the concept of a solidarity fund is good (whereby all provinces and regions contribute something) but there was little consensus as to whether a separate fund should be established, or if the guidelines of the General Aid Fund could be revised so that it could act like a solidarity fund.

The next topic was "Social Commitment," which had four proposals from its workgroup:
1) that the 20th General Chapter decide that the next General Conference shall be dedicated to the following topic: "The Economy and the Kingdom of God,"
2) that the 20th General Chapter decide to unify the commissions of Justice and Peace and Spirituality and the Apostolate. The members of this commission shall be chosen from among confreres competent in one of the two sectors. This will assure an integral vision of our charism,
3) that the 20th General Chapter require the General Administration to begin a program of on-going formation to deal with the topic "The Economy and the Kingdom of God." This program will be conducted during the legislative period of the next General Administration, and
4) that the 20th General Chapter call upon all the provinces and regions to promote the diffusion of social teaching of the Church in each domain of their apostolate.

None of the groups supported the second proposal. There was a concern that if these two commissions were to combine, the concerns of justice and peace would be secondary to spirituality and apostolates. Several were in favor of the third or fourth proposal, noting that the two could be combined. Others suggested that the first and third proposal be joined, noting that on-going formation on "The Economy and the Kingdom of God" could lead to a General Conference on the topic.

The final topic for discussion was "Formation," which had five proposals:
1) that the 20th General Chapter calls upon the next General Council to facilitate that the preparation for final vows be done according to geographic zones,
2) that the 20th General Chapter calls upon the next General Council to work out a program of international SCJ formation designed to prepare people for final vows and a program of on-going formation,
3) that the 20th General Chapter calls upon the next General Council to stimulate the provinces to organize courses of on-going formation at the province or interprovince levels,
4) that the 20th General Chapter calls upon the next General Council to arrange that Rome I becomes the international center for on-going formation, and
5) that the 20th General Chapter calls upon the next General Council to encourage provinces to arrange for the formation and exchange of formation directors and qualified professors.

Many groups were in favor of the second proposal but several qualified their response, noting that there should not be just one place for the implementation of a program, but several zonal programs, as suggested in the first proposal. Support was also voiced for the third proposal, with some stating that it could be combined with the fourth or the fifth.

Following the reports, comments were made on the methodology of the chapter. There are two mindsets at work. Some people want to leave the chapter with a declaration of principles, while others want these principles developed into concrete choices of action. Fr. Bressanelli recognized some delegates frustration with the proposals presented. "But when you try to synthesize many things, selections are made." What he hoped the chapter could do at this point was to find that which the delegates did agree on and refine it.

He suggested that the chapter accept the synthesis document as a part of the plan. This represented the work of the linguistic groups before the proposals were made. "This would not be the Global Plan itself, but more like the soul of the plan," he said. While many believed the synthesis needed refinement, by a show of hands the majority of delegates agreed that the synthesis, in principle and taking into consideration the recommendations of the assembly, could be a part of the Global Plan.

Fr. Bressanelli then told the delegates to look at the preambles that were given with each set of proposals. "Could these preambles be useful material in developing the Global Project?" he said. Again, he stressed that they were trying to seek agreement on the concepts presented and that the preambles would be used as a working instrument. By a show of hands the majority of the delegates approved this suggestion.

During the final session of the day, the linguistic groups were asked to take the work that had already been done and try to find common elements which they could agree upon. They were asked to then draft a concrete proposal for each of the four topics.

Fr. Bressanelli once again noted the difficulty of the process, but added that the development of proposals is necessary for the General Administration, which is asked to implement the desires of the chapter. If those desires are vague, the work of the administration is much more difficult. With concrete objectives, the administration can more accurately reflect the mind of the chapter, which speaks for the congregation as a whole.

Mary Gorski
mgiornal@scj.org
Rome, Italy