General Chapter -- 17th English Report

The following is a summary of the activities of the 20th General Chapter on Thursday, June 5. Those reading these summaries are reminded that the chapter maintains a web page at: http://www.scj.org

Also, since this is the first time that the congregation has used the internet for communication on a General Chapter, the administration welcomes comments and opinions on both the e-mail reports and the web page. These comments should be sent to Fr. Tom Cassidy at: tomc@scj.org

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The Finnish Region led the chapter in morning prayer before the minutes of Wednesday's sessions were read and approved. Fr. Bressanelli then took the floor to welcome Fr. Ryszard Mís, who had arrived the night before. Fr. Mís had been the fourth councilor elected and Fr. General asked him if he would accept and serve on the council. He said yes and expressed his gratitude to the members of the chapter for the confidence they showed in him. As a general councilor, Fr. Mís becomes a member of the chapter.

In its last full day of work, the chapter had several motions and proposals to review. The first concerned "Sharing and Communion." The Steering Committee wrote a proposal, taking into account what had been said in small groups and in plenary sessions regarding this topic. The moderator noted that the proposal was in draft form, but that the Steering Committee hoped that the delegates could vote on its content. The proposal read as follows:

"The 20th General Chapter entrusts the superior general and his council with studying how to bring about in the congregation the sharing of goods and solidarity, involving the provinces in 1) planning the development of the congregation and its works, and 2) in finding the means to bring this about.

"Concrete proposals will be presented and discussed at the next meeting of provincial superiors. The proposals which are considered best to promote the sharing of goods and solidarity will be adopted and promulgated ad experimentum until the next General Chapter. Until these new guidelines can be worked out and put into action, the 20th General Chapter reconfirms the guidelines followed until now (General Aid Fund)."

In discussing the proposal, some delegates thought that it was not specific enough. In response, Fr. Emilio Ciarrocchi, general treasurer, agreed that a more concrete proposal would give the general administration better direction. However, much study needs to be done on this and he did not feel that the chapter had the time to do such study. "We are not voting on nothing," he said. "This will be studied by the superior general and his council and they will call in the necessary experts... there is just too much research that needs to be done before decisions on this can be made."

One delegate asked if this proposal was to replace the motion submitted by the Spanish Province. While that was the intention of the Steering Committee, it was decided that both proposals would be voted on. The Spanish motion read as follows:

"We propose that, in view of the past practice of the General Aid Fund, we make it more responsive with a system of assistance based on an apportionment from the provinces, keeping in mind the annual balance sheet and having each contribute with a percentage. The percentage to be given by each province should be determined by the General Council in such fashion as to satisfy requests for help that come to them."

By electronic ballot, the chapter voted to accept the motion. Following that, they voted on the proposal prepared by the Steering Committee. This also received approval by electronic ballot. The intentions of both will be addressed by the general administration.

SMALL GROUP REPORTS

The assembly then heard the reports of the small groups' discussions on "Social Commitment." Delegates in geographic groups were asked to make concrete proposals regarding this topic (as well as the three other major themes). Proposals included: 1) having the general administration organize courses for formators regarding the spirituality and mission of the congregation, 2) developing a program for on-going formation at Roma I, 3) establishing final vow preparation programs that would incorporate the international nature of the congregation, and 4) reviewing the Ratio Formationis in light of the Global Plan. As with all the topics discussed, the written reports of the small groups will be a part of the chapter documents so that their comments and proposals can be preserved.

Following reports on Social Commitment, the chapter heard comments from the small groups regarding the synthesis report on the Dehonian Family. It was evident that there are many opinions regarding lay Dehonians and/or the idea of a Dehonian Family. Most believe that the congregation needs to be open this development but that SCJs need to proceed slowly. While a second international meeting of lay Dehonians has been suggested (initially, this was to have taken place last year but was postponed because of the reconstruction of Roma I), there are those who believe that such a gathering is premature. Yet, there were many other strong opinions in favor of it. "I think the lay Dehonians would be very disappointed if we postponed the meeting," said a delegate, adding that in their own small group meeting, the lay Dehonians had requested such a gathering. And it is at this gathering that representatives of the congregation would be asked to attend as members of the Dehonian family, "not simply as chaplains to the group, but as a voice to be heard."

Delegates refocused their discussion to the synthesis sheet itself, which was a reflection of the small groups' discussions. Could the chapter vote to accept this document as a synthesis of their thoughts on this topic? By electronic ballot, the chapter voted to approve the synthesis document.

Regarding the financial statements of the curia and the provinces, the delegates voted on a proposal which had been suggested by the General Finance Committee and discussed by the chapter. It asked to substitute the following text for the second paragraph of No. 53 of the Rules of the Chapter to:

"Before the General Chapter, the general administration shall name a committee of experts to examine the financial statements of the provinces and the Curia. This committee shall prepare an evaluation report for the General Chapter."

The delegates approved the proposal by electronic ballot.

Discussion then turned to the rules of the chapter as a whole. The general secretary noted that several minor changes need to be made, and asked that the following proposal be approved: "The General Chapter approves the present Rule, confiding the general secretary with the task of incorporating any eventual corrections and improvements suggested by the chapter members."

The chapter voted by electronic ballot to approve the proposal, but before doing so commented on the election process. Several thought that it was too rushed and that time should have been taken to discuss the possible council "candidates" in plenary, "not just in the halls," said a delegate. There was frustration in that the chapter had decided to expand the council to six members but had not decided how the role of those councilors would change, if at all. Some looked at the election in geographic and cultural terms -- hoping that each councilor would come from a particular region. Yet others noted that this means of election was never stated.

Fr. Bressanelli agreed that the election was difficult, as has been the case in some previous chapters. He hoped the Preparatory Committee and Steering Committee of the next chapter will examine this in their preparations.

The general secretary then discussed two proposals left from the previous chapter. First was one regarding the development of a study center for the spreading of the social doctrine of the church. Because other discussions had already addressed this, the chapter voted to drop this motion. The second was a motion regarding culture. It called the general administration to " 1) develop a policy regarding culture, 2) sensitize our confreres to contemporary culture, 3) ensure that our formation is open to the human and social sciences, 4) maintain and develop further centers for reflection, study and social communications, and 5) invite the provinces to prepare persons with specific qualifications." The motion was approved by the chapter.

AN APOSTOLIC PLAN FOR THE CONGREGATION

In the first session of the afternoon, small groups meet to discuss a document developed by Frs. Konrad Flatau, Luigi Mostarda and Paul Hülse. It was an attempt to articulate the essence of the "Global Plan," or as they titled it, the "Apostolic Plan."

Back in plenary, the small groups voiced their appreciation for the work of the committee and a general support of the document. The greatest concern, said most, was how the work of the chapter would be shared on the local level. Those who have been at the chapter have been a part of the process. What can be done to share this experience so that the congregation as a whole can share in and fully "own" the plan? One group said that they hoped that in finding people to help implement the plan, they use "visionaries, not 'lawyers'" and that the work begin as soon as possible.

The delegates finished their day with an open discussion of topics regarding the chapter as well as the congregation. This was to continue in the final session on Friday morning.

Mary Gorski
mgiornal@scj.org
Rome, Italy