The following is a summary of the third day's activities at the 20th General Chapter. Please note, these summaries report highlights of the days' activities and are not to be considered as a substitute for the minutes of the proceedings, which go into more detail.

Those reading these summaries are reminded that the chapter also maintains a web page at: http://www.scj.org

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The first item of business for the chapter delegates on Friday was to review and approve the minutes. Following that, Fr. Claudio Siebenaler, general secretary, presented the rules of procedure. After answering a few questions, he reminded delegates that if need be, the rules could be changed at any time during the chapter. By a show of hands, delegates voted to accept the rules of procedure. Delegates also approved the daily schedule, as well as the outline for the activities of the chapter.

Fr. Bressanelli then began the first part of his presentation on the state of the province (his full report will be presented in several sections during the first days of the gathering). Although a written text was provided, he chose to simply use the text as a reference, highlighting issues of importance. He began by discussing the logo for the chapter. The Generalate received over 50 ideas for chapter logo. He described the one that the council chose as "the world during an eclipse -- there is unity but it is not easy to see." The SCJs are present in reality, influenced by what happens in the world, but they also bring light to the world.

His report, he said, was in three parts, and the first was to deal with the work of the general administration. Following their election in 1991, the superior general and his council took six months to study the directives of the chapter so that they could set a course of action for their administration. From their study of the chapter documents, they defined several internal and external challenges

"How can we be significant as religious in the world today," said Fr. Bressanelli. "This is a question of not who we are but instead, what should we be doing?"

They also saw a need to address the fact that the congregation is aging, and diminishing in numbers. And finally, regarding internal concerns, the 1991 General Chapter asked the council to look at the governance of the congregation. In light of its decentralized nature, how could the general administration best serve the congregation?

The two primary external challenges recognized by the General Council were 1) growing secularism and 2) the many injustices found in the world. It is important to recognize these influences, but more importantly, how do the SCJs address them?

Fr. Bressanelli spent the rest of the morning session discussing governance in further detail. He noted that he and the council chose to minister as a team. "Since all but one of us was new (Fr. Adrian Borst was serving a second term) we had a certain freedom and creativity to explore new ideas in governance," he said.

"When I was chosen as superior general, I took a few moments to discuss things with the Lord," Fr. Bressanelli added. "I said, 'Lord, you have to help me -- give me a good team of councilors.' He did, and I continually thank him over and over for that gift... When I was preparing to thank the Lord once again for the councilors, I learned of the death of Fr. Kunz. Then the Lord took Antonio (Fr. Antonio Braga, who was named as bishop of the Azores). I was afraid that God would soon take someone else. But, I am grateful that the council was able to re-establish itself and I thank those who replaced the original members. It is hard to jump onto a moving train and they did so very well."

During the final part of his presentation, Fr. Bressanelli asked the chairpersons of several of the general commissions to speak. Most echoed Fr. Bressanelli's discomfort with the operation of the commissions. Are they as effective as they could be? How is their work being experienced on the province level? What authority does the chairperson of a commission have? And finally, how should these commissions be composed -- should the membership concentrate on a geographic representation or would it be better to have "experts" in the commission's area of study?

Fr. Bressanelli also spoke about his concerns regarding archival work, publications and the study center. The congregation has been relying on very capable but aging men to handle these works. There needs to be a policy in place to prepare new people to enter this ministry. "This is where 'We the Congregation' comes in," he said. "All of the provinces have needs, but we must continue to develop our historical memory." This, he said, can be done on the province level, as well as at the general level. In order for SCJs to find a place for themselves in the world, they must fully understand their own charism and what they are called to do. This can not be done without reflecting on the past.

Fr. John Czyzynski, provincial superior of the U.S. Province, briefly spoke about the Dehon Study Center -- a project begun by the province several years ago. Headed up by Fr. P.J. McGuire, it is a place for personal study and for a further sharing of the writings of the founder. Fr. McGuire has published several of the founder's writings along with personal commentaries. These have been well-received in the United States, as well as elsewhere.

Fr. Bressanelli acknowledged the work of other areas of the Generalate before concluding this section of his report.

As a way of interacting with this section of Fr. Bressanelli's presentation, the delegates met in linguistic groups later in the day to discuss how the service of the Generalate during the past six years has helped the congregation and how it can be improved. Results of those discussions were to be shared during the next day's meetings.

When the chapter gathered for the final session of the day, Fr. Siebenaler noted that it was the Holy Father's birthday and that in the name of Fr. Bressanelli and the whole Dehonian family, a telegram was being sent, wishing him greetings on his birthday.

Following this announcement, the chapter launched into its final business of the day -- the presentation of the "symbols" from several of the provinces and regions. In the months before the chapter, delegates from each province and region were asked to bring with them a symbol that described their area. The symbols varied from a professionally done video by the South Brazilian Province, to a simple, but effective, drawing from the region of Madagascar.

The presentations that went along with the symbols brought out the many joys and areas of difficulties each of the provinces and regions is facing. The Dutch provincial brought a doll which looked like an elderly grandmother. "We are like this old woman," Fr. Rein van Langen said. "Our children have grown and now live their own lives. We live in a house that is too big for us and we take care of ourselves in our retirement." As many know, the Dutch were the "birthparents" of many provinces. Yet now, like many religious in Northern Europe, they have few vocations. And at this point, said the provincial, the province feels that it would not be right to accept younger members to the province. "If a young vocation came to us, we would encourage him to join another province." It is not that the Dutch want to see the SCJ presence die in Northern Europe, but instead, they would rather see it reborn with younger religious who could more appropriately minister to the needs of today.

Other provinces spoke of the challenges they are facing in formation. In the U.S. Province, seven out of the 12 men in formation are Vietnamese. The province needs to learn how to be more sensitive to their culture and better welcome them to the community. Fr. Rino Venturin talked about the beginnings of formation work in the Philippines. After much discussion, the SCJs in the region decided that the formation of Filipino students should be done in the Philippines, not in established programs overseas. "We did not want them (the students) to become alienated from their own culture and people," he said. A new formation house will be opened in the region this year with three postulants.

Besides formation, Fr. Rino also spoke about the international nature of the Philippine venture. "It is not easy," he said, "but we would not change it. It is a part of our identity." There are currently six provinces represented in the Philippines and the challenge of working with different cultures among a new culture forces the group to place a strong emphasis on good community living.

The day's activities ended with evening adoration.

Mary Gorski
mgiornal@scj.org
Rome, Italy