First Steps of the New General Council

The new General Council has been leading the Congregation since the 22nd of February, and language quickly emerged as our first great challenge because we do not share a common language. This did not discourage us; we planned time for study in Italian and English, and for the present, rely on translating from one to another and the General Secretary. We began to share our vision for the future and the strategies we think we might put into effect. The environment of our meetings is very cordial. So it happens that we talk a lot during our council meetings, and we often feel that it is a joy for us to be together. We have discussed many issues. One concerns our official visits. We agreed that we would carry out the official visits to the provinces, regions, and missions together, because we believe that it is possible to be “one” by moving together step by step. Traveling as a group will allow us to witness to the fact that it is possible to live together despite cultural diversity, and at the same time, to communicate more deeply as we share the life and mission of our sisters. Traveling together and meeting together is, for us, countercultural in face of the individualistic vision of life in our society. Another item of importance is communication. We want to communicate in real time and not let information get stale. We hope that more real time communication, both formal and informal, will make us feel more like an interdependent congregational body. These are a few of the first steps we have taken.

by S. Clementina Copia (General Councilor)