The North/Northeast Region Communities Meet

The Sisters of the Communities of São João dos Patos, Paraibano and São Raimundo das Mangabeiras in the North/Northeast Region of Brazil met April 17 to 19 to share life and mission and to reflect and vote on the Plan for Integrated Management. In a climate of living the Paschal Mystery beginning with Palm Sunday on April 17, the Mangabeiras community greeted the group with joy, welcome signs and Easter gifts shared among the communities.
The entire day of April 18 was devoted to sharing on community life, communication, and a study of the text on the Integrated Management Plan – a reflection underway with all the Sisters in Brazil. The document was read and some points were studied, such as the mystique, the mission and the vision of the strategic plan. With joy and hope, the group felt quite motivated to welcome the process, whose objective is to strengthen relationships and integrate resources. It is a plan that speaks of a journey in common, the essence of the Charism, which is UNITY in diversity.
During the evening, the group met with Associates from Mangabeiras, who had already reflected on the topic. They spent time socializing, getting to know each other and sharing life.
On April 19, after the reflection of the previous day, the process of voting on the plan unfolded. There was time for questions of clarification and for personal prayer. Then the question was put to a vote. Some Sisters, enthusiastic about the process of Integrated Management, expressed their feelings and said they thanked God for the opportunity to be part of this movement in the Congregation.

Integrated Management
Since 1970, the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chambéry in Brazil and Bolivia have journeyed together. In 2005, a team was assembled to reflect and make connections, with the goals of promoting a greater integration of life and mission among the Sisters and proposing a new form of administration common to all. This would promote the joining of forces and using human, technical and financial resources to their maximum. The team’s work resulted in a proposal for an Integrated Management Team, made up of a Sister from each Province and one from the North/Northeast Region. The responsibility of this team was to develop an integrated action plan for the Sisters of Saint Joseph, with the participation of all the Sisters, laity and collaborators, a project currently underway.