IT IS THE SPIRIT WHO LEADS US

"The Provincial Chapter, lived in union with the whole Congregation, impels the spiritual, apostolic and missionary life of the Province" (Const. p. 32, 4th paragraph).

The inauguration of the Provincial Chapter once again attuned the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery in Brazil, to the attentive listening in order to respond to the challenges of today. Today, the whole world is immersed in various crises such as: disease, war, pandemic and hunger. (It is very sad to see people begging for food and pleading for peace). However, we cannot be discouraged or "lose hope".

On Saturday morning March 26, 2022 encouraged by the Spirit who leads us, we, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery in Brazil inaugurated the Chapter journey via Zoom platform.

Sr. Katia Rejane Sassi, Provincial Superior, welcomed the sisters for this event and extended her special greetings to the sisters who were celebrating their birthdays. She also welcomed Sr. Vanda Reis of Italian Province who participated in this event.

A TIME OF GRACE AND CHALLENGES

Sisters Maria da Consolação Rocha Coelho and Gertrudes Salette Beal conducted the prayer. They began the prayer with the mantra: "Since the morning" and the beautiful hymn: "Lord and Creator, you are our God, come and inspire these daughters of yours. The participants were invited to pray with the passage from the book of wisdom, "May God grant that I speak with judgement and have thought worthy of what I have received...." (7:15-18/22-30).

Sr. Katia, invited the assembly to listen attentively to the Convocation letter of the Provincial Chapter which read: "In the light of our documents, we feel impelled to embrace this time of grace and challenges. It’s a time of passing over, a time to return to the heart of our charismatic and evangelical history. We are the congregation! We went through the preparation and active participation for two years for our General Chapter. It is within this congregational journey that we welcome the decisions and pursue together the ways to implement them in our Brazilian and Latin American reality. In accordance with our Constitutions, animated by the Spirit who guides and leads us, I convoke the Third Chapter of the Province of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery in Brazil which will take place from January 26 to 31, 2023 in Curitiba/PR.”

RESPONDING CREATIVELY AND BOLDLY TO URGENT NEEDS

Sr. Katia welcomed our new General Council namely: Sr. Dolores Lahr, the Superior General, and the councillors Srs. Celine Kalathoor, Maria Cristina Gavazazi and Elisa de Fatima Zuanazzi. Sr. Dolores addressed the assembly saying: "The protection of all creation is a call that responds to our connection with the world. It is a call that encompasses our Charism of Communion; unity with God and with our dear neighbour. It is a call which challenges us to be prophetic in engaging others in our ministries to care for the poor and the most vulnerable in our world".

The Provincial Superior underlined that one of the responsibilities of the Chapter is to question our way of living and seeing the world: How am I living my option for a life at personal and community level? How am I doing my ministry and what do people perceive me as a Sister of Saint Joseph? She added "As women of the passing over, immersed in the Spirit, we are called to set out to other unknown shores with boldness, availability, openness and unity, widening our personal, community and missionary shores and horizons. We need to desire to respond creatively and boldly to the urgent needs of the most vulnerable 'dear neighbour'.”  Thereafter Sr. Katia invited Sr. Marian Ambrosio, IDP, the resource person of the Provincial Chapter Advisor to present introductory talk.

THE KEY IS IN OUR HANDS

Sr. Marian invited each Sister to contemplate on the image of a key. Thereafter she posed some questions: "Sisters, how am I at this moment? How prepared am I for this chapter? What am I carrying in my bag? She said “Sisters, the key is in our hands. We need to prepare ourselves..."

Sr. Marian invited us to take three steps: 1) Have a clarity of your direction 2) knowledge about your first step; 3) knowledge about the size of the possible step.  She referred to the text from the Gospel of St. Jn. 10:9 "I am the door".  She motivated the sisters to put themselves in an active, participative attitude: "I am responsible to influence the chapter! We need to see where we are, what direction we are going, and where we want to go.

AN OPEN HEART TO WELCOME THE DIFFERENT

Sr. Marian invited each sister to name her key. "What name do I give to the key that will open the Chapter?" In silence and prayer each sister named their key and wrote in the Zoom chat the name of their key. There were different names. Among them are: faithfulness, mercy, trust, wisdom, fortitude, openness, love, hope...    Then, Sr. Marian motivated the assembly for a greater interconnection during the chapter journey. "How is my heart? Did I hear the first words? Did my heart feel touched positively with what I am seeing? Am I frightened of the different? What does the world have to do with it? Am I able to smile? If not, and if my heart is made up of stone, we ask God to transform our hearts.

For we need different heart to welcome the different which manifests itself in its multiple facets. It is up to us to walk on this path or not; to proceed on the path which will open doors to accept what is different.

IT IS GOD WHO LEADS EVERYTHING

Sr. Ieda was invited to present, briefly, the three priorities which were elaborated for the Congregation based on the General Chapter 2021. She classified them as: Urgency; Means/tool; Concrete Action. Communities Immersed in the Spirit - Our communities as Laboratories of the Spirit (Urgency); Interculturality (Means/Tool); Protection of all Creation (Concrete Action)

A Chapter Preparatory team was formed in order to prepare and energize the Chapter journey of the Province. The members are the Provincial Council, the resource person, Sr. Marian, and two invited sisters namely: Ignes Cristina Malinoski and Nilza Rosin. A prayer is being composed to be prayed daily in the communities.

We concluded this event by vote of thanks by Sr. Katia and closing prayer by Sr. Maria da Glória. The hymn said: "It is God who leads everything, it is God who leads everything, and God guides and directs our History.  It is He who leads us".

May St. Joseph, Fr. Médaille and all our Sisters who have gone before us intercede for us in this journey of the Provincial Chapter.   

Sr. Vilma de Oliveira