FIVE LOAVES AND TWO FISH?

The theme of our 2009 General Chapter was certainly symbolic of the questions every province, region and community within our Congregation had been asking before the Chapter ever started. Do we have enough? How can we continue to sustain our ministries and our community life with diminishing resources? What can we do with so little? This theme, however, also reminded us of our vocational commitment to use whatever we have for service or mission.

The primary question for Chapter discernment flowed from this awareness of our call to mission: “What are the urgent needs in our evolving world of today calling out to us as Servants of Mary?” A second question for Chapter consideration came from concerns about sustaining our current structures as a congregation: “Given our Congregational reality, what resources and structures do we need in service of the mission of our Servite international community?” Every sister in the congregation was asked to reflect on these questions prior to the Chapter, and to submit her responses to the General Council. The responses were collated and given to everyone for continued reflection.

CHAPTER DIRECTIONS

Question I:

What are the urgent needs in our evolving world of today calling out to us as Servants of Mary?

Our goal was not only to identify world needs, but also to identify the ways in which we Servants of Mary can respond to those needs. Through the discernment process, we named our gifts, our congregational “loaves and fish,” which we can use to help “feed” the hungers of today’s world. These gifts are: our charism of compassion, our Marian spirituality, and our tradition of ministering as educators. We determined three corresponding directions for mission which we want to pursue as a congregation.

Direction One

To live and serve in ways that cultivate unity and non-violence both within our community and in our world.

This direction moves us from our current, general understanding of compassionate presence to focusing on specific world needs which call out for compassion, e.g., various kinds of violence, brokenness and fragmentation in personal lives, families, and society that need unity and healing. Because of our charism of compassion and our experience of community, we have an “abundance” that can meet these needs.

Direction Two

To live Mary’s contemplative stance in a way that responds to the world’s search for spirituality and meaning.

This direction calls us to look at Mary in the gospels as a model for countercultural living. Many people today are searching for spirituality and meaning. Our “littleness” and contemplative stance can speak to truly human values in a world marked by materialism and misuse of power.

Direction Three

To be a prophetic voice in the world and in the church by promoting gospel values through
various forms of education.

This direction came from our realization that in an increasingly complex world there is a need for moral, ethical and religious values. We are in a position to make these values known through many different kinds of education no matter what our current ministry may be. It also came from our understanding of religious life as prophetic, which means that religious have an obligation to speak on behalf of justice not only to the world, but also to the church. There was hope among the delegates that, on some issues, we could speak with a collective or congregational voice.

Directions 1, 2 and 3, which are directions for mission, are to be
implemented by the entire Congregation.

Question II:

Given our congregational reality, what resources and structures do we need in service of the
mission of our Servite international community?

Changing Structures

It was obvious from the beginning of the Chapter that everyone valued internationality, but felt we needed a change in our forms of government because the current structures and processes are no longer sustainable. We realized that changes at one level of government impact other levels of government as well. Therefore, all our levels of government need to be examined. All agreed that we want our government structures to be simpler, flexible and more cohesive. We were also aware that, whatever changes might be made, the purpose of government is to serve mission. The challenge was to reach an understanding of what each delegate meant by “change.” Our discussions helped us realize there are many possibilities for changed structures, and we do not have sufficient information about any of them at this point.

Finally, we agreed that the Chapter should give the next General Council a clear mandate stating what we want them to do,
emphasizing the importance of involving all the sisters of the Congregation in the process of exploration and decision-making. Hence, we give the following mandate to the next General
Council.

Direction Four

We, the delegates of the 2009 General Chapter, mandate the General Council to investigate various possibilities for changing government structures at all levels, and to begin implementation. This process will involve ongoing consultation and
evaluation with ENCOM and all the sisters of the Congregation.

Sharing Resources

When we speak of resources, we do not simply mean money. Resources include personnel, talent, specific expertise, cultural rituals and traditions, capacity for technology, etc. If we are going to share these various resources with each other across the Congregation, the General Council needs to know what resources are available, and share this knowledge with the rest of the Congregation. Each province/region/community is free to decide how their resources might be shared. Hence, we give the following mandate to the next General Council.

Direction Five

We, the delegates of the 2009 General Chapter, mandate the General Council to promote greater awareness of the resources and needs of all the provinces/regions/communities, and to explore and suggest ways these resources could be shared. This process will involve consultation with ENCOM and all the sisters of the Congregation.

Directions 4 and 5 are to be implemented by the General Council.

Questions for Provinces,
Regions and Communities

One of the major tasks of a General Chapter is to set directions which identify congregational goals for mission. The provinces/regions/communities need to adapt those directions to their particular circumstances. In other words, the Chapter identifies where we want to go in the future. The provinces/regions/communities determine how we will get there. The following questions are intended to help us discover, in our local situations, concrete ways we can respond to Chapter directions 1, 2 and 3.

Direction One

To live and serve in ways that cultivate unity and non-violence both within our community and in our world.

What is this directive expressing that can stretch our current understanding of our charism of compassionate presence? How is it “new”? How is it challenging? What “more” is this directive asking of us?

What are the areas where unity is needed...
in our community?
in our church?
in our world?
especially in our own
particular culture?

Where are the areas of violence...
in our communities?
in our church?
in our world?
especially in our own
particular culture?

How can we, in our province/region/community, concretely help to create a culture of unity and non-violence?

How can we enter into a more authentic shared engagement with each other in order to promote unity and non-violence in our own local communities? Provinces/regions/communities? Congregation?

How can we enter into an authentic shared engagement with others in order to promote unity and non-violence in our church and world?

Direction Two

To live Mary’s contemplative stance in a way that responds to the world’s search for spirituality and meaning.

How is this directive “new”? How does it challenge us?

How can we update our own theological understanding of Mary so that our Marian spirituality can truly speak to the real needs of people today?

How does the search for spirituality and meaning manifest itself in our particular culture? In the church?

In what ways is Mary a countercultural model for today’s world?

What are some concrete ways in which we can respond to the search for spirituality and meaning?

Direction Three

To be a prophetic voice in the world and in the church by promoting gospel values through various forms of education.

What do we mean by “gospel values”?

What is our understanding of being “a prophetic voice”?

How is this different from what we have been doing?

Where does our prophetic voice need to be heard?

What challenges does being prophetic pose for us...
as individuals?
as a province/region/community?
as a congregation?

What are some specific “moral, religious and ethical values” needed today?

Are there some specific injustices we could confront as a total
congregation? As a province/region/community?

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