Molded by the love of Jesus the Good Shepherd
we become Integrated, Missionary and Vocational communities,
in the synodal Church
at the service of humanity today.
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On 26-30 December 2023 in the Divine Master House in Ariccia (RM) we had the grace to celebrate the 7th Provincial Chapter-second phase to apply the resolutions of the 10th General Chapter to the needs and requirements of our Italy-Albania Province -Mozambique. Along the way, supported by the Spirit, we experienced two moments of reflection and "enlightenment".
Sr Elena Bosetti, starting from Paul's text to the Philippians 2.5 "Have in yourselves the same feelings as Jesus Christ", urged us to ask ourselves:
What does it mean and above all what does it mean to let ourselves be inhabited by the "feelings" of Christ, or rather by his "same feeling", as Paul's original text states?
How can we let ourselves be shaped by the "feeling" of Christ in our communities, in fraternal relationships and in the mission that the Father entrusts to us?
There was a strong urge to let ourselves be shaped by the "feeling" of Christ Jesus, a possible dynamic, cultivating feelings of gratitude, trust, blessing and friendship. And this is always possible, in every phase of life, in youth, in advancing age, in the reconfiguration of communities, in the "pruning" of some presences and works.
Don Mario Llanos, moderator of the chapter, placing us in the historical ecclesial path, paying attention to Synodality and Consecrated Life, helped us to focus on the importance of telling ourselves, of identifying the seeds of synodality present, the weeds that often grow together with seeds, the dreams of a synodality of Consecrated Life inserted into synodality and the commitments that this means and consequently a synodical Consecrated Life within a synodal Church.
Since having a synod means walking together, following the Lord and towards the people, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we felt encouraged to walk, listen and listen to each other, a necessary attitude to enter more and more into our capitular commitment and to live our vocation of Consecrated Pastorelle.
Subsequently, divided into four groups and accompanied by four witnesses of the faith: Saint Teresa of Calcutta (Albania), Sr Maria De Coppi (Mozambique), Don Giuseppe Diana (Italy), Chiara Corbella (Italy), starting from the General Orientations, we tried to identify concrete actions/initiatives for each programmatic area: Lifestyle, Training, Mission and Government.
At the final celebration presided over by Don Boguslaw Zeman, vicar general of the SSP, Mother Celina was present, who offered her fraternal greeting, inviting the capitulars to walk in synodality.
We thank the Lord for the experience lived, leaving room for listening, sharing, a serene and fraternal climate and we entrust the future path to the Protagonist of the event, the Spirit, so that he can be more and more, the One who shapes us.
With this openness and availability, we entrust to Mary, She who allowed herself to be shaped by Her Son, while he was being shaped in her womb, our personal, community, Province and Congregation journey to be a response to the call, today, and with her we sing the Magnificat for the works that the Lord does daily.
Sr Irene Tollini, sjbp
