XII General Chapter

8 September 2023
Feast of the nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Thy Kingdom Come!

Dear Sisters,

On the liturgical feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in accordance with the provisions of our Constitutions (C. 167), I come to you with joy and hope to

CONVOKE
THE XII GENERAL CHAPTER
OF THE MISSIONARY SISTERS OF THE IMMACULATE

 “The General Chapter is the supreme authority of the Congregation and expresses the participation of all the members in the life of the Congregation. As a sign of unity in charity, it promotes the spiritual and apostolic vitality of the Congregation in fidelity to the charism, and stimulates its renewal and updating” (C.165).

If we stop to weigh the words of this article of the Constitutions, we wonder at the gift of grace that awaits us: the Spirit thrusts us on new paths, summons us to participate in a synodal discernment, in the preparation and realization of the Chapter. Let us therefore prepare ourselves for this event with confidence, sure that the Lord will continue to guide the Chapter experience that has been accompanying us for 70 years now. The forthcoming General Chapter, in fact, marks a significant anniversary, which we learn from the Chronicle of the Institute: “1953 was a year of great importance for the Institute also because the first General Chapter of the Congregation was announced”.

The XII General Chapter will be celebrated from 8 to 29 September 2024, at Rocca di Papa (RM), in the International Spirituality Center of the Sacred Heart, run by the congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The official opening will be preceded by some days of preparation.

The theme of the Chapter:
WE LIVE THE GOSPEL AS AN APOSTOLIC BODY,
IN FRATERNAL AND RECIPROCAL OBEDIENCE

The discernment made together during the Inter-Chapter Assembly asked us to give space to the renewed understanding of the apostolic obedience, which makes us sharers in the apostolic hardships of Jesus who dies to give life. He asks us again to put our lives with full freedom in the hands of the Father, to be completely available to the Kingdom.

It is certainly of great consolation to think that the event of the XII General Chapter takes place in a special moment in the life of the Church, that of the synodal process, in which all the People of God are called to walk together towards what the Holy Spirit helps to discern for the greater good of the Church. After the diocesan and continental phases of the process, in which some of our sisters also participated, the first of the two sessions of the Synodal Assembly will take place in Rome from 4 to 29 October 2023, while the second will be held in October 2024, soon after the conclusion of our Chapter. It is the grace of the Spirit, which makes our missionary family feel well guarded by the Mother Church and in journey with her.

Exactly one year before the opening of the XII General Chapter, I believe that the best way to prepare ourselves for this great family event is to re-center ourselves in Jesus. To place Him at the center of our lives; entrust to Him our deepest desires, what is dear to us, the anxieties and concerns of humanity, the journey of the Institute and the need for workers for His harvest. Re-centering ourselves in Jesus, so that He is the one who gives meaning, orientation, consistency to our life and to our mission. To help us in this we have thought of some spiritual proposals:

• pray together for the chapter with the prayer prepared by the sisters of the community of Hammam Lif –Tunisia (latest presence), and it will be recited in the community;
• the spiritual exercises that the provincial/delegation direction organize annually be inspired by the theme of the Chapter;
• you will receive the text of the Novena of the Immaculate, in preparation for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception;
• we propose that a Marian pilgrimage be organized during the Chapter year at the community level or in small groups (the distance or the grandeur of the place does not count…). For those who do not have the possibility can put the spiritual intention.

We leave it up to the Spirit and the creativity of each organism and each sister to suggest other initiatives that can help us in the preparation for the XII General Chapter.

With affection and in union of prayer,

Antonella Tovaglieri
Congregation Leader
And sisters of the council

The discernment made together during the Inter-Chapter Assembly asked us to give space to the renewed understanding of the apostolic obedience, which makes us sharers in the apostolic hardships of Jesus who dies to give life. He asks us again to put our lives with full freedom in the hands of the Father, to be completely available to the Kingdom.
To deal with the theme of obedience today is not one of the most comfortable choices, but we believe it necessary because, sharing in the charismatic experience of our foundresses, we want to continue with greater awareness and authenticity the mission of Jesus who “was able to save the world only through his obedience” (Fr. Manna, AV, 256).
In particular, being convinced of the importance of assuming the mission of the Institute together, we want to consider the value of living apostolic obedience as an apostolic body, through the exercise of fraternal and mutual obedience, supported by the attitudes of listening e di dialogue.