Dear Friends,
Greetings from Nemi, Italy, where I am attending the 19th General Chapter of the Society of the Divine Word.
With Fr Prakash Menezes SVD, I am representing the Australia Province at the General Chapter and working hard as part of the Chapter’s Steering Committee and as a small group facilitator. Fr Prakash was a part of the International Preparatory Committee which helped formulate the Instrumentum Laboris, or working document which guides the Chapter’s proceedings.
The theme of the Chapter is, “Your light must shine before others: Faithful and creative disciples in a wounded world.”
And already we have undertaken a profound journey into the SVD reality, covering spirituality, JPIC, mission animation, the Bible Apostolate, communication, formation and education, finances, safeguarding and much, much more. By the time you read this we will have also had an audience with Pope Francis.
As the Chapter has progressed, I have been particularly grateful for the spiritual reflections from confreres, including the former Superior General, Fr Heinz Kuluke SVD, about who we are as a missionary Society. It is good to go back to this grass roots reflection from time to time in order to refocus our efforts clearly.
One thing that is abundantly clear at an SVD gathering of this kind is the international character of our Society and how central this is to our understanding of ourselves and our mission to others.
We are about halfway through our Chapter and will soon get down to the really hard work of future priorities and directions, with all the discussion and voting that this entails.
Having attended General Chapters before, I can say that this one is truly synodal in nature, underpinned by opportunities for small group discussion and deep listening and a genuine openness to the workings of the Holy Spirit.
Please keep me in your prayers as we enter the final two weeks of the General Chapter. I will look forward to sharing some of the outcomes with you next month.
Yours in the Word,
Fr Asaeli Rass SVD,
Provincial.