The General Chapter

Some of you who follow social media, may have noticed that I am back in Rome.  The other day, I posted some pictures as I re-explored one of the cities that I have been privileged to call  "home."

Along with this, many of you have asked, "What are you doing back in Rome?"  And I can give you an easy answer: "I'm attending the 35th General Chapter of the Society of Mary."  So that settles it, right?

Some of you may now be scratching your heads even more, rolling your eyes at me, and asking, "That's nice, Bob, but what's a General Chapter?"  Well, I'm glad you asked.

According to the Rule of Life of the Society of Mary (Marianists) - by the way, Rule of Life is like the  constitution of our religious order - we learn that....

      The General Chapter,

held at least once every six years,

is the highest authority of the Society.

It determines policies and objectives

for the entire Society

and elects the Superior General

and the members of the General Council.

Its purpose is to ensure fidelity

to the spirit of our foundation,

as well as continuing adaptation

to the needs of each age.

Its decisions are binding

on all members, communities, and Provinces. (#93)

Put another way, the General Chapter is kind of a big deal and important moment in the history of the Order since the Chapter elects the international leadership team, sets goals and objectives for the next 6 years, and discerns where we need to be more faithful to the charism of Blessed Chaminade, our Founder.  Whew!  Easy stuff, right?  At the outset, it definitely seems like a daunting task and a great responsibility.  And it is.  But it is also a time of grace because we trust that the Holy Spirit is guiding us, and we believe that Blessed Chaminade's spirit is with us during our time of deliberations and discernment.

The Chapter officially opened this morning, and our work is now underway.

In the days ahead, I hope to give a little more insight into what I'll be doing for the next three weeks.  And yes, it is three weeks of meetings (okay, we do get Sundays off).  Until then, let me assure you that while the meetings have begun and even though I'm not here on vacation, there's always room for un caffe and il dolce!

Ciao!
Bob