Chapter Welcome

This welcome greeting was given by General Superior Sister Kathryn LaFleur at the opening of Chapter 2007.

Dear Sisters and Associates,

On this Easter Tuesday, I welcome each of you with great joy and hope. As we celebrate the mystery of new life as exemplified by the risen Christ and also by creation around us, our hearts and spirits must rejoice in the promise of new life for us. In the words of Isaiah 43:19, “See I am doing something new, can you not see it?”

Indeed, Easter is a time when Providence is doing something new. In this spirit, it is also a most appropriate time for us to gather in Chapter to consider where we are now, where we will go and the spirit in which we will move forward.

Borrowing the frequent refrain from the Easter stories “Be Not Afraid”, we need to approach the future with trust and courage. We need to dream our dreams and see our visions but we also need to have these interspersed with a healthy portion of practical wisdom – prudence.

Whatever we do in these next ten days, whatever directions we set, we are challenged to bring forth a vision that will generate life and hope for all – regardless of our personal realities.

Like the vine and the branches in John’s gospel (John 15) we are to remain rooted in the Lord, in the Gospel, in our charism, spirit and mission while at the same time being open to discern and to embrace the demands that something new may require.

An apostolic congregation or community is not an end in itself; it is founded for mission. Indeed mission is its raison d’etre.

In reflecting on our history of 145 years, we are very aware that we have been mission-oriented and primarily in the service of the poor, the marginalized, the ill, the elderly and youth. In great part, it was our mission that bonded us as community while we shared in the mission of Jesus and the Church. From 1861 onward we have lived the legacy of St. Vincent and St. Louise, Blessed Emilie Gamelin, Catherine McKinley and our pioneer sisters. This foundational spirit still animates us.

Our mission has never been static; it has always been in a continual process of unfolding. We have seen this over the past years as we have increasingly shared our ministries with our partners in mission and have transferred leadership of our healthcare facilities to the laity.

Throughout our history, from our pioneer women to the present, we have read the signs of the times and responded as best we could. Today, we need to look at the problems of our society – ever old, ever new – and discern how we are called to be creative in response. We have seen this most recently in our justice and peace and integrity of creation efforts and in our initiatives to educate and to speak out on trafficking of women and children. We have seen this in the openness of the Sunday faith community to the marginalized. We witness to this in various areas of spiritual care, volunteer ministries with prisoners, children, new Canadians, Habitat for Humanity, mission work in Canada and in Peru and the list could go on. I note these because sometimes it is very easy to concentrate on internal problems and concerns and to lose the mission focus of our lives.

If we become too introspective and concentrate primarily on our own needs and concerns, we will have neither the energy nor the desire to focus outward. This is not to say that we must not take seriously the internal issues and problems, but it is to say that these must be considered through the lens of mission as well. We have been richly blessed by Providence and we need to place all that we can at the service of mission.

Every one of us, through baptism, has been called to mission – a life long mission of proclaiming the life and love of Jesus. As our personal lives change, so does the manner in which we live this mission. Often one moves from a very active ministry to a more contemplative ministry of prayer and suffering which witness the paschal mystery of Jesus. In our opening ritual we entered the hall through the cloud of unknowing to become grounded in this Holy Ground of Chapter 2007. The cloud of unknowing could symbolize for us that we are entering into the realm of the mystery of the Spirit who will reveal ourselves to us and draw us ever more deeply into the surprises of Providence.

These days of Chapter 2007 are indeed Holy Ground. We, as a congregation, stand on the threshold of something new, open to the life and hope that will be revealed. Together we choose to live fully as long as Providence grants. We embrace and witness to our mission statement serving with compassion, trusting in Providence, we walk in hope. During these days may we be compassionate with one another, trust in Providence for the Spirit’s guidance and walk in hope for the revelation of life-giving direction for the future.

May the inner joy of this Easter season and the commission to spread the good news inspire each of us to enter fully into these holy days, so that when this communal journey is completed we may say, like the disciples on the way to Emmaus, “Did not our hearts burn within us as he talked to us on the road”.(Luke 24:13)

In closing, I wish to thank the members of CDC, our facilitators, Sister Barbara and Sister Jeannette and all who have worked so diligently to bring us to this place this evening. May the Spirit guide us through the cloud of unknowing, to the Easter sun of knowledge and new life. God bless us all as we journey forward.

I now declare Chapter 2007 officially opened and in session.