How have you experienced in the coordination of the Pre-Chapter Commission?
What I would highlight most has been to observe, on the one hand, the real difficulty in getting everyone involved in common processes, and on the other hand, the richness that emerges when spaces for shared reflection are generated.
Encouraging participation hasn’t been easy. Where opportunities for personal and communal reflection have been seized, a more serene, sincere, and communal reflection has emerged. But it’s undeniable that in some cases, weariness, distraction, or simply disinterest are also perceptible.
I believe that it is not enough to offer resources or structures; it is necessary to provoke processes, accompany them and take care of the spaces where everyone can express themselves freely and, above all, listen to each other.
When this happens, a depth emerges that might not be perceived in daily life. Now the work of the chapter members begins. I believe it is important that spaces for listening in the Spirit be opened in the chapter hall, so that we may respond to what God is calling us to as a Province.
The Commission prepared a retreat, a questionnaire, and a form for submitting and subsequently endorsing individual or group proposals. Did all those elements capture the attention of the intended audience?
All of these tools were intended to encourage reflection, but I believe they could have been used more effectively. Engagement has been limited in quantitative terms: only a small percentage actively participated in formulating proposals and subsequently endorsing them. This cannot be ignored and directly challenges us.
However, qualitatively, I do perceive a genuine concern for the life of the Province. The proposals presented are numerous, varied, and, in many cases, very insightful. They reflect profound concerns: vocational ministry, the risk of complacency, the need for restructuring, and the desire to revitalize the charism.
Here’s the key difference: faced with disinterest and discouragement, there are those who refuse to be indifferent. There’s an awareness, sometimes silent, that we need to take new and risky steps. I believe we must listen to this silent voice and uncover the true feelings and reasons of those who choose not to participate in these processes.
What have you seen and felt regarding the proposals and suggestions to the Chapter?
One of the most significant discoveries has been the convergence on key issues, despite the diversity of approaches.
The common expression of emergency or needs includes: a more structured and cross-cutting vocational ministry; strengthening fraternal life; concern for the elderly, new vocations and initial formation; the call for a courageous reorganization; and the desire to return to the core of the charism.
It has also been revealing to note that many proposals stem from personal experiences: sometimes from tiredness, frustration, disagreements or searches; others have a more structural and future-oriented character.
This combination helps us understand that it’s not just about making organizational adjustments, but about a change of mindset as a Province and an inner renewal. I believe the Province wishes to move from a logic of maintenance to another one of discernment and planning.
What would you say to those who still hesitate to get involved in a Chapter process?
I would tell him that a Chapter is not an external or added process, but rather something directly related to his vocation and his real life. Not participating is letting others decide for him; and getting involved, even in a simple way, is being co-responsible, caring for himself and his brothers, and contributing his own experience to the common good.
A Chapter isn’t about structures or decisions: it builds us as a community. It compels us to listen to each other, to move beyond the immediate, to open ourselves to the future with hope. More than an obligation, it’s an opportunity.
It is the opportunity to feel like a living part of a body, a history and a mission that goes far beyond each one personally, but in which we all have something unique to contribute.
