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Monday, July 31, 2017

Sisters Gather for Pre Chapter Meeting


‘Encuentro’
Deepening the Conversations


Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny
Pre-Chapter Community Day

On Friday, July 14th, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Cluny in the Province of the United States & Canada, gathered for a Pre-Chapter meeting at the Provincial House in Middletown, RI. Of the sixteen members of the Province, nine sisters were able to gather along with a visiting Cluny Sister from West Africa doing Mission Appeals in the States.

The purpose and focus of the day was to begin the formal conversations leading to the Province Chapter being held in October.  The purpose of the day was threefold:

1.  To provide a forum for Sisters to discuss what is really important to consider at the upcoming Provincial Chapter.
2.  To gain the “collective wisdom” of the Province regarding the deep conversations that need to take place at the Provincial Chapter.
3.  To provide the opportunity for the Facilitator and Sisters to get to know one another.

The day focused on surfacing the “deep conversations” that the members need to engage at Chapter. These “deep conversations” call the members to a level of engagement that is characterized by intense listening to one another and God’s Spirit and openness to possibility.

The question was asked: “What are the Deep Conversations that need to take place among us?”  We identified the five following areas.

1.    How to create ‘encuentro’ among us?
2.    Building Relationships
3.    Presence
4.    Availability
5.    Community



The Pre-Chapter Gathering was a formal first step toward our Province Chapter.  In reality, we have been preparing for this Chapter since the last one. We have been called to embrace the Gospel of Non-Violence and to see the world through this lens. 

Using the lens of Gospel Non-Violence, can we---

Reimagine How We Relate…
            To the world we live in now, both locally, nationally and 
            globally?
            To those who are most vulnerable…immigrants, refugees, 
            etc.?
            To those who think, look, or believe differently?
            To those who practice violence and to their victims?
            To local, national and world leaders?
            To those in our church who hold violence in their hearts?

Reimagine How We Live…
            Our presence to others?
            Our availability to the other, for whatever reason?
            Our commitment to community as a witness of unity in a 
            divided world?
            Our willingness to go “beyond the boundaries” to build 
            community outside ourselves?

Reimagine How We Steward…
            Our gifts shared generously, openly, without strings attached?
            Our resources shared broadly with those who embrace our 
            mission/charism?
            Our gift of a contemplative stance to the world
            Our generosity in sharing and exploring deeper spirituality 
            with all?

We invite you to hold our preparations and our Province Chapter, October 1 – 4, in your prayers and special intentions.


There is no power greater than a community
 discovering what it cares about. 
As a community we trust that meaningful conversations
 can be transformative.

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