- svd-general-chapters
- / Message /
- 19 General Chapter /
- June 7, 2024
Messages to the Capitulars of the 19th SVD General Chapter, and to all the members of the Society
Message of former Superior General Heinrich Barlage SVD
It is now almost 25 years ago since I left Rome. I have attended six General Chapters and written so many “dear confreres” letters! What can I write now from a life of semi-retirement at the age of 92?
My thoughts turn to the call to renewal after Vatican II when we became slowly aware of the fact how diverse we are, and how we are called to live a unity that thrives in diversity. This has become for me an unwavering interest through the decades after Vatican II.
During my almost two decades in Ireland, I discovered Br. David Steindl-Rast (OSB) who founded the gratefulness network around the world. When I read his life story, I got deeply interested in knowing that his own personal spiritual search led him to study under the SVD for a time. Br David’s life reminds me of St. Paul in Athens where he spoke of “the unknown God” (Acts 17:23) “in whom we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28).
Br. David prefers to speak of God as “the mystery of life.” He is convinced that people who search for meaning in life are confronted with the truth that this life is a mystery: on the one hand they see that “they live, have life” but they also experience “that life has them” – like in war or sickness. This led me to discover gratefulness as the way of life that leads to peace. We cannot be grateful for war or sickness, but we can find in them opportunities to transform life and be grateful.
Reviewing my missionary assignments, I felt several times that I could not be grateful for them because I was not prepared. But now, reflecting on them, I discover that I was given opportunities which certainly became sources of gratefulness, for they afforded occasions to learn, to understand and to grow. I believe now that an openness for opportunities to respond to challenging situations can lead us to gratefulness because we are transformed by our experiences and we grow. Maybe you wonder if I consider that at the age of 92, I am still hoping to grow? I must confess, it is not easy to be so old if you lack the necessary support in accepting the vulnerability that accompanies the inescapable frailty that old age breeds.
My dear confreres, capitulars to the 19th GC, I pray that you be attentive to our unity in diversity, for the God in whom we live and move and have our being is a God who loves us all, young or old, strong, or vulnerable. He loves us in our woundedness. And in experiencing this love we discover the heart of our mission, which is gratefulness. In my nightly visit to Saint Arnold’s Sarcophagus or his last workplace, I have discovered this: “Gratefulness was the heart of Saint Arnold’s mission.” The faith and prayer-life he inherited from his parents was the bedrock of this gratefulness in Saint Arnold.
Steyl, May 15, 2024
Heinrich Barlage
Message of former Superior General Antonio M. Pernia
I send you greetings of peace and joy, as you gather in Nemi for the 19th General Chapter of our Society. It is with joy that I greet you since, I believe, a general chapter is always an occasion to celebrate the Society that we love so much. As the Statutes for Chapters, quoting the late Cardinal Eduardo Pironio, puts it: “A chapter should not only be held but celebrated” (Statutes for Chapters, #105).
Indeed, as the highest extraordinary legislative authority, a general chapter constitutes an important moment in the life of a religious congregation. Over the years, however, general chapters have come to be regarded as having not only a juridical function but also a charismatic significance. General chapters have come to be seen not only as an opportunity to pass decrees and regulations for the whole Society but also as an occasion for confreres to come together and celebrate the Society’s life and mission. While documents and decrees continue to be important, the experience of fraternity and solidarity as a religious missionary family is now more and more emphasized.
This is particularly true of the 19th General Chapter which takes place on the eve of the celebration of the 150th Anniversary of the foundation of our Society. May this general chapter, then, be the beginning of a worthy celebration of our Sesquicentennial Jubilee.
And yet, in the light of the theme of the 19th General Chapter, the joy of our celebration needs to be muted somehow and tempered with sentiments of humility. For, indeed, we live and work in a wounded world which often reflects the many wounds of our Society on the worldwide, zonal, provincial and local levels. Indeed, in some cases, we have been complicit in causing some of the wounds of today’s world. Today, then, we need to see our mission as missio cum gentibus vulneratis, a mission of journeying with wounded peoples. This, I believe, is in keeping not only with our “Anthropos Tradition” but also with Pope Francis’ dream of a “Synodal Church.”
I think the experience of the Corona Virus pandemic has made us realize that we have built our world on the basis of power, control, competition and the accumulation of wealth—invariably leading to the many wounds of today’s world. Today, the call is for mission to help build a world on the basis of tenderness, compassion, solidarity and the sharing of resources. This requires, according to Pope Francis, a shift of perspectives—from looking at reality from the center to looking at reality from the periphery.
May the 19th General Chapter imbue our SVD mission with the light of the Word and the Spirit of grace, so that Divine Word Missionaries around the world may contribute, even only in small ways, to the healing of our wounded world.
May 20, 2024, Tagaytay City, Philippines
Fraternally in the Divine Word,
Antonio M. Pernia, SVD
Divine Word Institute of Mission Studies
Message of former Superior General Heinz Kulüke SVD
As we prepare for the 19th SVD General Chapter, considering the current global situation, I reflect on additional ways to enhance the positive impact of our existing ministries worldwide. Our fellow confreres, sisters, and lay mission partners work diligently to improve lives by addressing climate emergencies and assisting those in need. The question arises: What or who can sustain our missionary efforts and inspire meaningful transformations?
There are no straightforward answers. We recognize that responses will vary across different times and diverse cultural contexts. Furthermore, we understand that change will not happen swiftly merely through General Chapter resolutions or recommendations. To foster meaningful dialogue during and after the Chapter, it is crucial to grasp how younger SVD generations interpret the complex challenges people worldwide face and how junior confreres experience the Spirit’s guidance within the Society.
I once asked myself, “What has been important all these years?” “What is important now?” and “What will continue to be important in the future?” I found three incomplete answers that have sustained me and others during difficult times alongside those at the margins:
It has been, is, and will be important not to confine one’s faith to religious customs and rites alone; to allow one’s conscience the space to perceive and contemplate differently – especially from the viewpoint of people experiencing poverty, those on the margins of society – and then, collectively with others, to translate one’s faith into action in novel ways.
It has been, is, and will be important not to lose courage or give up immediately, even when facing unsolvable problems when decision-makers in the state and the church hesitate to enact urgently needed changes. Instead, we should become bearers of hope for all those in despair, requiring courageous individuals’ accompaniment and challenging presence
It has been, is, and will be crucial to recognize that there are people worldwide who share this commitment to the Poor and Mother Earth: to resist the temptation of indifference, of doing nothing, or of attempting to tackle everything alone, to journey together with people unafraid to ask questions and dissatisfied with false answers, who continue as seekers on a path accompanied by the one who has trodden it Himself, to encounter a new and better life. In this manner, the vision of St. Arnold Janssen and the Founding Generation manifested in unconditional and devoted service to the Church and God’s people, especially the poor, oppressed, marginalized, sick, and suffering Mother Earth, as our common home, will persist.
“May the risen Savior fill us all with new courage, new strength, and a new spirit of sacrifice in his sacred service!” (Arnold Janssen)
Cebu City, May 4, 2024
Heinz Kulüke
Message of Mother General Maria Magdalena SSpSAP
We are pleased to address our good wishes and greetings to you on the occasion of your General Chapter. We greet the leadership team and all of you who are participating in the 19th General Chapter of the Society of the Divine Word and we greet in the same way all your communities and branches worldwide.
The Congregation of Adoration Sisters is prayerfully united with you in this eventful time of your General Chapter. With this message we would like to express our gratitude and at the same time the hope that our unity as a family, which has the same charism, will continue to grow.
Your chapter theme: “Your light must shine before others” (Mt 5: 16). “Faithful and creative disciples in a wounded world,” is so fitting and hope-giving for our world. We wish you with all our hearts that you can follow the invitations and urgings of the Holy Spirit, who wants to lead you into a good future, perhaps on completely new and unknown paths. “It all depends on God’s good spirit leading us and that we gladly listen to and follow his voice.” (Mother Maria Michaele).
Pope Francis said in a message to another missionary order: “For your mission to be truly fruitful, you must not separate mission from contemplation and from a life of intimacy with the Lord. If you want to be witnesses, you must not refrain from being adorers.” There is no better way to put it. This is also our wish and our message for all of you. In this we are united: you with your missionary-contemplative and we with our contemplative-missionary vocation.
Bad Driburg, May 17, 2024
Mother Maria Magdalena
Message of Congregational Leader Sr. Miriam Altenhofen SSpS
I am honored to address you in this way at the beginning of your 18th General Chapter and grateful for the opportunity to share some thoughts and good wishes with you.
As you gather for this important event under the theme “Let your light shine: Faithful and creative disciples in a wounded world,” I am reminded of the powerful biblical passage that shall accompany your deliberations. It is a call to shine our light in a world that often seems darkened by suffering and uncertainty. It is indeed a call and a mission. It is not only that every one of us has a mission, but “is a mission” hopefully reflecting and transmitting something of this light that does not come from us. It wants to shine through us.
I have fond memories of our collaboration in the past, particularly during the last 18th SVD General Chapter 2018, which was held exactly here at the same place in Nemi, where I had the privilege of facilitating with Fr. Tim Norton SVD, now Bishop Tim Norton, in Brisbane. It was a time of spiritual renewal, during which we discovered the transformative power of the Word of God. Our shared experiences and the bonds we formed during that chapter continue to nourish our relationship and inspire our ministry.
Our leadership teams have been working well on various projects, including the Arnold Janssen Spirituality Network, workshops on interculturality, and Vivat International. These initiatives strengthen our bond and demonstrate our commitment to the mission of our Triune God, as inspired by the Spirit of our Founder, Saint Arnold Janssen.
As you gather for your 19th General Chapter, I want to express my deep gratitude for our collaboration and our common mission. Your role in this chapter is crucial, and I am confident that the Holy Spirit will guide and lead you throughout all your deliberations, illuminating your path and empowering you to be faithful and creative disciples in our wounded world. May your discussions be filled with the light of Christ, and may your decisions be guided by the wisdom of the Spirit.
As Missionaries, Servants of the Holy Spirit, we promise to be with you during this chapter, supporting you with our unwavering prayers. We will implore the Holy Spirit to guide and direct you as you seek the will of God and how to serve the world in the name of Christ. We will pray for the light of the Spirit to illuminate your path, for wisdom to guide your decisions, and for the courage to make the necessary decisions.
We pray that your chapter will be a time of spiritual renewal, where you will rediscover the power of the Word of God and be inspired by it. May your deliberations be marked by unity, love, and a deep commitment to your mission.
We wish you all the best as you embark on this crucial chapter in the life and mission of your congregation.
Rome, May 26, 2024
Sr. Miriam Altenhofen SSpS and all the SSpS
