SVD
Generalate

It is in this spirit, after much discernment and deliberations the generalate leadership team, involving the general council, generalate officials, secretaries, coordinators and the zonal coordinators, has arrived at an understanding of our commitment that the 19^th General Chapter 2024 (19^th GC) has mandated to us. In its wisdom, the Chapter wishes that we become faithful and creative disciples, acknowledge our own woundedness, and work for the holistic healing ad intra and ad extra, focusing our attention on some vital aspects of our life and mission where such discipleship must be cultivated. We also observe that while sustaining continuity (faithfulness) with previous General Chapters, the 19^th GC encourages creativity (change) in those areas of focus.   

Carefully and collectively going through the documents of the 19^th GC (Faithful to the Word, No.6, September 2024), we capture the intent of the Chapter through its assertions, resolutions and recommendations. Exhorted by the 19^th GC, while being faithful to our SVD identity and through our Characteristic Dimensions, we stand in solidarity with the wounded to bring healing and transformation, witness to Christ’s presence among all peoples and cultures, and choose to focus on (1) Formation, (2) Education, (3) Family &Youth ministry, (4) Lay Partners, (5) Financial Sustainability and (6) Care for Creation as our priorities for the sexennium 2024-2030.

Our identity is encapsulated in the catchy and captivating expression, ‘Our Name is Our Mission.’ As ‘Divine Word’ missionaries, we commit ourselves to promote faithfully and creatively, our Biblical apostolate, publication and proliferation of Biblical literature, community Bible sharing, living the Word authentically, and proclaiming it sagaciously.

Blessed with the intercultural identity (DNA), we conscientiously cultivate intercultural competence and passionately build intercultural communities – ad intra and ad extra – infusing synodal spirit in community leadership and responsible membership. Caring for the confreres in difficulties is a powerful sign of a healing and healthy community reflecting the reign of God. Innovatively infusing and invigorating our Characteristic Dimensions in all our missionary undertakings should render greater visibility our identity (ref: #37-47 & 61-65,19GC-2024). 

(1) “The formation programs of our Society are deeply integrated within the core mission of becoming faithful and creative disciples.” In the initial formation program, we give emphasis to implementation and evaluation of the SVD Ratio Formationis Generalis. We assist the formandi recognize their woundedness and the need for holistic healing. We also address the issue of clericalism inculcating a synodal mentality in our formandi.

Encouraging innovative ways of vocation promotion, we place greater attention to vocation promotion in EUROPA & PANAM and vocation to brotherhood (ref: #48-53,19^th GC-2024). We ensure that there is a mechanism for regular orientation, renewal and accompaniment of our missionaries, especially in their initial missionary experiences (ref: #55-57,19^th GC-2024). Understanding our formation ministry as a shared responsibility, we promote greater collaboration among the formative staff, among the PRMs, in the subzones and across the zones, by fostering interactions and sharing of personnel and financial resources (ref: #54,19^th GC-2024).                              

(2) As education has become a dominant ministry for us, we discern and device ways and means to make it vibrant, relevant and useful instrument of transformation. To this end, we formulate a structure for animation of our education ministry, create a job description for Generalate Assistant Secretary for Education, and draw up guidelines on the SVD-ness of our education apostolate.

Further, enhancing our education ministry would also mean that we strengthen the collaboration, interaction and sharing of information and resources among our educational institutions at the PRM, subzonal and zonal levels, review / device a common policy on providing scholarships in our educational institutions, evaluate and inspire a culture  of higher learning and research, bolster our research institutes, create greater awareness and competence on ethical engagement with Artificial Intelligence (AI), and give stimulus to non-formal and indigenous peoples’ education (ref: #59,19^th GC-2024).

(3) Understanding the significant challenges faced by wounded families, we commit to improve the Family and Youth ministries by developing a pastoral approach aimed at holistic development of the families, provide spiritual nourishment and comprehensive support for the youth and the family, build strong Christian communities that are culturally sensitive and responsive, make strategies for the formation of youth who graduate from our educational institutions, and promote vocation among the youth we accompany in our institutionalized ministries by creating systematic programs involving all confreres (ref: #74-77,19^th GC-2024).

(4) It is a matter of joy that more and more lay associates in our PRMs are coming forward to share our spiritual missionary charism. Their growing number is heartwarming. We need to strengthen our lay partner groups by concentrating on their formation, animation and accompaniment, exploring the possibility of common structure for our lay partners, intensifying the interaction among the lay partner groups, and encouraging exchange of lay missionaries among PRMs / subzones / zones (ref: #78-81,19^th GC-2024).

(5) Recognizing the importance of sound and responsible financial management at the personal and PRM levels, we want to augment the administration of our temporal goods and promote greater transparency, instill financial discipline, form and revitalize Financial Advisory Committees in all PRMs, utilize our untapped resources, evaluate and enhance our financial self-reliance projects, and update the inventory of our land-properties in all our PRMs (ref: #66-67,19^th GC-2024). 

(6) Creatively caring for our common home, “we aspire to develop a comprehensive ecological strategy, drawing insights from Laudato Si’, Querida Amazonia, Fratelli Tutti, and Laudate Deum. This strategy can emphasize the integration of eco-spirituality, eco-justice, eco-friendly lifestyles, and prophetic advocacy to advance our mission of environmental stewardship and sustainability” (ref: #68-73,19^th GC-2024).

We need to mobilize our resources and involve our collaborators to achieve these objectives of the current sexennium. By judicious planning, diligent allocation of responsibilities, generous cooperation, evolving mechanisms for systematic execution, regular monitoring, periodic evaluation and final reporting, etc. we ensure proper implementation of these priorities. In this regard exercising creative leadership is crucial at all levels of our Society.

However, these prioritized implementations of the mandate of the 19^th GC do not ignore or rule out or consider insignificant the other areas of our life and mission addressed in the Chapter document that are not covered by the priorities highlighted above. There are issues in the document pertaining to specific contexts, offices, dimensions or ministries. It is the duty of the concerned confreres, coordinators and leaders at all levels of our congregational structure to ensure that such issues are addressed adequately and reported properly.   

-Generalate Leadership Team