On January 26, Canossa House of Spirituality swarmed once more with Sisters greeting each other joyfully as they arrived for the Chapter, each one bracing herself yet gladly at the shivering coldness in Tagaytay. After the afternoon snacks, the Sisters thronged around St. Magdalene along the driveway overlooking Taal Lake for the Opening Liturgy led by Sr. Eugenia and Sr. Marissa. With filial singing to our Mother Foundress, we greeted her with the endearing hymn, ‘Let Us Thank the Father Almighty’. We proceeded silently to the Chapter Hall to continue the liturgy where the Word of God was enthroned and deepened in the areas of inculturality, governance, formation and mission. It was highlighted with a ritual of lighting a candle before each symbol which represents each area.
The Chapter commenced with the declaration of Sr. Lilia Nuesca, Provincial Leader, declaring the Chapter officially opened, invoking the Holy Spirit to accompany us. She reviewed the nine Provincial Chapter resolutions passed in 2019 first session where some were carried out, others still to be implemented by the Province or the Institute. She synthesized the 17th General Chapter Resolutions on the value of interculturality touching the areas of governance, formation and mission for reconfiguration permeated by the Word. She also cited the distribution of the Sisters in the Province by age, by ministry engagement which have been greatly reduced due to aging, sickness or death. She invited the Sisters for a deeper reflection of our strengths with our limits which internally the possibilities are boundless when we ‘enlarge the space of our tent, lengthen our ropes and make firm our pegs’ (Is. 54:2). The session ended with the evening prayer.
The 39 participants of the 5th Provincial Chapter of Application of the Sacred Heart Province at Canossa House of Spirituality in Tagaytay will be until February 1st.