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The fruits of the 2017 General Chapter

Every five years, the Sisters of Providence of several countries meet for their General Chapter, a three-week meeting which purpose is to determine the Congregation’s orientations for the next five years.

July 9-30, 2017, nearly a hundred sisters working in Canada, United States, El Salvador, Philippines, Chile, Haiti and Egypt gathered in Montreal, Quebec. They were to reflect about a host of important issues ranging from a new model of governance, to changes to the Constitutions and Rules of the Congregation and not to forget the election of the new General Leadership Team that will serve until 2022. This new team consists of Sister Karin Dufault, General Superior for a second term, Sisters Josie Lerios and Rollande Malo, re-elected as General Councillors, and Sisters Nancy Arévalo and Hortense Demia-Mbaïlaou, both newly elected as General Councillors.

Under the theme “Joyfully Welcome and Proclaim God’s Dream”, the participating sisters repeatedly pointed out that they worked intensely, but in good spirits. Facilitators Mary Harrington, SUSC and Gabrielle Stuart, RSM formed different groups for work and for faith sharing. This helped the Chapter members to get to know sisters from other countries, other cultures. As a result of this mingling, the participants expressed they feel they better understand the Congregation’s reality and challenges. Several Chapter members noted that at the end of the Chapter, they had developed a stronger sense of belonging to the Congregation as a whole; others Chapter members spoke of an invitation to be more generous in their response to differences. All sought to connect in a common quest to make possible God’s dream for the Congregation and the world.