CGS Assembly Statement
DIRECTION STATEMENT AND DIRECTIVES
“I have compassion for these people. I do not want to send
them away hungry.” (Mt. 15:32)
The spirit that prevailed in the first Joint Provincial Chapter and Assembly of
the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, Philippine Province, held in Tagaytay City,
Philippines, 12-18 September 2002, was a unified following of Christ Poor, who
not only felt compassion for the hungry multitude but above all, took concrete
and immediate action of feeding the poor.
The inner conversion was manifested in attitudinal changes and action plans, all
geared towards becoming women religious passionate about incarnating the
compassionate mission of the Good Shepherd. The joint Chapter and Assembly
expressed this as being “Life bearers: Journeying with the poor towards
integral transformation.”
The first lesson is humility. As shepherds of today, we immerse ourselves with
the poor not with the monopoly of bearing life but with the reciprocity of
receiving and giving life.
The second lesson is courage. The journey of the next six years will lead to
less travelled roads and uncharted seas. The defining moment for us is the
decision to be prophetic as we dare tear down and build up for the sake of
integral transformation.
The third lesson is hope. Faithful to the aspirations of all RGS and CGS who
attended the cluster meetings, the 40 delegates and four junior observers pass
on to the Philippine Province of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd the
concretization of the proposals and recommendations buoyed up by Yahweh’s
promise (Habakkuk 2:2-3):
Write the vision down,
inscribe it on tablets
to be easily read,
since the vision is for its own time only:
eager for its own fulfillment . . .
if it comes slowly, wait,
for come it will, without fail.
Directives:
As Pilgrims with the Poor
That our Sisters deliberately strive towards actualizing the Church of the
Poor, here and now :
| a. | by creating a province-wide trust fund for the poor, contributions for which are derived from the substance, not surplus, of our Sisters, local communities, and the province;* |
| b. | by requesting our general council to create a parallel fund for “the poor of the world”;* |
| c. | by having our province leadership to encourage and support our Sisters who live or wish to live in communities of immersion with the poor;** |
| d. | by urging our provincial leadership to desist from amassing wealth through the inheritance of our Sisters that are tied down by anti-poor conditions.** |
| e. | by developing guidelines for accountability in fund monitoring and supervision.** |
That the Justice, Peace, Women, and Integrity of Creation thrust of our province
permeate not only our lives, mission and governance, but also overflow to
groups and institutions we are involved in;
That our lay co-workers be not only empowered to share responsibility, but also
power and authority. Moreover, they be considered in spirit and in truth as our
formators. In this spirit,
| a) | an integrated lay formation program be designed and systematically implemented with the help of our lay collaborators;** |
| b. | a committee be created by the provincial council to conduct an in-depth study of all RGS schools so as to hasten the shift towards being life-bearers for the poor.** |
That a Mindanao JP-WIC Team be created in Mindanao.**
That the essential elements common to our contemplative and apostolic
Sisters, now identified and articulated as universal zeal, community
life, mission of reconciliation, justice, complementarity/mutuality/communion be
the wellspring from which a sustained common formation program as
lifebearers journeying with the poor be designed and operationalized.**
Life-Bearers with the Poor
That the new organigram of our province, which elevates JP-WIC into a province
team, and actualizes our feminist mode of transformational leadership and our
province thrust, be concretized in our life, mission, and government;*
That the CGS movement towards self-determination and governance which has
already begun, be respected and supported by all active and contemplative
Sisters;**
That our Provincial and General Coordinators be given the mandate to make
a corporate stand for the congregation when the situation calls for it;*
That in an effort towards optimum participation in the affairs of
our province, particularly with input from our Sisters in the frontlines,
| a. | the province leadership shall take steps to implement an “open chapter” by the year 2008;** |
| b. | that the General Council grant the request of the Provincial Chapter and Assembly to allow all Sisters CGS and RGS, of perpetual vows, to elect the Provincial Coordinator in 2008.* |
Thanking God for the tremendous graces of this Provincial Chapter and Assembly, 2002, we now launch into the deep, inspired by the words of our Mother Foundress, St. Mary Euphrasia Pelletier:
“Rouse yourselves, my dear daughters, and go forward!”
Signed: Delegates to the 2002
Provincial Chapter/Assembly
* Proposal
**Recommendation
