The Chapter members met at 7.00 in the morning in the chapel to where they recited morning prayer together, followed by a time of quiet prayer. Then at 9.30 Fr General, Saverio Cannistra, formerly opened the General Chapter.
Fr General began by referring to the Chapter Assembly (those present and those absent). Our brothers from India are at the Teresianum where they are completing their quanrantine, but were able to join the Chapter using Zoom. It was noted that for the first time more than half of those present are attending a General Chapter for the first time.
The Chapter carried out a number of elections regarding the way the Chapter is run:
- Secretary to the General (P. Angelo Lanfranhi) and his assistent (Fr. Grzegor Firszt);
- Four moderators of the sessions (Fathers Javier Meno Lima and Johnnes Gorantla, who are Definitors and Frs Fausto Lincio, Provincial of Lombardy and Lazaro Iparraguirre, Provincial of Navarre.
- The Assembly approved the Norms for the celebration of the General Chapter, the daily timetale and the programme for the Chapter.
Fr General then spoke about some of these matters. In particular, he explained that this year the Definitory wanted to give more space to the group meetings and to the working groups, be they languague groups (english, french, spanish, itlalian) or geographical groups.
At 12.00 we celebrated the Eucharist. It was presided by Mgr. Jose Rodriguez-Carballo, the Secretary to the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. In his introduction to the Mass he pointed to the Holy Spirit, and insisted on the fact that during the Chapter we must put the Holy Spirit into our minds and hearts and also in our votes. His homily concentrated on three principal ideas: joy, to be profets of hope and reciprocal support.
This afternoon the chapter members met in working groups.
