This summer, for the month of July, I had the privilege to be part of our General Chapter. I was elected as a capitulant by my sisters in October 2022. As one of 29 Xaviere Sisters, the mandate given was to elect the next government of our congregation and to reflect, discern, and define the general orientations for the next six years. One month is both long and short: so long that I had to quit my job whereas the intensity of this time made it fly.
Here is a recap of a few milestones.
July 1 – Joy and sorrow as a family
All capitulants arrived in La Pourraque, our “family home” in the Southeast of France, and we learned that one of our elder sisters – Sr. Thérèse Bourguignon – had just died in Marseilles.
July 2 to July 11 – An 8-day Ignatian retreat
The Chapter retreat was for all the Xaviere Sisters who would then participate in the General Chapter. It was preached by a mixed duo, a Jesuit priest and a Sister from another Ignatian congregation.
Time to listen deeply to God, in the Scriptures, in the beauty of Creation, in the liturgy…
July 11 – Sr. Therese’s Funeral and the Introductory Conference with Sr. Nathalie Becquart XMCJ and Fr. Giacomo Costa SJ.
Sr. Therese’s funeral was celebrated in the chapel of La Pourraque and she was then buried in the cemetery of the small town nearby with our foundress and other Xaviere Sisters. The celebration of her life totally given to God and to others rooted us all in the essential and the mystery of our call.
In the afternoon, on the eve of the official opening of the General Chapter, Sr. Nathalie, one of our Xaviere sisters and the Under-Secretary to the General Secretariat of the Synod of Bishops, and Fr. Giacomo Costa, a Jesuit priest and the special secretary of Synod 2021-2024, gave a talk on the theme: “Looking at society and the Church today: challenges and calls for religious life.” It widened our perspective to the whole world and the whole Church!
July 12 – Opening of the General Chapter 2023
The General Chapter was launched with a beautiful morning prayer in the Chapel, followed by a send-off. Each of us received a phrase extracted from expressions from our foundress, or from our Constitutions, or from previous General Chapters. Gathered in front of the house, we read out loud these sentences, like a bouquet of who we are. This is what I received: “getting to know and love the world we live in.” Then, each of us was called by name, starting by the most senior in religious life, and we entered the Chapter room.
As one of the two elected who made their vows more recently, I was in charge of verifying the voting procedure, counting and checking the ballots, and I was sitting opposite the Chapter’s Presider in the Chapter room. Lucky to have some air through the door behind us, as the room had no air conditioning and temperatures were quite high in the South of France in July (above 37°C several days)!
In addition to the 29 Xaviere Sisters, four people were present most of the time in the Chapter room:
- The Spiritual Counsellor: Fr. François-Xavier Dumortier, a Jesuit Priest
- An external facilitator: Ms. Monique Baujard, a married woman, mother, and grandmother, who has a Master in Theology and is studying synodality.
- Two Xaviere Sisters were appointed as secretaries, but they could not vote or speak during the discussions.
July 13 – July 14 – Reflection on the past six years
The next days were dedicated to reflecting on the past six years. The outgoing Superior General presented her report, as did the Treasurer, and we all reflected on these reports. During an evening prayer, we experienced a liturgy of reconciliation in a creative way: there were various “stations” in the chapel, to meditate on the world, on our relationship with the Father (Painting of the Prodigal Son of Rembrandt), our relationship with Christ (in front of the Cross), we could write a prayer and place it in a basket, and we were invited to place our hands in mud and wipe them on a long strip of white sheet as a sign of penance. At the end of this celebration, this muddy sheet was transformed with three colours of paint as a sign of the mercy of God for us. A powerful reconciliation celebration.
July 15 – July 16 – Preparation for and the election of the new Superior General
Technically, any Xaviere Sister who made their final vows for more than five years is eligible. Of course, there are some criteria to ponder, health being one of them! A day was dedicated to praying, pondering, and having one-on-one discussions on precise questions before voting for the new Superior General. There is no spirit of campaigning or competition, but a true search for the leading of the Spirit. On Sunday, July 16, Sr. Laurence Loubières was elected Superior General! Time to celebrate, to realize what just happened, and to inform our Xaviere Sisters everywhere!
July 17 – July 28 – Woven times of election of the four Counsellors and of work on the orientations for the next six years
12 consecutive days were dedicated to work on the orientations based on the three themes that stemmed from the assemblies organized with all our sisters in October and December 2022, as well as some updates required on our “Additional Standards” (complementary to the Constitutions) to align with the updates made by the previous Chapter on the Constitutions. Woven with these days, the four other voting sessions took place to elect an Assistant General – who lives in the same house as the Superior General and works almost full-time for the Congregation – and three other Counsellors – who continue to live in their communities but gather 4-5 times a year for a week-long working session with the Superior General and her Assistant.
During these intense days, we had mass together in the morning or the evening, and evening prayer or morning prayer accordingly. Praying together in these liturgies has been an integral part of the experience. On the election days, I remember some mysterious feeling of togetherness perceived while we sang.
Overall, each text had to be duly approved through a secret ballot. And when the Chapter was officially closed, we celebrated it in a final outstanding time of prayer. The creative output from the reconciliation liturgy was reused to weave into it excerpts from voted texts. What a joy to receive them in this way after a long labour!
July 30-31/August 15-16 – Reception of the General Chapter and Obedience to the New Superior General by all the Xaviere Sisters
All Xaviere Sisters were invited to La Pourraque to one of the two sessions of reception of the General Chapter. During mass that day, each of us who had already made our vows manifested our renewed obedience to the newly elected Superior General. The orientations and the updated Additional Standards were presented. And we got to celebrate and give thanks to God for gathering us to participate in Christ’s mission!
Sr. Claire
Xaviere Sisters in Toronto 
so good ! 🙂
Martine Patron