The first fruit of the Chapter is the newly elected government:
- Sr. Laurence Loubières as Superior General,
- Her General Assistant Sr. Sophie Beauchamp who lives in community and works with Sr. Laurence in Paris, and
- three other Councillors who live in different communities in France and meet with Srs. Laurence and Sophie from time to time for General Council meetings.
Only Sr. Laurence and one councillor, Sr. Christine Magnin, were part of the previous government. We truly receive each government team as a good surprise from God to us, for where we are in time, and this one is not an exception!
Capitalizing on the preliminary sharing and reflections that took place throughout the year 2022-2023 through spiritual conversations in Regions and in communities, the Chapter selected some key orientations for the six years ahead. They are rooted in the experience of our foundress, Claire Monestès, whose life we continue to reflect upon in the light of present events in the world and in the Church.
The first was on our charism: teasing out three attitudes that we, in a sense, are already living and feel called to live more intentionally.
This appeared to us as a treasure for today, not only for us but also for others! At the end of this post are some extracts on the attitudes: “accepting our frailties, weaving connections, and being women of hope.”
Concretely this invites us to continuously be evangelized, always called to conversion. So, we decided to go deeper specifically in two areas:
- Engaging in a conversion to integral ecology, in solidarity with women and men of our times – this is not optional!
- Exploring further or finding more creative ways to live governance with subsidiarity and co-responsibility, authority and obedience, and the fraternal life we are called to live by the Gospel so that our mission can be lived to the fullest.
These fruits will ripen in the coming years, as we will continue to unpack. These are seeds of joy for today and for tomorrow, for us and around us.
A Treasure For Our Time
(Chosen extracts)
– Accepting our frailties
Clare Monestès’ experience is an encouragement to persevere in times of trial, not to shy away from places of fragility, to reach out to those in need, to hold on where powerlessness is felt, and to believe that joy is not impossible.
With Christ poor and humble, we believe that God is at work in our fragile humanities.
– Weaving connections
In a fragmented world, Claire Monestès’ focus on “weaving connections” resonates particularly. The image of weaving inspires us: to weave is to bring together diverse elements. Weaving requires work, attention, time and learning. It is an invitation to practice patience and to be surprised by beauty.
Weaving connections reminds us of fundamental aspects of our history: working with others, experiencing and enabling encounters, conversing, receiving, renewing ties that have been loosened or destroyed, repairing and working towards reconciliation and justice.
The image of weaving reflects the complexity of the world. The invitation to know and love the world with Christ is also a call to stand within this complexity, to refine our listening and discernment. With Christ who brings us together, we want to create spaces for communion, rediscover the paths of social friendship, and work towards fraternity and unity.
– Being women of hope
The experience of Claire Monestès urges us to stand in the places of fracture, division and darkness, to keep vigil in hope like the women who went to the tomb on Easter morning. Claire’s commitment to the society and Church of her time opened new paths with others.
Today, we are called as women religious to accompany a new way of being Church, more open to all, in hope. “The Church is called to become this new community in which men and women live in relationships of reciprocity and reveal to one another their identity in Jesus Christ.” (Xavieres’ General Chapter in 1987)
In society, as in the Church, we want to dare to speak out and act in ways that contribute to renewed relationships, to participate in decision-making processes, and to seek greater reciprocity between women and men.
With the Risen Christ, we want to engage our creativity, our audacity, and our courage.
Xaviere Sisters in Toronto 