The
General Chapter delegates of the Society of St. Paul are extending to
you their greetings in exchange and in gratitude for the numerous
prayers and wishes that reached us from every part of the world. The
difficulties bound to the granting of visas and of air travel have not
impeded the 65 members of the Chapter to be present at the inaugural
address of Fr. Pietro Campus, Superior General, in the afternoon of
April 19. Our first remembrance was that of Fr. Felipe Gutiérrez,
delegate of the Mexico Province, who would have been among us had not
the Father called him unexpectedly to Himself.
The
first three days were dedicated for reflection on the Chapter’s theme,
beginning from the solid exegesis on St. Paul and his times, followed by
an attentive look at his newness projected ‘today’ and then moved on
to Alberione’s reading of the figure of Paul, thereby reaching the
implications he has in the Congregation’s today, so as to have such
spiritual and charismatic roots.
Msgr.
Romano Penna, bible scholar of
the Lateran Pontifical University, started off by comparing Luther with
Alberione, with both having drawn inspiration from Paul but with
divergent points of view: the first paid attention on the individual
person, the second on universality and on missionary spirit. The
overwhelming encounter with the Redeemer pushes Paul towards the
gentiles, while breaking the barrier of Phariseeism, in order to become
everything to everyone, with the only interest of communicating the
gospel to man as well as to the religious-cultural status of those to
whom he addresses himself.
The
approach of Fr. José Bortolini, ssp, bible scholar, has had the
merit of making Paul alive today by taking up themes such as: Paul,
model of the consecrated person, formed after Jesus servant, bearer of a
different priesthood, with a multi-cultural training, citizen of the
world, discoverer of a new form of evangelization (the letters), having
a language enculturated in the big cities, open to the mentality of his
time and to working with women, with an egalitarian vision of society.
To
Fr. Antonio da Silva, ssp, of the Center of Pauline Spirituality,
has been entrusted a view on Fr. Alberione as the new Paul of his own
time. Fr. da Silva presented Alberione’s unpublished notebook of 1918,
entitled Un mese a San Paolo (A month for St. Paul), where many
affirmations of charismatic importance, later reaffirmed, are found and
Alberione’s effort to introduce himself to his time in order to draw
inspiration for a healthy modernity, in order to expand ‘from Alba to
all peoples’, in order to avail with holiness and knowledge in order
to become an apostle, attentive to the culture and the language of the
last ones and the distant ones.
Fr.
Silvio Sassi, ssp, expert on
communication, observed in his conference how Fr. Alberione had not only
adopted a means (the press) but also drew a complete project of
evangelization. To us belongs the duty of integrating this unitary
project with the further study of Vatican Council II and of the Church’s
Magisterium on communication and evangelization on one hand and on the
other hand, the ongoing profound social changes, from post-modernity to
digital communication. We need the audacity of Alberione and of St. Paul
in order to draw a global project capable of enculturating the Gospel
today, in these social-ecclesial conditions, so changed compared to
different contexts.
The
preciousness of these studies has suggested their publication on the
Chapter’s website whose the address is: www.sanpaolo.org/capitologenerale2004/.
With
this phase of reflection over, on 23 April, Fr. Pietro Campus officially
declared open the 8th General Chapter of the Society of St. Paul and so
the election of organisms followed, after the approval of the rules of
regulations and an exchange of opinions on the expectations from this
congregational event. Bro. Walter Rodríguez and Fr. Paulo
Bazaglia, the two youngest among the delegates, were elected
scrutineers. Fr. Silvio Sassi was as well elected as the Chapter’s
Secretary with Fr. Antonio Maroño, Fr. Jose Pottayil and Fr. Manoel
Quinta as members of the Central Commission. Elected as information
secretary was Bro. Lorenzo Vezzani and as actuaries, Fr.
Agatino Gugliara and Fr. Sante Sabatucci. In the evening of
23 April, a solemn Eucharistic celebration was held where, united with
the Chapter Delegates, there was a large and welcomed representation
from the General Governments of the Pauline Family and of the
Communities found in the area.
With
the casting of ballots on the Chapter bodies over in the morning, the
presentation of reports from the Circumscriptions was started. This is
expected to end on the 27th or 28th of this month,
with the report of the Superior General. The invitation of the
Preparatory Commission to make this moment more effectively communicated
was welcomed by the Major Superiors who are presenting their
circumscription realities by utilizing advantageously Power Point, Flash
and DVD prepared for the moment.
The
atmosphere among the Chapter Delegates is very serene and positive. This
clearly emerges from the wealth and the number of interventions that
further enrich the discussions in the Chapter Hall.
United
in prayer, we greet you in St. Paul, our father.
