Gathering in community to pray and plan for the future, more than 30 Salvatorian priests and brothers from across the United States came together in Racine, WI, March for the XXXIII Provincial Chapter held at the Sienna Center in Racine, WI.
During this important gathering, Fr. Raúl Gomez-Ruiz, SDS, was elected Vicar Provincial, filling the position vacated when Fr. Peter Schuessler, SDS, took the office of Provincial in November. In addition, Bro. Silas Henderson, SDS, and Fr. Raúl were elected delegates to represent the USA Province at the General Chapter. They will join Fr. Peter in Krakow, Poland, this summer.
Provincial Welcome
During the opening address of the Chapter, Fr. Peter Schuessler, SDS,Provincial shared a reflection from a painting class he had taken in college. The art teacher told him to stand back from the easel and look at the picture he was working on. She then pointed to areas with room for improvement, noting that he had been focusing too much on the minor spots to notice other areas that might need his attention. “She offered that by doing this, I was losing sight of the big picture,” Fr. Peter shared. “She suggested that I needed to occasionally step back and take in the whole picture to see areas that needed attention like color, balance, and other aspects of a good painting.”
Fr. Peter related this experience to those attending the Chapter, noting that each Salvatorian priest and brother, even when working in different parts of the country, does his best to minister and live the mission and charism of our founder, Blessed Francis Jordan.
He said, “Coming together for a chapter is like taking a step back to look at the bigger picture.” He encouraged the members to step back from their busy lives and ministries to collectively look at the USA Province as a whole so that the work of discerning where we are and where we are called to go would become more apparent throughout the week.
Our Keynote
Fr. Jeffrey Kirch, Provincial Superior of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood in the United States, joined us on our first full day of the Provincial Chapter. He shared the reality that many religious orders, faced with aging and diminishing membership, are examining what’s next and where the Lord and their charisms are calling them. He reminded us that our charism is a both gift from the Holy Spirit and needed in the Church. Fr. Jeff nudged us to examine how we will respond in light of our charisms and the needs of the times. He asked us to consider who will carry on our charism as Salvatorians and how it might look as an essential part of the Chapter process.
Fr. Jeff suggested three areas of discernment for the Provincial Chapter. First, to look at the changing reality by reading the signs of time through the lens of the Gospel and going back to our roots. Second, to remind ourselves of Blessed Francis Jordan’s vision and our charisms. Third, to be open to the inevitable challenges that any changes present. God calls us in context. We need to look at “what is” more than “what we want it to be” so that we can review the reality of our resources and be open to ministry and areas that we are being called to serve in Christ’s name.
Message from Rome
Fr. Milton Zonta, SDS, General Superior of the Salvatorian priests and brothers throughout the world, conferenced into the Chapter from the Society’s Motherhouse in Rome. He encouraged us to lift our eyes and light them with hope and a powerful view of what may be. “Mission is not only our work, but God’s work, and our vocation to follow Christ may not always be easy,” he said. “It is not up to us to say when any particular mission is accomplished.” He reminded us of the words of our founder, “The works of God prosper only in the shadow of the cross.”
