| News |
| PERPETUAL COMMITMENT |
| CONGRATULATIONS |
| S.No |
Names |
S.No |
Names |
| 1. |
Sr. Esther Philomena |
10. |
Sr. Jayarakkini |
| 2. |
Sr. Chandra |
11. |
Sr. Brundha |
| 3. |
Sr. Veena |
12. |
Sr. Theresa Shakila |
| 4. |
Sr. Soosai Rani |
13. |
Sr. Starra |
| 5. |
Sr. Lincy |
14. |
Sr. Soosai Ranjana |
| 6. |
Sr. Arul Amudha Rani |
15. |
Sr. Nisha |
| 7. |
Sr. Amala Sabrina |
16. |
Sr. Rubini |
| 8. |
Sr. Nirmal Archana |
17. |
Sr. Henrietta |
| 9. |
Sr. Jenita Cyril |
|
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Our Seventeen Sisters of St. Anne - Chennai
perpetually commit themselves to the Lord
who sided with the marginalized,
on 8th Saturday, December 2007,
at St. Anne’s Generalate
Madavaram, Chennai - 600 060
during the Concelebrated Eucharist at 07.00 a.m
presided by
The Most Rev. Dr. Peter Remigius
Bishop of Kottar
We are happy to invite you to share our joy. |
Yours Lovingly
Sr. Leema SSA - Superior General
& Sisters of St. Anne - Chennai |
|
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 |
XXIII GENERAL CHAPTER
Of
Sisters of St. Anne - Chennai (SSA) |
| |
My Sisters in Christ, |
|
Sr. Leema Rose SSA
Superior General |
|
As specified in the Statute No.64 here by I declare legitimately that the 23rd General Chapter will be held from 25th April to 29th April 2008 at Generalate campus, Madavaram. I request every sister of St. Anne to pray for the intentions of the Chapter. The New Year - 2008 will be for us and for each sister of St. Anne, a season of blessing and grace. It will be blessing, because we will recall the ways in which the hand of the Lord in tangible ways has led us through all these years. It will be equally a moment of grace, because we will be invoking the guidance of the Holy Spirit to show us the directions we need to take, the mission we commit to. I am hopeful that the Chapter will enhance the profile of our Congregation in terms of returning to our roots that would give us a deep sense of belonging to the Congregation and visualizing our future that would direct us how we should form ourselves competent to enter into new avenues of mission. |
|
| As you are aware our history is a story of empowering the poor and marginalized, especially the poor and rural girls. This has been our unique characteristic. Of course, there were times we faltered in our journey of mission. But quickly we gained strength to re establish our way of living and doing our mission. Constantly, we read the signs of the time that guided what we should do and how we should do our mission and live our religious life. In the forthcoming Chapter too we discern and decide new directions that would make us responsive, committed and competent for mission in the spirit of Mother Gnanamma. |
| The Purpose And Intent Of The 23rd General Chapter |
| To review the past six years of mission and life |
| To discern the signs of the time and interpreting them in the light of the Gospels |
| To sharpen our focus of mission according to the contemporary challenges |
| To evaluate the way we live and work in the spirit of our Foundress and the norms of our St. Anne’s family. |
| To explore new avenues of mission that responds to the cry of the poor. |
|
| More specifically the aims of the General Chapter is |
| To elect the Superior General and Councillors |
| To renew ourselves according to the Charism and Spirituality of our Congregation |
| To modify and amend the Constitutions and Statutes according to the needs of the times, and the Directives of the Church (Cons. 150) |
|
| Preparing Ourselves Towards The Chapter |
Top |
| As you know, we have been preparing ourselves towards the Chapter. First, the Extended Council of the three provinces was held last year on the theme “Contemplatives in Prophetic Action.” The deliberations of this Council exhort us to embrace a spirituality of intimacy with God and radical discipleship. |
| The Novena of our Patroness St. Anne was indeed a great occasion to go back to the roots of the Congregation, to wonder at its heritage, to extend our personality and to deepen our commitment. |
| “Jesus and Mission” is the theme of the Annual Retreat. All the programmes of this year are planned and implemented meticulously to facilitate the participation of the sisters in the General Chapter |
| The General Councillors, Provincials and the Province Councillors will meet on 31st October 2007 at the Generalate, Madavaram. The dates and place of the 23rd General Chapter will be formally announced after a meaningful prayer service on that day. |
| The theme of the 22nd General Chapter “Life in abundance” has its impact on the life and spirituality of our sisters, the extension of mission and all other developments of the Congregation considerably during the past six years. We also have coined different topics every year focusing on this theme. We interpreted the vision of the 22nd General Chapter as following in response to the context. |
|
| Year |
Event |
Manifesto |
| 2002 |
Interpreting the vision formulated
during the 22nd General Chapter |
To give life in abundance |
| 2003 |
Sharpening the interpretation |
Towards new horizons |
| 2004 |
Extending the interpretation |
Towards new horizons -
Extending our personality
and broadening our vision |
| 2005 |
Contextualizing the interpretation |
Towards new horizons -
In the light of the Eucharist |
| 2006 |
Actualizing the Interpretation |
Towards new horizons -
In the light of word of God |
| 2007 |
Interpretation becomes |
Towards new horizons -
founding spirituality Contemplatives in prophetic Action |
|
|
| The reflections for recollection day from November 2007 to April 2008 will be prepared in accordance with the theme of the 23rd General Chapter by the Generalate. |
| A questionnaire will be prepared in view of the 23rd General Chapter in order to assess our life, the vision and mission of our Congregation and it will be sent to you. |
| Your suggestions are valuable and they will be discussed in the General Chapter. |
| Teachers and students will have meetings in zonal level in three provinces. Based on the Charism of the Congregation, the need of updating our educational institutions and their contribution and involvement will be explained to them briefly. Their proposals will be taken for discussion in the General Chapter. |
| First phase of the GC : General Council and Province Council meet in Madavaram. There will be preparation for province chapters. Then we will prepare a list of delegates. |
| Second Phase : We will send the General Chapter delegates list to all the communities. In the meantime, the response to the questionaire will reach the Generalate. |
| Third Phase : The list of delegates will officially be published. They will be enlightened with certain guide lines in view of their effective participation in the General Chapter. |
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| The Process in The Chapter |
Top |
| Presentation of the Secretary General’s Report |
| Submission of the Procurator General’s Report |
| Recollection and Discernment |
| Election of the Superior General and Her Councillors |
|
| Phase Two |
| ELECTION of Provincials for the three provinces |
| Second phase of the General Chapter will open from 15th May 2008 to 30th May 2008. The elected provincials and their councillors will participate in the second phase of the Chapter. |
|
| Your Prayers And Your Accompaniment |
| The General Chapter is convoked once in six years. I invite you to consider it a blessing and grace. At this time of discernment and deliberations, it is an opportunity to express our sense of belonging and the unity of the Congregation. Although not all of you will participate in the General Chapter, but each one of us will be indirectly responsible for all that happens in the Chapter. Because the delegates in the Chapter are only our representatives. They will represent our views. Realizing this personal responsibility, we need to participate actively by giving our suggestions for discussion. Because every decision we take in the General Chapter will be binding on us all in a significant way. Therefore I want each one of you own up the event and feel one with the Congregation at this time of historical process. In all this, we need the assistance of the Holy Spirit. As you know, the preservation and the increase of the Congregation will not happen by human means, but it will happen by the grace of God. We need to surrender humbly to God and ask for His guidance and wisdom so as to formulate proper policies and take appropriate decisions for our mission and our life as a religious. I am confident that the Lord who once inspired the ordinary and rustic woman - Mother Gnanamma - in the 1880s to found a movement that will be the voice for the voiceless will continue to guide the 23rd General Chapter and the events later to take place. And Mother Gnanamma will be present in the Chapter in spirit and in flesh. |
| (Prayer for the General Chapter - Refer With God in Daily Prayer - Page 17) |
With Love and Prayers,
Sr. Leema Rose SSA
Superior General |
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