XXIII General Chapter - Opening Words

Let us do what HE asks of us

Dear Sisters, may peace, goodness, union, and communion dwell in the heart of all of us.

How beautiful it is to meet in this house which is so dear to all of us. Welcome once again to our common house. To meet in Chapter means being together, welcoming others, listening, engaging in dialogue, and openness. This is what Francis and his brothers did during their Chapters, but they also call on us to continue to accept new challenges and the signs of today, and to continue to proclaim the Gospel.

We must not give up on dreams, because when we give up on dreams, we are dead... The dream of a Congregation that is filled with life and enduring dedication and that continues to be a response to today’s challenges.
The dream of being creative in our fidelity... Pope Francis tells us in the consecrated life we can be sterile when it is not specifically prophetic, when dreaming is not allowed.

"Prophecy, the ability to dream, is the opposite of rigidity. Those who are rigid cannot dream" ...

How are we?

 "Let us do what HE asks of us" ... is the motto we have chosen for this five-year period. These words have sustained us, but they have also challenged us and called on us to be more attentive and loving listeners, to keep one ear on the Gospel, on the Word, and the other on people, as Blessed Angelelli, martyr of Argentina said.
To do what HE asks of us, presupposes moments of silence and prayer, because it is in silence that new things are germinate; it is in silence that God surprises us… Doing what HE asks of us means putting our whole being, as women and as consecrated women, at the service of the mission and of life, this is always in the making, never-ending childbirth, and to go and reach out to others, as Mary did… Sisters Franciscan Missionary of Our Lady, consecrated to the service of life, communion, participation, mission... these words will resound in us during this these days and will no doubt be a source strength during the period ahead.

We will need a map. One that shows where we are and where we could be. It is there that resound the voices of the daughters and sons of God who might be calling for our presence, who might be crying out for our presence. A Chapter can unleash charismatic dreams and make them go far.
Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Our Lady in Chapter... BLOWING EMBERS ...

Walking to the rhythm of the times and the needs of today's world, open to the SPIRIT... as the prayer we have just said invites us to do... We want new eyes to observe, new ears to listen, and the right words to console and to pray.

                                                                                           Paris, July 4, 2023
Sister Olga Luisa Trevisanut