Day 24. Planting the seeds

On Saturday, the capitulants continued their in-depth discussion on the four themes: governance; apostolic priorities; shared resources and community of goods; and formation. In the morning, the capitulants found a small plate, water and seeds on their table. During the prayer, each of them planted some seeds. This symbolic action fits well with what the capitulants are doing at this stage of the Chapter. As it was put in the introduction to the prayer, “Plants will sprout and grow if we give them a little water every day. We will also grow in wisdom and discernment by becoming more and more ONE BODY at all levels, that of the community, the proposed new provinces and the whole Society. We will arrive at the desert in bloom, rooted firmly in our history and open to the newness of life in the Holy Spirit. “

After the prayer, they continued to talk in plenary about the apostolic priorities and sharing resources, which was followed by an explanation of the methodology to be used for group work. In the afternoon, the capitulants worked in four big language groups with the help of three RSCJs for each theme, who animated their topics in the groups. These “trios” guided the reflections on their theme and ensured that the process ran smoothly. As they moved from one space to another, they brought ideas and energy with them from one working group to another. The objective of this methodology was to help encourage collaboration and mutual enrichment between the groups and to build a common understanding. On Sunday, the work will continue with a collective reflection in plenary.