The first meeting of the Latin American Delegates to the General Chapter 2020 was held at the Provincial House of the Trinity Province in Curitiba, Brazil from 1st to 3rd March 2019. The responsibility for the organization and coordination of the meeting was with the members of the Commission for the Updating of Constitutions: Sr. Sandra Maira Pires, Sr. Rita Maria Küster Boni, Sr. Alenice Moreira and Sr. Lucia Weiler.
The aim of this meeting was: to assume jointly the co-responsibility for the continuation of the process of updating the constitutions and the directory, as regards the voting in the General Chapter of 2020 and the implementation of it in the life and the Mission of the Sisters of the Divine Providence.
27 Sisters participated in this meeting. They were thrilled with the way of the Congregation, experiencing this time of grace. We want to emphasize following strong moments of these days:
1. The awareness-raising at the beginning of the meeting with the sew of patchworks. In this activity, each participant could pronounce feelings and personal readiness as Chapter -delegate, as well as her impressions on the reality of the province/region and of the Congregation, of Latin America and the whole world...
2. A retrospective look on the work of the Commission for the updating of the constitutions and a historical overview of our Congregation – with a meditative view and an obligatory overlooking. That helped to find more intensively the common ground on which we stand.
3. The joy of receiving the "working instrument of the constitutions and the directory in the upgrading process", and the joy and the confirmation in the first exercises with this working material.
4. A very creative evaluation in the form of an interview by Mother Bertha and Eduard Michelis. It was very positive and gave an hopeful and encouraging perspective for the next steps towards the General Chapter 2020.
Similar meetings with the same dynamism and same content of the Commission for updating the constitutions and the directory take place in all continents.
In Indonesia such a meeting with the Chapter delegates from the "Province Maria Star of the Sea" took place under the coordination of Sr. Leoni Windarti in January (3-6) 2019. In Germany, under the coordination of Sr. Laetitia Janßen, the meeting will take place on March 16-17. In Malawi, conducted by Sr. Grace Chimowa, it will be on the end of April.
We continue our way in trust of Divine Providence, who guides and challenges us to give a response out of faith to the challenges and needs of the time, again and again.
(Sr. Lucia Weiler)