US Provincial Assembly Invites Collaborators

The theme Open Hearts transformed by the Spirit 

This afternoon, fellow AASH Board member, Maria Cristinia Garcia, and I will arrive in St. Louis and join approximately 230 RSCJs from all over the US for their Provincial Assembly.   In addition to the two of us representing AASH, I have been told that there will be approximately 24  "collaborators" representing the following constituencies: Associates, Network of Sacred Heart Schools, SHCOG, Vocation Ministry, as well as, Lay members of the Provincial Investment Committee; Finance Committee; and National Development Board.  

And, while the majority of the RSCJs in attendance will be from the US, there will be a few from Canada and other provinces as well.  Of special note is our very own, Sr. Kathleen Conan, Superior General who has traveled from Rome to be here as a member of the Province.  

As a collaborator we were provided with a brief overview of the purpose of an Assembly in the life of the Province.  Below is info provided by the Assembly Steering Committee...

Provincial Assemblies in the Life of the Province

From the Constitutions for the Society of the Sacred Heart #154:

The PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLY, the consultative organ of the province, is a means of:

•  having a real experience of communion

•  promoting interchange

•  sharing experiences and reflections concerning the province

•  expressing expectations and recommendations to the provincial and her council concerning the orientations of the province

•  evaluating the progress of the province.

 The provincial, with the help of her council, will make sure that the whole province is involved in this important event in the life of the province. The composition of this assembly is determined by the Provincial Plan of Government.

From the United States Province Government Plan 1999: Members of the provincial community gather for different purposes, such as regional gatherings, ministerial or interest groupings, delegate assemblies, and assemblies of the whole. These assemblies enable members of the Province to foster communion and to discuss topics and concerns relevant to our religious life and ministry.  According to the Constitutions, provincial assemblies should occur at least every three years (Const. 154).  These can take different forms, but their purpose is to ensure co-responsibility.  These complement the Provincial Chapter. 

María Josefa Bultó, RSCJ (1905-2011) has died at the age of 106

María Josefa Bultó, RSCJ
(1905-2011)

María Josefa Bultó, RSCJ who served as the 11th Superior General of the Society of the Sacred Heart  died Tuesday evening in Barcelona, Spain.  She was 106 years old.  Mother Bultó is considered to be one of the longest surviving religious in her order. She served as Superior General through three years (1967-1970) of tension and tumultuous adjustment as the Society undertook the implementation of the the changes enacted in 1967.  Mother Bultó  presided over the transition to full participation of the religious in the governance of the Society during a brief, transitional mandate.  Five fundamentals were reaffirmed at the close of Mother Bulto's term: internationally, an educational mission, solidarity with the poor, solidarity with the Third World and community life. 

Superior General, Kathleen Conan, RSCJ writes, "Mother Bultó guided us with grace, understanding and enormous trust that God remains faithful in the midst of great challenges.  It is clear from her writings and letters that her primary concern was to call us to maintain union of hearts and minds at a time of divergent viewpoints concerning the way to live religious life following Vatican Council II.  Over and over in her letters she pleaded with us to move beyond our differences into one much wider vision. We thank God for giving to the Society a leader so well suited for those times, and we are grateful to Mother Bultó for exemplifying and calling us to live our Cor unum et anima una in Corde Jesu."

Mother Bultó, RSCJ wrote to the Society in September 1968: “Love must be real, concrete; we must train ourselves ceaselessly to recognize the presence of Christ in our Sisters…The only way we can learn to love one another truly, courageously, is to abide in the living Christ…For it is truly a matter of giving one’s life, of wearing oneself out in the service of others, of sharing the responsibilities of others, of bearing their burdens.”

Mother Bultó celebrating her 105th birthday September 15, 2010
pictured on the left  Sr. Margarita Bofarull, RSCJ, Provincial of Northern Spain

Today let us pray for Mother Bultó and all of our beloved RSCJ who have passed away.