From the 6th of November in the Retreat House “San Alfonso María de Liguori” of the Province of Buenos Aires, located in Villa Allende in the city of Córdoba-Argentina, the I Chapter of the election of the new Province Pedro Donders, made up of the former Provinces of Buenos Aires, Asunción-Paraguay, Santiago de Chile, Vice-Province of Resistencia and Uruguay: Buenos Aires, Asunción-Paraguay, Santiago de Chile, the Vice Province of Resistencia and the mission of Uruguay.
At the assembly are 48 Redemptorist Missionaries from the former units, Fr Francois Stanula, Vicar General, Fr Jairo Díaz, General Councillor and Fr Marcelo Araújo, Coordinator of the Conference of Latin America and the Caribbean.
Each activity and session of this 1st Elective Chapter was characterised by an atmosphere of unity, joy and expectation. Francois Stanula encouraged each of the participants to live this historic moment with openness to the Spirit, with hope and without fear of the new realities that the Congregation is facing.
The main activity of the opening ceremony was the celebration of the Eucharist presided by Fr. Marcelo Araújo, who highlighted the journey made by the Conference of Latin America and the Caribbean in the process of restructuring and reconfiguration in the units that are present in this First Elective Chapter. He invited all the participants to obey the voice of God, listening responsibly to what the Spirit of God tells us today as a Congregation and as a reconfigured Unit.
On the second day, a day of spirituality guided by Fr. Jairo Díaz was held, a reflection that had two moments; the first centred on the need to be leaders from the care of the other, of the brother as a manifestation of the following and style of Jesus, as well as to let the Spirit of God act to choose those who can serve, accompany, guide and encourage their brothers and sisters in the missionary project of the New Unity. The second moment was driven by the directives of the General Government about leadership in the style of Jesus and the invitation to work together as a missionary body in the apostolic life project of the Congregation.
After this time of prayer and reflection, the Eucharist was celebrated, presided by Fr. Francois Stanula, with the intention of the missionary journey of the New Unity. In the homily, thanksgiving was expressed for the missionary journey made as units, the experience of the present, restructuring and reconfiguration, as a possibility of projecting the future with enthusiasm for the process of renewal for the mission under the inspiration and following the example of Blessed Peter Donders.
Héctor Javier Machado was elected as the first Provincial of the New Unit. In this way, the process of restructuring and reconfiguring for the Congregation mission continues.
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