(São Paulo, Brazil, June 28 – July 9)—The XXIV Enlarged Council of the Congregation of the Oblate Sisters of the Most Holy Redeemer, held these days in São Paulo, Brazil, is coming to an end. After 12 days of intense assembly work, the meeting, which brought together twenty-two sisters from the General Team and the Animation and Government Teams of the three Provinces, has come to an end.
With the certainty of God’s fidelity, who keeps his promises and offers us “a future full of hope” for the whole Congregation, we celebrated the Enlarged Council accompanied by the symbols of the earth and the seeds. Through different biblical texts, we reflected on the sowing, the harvest, and the times for the processes. In an attitude of listening to the Spirit of God, they welcomed these days as a time of grace, a possibility to glimpse God’s will.
Through the method of conversation in the Spirit, we reached agreements regarding the congregational structure, stressing the need for a restructuring that is more in line with the Congregation’s current reality.
They have also taken steps in global agreements on Initial Formation, reflecting on this topic with the Reflection Team for Initial Formation and sisters of the provinces linked to formation.
Culture of Care
In addition, we dedicated a day to reflect on the culture of care and the systems of protection and prevention of abuse. This day was accompanied by Alejandra Elababa, a Tucuman Dominican, member of the CLAR Committee. At the end of the day, we made a symbolic commitment to advance in attitudes of care and the elaboration and implementation of protocols for all kinds of abuses.
Another important topic discussed in this Enlarged Council was the proportionality of sisters who will participate in the next General Chapter of 2025 and the main topics of the agenda.
We also dealt with topics related to processes already underway, such as the document “Economy and Life” and the document “The Oblate Family’s Perspective on Prostitution”, and we had the virtual presence of the Congregational Communication Team to reflect on the process of developing the institutional image.
All the work took place in an atmosphere of discernment, contemplating the complex reality of the Congregation with Easter hope. Our mission is to sow; the earth knows what to do, and we know that, with patience and care, the time of harvest will come. God has plans for the Oblates, for us, as the prophet Jeremiah says: “I want to give you peace and not misfortune, and a future full of hope.
(hermanasoblatas.org)
