Union Internacional De Superioras Generales (U.I.S.G.) Plenary Rome,
May 6-10, 2007

“Challenged to weave anew spirituality which generates hope
and life to all”

By: Sr. Maxima Pelaez, AR.

“Please thank your Congregation on our behalf for sending you to this plenary…” was a part of the closing message of Sr. Therezinha, UISG President on the last day of the plenary.

In Rome, I stayed with our caring Fathers at Curia Generalizia. What a big relief when I learned that there were other three Superiors General staying in the OAR Generalate who came to attend the UISG plenary: 2 from Republica Dominicana and 1 from Spain, the Superior General of *Misioneras Agustinas Recoletas or MAR. So we were four being conducted to the venue which is more than an hour  private ride, by Fr. Eusebio, OAR on his way to work to Vatican every morning, and back home to the Generalate in the evening. Once we were picked up by Fr. Sam. As he did not have yet a driver’s license, we enjoyed the long trip to the train station, then to the bus station and finally walked a short distance home to the Generalate.
      
First day, May 6. Going over the list of participants, we were about 807. I reflected and exclaimed to myself, “Oh, the marvel of God’s love to women!” We were grouped by ten participants per round table by language spoken, hence more than 80 tables. Each table was equipped with ten headphones for the translation of talks. Such as if the speech was in Portuguese, the English translation could be heard from the individual headphone. Language spoken by a participant is known by the color of the name tag, for instance, blue for English, red for Spanish, etc. The Superiors Generals who were attending the UISG  plenary for the first timehad meeting at 11:00 AM for briefing about the Union. The plenary proper started at 2:15 PM. 

The President welcomed the assembly and affirmed that  Congregations are challenged to weave a new spirituality founded on the Word. This fabric of spirituality implies openness to the Spirit, letting ourselves be guided by Him, hence being attentive to the cry of our times.

Fr. Thomas Hughes, SVD expounded on the plenary theme, reminding us that by weaving, creating something new from the different threads, religious above all identify the essential elements. “Weaving means to create a new fabric using old and new threads. One of the essentials to weave a new spirituality is the person of Jesus. The prophetic dimension of religious life was highlighted when the speaker affirmed that there have been women and men of the Word that defended the weak and spoke our against injustice and oppression. Full of zeal they succeeded because they themselves were convinced about their message. Other threads for this new spirituality: the discipleship of Jesus, the reading of reality from the perspective of the poor and the diverse charisma of the Congregation.

After the open forum on the talk of Fr. Hughes, the participants were asked to bring out the ribbons or strings that they were assigned to bring to the plenary. We had to weave them and see for ourselves the result. Oh, the noise, laughter and fun vibrated the big conference hall. Indeed, ribbons and strings when woven together created something new. (See picture 1)

Picture 1:
My red ribbon became now a part of the newly interwoven ribbons. Our first day ended at 7pm. (this time is still daylight in Rome.)

Second day, May 7 in the morning was the Superiors General audience with the Holy Father. The Holy Father who just celebrated his 80th birthday was so younger looking than his age. His face and bearing radiated peace and serenity. His holiness thanked the religious gathered at the Sala di Benedizione and all those working  in the areas of evangelization, education and social services, thus great witnesses of love for Christ. I thanked the Lord for the great privilege of being in the presence of the succeesor of St. Peter. (see picture 2)  

We resumed at 3:00 PM to listen to the sharings of three kinds of thread of three speakers. The first “thread,” in French, was on “ The woman with Full and Calloused Hands” by a religious from R.D. du Congo. She represented the marginalized, those who have to respond to different responsibilities yet unrecognized. What she hoped was for the people to act with daring solidarity towards the rediscovering of this greatness so long unrecognized.

The second “thread” was “The Earth and Its Sacredness,” an ecological spirituality, it calls the religious to work with the larger earth community in sharing the integral planetary process.

The third “thread”, “Inter-Religious Dialogue as a Spiritual Way” was shared by a professor of the Gregorian University, Dr. Adnande Makrani. Basing from his experience as a Muslim, he said that dialogue is a way of being and acting that embraces everything.

The second day was concluded with the beautiful singing of the plenary’s theme song.
     
Third Day, May 8. We started with a Holy Mass at 8:30 The fourth “thread” “Immigrants and Displaced Persons” was presented by Sr. Lorcy, of the Daughters of Jesus of Kermaria. She guided the audience to reflect countries and continenets. She challenged the Congregations how they can understand and respond to the needs of those displaced and marginalized migrants.

The fifth strand was the “Laity” presented by the Superior General of the Sisters of St. Joseph. Her paper was based on the experiences of the Congregation in the context of Australia and the challenges faced by the Congregation in sharing its charisms to various lay groups.

In the afternoon, we went to our interest group: Woman – Earth and Its Sacredness – Inter Religious Dialogue –Immigrants and Displaced Persons – Laity, (5 groups /threads in all) to continue reflections on such particular topic. Concluding prayer was done by each 5 big groups.

Fourth Day, May 9. The day was started with a Holy Mass by Franc Cardinal Rode, the Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of consecrated Life and societies of Apostolic Life. Then, dialogue with the Cardinal followed. Among the issues touched were the role of the office and the role of the religious women in decision making in the Church. 

After coffee break, group reporting and sharing at the tables followed.

After lunch, the President’s report. Then the reporting of the different commissions: Justice & Peace &  Integrity of Creation – Health HIV/ Aids – Project on the Trafficking of women – The Sudan Project.
      
Fifth and last day, May 10. After a fitting prayer, were announcement and presentation of the draft of Declaration of the assembly. Then Fr. Pinto of the Claretian Congregation talked on Vidimus Dominum, the website of the Superiors General. In the afternoon, there was a dialogue with Archbishop Gardin, the secretary of CICLSAL. Topics that surfaced were on the role of the dicastery, the relationship between religious and Episcopal conferences. 

The second draft of the declaration was read and accepted with standing ovation. Its conclusion: In gratitude for the mission entrusted to us we will

• Engage in ongoing dialogue between the Word of God and life, the heart of our commitment as consecrated women called to follow Christ.
• Network and use of power of our collective voice to denounce unjust laws and structures which exclude people on such bases as gender, religion, culture.
• Promote all forms of dialogue, and in particular interreligious dialogue, recognizing our common responsibility for humanity.
• Grow in an ecological awareness and axpress this in concrete and consistent choices. 
• Form consecrated women ready to respond to these challenges with faith.

With Mary, let us become WEAVERS of the Kingdom of God. May hope and life for humanity and all creation surge from our tireless weaving of a spirituality of communion.

A Holy Mass led by Archbishop Gardin and Fr. Eusebio, OAR was celebrated in thanksgiving to god for the many blessings during the five-day UISG Plenary. 
                 
Picture 3:
Filipino Sisters who attended the UISG  Plenary

The five days exposure to UISG Plenary was real blessing from the Lord. Giving my ears and heart to the long speeches, which had long been prepared with much reasearches, was no easy task considering the difference of time between Rome and Manila. But how His grace abound for in the course of all the sessions I had been awake and alert. Oh, but how I recovered those precious sleeps when I arrived sweet home. As I wrote this article, the five threads to be woven together to produce a new shining spirituality were parading in my memory: Women, The Earth and Its Sacredness, Interreligious Dialogue, Immigrants and Displaced Persons, and the Laity. I whispered a deep prayer to God to live the spirit of the UISG plenary by being involved in movements for unity which is the essence of the plenary.

*Fr. Sammy recounted to me the colorful beginning of MAR that this Congregation was born from the bosom of our Congregation. Their first Sisters, Mo. Esperanza Ayerbe and company were companions of Sisters Cecilia and Dolores in their mission to China. Let’s read our history!