GENERAL CHAPTER OF FST
“You are the light of the world… Let your light so shine that the people see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Mt 5:14a,16)
Trusting in the providence of God, late Bishop Thomas Fernando started our Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Thomas on February 11, 1978 which has become a light to the world. It was founded with the power of Jesus with a view to proclaim the compassionate love of God to all the people.
Our call is to live the present phase in the life of the Congregation with the same generosity, dedication and creativity that have characterized our journey so far.
What is a General Chapter?
General Chapter is the meeting of elected sisters (delegates) from our congregation to review and reflect on the life and mission of the Congregation and to set direction for the next six years as well as to elect the General Council that will lead the Congregation. However, only perpetually professed sisters can be elected as chapter delegates.
When the general chapter is held, it is the highest authority in the congregation. General chapter is convened by the General superior every six years.
Eight purposes
There are eight purposes for the General chapter:
- To promote the mission and unity of the congregation;
- To ensure that the congregation is faithful to its mission;
- To give direction to the life and mission of the congregation for the future;
- To elect the General superior and General councillors;
- To review the acts of previous chapters and take appropriate actions;
- To approve the chapter agenda and proposed procedures;
- To review and, if necessary, change the constitution and general directory;
- To seek the approval of the Apostolic See for any constitutional amendment accepted by the chapter.
A spirit-filled time
As you can see, General chapter is a special moment in the life of a congregation. It is a time of intense prayer and dialogue. Members of the chapter form a community of faith as they pray, dialogue, and search together to discern the will of God for our congregation.
We pray to the Holy spirit to enlighten us, strengthen us, so that we may comprehend our divine call and recognize what we are, what we should be, what we must and really want to do in order to reach this goal.
Our latest General Chapter took place in 2016 and the theme for this chapter was “Good news to the poor.” The General Chapter was inaugurated with the Holy Mass before the sisters began their discussions to plan the way forward and to elect a new Superior General and General councillors, forming the new General council.
Theme : Good News to the Poor
Luke 4:18-19
because he has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Our mission and vision is to preach the “Good news to the poor.” We develop new strategies for proclaiming the all-satisfying supremacy of God’s love and justice to the poor through 1) personal involvement; 2) a more welcoming atmosphere; 3) local missionary strategies of urban disciple making; and 4) equipping missionaries for unreached urban peoples.
God chose the poor of this world. God himself has a special merciful blessing for the poor. And when Jesus entered his ministry he did two things: he declared with his mouth that he was sent to the poor; and he declared with his life that he would be among the poor. That’s why he said, “The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor.”(Lk: 4:18)
God wants his people to care for the poor and stand up for justice. We can’t just talk about the gospel — we have to demonstrate it, too. God didn’t just love the world — he loved it so much that he did something about it—he sent his Son. Our love for the world cannot be passive, and it can’t be limited to the institutional level. It must also be personal.
He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free, the Lord gives sight to the blind, the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down . . . the Lord watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow. Psalm 146:7-9
The poor need Jesus. The poor also need jobs and food. The poor need healthcare and dignity. The poor need education and hope. All these things rightly come in the kingdom of God. Solutions are as varied as that which the creative power of God at work in the minds of people can produce. Anything is possible. Wherever sick people are being made well, broken people are being made whole, powerless people are being protected, despised people are being restored to dignity, lost people are being saved, sinful people are being forgiven wherever those things are happening, there the Lord is at work. And that is gospel work, good news for the poor of every sort.
The final conversation of the day focused on leadership in the congregation. According to Canon Law, the primary responsibility of leadership is the care of the members; the secondary responsibility is the ongoing management of the organization and facilitating how the congregation moves forward. It is important for all to understand that leaders and members have two distinct yet related roles. Both want to be in the struggle and to grapple with the realities of community life but do so on different levels. Each must understand her role in the struggle and recognize that the roles are different. Communication and inclusion are important on both levels. Although communication is not specifically part of the conversation, it clearly plays a role in the discussion of leadership. The sisters engaged in small group conversation about leadership structures.
After five days of preparation, the election was held on 14th May, 2016 under the guidance and supervision of Most Rev. Dr. Antony Devotta, in the presence of Rev. Fr. Mathew OFM Cap,. Our Superior General Sr. Arockia Leeli was re-elected as the new Superior General, to be assisted by Sr. Sophia, Assistant General and First Councilor, Sr. Arockia Tamilarasi, Sr. Sahaya Johnsi Rani and Sr. Agnes Mary as Councillors. The new General Council assumed its responsibility on 15th May 2016 in the solemn Eucharistic Celebration presided over by Most Rev. Dr. Thomas Paulsamy and Rev. Fr. Mathew, OFM Cap., participated as a con celebrant.
In the year of 2022, on June 4th to 8th, our Fifth General Chapter was held at our General Chapter Hall. As planned by Mother Arockia Leeli & her council along with Rev. Fr. Mathew Cap., prepared 51 Finally Professed members for five days for the election of the chapter. The Chapter theme “Journeying towards our Congregation’s motive with our Charism”. On May 7th, Rev.Sr. Mabel Saroja was canonically elected as Superior General and Rev. Sr. Jerald Sahaya Jansi, as the first Councilor & Asst. Superior General. Rev.Sr. Vimala Gracy, Rev.Sr. Sahaya Jeyarani and Rev.Sr. Vinnarasi are elected as General Councilors. Sr. Josphine Latha was appointed as General Procurator and Sr. D. Elizabeth as General Secretary.
