The members of Ursuline Franciscan Congregation Mysore Province are very happy to tell the story of the Divine guidance in its amazing growth in the past years. We take pride in marking a red letter day in the annals of Mysore Province. A group of three Sisters pioneered the mission to Kenya under the charismatic leadership of Very Rev. Sr. Jyothi Fernandes the Provincial Superior.
As the Const. No. 188 of Ursuline Franciscan Congregation explains, Provincial Chapter is a special grace for the Province wherein the members discern God’s will for themselves and for renewal of their life. It is a collegial assembly constituted by perpetually professed members who participate either by right, by election or by selection. It is conducted according to the Constitutions, norms, decisions of the General Chapter, Provincial Chapter and directions of the Superior General and her Council. The Provincial Chapter is ordinarily held every three years. In case of great need an extraordinary Provincial Chapter may be convoked by the Provincial with the consent of her Council and with the approval of this consent by the Superior General and her Council.
The functions of the Provincial Chapter are:
-
to elect the Provincial and the Provincial Councillors
-
to elect the delegates of the Provinces to the General Chapter and the substitutes for delegates
-
to make recommendations on behalf of the Province to be placed before the General Chapter
-
to discuss the report of the Provincial and the Regional Superiors on the growth and discipline of the Province
-
to review, evaluate and to promote the religious spirit and apostolic effectiveness of the Province
-
to review the decrees and deliberations of the previous General and Provincial chapters
-
to deal with any other important matter.
For the Provincial Chapters of all the four Provinces, held in Dec. 2006, Jan. 2007 a common theme was selected by the Superior General and her Council which is based on the 1st Encyclical of Pope Benedict XVI ’Deus Caritas Est’ God is love, ’For the Love of God - A call for justice and charity’. While the first part of the theme is the motto of the Congregation the second part is the invitation given by Pope’s encyclical to justice and charity.
Preparation for the Chapters were done at the Extended Council Meeting of the Congregation where the Superior General with her Council and all the Provincial and Regional Teams come together for sharing, learning and planning. Through the Pre-Chapter sessions the Sisters of the Province went through a period of preparation, long before the actual event of the provincial Chapters. The delegates of the Chapter who gather together represent the communities and individual members of the Province. Therefore the Provincial Chapter is truly a collegial event.
The IV Provincial Chapter of Mangalore Province was held on December 26-30, 2006 at Shanthi Dham, Nithyananda Nagar. The 36 delegates assembled to reflect on the theme "For the Love of God - A Call for Justice and Charity".
The Provincial team was continuously guided by Sr Doreen D’Souza, Superior General and her Council during the preparatory period of the Chapter. Fr Terrance Farias S.J. through his reflective sessions conducted for three days before the Chapter prepared the delegates to find God’s will in the deliberations of the Chapter. Most Rev Dr Aloysius Paul D’Souza, Bishop of Mangalore, Fr Jossy Fernandes OFM, Cap, Provincial of Karnataka Province of the Capuchins, Fr Frankie Serrao S.J., Rector of St Aloysius College, Mangalore, Fr Archie Gonsalves, OCD, Rector of Pushpashrama, Mysore enabled the delegates to move in the right direction through the celebration of the Eucharist during the days of the Chapter. The Provincial Chapter was presided over by Sr Aurea D’Souza, the Asst Superior General, and Sr Jeraldine D’Souza, Councillor General contributed her insights as a resource person.
The newly elected Provincial team:
Sr Susheela Sequeira - Provincial Superior
Sr Angeline Sequeira - Asst. Provincial Superior
Sr Severine Sequeira - Councillor
Sr Hilda Albuquerque - Councillor
Sr Linet D’Souza - Councillor
The Provincial Chapter of the Ursuline Franciscan Sisters of North Province was held from 3rd to 5th January 2007 at Jeevan Dhara Convent, Lucknow. It was indeed a time of grace wherein the Sisters reflected upon their life and mission in the Northern part of India. In the Chapter the Sisters arrived at very important policies. Sr Aurea D’Souza the Asst General was the President of the Chapter and Sr Jeraldine D’Souza the General Councillor was the facilitator. As the hand of God was continuously guiding the delegates throughout the days of the Chapter, the Chapter became a great success.
The policies arrived at the Chapter will enable to build spiritual strength in the members of the Province and show the compassionate face of Jesus within the community and to the people whom the Sisters serve. The new Provincial Team will execute the mandates given to them by the Chapter for the term of three years to bring about the renewal required in the Province.
The following were elected to office during the Chapter:
Provincial Superior: Sr Benedicta Tellis
Councillors:
Sr Jacintha Crasta
Sr Apoline Pinto
Sr Christine D’Souza
Sr Lucy Lasrado
The 4th Provincial Chapter of the Ursuline Franciscan Sisters of North East Province was held from 8th - 10th January 2007 at Assisi Convent Dimapur. 29 delegates of the Chapter came together for this important and grace-filled event of the Province to discern God’s will for the Province and strive to renew, revision, regain and re-articulate the life and mission of the Province. The deliberations of the Chapter and the Policies drawn were based on the theme chosen by the Generalate: For the Love of God - A call for Justice and Charity. By this they seek to proclaim the Kingdom of God here and now through the spirit of the beatitudes, a spirit capable of giving expression to the human aspirations for justice, peace, solidarity and forgiveness. Therefore, the Province has taken up the challenging but relevant task:
-
to be conscious leaven in the mass
-
to be an effective presence that brings hope to the poor and the marginalized
-
to be transparent human beings in whom others can see the compassionate face of Jesus
-
to work for the formation of the heart through contemplation and compassion while translating our love into justice.
In the election held during the Chapter Sr. Mary C.J. was re-elected Provincial Superior and Sr Jessie Monteiro, Sr Milly Fernandes, Sr Veera D’Costa and Sr Rosy Noronha were elected Provincial Councillors.
The Fourth Provincial Chapter of the Ursuline Franciscan Sisters of Mysore Province was held from 30th December 2006 to 1st January 2007 at Maria Niketan, Bogadi, Mysore. Sr Doreen D’Souza, the Superior General was the President of the Chapter and Sr Lily Fernandes assisted her. The sessions of the Chapter were preceded by a prayerful preparation by Fr Joe Mathias S.J., Director of NVSC, Pune. Throughout the deliberations of the Chapter the delegates experienced the presence and guidance of God. Keeping to the theme the discussions enabled to arrive at concrete policies which highlight the measures to work for justice and peace both within the community and in the apostolic field. The compassion of Jesus will be thus translated into concrete situations of life.
The new Provincial team
Sr. Olinda Sequeira - Provincial Superior
Sr. Annie M.A.- Asst. Provincial Superior
Sr. Gratia Pinto - Provincial Councillor
Sr. Cecilia D’Souza - Provincial Councillor
Sr. Juliana Pinto - Provincial Councillor
