INTERNATIONALITY AND FORMATION

After talking about  INTERNATIONALITY and FORMATION topics, Father Henk Bloem - took a kind of inspiration conclusion on and he wrote:

"Talking about Internationality, some one told that she noticed that in the Netherlands many old persons become or are deaf! She meant this would not be the case, at least less, in Indonesia. Why should it be so? Did the Dutch make use more of their ears and did they therefore erlier got worn out?"

Speaking about Formation, RETIRED SISTERS= double RE tired.

Refreshing the charisma and the spirituality means that you need daily refreshment on it. A woman asked her man : " Do you love me? He said: Why do you ask me? I already told you on the day of our marriage 50 years ago!"

Inspiring words:

Formation is not only formation about brains, but also "heart".

Internationality is meant more than words of "gathering people from many countries", the main content on it is a time for "an exchange about differences and to be enriched to one another, who walk on the same spirituality and purpose of the congregation as Sisters of Our Lady of Amersfoort".  Think of three words: 1) Nationality, 2) Multi - nationality, 3) Inter-nationality. (Constitutions p. 25)

LEADERSHIP OF THE CONGREGATION

At the end of our discussions about leadership in our congregation, I would like to make a short observation. You mentioned in your discussion a lot of points of the congregation. You were very positive about leadership in the past period. This applies in the first place to all you, being members of councils or being leaders in the province, region or community. You all can be proud of the positive evaluation of the leadership in their period.

But maybe it is allowed to say a special word to the four sisters of the general council: Srs. Felisita, Dionysia, Beatrix and Theodora. In your discussion and in the report you said that you have seen and experienced that they were really a team. They acted as a team, in collegiality, with an open ear for the province and regional councils and for all the sisters (“they were obedient”) – they looked always for a way of dialogue! We discussed about the statement in one of four papers: “the spirituality flows from above and spreads to the members”. We discussed we did not like a word “above”. But aside from this discussion, we surely can say that the general council not only has the task to pass on the statutes and the money. Maybe their most important responsibility is to pass on, hand on the inspiration, the spirituality of the congregation. And if, like you said, you have seen this happening in the leadership of this general council, they merit the thanks of us all.

There is another point I like to mention: the evaluation report 2006 – 2010. You judged it a very good report: honest and critical. That it is a good report is seen on the fact that most of the recommendations are positive received were fully agreed too. That means: it is very good report. It was much and hard work for the four of your sisters. It was not always easy. Also for the team applies: “shake before use”. But they did, and they did very well.

And therefore I like to say a word of thanks!

Father Henk Bloem.

VOTING IN THE CHAPTER

It is said that the chapter members have received three cards. A green one, a red one and a white one. When it comes to voting they are kindly requested to raise one of the cards. Until now however I saw only green cards being raised! We did not know we could be so unanimous! But would it not have been nice if there had been at least one red card?

I thought of the book of A. Japin, called: “The white man with the black heart”, which starts with the description of a the – plantage. An endless view of green plants. But the farmer put a few red Christmas roses. The effect of these red roses is that you realize and see better the green colour of thé plants. And Japin the author says: “ You do not have a colour by yourself, but it is given you by others”. This applies to many situations in society, and applies also to us as sisters of Our Lady! Let’s give each other a nice colour!