GENERAL CHAPTER REPORT, DAY FIFTH (By Bro. Galih Sih Hartanto)

Thursday, August 8, 2024

The activities of the General Chapter on the fifth day began with a morning prayer led by the Malawi delegation at 07.30 Ghana time. Although the weather was cloudy in the morning, it did not dampen the enthusiasm of the brothers. The theme of the morning prayer was “Renewal for the service of God”. The scripture readings were taken from the prophet Jeremiah and the Gospel of Matthew. Bro. Lawrence Nkonde, the prayer leader, invited delegates to participate in the life of the Church through sharing our charisms and talents with others. The Gospel of Matthew 16:8, reminds us that our togetherness as brothers is based on unity in the church.

After the morning prayer, we went for breakfast. The Brothers joyfully greeted each other good morning, while others shook hands as they walked together from the chapel to the dining room. The brotherhood among the brothers was truly felt among us despite our differences in language, culture, and customs. The brothers felt united in the spirit of brotherhood as fellow members of the FIC congregation.

At 09.00 Ghana time, the chapter moderator, Father Dominic, gave an opening greeting and invited the chapter members to open the first meeting session with a prayer and lighting of the chapter candle. The candle was lit by Bro. Trustful, accompanied by singing “Holy Spirit Truth Divine”. The moderator then led the first session by clarifying some changes on the Time Table and proceedings of the day.  

The first session discussed the report of the General Council, chapter VII and V, concerning communication and collaboration, and Congratational Conferences. In general, all delegates gave a positive response to the General Council for establishing good communication links among the brothers and collaboration between the FIC congregation and other religious bodies. The delegates aslo appreciated the GCs efforts in organizing a number of Congregational Conferences in spite of the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. The delegates gave a generally positive appraisal of the communication policy of the congregation.

The second session was dedicated to the report on the Finance and Asset Management of the Congregation. In a PowerPoint presentation, the Treasurer of the Congregation, Bro. Remy Nyukorong, gave a detailed financial report of the congregation. Beginning with the balanced sheet, he explained the current asset managemnet of the congregation, the income and expenditure, allocation to provinces, the gift fund and policies guarding the congregation’s finances.  After this detailed presentation, there was opportunity for questions and clarifications. As expected there were a lot of discussions and questions on the congregation's financial statement. Chapter members also expressed their appreciation to the General Council for their prudent managemnet of the congregation’s money. 

At 6:30 pm Ghana time, the chapter members gathered to celebrate the daily evening Eucharist. The Eucharist was led by Father Bernardus Blolong SVD accompanied by Father Dominic M.Afr. This evening Eucharist was special as the church commemorated St. Dominic, the patron saint of the moderator of the General Chapter. Father Bernardus invited the brothers to reflect on “Who is Jesus for me?”, “Who is Jesus for us?”, as Jesus asked Peter in Matthew 16:13-23. ​​This is important as we recall that the source of the Brother’s  life is Jesus Christ himself.

After the Eucharist, the usual evening activities followed, namely supper and recreation. We are grateful to God and we honour our Founders, Mgr. Rutten and Bro. Bernardus Hoecken, for their inspiration, and Mother Mary for her protection.

Bro. F.A. Galih Sih Hartanta