Report at General Chapter; 21 August 2024

[Bro. Petrus Suparyanto]

On this cool Wednesday morning, with drizzling almost all of the previous night, a calm and peaceful atmosphere was created. The natural music of chirping of birds added to the meditative atmosphere, as if inviting anyone who heard it to reflect and enjoy the simple yet captivating beauty of nature.

The day’s activities began with an inspiring prayer service themed “Protecting Their Heritage”, led by the Indonesian delegates. We were guided by the reading of article 10 of our Constitutions, which emphasizes the importance of protecting the heritage of our Founders: Mgsr. Louis Rutten and Bro. Bernardus Hoecken. Following that, we reflected on the Gospel of Matthew 20:1-6, which recounts the story of the landowner who went out at dawn to hire labourers for his vineyard.

Today’s Gospel reminds us that the way human beings understand prosperity can be different from God’s. God’s wisdom can lead people to live by relying on God’s power and love. On the contrary, humans feel more confident in their human abilities.

Today’s program centred on processing and straw-voting on six revised proposals: 29A, 18A, 19A, 27A, 28A, and 20A. Some minor corrections were made to each of the revised proposals after which a straw vote was conducted  to accept or reject them and prepare them for passing them into resolutions. After a long discussion, two of the six proposals, namely proposals 20A and 29A, still needed further revision.

After lunch, the rest of the afternoon was dedicated to period of silence and reflection in preparation for one of the major decision-making exercises, namely the election of the new superior General and his three councilors. In view of this event, no group activities were scheduled. Each delegate was to discern God’s will for the election of new General Council for the next six years.

Today’s activities concluded with a Eucharistic celebration led by Fr. Benard Blolong. In his introduction, he once again emphasized the importance of both communal and personal discernment for the election of the new General Council. 

The day ended as usual with supper and recreation, amidst playing of games and sharing jokes.