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Day 30: Thanks be to God!
10/07/2010
The main event for this 30th day of the General Chapter was a Mass
of Thanksgiving offered in the main Chapel of the General House of the Brothers
of the Christian Schools, exactly where the opening Mass was celebrated on
September 8.
The newly elected Superior General was the principal concelebrant. Besides
those who have been part of the Chapter for the past month, there were numerous
guests: Oblates from in and around Rome, other religious men and women, and
many of the friends and associates of the Oblates.
The morning, however, was spent in plenary session. As usually happens at the
end of a Chapter, the capitulars have worked on a document that will help the
entire Oblate family understand how the Chapter reflected on the theme of
conversion. The document will go through a final process of editing by a
committee yet to be named by the Father General in Council.
There was also a discussion concerning some interesting ways to commemorate two
important anniversaries that will occur in coming years. May 21, 2011, will be
the 150th anniversary of the death of St. Eugene de Mazenod. On
January 25, 2016, the Oblates will celebrate the 200th anniversary
of their foundation as the Missionaries of Provence. In some places such as the
DeMazenod Center in Aix, the Province of France and the Province of Italy,
preparations have already begun. The new Central Government listened
attentively to the suggestions and will make some decisions about these events
at a later date.
The capitulars signed the “Acts of the Chapter” and for all practical purposes,
the 35th General Chapter became part of Oblate history. Tomorrow,
there will be a Mass in the morning and the many trips to the airport will
begin.
The outgoing and the incoming Central Governments have agreed that the formal
installation of the new Superior General and Council will take place on the
Feast of the Epiphany, celebrated in Rome on the traditional date of January 6,
2011.
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