Digital Marian Helper Winter_2016-2017

N OTES FROM R OME By Fr. Joe Roesch, MIC I am writing this article from Lithuania where I’m attending just such an event. It is a chance to continue to rejoice over this great moment in our Congregation’s history and to help more people come to know this new saint who has proven to be a powerful intercessor for Marian Helpers around the world. But we’re not just looking back — we’re very much looking ahead. Indeed, another task that we have before us in our Roman House right now involves getting ready for our Marian Congregation’s next General Chapter, which will take place in February. Our Congregation’s General Chapter is an impor- tant meeting that takes place every six years in Rome. About 30 Marians from around the world will attend. Either they were elected as delegates from their prov- inces or vicariates, or they are the religious superiors for a specific region. During the General Chapter, the Chapter members elect a superior general and his four- member council who will help him to oversee the work of the Marians all over the world. The General Chapter usually takes about two to three weeks to complete. The Chapter members listen to and discuss reports given by the various superiors on the progress of their provinces and vicariates over the past six years. The life of the religious community is analyzed and discussed. We talk about whether the Lord might be calling us to open a new mission else- where. Marians from all over the world can offer pro- posals that will be voted on and perhaps adopted as decrees or recommendations for the Congregation. During this next Chapter, the Marian Constitu- tions, which are our rule of life, will be discussed. A commission has been meeting in Rome over the last six years to prepare proposals on possible changes to update our Constitutions. A two-thirds majority vote by the Chapter members is needed to make any changes to the Constitutions, and from there we need the approval of the Holy See. We always hope that any such changes will better express our charism — the gift of our identity as a community that God has given us through our Founder. The Marian charism involves devotion to the mystery of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, prayer for the souls in Purgatory, and assistance to diocesan priests in the apostolic works of the Church. The Marian Constitutions state that the purpose of the General Chapter is primarily to protect the patrimony of the Congregation. This includes our history, our traditions, our properties, and all that we have inherited from the Marians who have gone before us. Our Congregation has existed for more than 300 years, and so we must plan and organize so that we can continue into the future, if it is the Lord’s holy will. The Chapter should represent the entire Congregation and express the fraternal unity in charity of all the members and their concern for the common good. The General Chapter is a way of opening our lives to the movement and guidance of the Holy Spirit. I have participated in three General Chapters, and it is always a powerful experience. I ask you to pray for our Congregation as we prepare for this important moment in our history. May we be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit! Amen. F ollowing the joyous canonization of our Marian Founder, St. Stanislaus Papczynski, on June 5 in St. Peter’s Square, the members of our General Curia have had the opportunity to attend Masses of Thanksgiving in various countries. THE NEXT CHAPTER Father Joe Roesch, MIC, is the vicar general of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. He lives in Rome. C 7H?7D > ;BF;H š M ?DJ;H (&',#'- Ǚ š cWh_Wd$eh] 7 Fr. Joe’s message