Documenta Capituli Generalis

30 aDDress oF His Holiness pope Francis to tHe participants oF tHe General cHapter oF tHe conGreGation oF tHe marian clerics oF tHe immaculate conception oF tHe blesseD virGin mary, February 18, 2017 Consistory Hall Saturday, 18 February 2017 Dear Brothers, I am pleased to meet with you on the occasion of your General Chapter. I greet you warmly, starting with the Superior General, whom I thank for his words. rough you, I would also like to greet the entire Congregation which is committed to serving Christ and the Church in 20 countries around the world. I have heard that one of the main goals of your General Chapter is to reflect on your Congregation’s laws and regulations. is is an important task. In fact, there is “a pressing need today for every Institute to return to the Rule, since the Rule and Constitutions provide a map for the whole journey of discipleship, in accordance with a specific charism confirmed by the Church” (Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata , n. 37). I urge you, therefore, to carry out this reflection with fidelity to the Founder’s charism and to the spiritual heritage of your Congregation and, at the same time, with a heart and mind open to the new needs of the people. It is true, we must move forward with the new needs, the new challenges, but remember: we cannot move forward without memory. It is a continual tension. If I want to go ahead without any memory of the past, of the history of the Founders, the great figures and also the sins of the Congregation, I cannot do so. is is a rule: memory, this ‘Deute- ronomic’ dimension of life, which must always be used when we update the Constitutions of a religious congregation. May the example of your Founder, Saint Stanislaus of Jesus and Mary, who was canonized last year, light and guide you on your path. He had fully understood the meaning of being Christ’s disciple when he prayed with these words: “Lord Jesus, if You would unite me to You through