Dear Spiritan brothers and sisters,
Greetings from Chevilly-Larue!
From June 22nd to July 5th, over 50 Spiritans, from around the world, including members of the General Council, elected delegates, and functionaries, gathered at Chevilly Larue, the former Senior Scholasticate of the French Province, on the outskirts of Paris, for the 9th Enlarged General Council (EGC) of the Congregation, to evaluate the implementation of the decisions of the General Chapter and also study new means of strengthening and bringing about the Congregations objectives (SRL 205.3).
We wish to share with you the enthusiasm and energy we have experienced in our time together at Chevilly Larue. At a time of momentous transitions in our world and in our Congregation, our 21st General Chapter (Bagamoyo II), was timely inspired by the prophetic declaration: “Behold, I am doing something new… (Isaiah 43: 19). Thus, the Chapter pertinently called for conversion and renewal in the ways we respond to the needs of Spiritan mission today; new measures, new initiatives, new frontiers of mission, and new methods and forms of missionary expression.
At halfway mark into the mandate, the General Council shared with the delegates the current state of the Congregation and the challenges we are facing in our mission today, as well as its experience in the service of animation of the Congregation since the beginning of its mandate. We are grateful to the Superior General and his Council for their hard work and leadership over the past four years.
During this Assembly, delegates addressed crucial topics concerning the mission and life of our religious family. The work has been intense, and we shared a lot among ourselves, not only in plenary sessions and in small groups but also by praying and socializing. The EGC acknowledged the strides that have been made by the General Council in the animation of the Congregation and the implementation of the Bagamoyo II Chapter decisions, but also made concrete proposals to focus the General Council for the second half of its mandate, leading up to the 22nd General Chapter in 2029.
Focusing on the critical themes of Spiritan Mission, Animation Plan, Spiritan Spirituality, Internationality and interculturality, Formation, Leadership and Organization of the Congregation, Finance, Development, JPIC and Safeguarding, the EGC reflected deeply on the new ways and new approaches in the way we respond to the needs of Spiritan mission today. The EGC called on Circumscriptions to devise Strategic Plan for Mission. Renewal should be prioritised with investment in resources to deepen Spiritan Spirituality. The GC and the Circumscriptions are enjoined to foster diversity, balance, internationality and interculturality. With the support of all Circumscriptions, the General Council is encouraged to establish an investment fund for formation and a seed fund for the self-reliance projects of the Congregation. Circumscriptions are invited to respond to the requirement of identifying and registering their stable patrimony within the next two years. More decisiveness should be demonstrated in dealing with confreres on irregular situations when pastoral approach has been exhausted.
In the course of the EGC, the delegates made a Pilgrimage to Rennes, to walk in the footsteps of young Claude François Poullart des Places. They equally visited our Mother House at Rue Lhomond, to celebrate Mass and pray at the tomb of Francis Libermann. There was also a visit to the tomb of Blessed Daniel Brottier and a call at the French Spiritan project Auteuil that accompany the young people. These auspicious moments deeply inspired our experience.
As the General Council enters the second half of the mandate, as delegates in the EGC, we invite the entire Congregation to continue to support the General Council in its mission of animation of the Congregation, through active participation in the life and mission of the circumscriptions in the implementation of the Bagamoyo II Chapter decisions. The delegates are energized and inspired by the experience at this EGC, and pray that we shall be equally inspired, to recommit ourselves to being the instruments through which the Holy Spirit continue to lead our Congregation in “doing something new” as we fulfil together our Spiritan vocation in the world today.
May our Blessed Mother, the first and most faithful disciple, journey with us, inspiring in us, her simplicity, availability and hospitality.
Cor Unum et Anima Una!
The Delegates
Chevilly 5 July 2025
