REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE GENERAL CHAPTER OF THE SISTERS FAITHFUL COMPANIONS
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT MARY McALEESE AT THE GENERAL CHAPTER OF THE SISTERS FAITHFUL COMPANIONS OF JESUS ON THURSDAY 9 JULY, 1998
I would like firstly to say how delighted I am to be joining you for the General Chapter – and I am particularly grateful to Sr. Paula Terroni – your Superior General – for giving me this honour and opportunity to meet with you - as you reflect on your role and position in a world that is constantly changing – with much conflict and suffering – and with new perspectives on society that impinge and impact on all our lives. As we approach the new Millennium, it is appropriate at this time to reflect on the core value of the Gospel – and on how well its message is being received and understood by the world.
- The changing nature of society – the unstoppable evolution of civilisation, that sees old divisions at times healing and at times re-opening – where new conflicts emerge – where the concentration of wealth and affluence in some regions contrasts starkly with places where deprivation, poverty - and even tyranny - see the march of civilisation going into reverse – all of this gives us cause to reflect on our faith – and on how we can interpret our faith in today’s society.
- The advances that have been made in furthering the status of women in recent decades – while welcome in themselves – have also brought into sharper focus the plight of those women who are left behind – who are still the victims and sufferers – and for whom much work remains to be done. The growing gap between rich and poor – and between those who enjoy opportunity and those who are confined to a mere existence – is another feature of modern society that requires all of us to look to our ethos and faith – and at how we can apply the tenets and principles of Christianity to the way we act and react in the face of these emerging problems.
- For you, I know that in the lead up to this Chapter – each of you has spent some time reflecting on your experiences - to identify the issues that you need to address at this point in your history and the history of the world. In the process, you have identified a number of issues, such as your role as members of the Faithful Companions of Jesus and as members of the wider community – your role as religious women in the Church – your position as women in communities where there is much to be done to improve the status of women – your relationship with the poor – and the impact that your lives and lifestyles have on the earth.
- The process of reflection and review that you are engaged in – critiquing how you how impact on the world – and on the societies and communities within which you work – is a healthy process. It is essential for any group or organisation whose focus is that very society – that they should be continually examine the changing nature of the world in which they live and work - what they are doing to further their mission in that changing environment – and the impact that they are having. Only through that continuous process of review and critique, will you find the correct way forward.