Smižany (Slovakia). On October 22-27, 2019 the Provincial Chapter of St. John Bosco Province (SLK) took place at Smižany, Slovakia. The content of the Provincial Chapter of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians in Slovakia, which was guided by the Gospel of the Wedding at Cana, filled the empty jars to the brim. The summary of the reflections on the three questions of the Chapter theme was approved and the Chapter Sisters dedicated themselves to reflection on internal orientations for the life of the communities. With the election of the Delegate to the General Chapter and the Substitute, and with the approval of the resolutions that emerged, the event of the Provincial Chapter was concluded.
“Confronting the Word of God is very important in order to become the house of missionary proclamation that involves the young people as active and responsible protagonists of the present and the future.“ With these words in a video message, the Superior General of the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, Mother Yvonne Reungoat, encouraged all the sisters at the start of the Chapter. The Provincial, Sr. Monika Skalová, together with the Provincial Councilors presented the report on the life of the Province for the last six years.
Reflection on the three questions of the Chapter theme, group work, the apporval of the documents and the resoutions that arose during the Chapter, formed the content of these days. The discussion process was accompanied by the Chapter Moderator, Sr. Jana Kurkinová, and the external facilitator Ján Mihálik. The participants also made a pilgrimage to a Marian shrine, Levoča, where there was a period of silence and prayer. The symbol of the jars was illustrated to the Capitulars by the Salesian Cooperator, Barbora Okruhľanská, who was invited for a Good Night. In her discourse, she thanked the Salesian Sisters for having filled the empty jars with friendship, courage, faith, service, and vocations.
The Chapter members also confronted the theme of rom pastoral, the presence of the communities at Trnava, and the situation of retirement age. “I perceive that the Province is journeying, people are growing, the usual mentality is changing. There is the commitment for a positive vision based on faith, but also through a real and open naming of the problems, an effort for constructive dialogue, and direct confronting with respect and attention for the person as such,” stated the Chapter Moderator, Sr. Jana Kurkinová, who was elected as the Substitue for the Delegate to the General Chapter.
The reflections and conclusions of the Provincial Chapter in Slovakia will be sent to the Moderator of the General Chapter that will be held in Rome in 2020 in which will participate the Provincial Sr. Monika Skalová and Sr. Marta Baňasová, the elected Delegate.
