The following Holy Cross priests and brothers will serve the Congregation for the next six years:
Rev. Richard Warner, CSC (USA) - Superior General
Bro. Thomas Dziekan, CSC (USA) - Vicar General
Rev. Roy Thalackan, CSC (India) - Second General Assistant
Bro. Subal Rozario, CSC (Bangladesh) - Third General Assistant
Rev. Jorge Izaguirre Rafael, CSC (Peru) - Fourth General Assistant
Bro. George Schmitz, CSC (USA) - Fifth General Assistant
Rev. Robert Epping, CSC (USA) - Sixth General Assistant
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| Rev. Richard Warner, CSC |
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| Bro. Thomas Dziekan, CSC |
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| Rev. Roy Thalackan, CSC |
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| Bro. Subal Rozario, CSC |
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| Rev. Jorge Izaguirre Rafael, CSC |
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| Bro. George Schmitz, CSC |
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| Rev. Robert Epping, CSC |
I asked capitulants from the Eastern Brothers Province to reflect on their experience of the General Chapter which had as its theme, "Generations Walking Side by Side: Creating a Hope-filled Future."
Bro. George Schmitz of Wilkes-Barre, PA shares . . .
During the month of July, I served as a delegate to the General Chapter of the Congregation from July 4 to July 24. The 2010 General Chapter took place in Rome, Italy, where the 55 delegates gathered at the Generalate of the Salesian Fathers and Brothers on the outskirts of the city. The chapter delegates represented provinces, vicariates and districts of the Congregation from North America, Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe. Approximately one-third of the delegates were representatives from the emerging sectors of the Congregation of Holy Cross in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
I believe the work of the 2010 General Chapter will have a profound impact on the future of our Congregation. As we contemplated the shifting demographics of Holy Cross (increasing membership in the developing world; decreasing membership in the developed world), we saw the need to look at new paradigms for our governance and our authority structures. For the better part of the last century, Holy Cross has been a decentralized congregation, with a structure of independent provinces supporting ‘mission’ districts in the infancy. Today, the ‘mission’ districts are coming into their own in many aspects, yet still in need of assistance. This reality calls us as a congregation to rethink and re-vision how we govern ourselves and how we interact as fifteen distinct jurisdictions with a common mission.
Since 1980, Holy Cross has stressed that our priority as a congregation in the Church is to proclaim the Good News as Educators in the Faith with a particular concern for the poor. We are proud of our efforts to bring these priorities to each of our apostolic commitments in all of the countries where we minister. The theme of our 2010 General Chapter, Generations Walking Side by Side, was a reflection of our current reality and our future challenges. There are six years between general chapters. The next six years will prove to be an exciting time in the history of the Congregation of Holy Cross.
Bro. John Gleason, of Washington, DC writes . . .
Over 95 of us gathered in Rome for our General Chapter (this is the supreme authority in the community that makes decisions for 6 years and elects our leadership). We are in 17 countries and there were representatives from most of them. I was most touched by the community's response to our priests and brothers in Haiti. The February earthquake has left major devastation and we were not spared. Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and this was not unnoticed by the Chapter. Every sector of the community has been asked to give money from already limited resources to assist our confreres in Haiti - this was done willingly. Our confreres from Haiti spoke movingly of their appreciation and gratitude. Over a span of 30 years I have been at every General Chapter since 1980 - the challenges of this chapter were greater than any of past chapters and I was once again humbled and proud of my community's resolve to meet and respond to the many challenges in our world.
Bro. David Andrews, also of Washington, DC reflects . . .
The General Chapter began on July 4, 2010 and ended on July 24th. We met at the Salesianum in Rome, the headquarters for the Salesians. This was my sixth General Chapter and the best by far. I say best because there was a serious spirit of work and mutuality. The spirit of community among the priests and brothers of Holy Cross was authentic, sure and remarkable. We knew that we were working together for the benefit of all, in a way more intense and real than any prior Chapter that I have attended. We worked long days, beginning at 7 a.m. with breakfast and our evening meals started at 8:00 pm and often ended around 10 pm, making for an long day. From the beginning we worked hard. I was on the Mission Committee, we worked especially on social justice and the integrity of creation. The work of the capitulants (delegates) was intense. The effort was divided into three rounds (first stage, second stage and third stage: full discussion, nit-pickingly slow for the first stage; second stage was parliamentary procedure with formal amendments; third stage was all up or down and unanimous voting). The first stage was slow and painful! But it was thorough and necessary. During this General Chapter we elected a new Superior General and new Assistants including two from the Eastern Province of Brothers. We also approved the new Moreau Province of the Southwest and Eastern Brothers. So, it was a very good experience with very significant decisions, but the most important part was the experience of brotherhood!
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