Annie Wachter, RSCJ Imma De Stefanis, RSCJ

From December 27-30, 2005 the recently professed of Europe met in Rome for three days followed by a one day meeting with the provincials of Europe.  The theme was dreaming dreams about the future of apostolic religious life.  It was their third gathering over the past couple of years; previous meetings were in Santa Maria de Huerta (Spain) and Woldingham (England).  In Rome, there were 45 professed (0-10 years) from eight European countries, one guest from Kenya/Uganda who is studying in England and we two from the US.  The purposes of the meeting were held before us throughout as they hung on newsprint around the room in French, Spanish, Polish, English and Catalán:

• To share with one another the reality of each province in its civil and ecclesial context
• To bring the fruit of our reflections on what it means to me to be an RSCJ today; identity and commitment, and to live this time as a “moment of grace”
• To share our dreams and our vision of religious life for the future and the steps for making our dreams become realities
• To recommend ways of initiating new members to religious life and facilitating ongoing growth
• To offer suggestions for probation and the international experience/service
• To celebrate faith and life together

The first day was largely devoted to presentations by each province regarding their respective civil and ecclesial contexts, as well as some insight into the demographics and works of RSCJ in each place.  In the evening we reflected on the question:  “What has become central to your commitment and identity as an RSCJ”?  With some understanding of one another’s province and individual contexts we began the work of “dreaming dreams” by writing down one to three dreams we have for the Society.  These were then organized thematically and each person selected one working group according to her area of greatest interest. The objective of this group work was to make every effort to move from dreams to reality by giving careful consideration to: who will carry out the dream; when it will be carried out; what is needed to begin; what will be needed to carry it forward; where and how it will be carried out; and how much it will cost in terms of both personnel and finances.  Out of this work came the following dreams:

1. Through communicating at depth about our common challenges, and based on shared values, we will build a European network for mission which would include workshops on such topics as “Islam in Europe,” “Drawing from the Wisdom of our Elderly Sisters,” and “The Thirst for Meaning in Post-Christian Europe”
2. Open, welcoming, nourishing communities will be fostered as much as possible in order to be heart people for one another and all those who come to our communities and with this as the further impulse for mission
3. Presence with RSCJ and young people through provincial and international projects of service, prayer and education
4. One common language for the whole Society which would be achieved over a six year period of time
5. An RSCJ international community in Europe inserted in a poor area
6. Communities that live and work among the poor and build bridges between them and society, particularly on behalf of young people
7. To live with a capacity for risk and with confidence in God by responding with flexibility, promptness and creativity to the needs of the world
8. To find ways to share our spirituality, which is a treasure, with others in new ways to respond to the spiritual hunger of so many in society
9. Living a passion for justice and peace that calls us to be aware of unjust structures and to make a commitment to take even small steps against all that perpetuates them.

Finally, the undercurrent of all of these was the general desire to keep dreaming dreams and to keep seeking ways to bring these to life.

We are most grateful for God’s faithful love, known in the experience of meeting our sisters, dreaming together, realizing what we share in common as challenges and hopes, and in knowing that we are united in the essentials of our life, in what gives life and keeps us in the Society.