General Chapter, 1988, Selected texts

Introduction to the Chapter Report
The Political Dimension of Our Apostolic Life
The World of Young People
Solidarity with the Poor
Women
The World of Migrant Peoples

Introduction to the General Chapter Report

To welcome and make known to others
the love of God
made manifest in Jesus
is to learn to contemplate reality
and to experience it with his Heart.
As General Chapter we worked
to read the signs of the times
to discover there
what the Spirit is expecting of us
as an International Apostolic Community
at this moment in the Society's history.
We let the world set our agenda.
The faces we see every day
have been with us in this Chapter:
the faces of young people,
the faces of the poor and of migrants,
and of women everywhere
who live with inequality and oppression.

Little by little
the process of inculturation
is changing the face of the Society
giving us new energy and life.
This very process is moving us
- not without divergences and tensions -
towards a deeper sense
of our internationality.
It is the unifying strength of our charism
that commits us to deepen
this dialogue among cultures.

The Provincial Chapters
and the international reflection on education
identified certain pressing world issues.
As we deepened our understanding of these issues
by an analysis of concrete cases,
we were struck by the fundamental ambiguity
of the human situation.
We realized our need to acknowledge
the political dimension inherent in our lives.
We felt called to share
Christ's concern for the dignity of each human person.

Our deliberations have led us
to formulate more clearly
some convictions we hold in common
and some orientations for the whole Society.
Each province will discern
concrete ways of implementing them.
Out of respect for the dynamic process
and inner unity of each one,
the six themes of the Chapter are presented here
as they came from the commissions.

Our Constitutions
ask of us an attitude of constant conversion
encourage us in our service of the Church,
and send us forth
to be responsive to the God who is life.
Our celebration together of the missionary courage
of Philippine commits us, like her,
to surrender all our energy to the power of the Spirit
and to take creative steps forward
within our provinces and across frontiers . . .

The Political Dimension of our Apostolic Life

Introduction:
The political dimension of our lives is a reality that we have been discovering little by little; it has been addressed in General Chapter for the first time. It is clear that we need to continue to explore this dimension. In our insertions to serve the poor, and in our efforts to take their side, we have learned that in order to build the Kingdom we need: to be committed to human life, to work for peace and justice, to foster social change, to undergo conversion of heart and to carry out small projects which speak of Gospel values.

Lines of Action
Reflection on these calls and on the implications of our experience suggests the following lines of action; if we are to recognize more fully the political dimension of our apostolic life and to live the consequences with thoughtful integrity, we need:

• to deepen our understanding of the political and socio-economic factors in our complex world and, in that perspective, to strengthen our theological preparation and learn methods of social analysis;
  
• to study and evaluate our educational commitments (cf. IEC 15-17, 31-35, 59, 66-69) and to ensure that our educational service helps form persons who can discern values;
  
• to accept that certain ambiguities and tensions are part and parcel both of our situations and of our effort to make decisions congruent with our fundamental choices;
  
• to discern in community the consequences of this political dimension for us as Religious of the Sacred Heart; to recognize that there are many and different ways each of us can respond in our local settings and according to our gifts and possibilities, and to give corporate support to those who, in the light of this discernment, make political commitments - sometimes involving real risk;
  
• to live this political dimension with the attitudes of active non-violence, in collaboration with others working for justice, human rights, peace and the stewardship of creation.

The World of Young People

As we face the world of young people we appreciate their freshness and their vitality which direct us towards the future. We appreciate the values most important to them: solidarity, friendship and peace, their creativity and their ability to foster change. We also acknowledge that today perhaps the most vulnerable in our society are the young.

The urgency of the plight of youth today is as much a priority for us in countries where they constitute a majority of the population as in countries where they are a minority. We are invited to be present to young people in this critical stage of their growth, to listen to what they have to tell us, and to help them during their period of transition.

"Youth culture" impels us to devise new and creative educational spaces in our provinces, our communities, our institutions and our diverse apostolic activities.

The concrete commitments we make towards them differ according to the stages of our lives but will follow these educational guidelines.

1. Trust young people and help them to further their own growth. Help them to become capable of making decisions and to take the consequences so that they can become integrated and independent.

2. Be open to their spirit of solidarity and encourage their commitment to social change. Offer participative structures which invite young people to create projects to foster solidarity and service to promote justice and peace through social change.

3. Give priority to certain aspects of human development in young people:

• help them develop humanizing relationships which respect differences among people;
• help them develop their critical skills and the awareness of their social and moral responsibility: their attitudes, actions and omissions;
• make them aware of the political dimension of reality;
• help them share who they are and what they have in solidarity with others;
• motivate them to use their free time creatively and in the spirit of "giving freely what has been freely given".

4. Be particularly attentive to those young people most seriously wounded. Among the most wounded are those who suffer from problems caused by poverty, violence, pressure from competition, drug addiction, AIDS, emigration, family break-up, etc . . .

• participate in preventative programs or actions,
• welcome them, seek with them ways of resolving their situation, propose professional help, so that they can discover their own dignity and find their place in life.

5. Show young people the Gospel as life-giving for us:

• welcome their forms of expression and commitment,
• let ourselves be challenged by them,
• live our community life as Religious of the Sacred Heart so that it can be a place where people gather and share faith,
• discover with them how to bring Gospel values into all areas of life, so that young people will be filled with a new sense of life. Transformed by the experience of God and the discovery of Christian community, they can be witnesses to other young people of the values of the Gospel.

Solidarity with the Poor

Starting from our own experiences, we have been touched by the stark reality of the poverty of our peoples. The cry of the poor - hungry, homeless, unemployed - women, men, children struggling for life, or whose dignity is demeaned - speaks to us of the seriousness of injustice and makes us realize how we are caught up in it. In their faces, we contemplate the suffering Christ and at the same time glimpse signs of resurrection.

Solidarity is at the heart of our charism. Living this solidarity with all the strength and potential of our international multicultural character impels us:

a) to continue and to encourage "insertions" among the poor;

b) to acknowledge joyfully that living among the poor, giving and receiving welcome and friendship, change us;

c) to open ourselves to the insights of the poor in order that mutuality will be the hallmark of our educational service;

d) to encourage sharing with the neediest;

e) to make our choices consistent with our values and to assume the financial consequences;

f) to collaborate more at all levels, participating in groups with the same aims and promoting solidarity among such groups;

g) to use whatever "institutional power" we have in favor of the poor (educational networks, resources: personnel, skills, influence, funds and properties . . .);

h) to participate in initiatives which enable poor people to determine their own forms of educational growth;

i) to keep looking for significant steps - small though they be - to align ourselves with the church of the poor.

Living this solidarity requires working for justice and peace. This work, with the aim of transforming unjust structures, encourages us:

a) to help each other move beyond attitudes towards injustice which are simplistic, defensive or fearful;

b) to foster in young people a sense of responsibility for building a more just world;

c) to communicate significant actions taken in various countries which strengthen solidarity, justice and peace;

d) to face the fact that in work with the poor every act and every failure to act has poltical significance and consequences;

e) to base our response on serious and sustained reflection and analyses, not only among ourselves, but especially with the poor themselves.

Women

When we shared our experiences and reflection on the situation of women in our different cultures, the injustice experienced by one half of the human race struck us forcibly. As women, religious and educators, we are involved in this and we feel it is urgent to take action.

I. We make the following observations:

• wherever there is poverty, women suffer more and bear more of the consequences;
  
• the dignity of women, created in the image of God, is frequently denied and, therefore, their basic equality with men is not accepted. But, in fact, women are also called to use their gifts for the development of the world;
  
• often they are oppressed or in an inferior position:
  

• in the family,
  
• at work (discrimination, salary),
  
• in the social, economic and juridical
  structures, where law does not
  respect their rights,
  
• in the Church, where their place is minimized;
  

• the image of woman is often distorted by their own culture and by advertising which exploits their bodies;
  
• as a result, they often have difficulty in valuing their true worth and so they contribute unconsciously to their own oppression.

At the same time:

• in Salvation history, as in all history, women play an important role. Mary, who shared the situation of the women of her time, was chosen to bring forth God's Word to the world;
  
• in certain regions, the Church is a meeting place where women can express themselves and take up responsibilities;
  
• in a world which has need of peace, love and hope, women have the capacity to give life and to protect and foster it. With tenderness, courage, inwardness and creativity, they can contribute to the building of a more human world. An indication of this lies in the inter-connectedness between initiatives for the promotion of women, and those which promote peace and the protection of the environment.

II. And, so, we are called:

• to work with other women so that we may become aware of our dignity, of our potential and of our responsibility;
  
• to promote the acceptance of the fundamental equality and complementarity of women and men;
  
• to assume our reponsibility in the Church, aware that Jesus not only confirmed the dignity of women but also involved them in the building of the Kingdom;
  
• to be challenged by all these calls, especially in areas where women are particularly deprived;
  
• to be open to conversion, so that as RSCJ we may be fully ourselves in a way that is happy and life-giving.
  .

The World of Migrant Peoples

Mass migration is a sign of the times: all over the world people are on the move, driven by economic and political forces, drawn by hope of a better future.

By migrants we mean:

1. Internal migrants of our countries.

2. Immigrants and refugees from other countries.

3. Emigrants leaving their homeland or returning.

It is the poor among them who call us in a special way: they are often undocumented, without work, isolated, vulnerable and denied civil rights. Immigration policies are becoming more and more restrictive and discriminatory. Often women and children are the prime victims of these situations.

As international apostolic community we are called to be sensitive to the hopes and sufferings of migrant peoples. Our charism urges us to open our hearts to them, to welcome them, to be in solidarity with them, helping to bring the people of the world together.

In reflecting on our experiences:

• we have been struck by the importance of relationships: love and friendship are a universal language;
• we believe in the importance of reciprocity and in mutual enrichment; contact with those who suffer makes us more human;
• we know that our relationships have an educative dimension: we are convinced of the value and dignity of each person and that it is the poor themselves who are the agents of their own transformation.

To be in solidarity means:

I. To be close to them, with them, attentive to their needs, to be a bridge between cultures:

a. by getting to know them and their culture; listening to their "voice", being in direct contact with them;

b. by helping those who have recently arrived to settle, to learn the language and gain access to services, where these exist;

c. by discovering and sharing together the values of our respective cultures and religions;

d. by helping young immigrants and their parents caught between two cultures, to appreciate the riches of their own culture and those of their new country;

e. by providing pastoral care and offering the support of our Christian communities to those migrants who have been uprooted;

f. by being attentive to those who emigrate and those who return, seeking to ease their way (preparation, contacts);

g. by exploring the possibility of RSCJ giving temporary service in another province and encouraging interprovincial collaboration at the service of migrants.

II. To work for justice for migrant peoples:

a. Working for change in our outlooks and attitudes:

1. by being attentive to any element of racism, lack of openness to differences, domineering attitudes expressed through our language and unguarded behavior;

2. by learning to look at society, history and theology from points of view other than our own;

3. by trying to realize more in our lives that we are pilgrim people, and to deepen the attitudes that stem from this reality: willingness to be uprooted and available, striving to overcome our rationalistic tendencies;

b. Working to change racist attitudes, structures and unjust laws:

1. by adapting our educational methods and structures to make them more responsive to the needs of immigrants;

2. by taking part in action for the promotion of the rights of migrants in our countries;

3. by putting the institutional power which is ours at the service of migrant peoples, especially of refugees, in order to influence public opinion, government policies and legislation.

Wherever we are engaged with migrant people we think that collaboration with other organizations (public, private, or Church) is indispensable.