Chapter 2012! What’s that you might ask. Since religious communities are living, breathing organisms, they don’t just keep existing from year to year. If they’re healthy they grow and change in response to God’s new invitations to them. Thus all congregations meet every four to six years to set directions for the future and open to the Spirit’s call.
This year the IHM community comes together for Chapter 2012 from January 23 to 28, and this will include election of our IHM Leadership Council for 2012 to 2018. Then on Sunday, January 29, the whole community–vowed members, associates and friends –will gather at a 2:00 PM Mass in the Motherhouse chapel to celebrate the graces of the Chapter and our newly elected Leadership Council. We’d love to have you with us on the twenty-ninth if that’s possible for you. Give me a call at 734-240-9820 if you’d like to come.
Of course we don’t take lightly the importance of this time . We desire to be open to the Spirit of God moving among us, so we’ve been joining in this prayer for the whole year. As friends of IHM I invite you to pray it with us.
PRAYER FOR IHM LA ASAMBLEA – ASSEMBLY 2011
God, life-giving Spirit:
Traveling our communal faith journey, you guide us.
Stepping along the pathway toward our destiny, you guide us.
Discovering our purpose for existing, you guide us.
Listening to our journey’s life-revelations, you walk with us.
Sharing our story with others, you walk with us.
Discovering the wisdom in each other, you walk with us.
Gathering strength from one another, you give us courage.
Believing in our abundant wisdom, you give us courage.
Celebrating our passion for mission, you give us courage.
Seeing what to keep and what to let go, you give us new life.
Daring to dream, you give us new life.
Moving into a prophetic vision, you give us new life.
God, life-giving Spirit, you guide us into a future full of hope.
Thank you for our wisdom experiences and for all that
will unfold on our journey.
Amen.
Feel free to ask if you’d like to know more about Chapters in religious communities.
