XVII General Chapter Update

Dear brothers and sisters,

During this prolonged time of health emergency, with its severe consequences for many and felt so deeply within our Congregation, our families, and pastoral communities, we continue to raise our prayer to the Father and Lord of Life, asking him to grant us to walk from the confidence of knowing us in your hands. May this certainty allow us to contemplate, amid illness, suffering, death, crisis, and uncertainty, how a faint Light appears and glimpse how it is taking on brighter and becoming a soft balm for the human life.
As we well know, the current situation is critical, both because of the real risk of transmission by contagions and because of the constraints regarding meetings and travel. This situation has led us to question the convenience of postponing the second part of the XVII General Chapter for a few months.
Therefore, taking into account the General Decree of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life Prot. N. Sp.R. 2419/April 20 April 2, 2020, in which the congregations are authorized to defer the celebration of the General and Provincial Chapters, and after a broad dialogue of pros and cons of what it means to postpone the Chapter, as General Council Together with the Provincial Superiors, in our meeting held on February 5, we unanimously decided to reschedule the second part of the XVII General Chapter, which was scheduled to take place from March 1 to 19 of this year. The new dates will be from Monday, April 26, to Wednesday, May 12, 2021.
Some of the reasons that led us to take this decision are the following:
Holding the Chapter in March entails a high risk of contagion due to the situation in Mexico. It is expected that within two months, the health emergency will be more favorable (more people vaccinated, milder weather, and the forecast of a lower risk of contagion). This will allow us to carry out the work of the General Chapter with safety, knowing that:
- Delaying the General Chapter for two months will not imply significant changes in the congregational agenda. However, this means making some adjustments in the date for the celebration of the Provincial Chapters planned. However, in 2021 we should be able to conclude this entire chapter process in all the Jurisdictions.
- This decision is consistent with what we have been asking the faithful: to take care of themselves and avoid meetings. We believe that postponing the celebration of the Chapter, for now, is consistent with what we are experiencing.
We know that this change of dates forces us to make changes to our agendas. Still, we judge that it is the most prudent thing to do, taking into account the current moment of the health emergency caused by Covid-19. We are confident that, despite these setbacks, the Congregation is on the move. We know that the fruits of the work carried out in the first part of the Chapter and this time of study and consultation in all the communities have been a kairos of the Spirit. This has allowed us to take significant steps and advance in the discernment to continue building the congregational building.
Remembering the life and testimony of our brothers Alberto Aranda, Luis Ruiz, Daniel Rivera, Gabriel Ledezma, Víctor Villela, Manuel Romo, Máximo Gutiérrez, Héctor Quintanar, Gilberto Rivera, Juan José Cedillo, and René Allande who have died as a result of Covid-19 and who now participate in the full life in the Lord, let us continue to consecrate our lives to the Holy Spirit having the experience that He never disappoints. Following the example of Mary, the Virgin of Pentecost, may we be sensitive and docile to his inspirations.