The General Council
The new General Council
Kathleen Conan (United States) is the next Superior General of the Society of the Sacred Heart.
The handover of the General Council took place on December 12th, in Rome.
Photo, from the left : Carmen Margarita Fagot (Cuba), Kathleen Conan (United States), Catherine Lloyd (England-Wales), Nancy Durand (Peru), and a fourth RSCJ whose name will be announced later.
Celebration of the handover to the
new General Council
(original in English, Spanish and Italian)
Society of the Sacred Heart, Villa Lante, Rome, 12th December 2008
Celebrant
P. Adolfo Nicolás, SJ (Superior General of the Jesuits)
Entrance Hymn
Laudate omnes gentes, laudate Dominum.
Laudate omnes gentes, laudate Dominum!
Sing praises, all you peoples, sing praises to the Lord.
Sing praises, all you peoples, sing praises to the Lord!
Call to worship: Clare Pratt RSCJ (outgoing Superior General)
Dear Friends,
It is a joy for us to welcome you to this Eucharist of transition. Our three communities of Rome welcome you: the community of this house, the Villa Lante, the community of the Casa Generalizia, and the community of probanists, 16 women from 13 countries who are here preparing to make their perpetual vows in February.
We chose this date, the 12th of December, because it is the birthday of our foundress, Madeleine Sophie Barat, who lived in this house at various moments, and it is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, a feast precious to many of us, particularly those from Latin and North America. The gospel of the Visitation is from her feast, and the icon on your program, which captures this moment of encounter, was significant to us during our General Chapter and expresses well the spirit of these days of encounter of our two General Councils. We have missed the presence of one of the outgoing Council, Marisa Sacerdote, who had to return early to Argentina because of her mother’s failing health. She is very much present with us in spirit.
We are grateful to Father Adolfo Nicolás, longtime friend of our sisters in Asia, for graciously accepting to celebrate this moment with us. And we thank all of you for coming.
Kyrie
Kyrie, kyrie eleison (2x)…
Christe, Christe eleison (2x)…
Kyrie, kyrie eleison (2x)
Gloria (in Italian)
Gloria, Gloria, in excelsis Deo (bis)
First reading: from a Conference given by Madeleine Sophie Barat, 2nd June 1827
Ah! If only it were possible, if I were not unworthy, if God would give me the grace, to speak to you of the happiness of the person who gives herself over to the Holy Spirit… completely… whole and entire… with no reservations! If only I could tell you what takes place in her… if I could describe her happiness; it is no longer herself who acts, it is God… every step she takes is by the inspiration of the Spirit… everything becomes easy… she no longer knows difficulty, she meets no more obstacles… The Holy Spirit holds this person captive; the Spirit possesses her, binds her, establishes communication between her and heaven; it is like Jacob’s ladder on which the angels continuously ascend and descend; the good actions, desires, sacrifices of this faithful person mount towards heaven, and the Holy Spirit comes down laden with the new graces that God is pleased to bestow on her. I regret that it is time to end; but if the happiness of the individual open to the Spirit is so great, what would be the happiness of a group of people, of a whole Society that would allow itself to be guided unreservedly by the Holy Spirit. That would be a foretaste of heaven! What peace, what union and, at the same time, what good we would be able to produce.
Responsorial Psalm: psalm 42
Rit: “My soul is thirsting for the Lord;
when shall I see you face to face?”
Like the deer that yearns for running streams,
So my soul is yearning for you, my God. Rit.
My soul is thirsting for God, the God of my life;
When can I enter and see the face of God? Rit.
Deep is calling on deep, in the roar of waters;
Your torrents and all your waves swept over me. Rit.
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia (2x)
“If I had my life to live over again,
I would only seek to be faithful to the Spirit…”
(Madeleine-Sophie Barat)
Gospel: Luke 1:39-47 (The Visitation)
Homily: P. Adolfo Nicolás
Click here to download the homily from the handover (.doc)
Prayer of the faithful: Kyrie, Kyrie eleison
For the Church
For the world
For the Society of the Sacred Heart
For the new council
For young people and the probanists
Offertory and Celebration of the handover to the new General Council
Hymn: Eccomi
Eccomi, eccomi! Signore io vengo.
Eccomi, eccomi! Si compia in me la tua volontà.
Il sacrificio non gradisci, ma m’hai aperto l’orecchio,
Non hai voluto olocausti, allora ho detto: io vengo!
Handover of symbols
Clare Pratt gives to Kathleen Conan, the new Superior General, the Constitutions of the congregation. This signifies that henceforth she and her council are at the service of the vocation of the Society of the Sacred Heart in the Church for the world.
Son In Sook gives the documents of the 2008 General Chapter, fruit of our intercultural dialogue about our Spirituality. This signifies that the implementation of the Chapter is entrusted to the Council.
Jane Maltby gives to Nancy Durand the catalogue of the Society in which are listed the names and apostolic service of each RSCJ: a sign that religious government is at the service of persons and their apostolic vocation.
Maria Dolores Górriz gives to Carmen Margarita Fagot the Bible and to Catherine Lloyd the world, reminding us that the spirituality of the congregation is based on contemplating the Heart of Christ in the heart of the world.
Santo
Holy, holy, holy… (2x)
We sing with the angels, hosanna in the highest.
Hosanna in the highest… (2x)
We sing with the angels, Hosanna
in the highest.
Heaven and earth are filled with your glory,
We sing with the angels, Hosanna in the highest.
Blessed is He who comes in the Lord’s name.
We sing with the angels, Hosanna in the highest.
Anamnesis:
Annunziamo la tua morte, Signore,
Proclamiamo la tua risurrezione,
Nell’attesa della tua venuta.
Amen
Our Father: sung in Latin
Communion hymn
Chi ci separerà dal suo amore,
la tribolazione, forse la spada?
Né morte o vita ci separerà
dall’amore in Cristo Signore.
Chi ci separerà dalla sua pace,
La persecuzione, forse il dolore?
Nessun potere ci separerà
Da ocluí che è morto per noi.
Chi ce separerà dalla sua gioia,
Chi potrà strapparci il suo perdono?
Nessuno al mondo ci allontanerà
Dalla vita in Cristo Signore.
Hymn: Everyday God
…Everyday God
…O Jesus
…O Spirit
…Come, be with us
Concluding rite
Blessing of the Incoming General Council:
Gracious God, we ask your blessing on these women as they take up this service of leadership.
May they exercise their ministry in a spirit of wisdom and integrity.
May they be attentive to the needs of the world and open to the discernment of your calls.
May they foster vitality and unity in the Society, so that each one may live its mission with the tender and passionate love of your heart.
Trusting that you will accompany them through your Spirit,
we ask this blessing in the name of Jesus your Son. Amen.
Blessing of the Outgoing Council:
We gather the prayers of the whole Society of the Sacred Heart and in the name of all our sisters throughout the world, express our gratitude for the leadership which Clare, Mariado, Jane, Marisa and Son In Sook have given to the Society during these past eight years.
We give thanks:
For the way you have accompanied our provinces in the many different situations in which we live, perceiving, appreciating and fostering the life that you have found there, and calling it forth to 
fuller expression.
That you have kept us aware of the needs of our world and our hearts close to the suffering of our sisters and brothers.
That you have fostered interconnectedness and encouraged us to find new ways to support one another.
For the integrity of each of your lives lived in response to the Spirit, in the manner of Sophie.
Confident that our God will continue to open you to the ways to live the graces of these years, we send you forth with our love:
Son In Sook, we send you to the province of Korea and to the ministry of retreat work at Jesu Maum retreat house.
Mariado, we send you to the province of North Spain; may the Spirit continue to guide you in your desire to serve the Society wherever you may be in the world.
Jane, we send you to live out the mission of the Society in and through the province of England-Wales.
We send Marisa to the province of Argentina-Uruguay, to accompany her mother in the final days of her life and to share in the mission of the province.
Clare, we send you home to the United States, to discover the ways you will bring your relational heart and global vision to living our mission.
Most gracious God,
Bless Clare, Mariado, Jane, Marisa and Son.
Fill them with the knowledge of your gratitude and ours for their lives poured out in love.
Refresh them with your Spirit.
Support them with your love and continue to inspire them with your passion as they discover and deepen the graces of their international service.
We ask your blessing in the name of Jesus your son, Amen
Final blessing - Fr. Nicolás
Lighting Sophie’s candle :
Kathleen Conan light a small candle which is on the altar before the statue of Madeleine Sophie. This candle has been lit at the moment of the election of the superior general since Madeleine Sophie’s election over 200 years ago. After we song the Magnificat, Kathy lighted a candle from Sophie’s and led us out of the chapel into the dining room where we had refreshments. The music is a melody that was woven through our General Chapter and symbolizes the new Council’s commitment to animating our congregation in living the calls articulated by our General Chapter.
Magnificat anima mea Dominum!
| Recessional hymn: A’Ghrian from The Pilgrim by Sean Davey |
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