(ANS - Rome) – A new phase was announced by the Rector Major at the end of work on Saturday last. This is the phase of the elections which began this morning, Monday 24 March.

"This is the only time in the Congregation when there are direct elections. It is a week when there is a particular tension which should not be psychological but spiritual, characterized first of all by listening to the Word and docility to the Spirit. This generates a great interior freedom at the time of voting."

Fr José Cristo Rey García Paredes, CMF, was invited to lead the discernment.  He proposed a process in five  stages.

The first, by way of introduction, is intended to identify the main challenge for the congregation today. Adequate time is given for reflection and personal prayer, and there is time also to consult with those who can shed light on the exercise. This is a first chance to compare one’s thinking with that of others.

The second stage aims to identify the kind of congregational leadership that is needed. Each chapter member is asked to give his assessment, and the stage ends with the drawing up of the profile of a good Rector Major. This work is done in silence, reflection and personal prayer and, if deemed necessary, in some personal consultation.

This leads to the third stage which, using the profile outlined earlier, comes to identifying who it is the Spirit is offering to be the spiritual leader of the Society over the next six years. A straw vote is held. Each chapter member indicates a name and a list is made of the names that come up.

The fourth stage moves on from the list drawn up at the previous stage. It is a time of further individual and communal discernment, to examine the congregational and ecclesial context, the qualities necessary for the Rector Major, and the candidates proposed by the Chapter. The stage ends with the indication of a name, and then a list is drawn up specifying the number of votes obtained.

The central moment of the fifth stage is the celebration of the Eucharist and the invocation of the Holy Spirit, and this is followed by voting for the election of the Rector Major.

"'Contemplative discernment - said Fr Garcia Paredes, quoting Paul Anderson, a professor at George Fox University – generates unity, though maybe not unanimity'.  In the progress towards unity, silence lasting five or seven minutes is often much more effective than an hour of debate. The goal is not to get everyone in agreement, but to grasp what God is doing in our midst. The words of Jesus, 'it should not be so among you' present us with an alternative approach at the time of election of our leaders."

Published 24/03/2014