CHRONICLE OF
THE 135th GENERAL CHAPTER
OF THE CARMELITE ORDER

On 3 September 2001, about one hundred Carmelite friars from 19 Provinces, 2 General Commissariats, 3 General Delegations, representing the Order throughout the world, gathered at the Institute "Madonna del Carmine", in Sassone (Rome) to celebrate the 135th General Chapter.

Tuesday, 4 September

The first official meeting of all the participants took place in the chapel of the Institute at 10.00 a.m. with the celebration of the Eucharist presided by the Prior General, Fr. Joseph Chalmers. In his homily, he emphasised the importance of silence for that special moment in order to listen to what the Spirit wished to communicate.

After the Eucharist, at about 12.00 a.m., the first session was opened with the hymn Veni, Creator Spiritus. After that, Fr. Joseph Chalmers declared the Chapter open and invited the Secretary General, Fr. Tarsicio Gotay, to call all those convoked. Present were: the Prior General, the ex-Priors General, the members of the General Council, the Priors Provincial of all the Provinces and their delegates, the General Commissaries, the General Delegates, those specially invited by the General Council and members of the Order working in the secretariat. Then the Secretary announced the officials of the Chapter: the scrutineers (Frs. Joseph Saliba, Dariusz Borek, Roberto Toni), the tellers (Frs. Brendan Grady, Joseph Kemper, Rogerio S. de Lima), the commission for the revision of the Chapter acts (Frs. Desiderio García, Mario Alfarano, William Harry), the commission for Chapter expenses (Frs. Luis Gallardo, Pankraz Ribbert), the moderators (Frs. Carlo Cicconetti, Rafael Leiva, Mario Esposito, Henricus Pidyarto), the facilitators (Frs. Carlos Mesters, Richard Copsey) and the theological consultors (Frs. Fernando Millán, Christopher O’Donnell). The Prior General then initiated the election of the President of the Chapter. Fr. John Malley was elected to that office and concluded the first session with a greeting and an expression of thanks.

In the afternoon, at 4.00 p.m., the President of the Chapter invited Fr. Joseph Chalmers to give an update of the report on the six years of his term which had been sent to all the superiors of the Order last March. After the report, Fr. John Malley thanked the Prior General and his Council for their commitment to the development of the Order and asked the assembly for questions and further clarifications.

The third session of the day began at 5.30 p.m. and was dedicated to the report of Fr. Cees Bartels, President of the Preparatory Commission, and the approval of the Agenda and the Ordo Capituli. After some clarifications sought by the assembly, the President asked for the members of the Chapter to approve the two documents. The general timetable approved was as follows: 7.00 breakfast, 8.30 morning prayer, 9.00 first session and pause, 10.45 continuation of the first session and pause, 12.00 Eucharist, 1.00 p.m. lunch and siesta, 4.00 p.m. second session and pause, 6.00 p.m. continuation of the second session and pause, 7.30 p.m. evening prayer, 8.00 dinner, recreation and rest. Before going to evening prayer, the members of the Chapter approved the timetable for the following day.

Wednesday, 5 September

This was a day of recollection. After breakfast and morning prayer, the participants gathered in the hall for the first session of the day at 9.00 a.m. The President of the Chapter made some announcements, among others, the decision to prepare a final message addressed to all the members of the Carmelite Family. Frs. Fernando Millan, Christopher O’Donnell and Carlos Mesters would collaborate in preparing this document. Then the President presented the speaker for the day, Fr. John Welch. Fr. Welch developed the theme "The seasons of the heart". In the morning he spoke of "A yearning heart – Our desire for God" and "A slave heart – The cult of false gods". In the afternoon he spoke of "A listening heart - The contemplative life", "A troubled heart – The tragedy of life" and "A pure heart – The transformation of desire". During the day the members of the Chapter had ample time for silence and personal prayer. The Eucharist was celebrated at 7.00 p.m. followed by dinner.

The President made some practical announcements then presented the moderator for the day, Fr. Carlo Cicconetti. The moderator then announced that during the Chapter the following matters would be dealt with: a) Carmelite parishes, b) Community life, c) Formation and study, d) Service, e) Social communications. The study of these themes would follow the lectio divina method, that is, lectio, meditatio, oratio et contemplatio, collatio, and operatio. The moderator asked Fr. Michael Plattig, member of the Preparatory Commission, to explain in detail this process to the members of the Chapter. The moderator then introduced the theme of the day "Carmelite parishes" and, for the lectio section, invited Fr. Edgar Koning to present the initiative of the Carmelite parish of Dordrecht (Netherlands). The assembly then moved on to the second phase (meditatio), that is personal reflection and reflection in groups. The third phase of prayer took place in the groups.

For the second session in the afternoon, the assembly gathered in the hall for the collatio (sharing) of the reflection and also for the operatio, that is, for the feedback of the facilitators and general discussion. The Eucharist was celebrated before dinner.

Friday, 7 September

The theme of the day was "Community life". The President opened the first session by presenting six lay persons (a couple and four young girls) who are members of the Carmelite community "La Famiglia" in Florence (Italy). The moderator, Fr. Carlo Cicconetti, invited these lay persons to present their experience of Carmelite life lived with the friars. The assembly showed much interest as evidenced by the many comments and questions. During the second part of this morning session, the nine linguistic groups met to meditate and pray on that which was conveyed concerning our community life. In the afternoon, all the participants gathered in the hall to share their reflections and suggestions and to listen to the feedback of the facilitators.

After some announcements concerning practical matters, the moderator, Fr. Mario Esposito, asked Fr. Pere Soler, General Bursar, to speak. In his report, Fr. Pere spoke of the following: a) The six years 1995-2001; b) The socio-economic situation of the Order; c) The near future and its possibilities; d) The consolidated balance of all the accounts of the Curia. The participants were then given time to ask for further clarifications, to discuss and approve the proposition of the General Council on sharing the costs of travel of the members of the Chapter according to the percentage assigned to each Province. The day’s work concluded at 11.45 with the celebration of the Eucharist.

This was a free day. Many of the members of the Chapter went on a trip to Naples and its environments. The programme included a Concelebration at the Sanctuary of Carmine Maggiore "La Bruna", lunch and a tour by coach.

Monday, 10 September

The theme of the day was "Carmelite Institutes and Higher Studies". Fr. Henricus Pidyarto, moderator, opened the first session and invited three friars to give their reports: Fr. Emanuele Boaga, President of the Institutum Carmelitanum, Fr. Richard Copsey, General Delegate for Culture and Fr. Huub Welzen who presented a proposition on behalf of the Titus Brandsma Institute of Nijmegen (Netherlands) entitled "A network of Institutes of Spirituality". The assembly then asked for some points of clarification. At about midday the members of the Chapter went to chapel to celebrate the Eucharist.

For the first part of the afternoon session, the participants met in language groups to reflect on the reports given in the morning. For the second part of the session, the members of the Chapter met in the hall to listen to a report by Fr. Mark Attard, Prior of Saint Albert’s International Centre (Rome), to the reactions of the language groups and to the feedback of the facilitators. The discussion revealed the great richness that exists in the Order through the presence of many Institutes. After this session the members of the Chapter went to chapel at 7.30 p.m. for night prayers.

The procedure of this day was different. After some practical announcements, the moderator, Fr. Carlo Cicconetti, asked Fr. Josef Jancar, Procurator General, Fr. Felip Amenós, Postulator General, and Fr. Anthony Scerri, General Councillor for Evangelisation, to give their reports concerning the work done on behalf of the Order over the past six years. The presentations were very encouraging, especially in the missionary field, where, thanks to the many new foundations, the Order is growing younger. The morning session concluded with the celebration of the Eucharist.

The afternoon was free so as (a) to prepare for the Marian vigil in the Basilica of St. Paul’s Outside the Walls at 9.00 p.m., presided by the Prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, Cardinal Moussa I Daoud together with the Superiors General, Fr. J. Chalmers and Fr. C. Maccise; (b) to offer the Provinces involved in Africa and Asia the opportunity to meet and plan for collaboration in the field of formation.

Wednesday, 12 September

Audience of the Carmelite Family with the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square. Unfortunately, the celebration was marred by the terrible act of terrorism perpetrated the previous day in the United States. The Pope requested that there be no applause, few words and much recollection. At 8.30 a.m., the image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was carried in procession from the church of St. Mary’s in Traspontina to St. Peter’s Square accompanied by hundreds of devotees and religious. The audience with the Pope began at 10.00 a.m. Pope John Paul II expressed his sorrow for the thousands of innocent victims in the United States. He then greeted the Carmelite Family gathered on the occasion of 750^th anniversary of the gift of the Scapular. He stressed that this event is not important only for the Carmelite Family, but for the whole Church. The patrimony of Carmelite spirituality belongs to all the people of God. He reminded all that the imposition of the Scapular must be an occasion of personal conversion corresponding with grace which leads us to holiness in God. At the end of the audience the Carmelite friars present gathered around the Holy Father for the crowning of the statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and for a photo. The picture of Our Lady was then carried back in procession to the church of Traspontina accompanied by many devotees.

In the afternoon the members of the Chapter visited L’Eau Vive for lunch, some places of interest and St. Albert’s International Centre (CISA) for the Eucharist. At about 8.00 p.m. all returned to Sassone.

The President of the Chapter began by thanking (a) the Holy Father for the audience accorded the Carmelite Family the previous day, (b) the Missionary Family "Donum Dei" for the lunch, (c) the Prior of CISA for the celebration of the Eucharist. He then invited Fr. Joseph Chalmers to read a message sent by John Paul II to the members of the Chapter. Fr. Carlos Mesters then gave a brief explanation on the process of discernment to be carried out on 15 September in preparation for the election of the General Curia.

The theme for the day was "Service" and was introduced by Fr. Rafael Leiva, moderator, who invited Fr. Francisco Manoel de Oliveira to present to the members of the Chapter the project "The House of the Suffering Servant" of the Provincial Commissariat of Paranà (Brazil). This project tries to assist with the many social problems of the country. His presentation was enriched by reflections and questions of clarification from the participants. After this lectio divina, the work continued with reflection and prayer in groups.

The second session in the afternoon took place in the hall with a film on "The House of the Suffering Servant". After the film, the secretaries of the groups reported the resume of the shared reflections in the language groups. After a brief pause, the members of the Chapter gathered in the hall at 6.00 p.m. for the feedback by the two facilitators as well as for further clarifications. The day ended with the celebration of the Eucharist and dinner.

After some notices of a logistic nature, Fr. Mario Esposito, moderator, announced that the moderators at their meeting the previous day had decided to change the order of the Chapter because of the programme which had to be prepared for the next General Council. Meanwhile Fr. William Harry presented the theme of the day, namely "Communications", with a report based on a document prepared by a commission in May 2001. The moderator then invited those present in the hall to reflect on and respond to the question: "How can we as an Order communicate better among ourselves and with the people whom we serve?" There were many interventions.

During the second half of the morning session, Fr. Camilo Maccise, Superior General of the Discalced Carmelites, addressed the assembly on "Keeping the internet open to the Holy Spirit". To be open to the Spirit means to be aware of the Spirit’s active presence in history. The Spirit sends messages to our electronic address and these messages arrive by means of the server, namely, prayer. There are three great messages which the Spirit sends today: (1) Communion, (2) Freedom, (3) Paresia. The message of communion, whose biblical icon is Pentecost, speaks of unity in diversity and not of uniformity. The virus of this message is individualism. The message of freedom is understood as growth and maturation in love. The biblical icon is the Council of Jerusalem, which decided not to impose burdens on pagans. The virus one meets here is that of legalism, the temptation to close oneself in the past. The message of the paresia implies the prophetic dimension of the Christian and religious life and its biblicalmodel is the prophet Elijah. It involves announcing God’s project and denouncing whatever is opposed to it. This message can be destroyed by the virus of fear or, more subtly, by selfish interests. Fr. Camilo concluded the meditation by repeating that we must remain open to the Spirit who speaks to us through the signs of the times and places. Fr. J. Chalmers then thanked Fr. Camilo and presented him with the gift of a commemorative medal of the 750^th anniversary of the Scapular and an icon of Our Lady.

At 11.45 the members of the Chapter gathered in chapel for the celebration of the Eucharist presided by Fr. Camilo. Frs. J. Chalmers and J. Malley concelebrated. At the beginning of the Eucharist, at 12.00 noon, together with the whole of Europe, three minutes of silence and prayer were observed for the thousands of victims of the tragedy, which occurred the previous Tuesday in the United States.

In the afternoon, the moderator invited Fr. Carlo Cicconetti to explain briefly the task of the General Chapter and how to proceed with suggestions and directives for the incoming General Council. The following decisions were taken: (a) to study the document entitled "General Synthesis", the result of the previous days, in language groups, (b) that two secretaries from each group, one for each of the subjects discussed, namely "Community" and "Study", would gather the reflections of the group, (c) that these secretaries would meet and formulate recommendations or propositions for each subject matter. At 6.30 p.m., the general assembly met in the hall to listen to the report of the two secretaries. The day was closed with evening prayer.

The President began the session with a prayer for Fr. Brian Pitman, former General Secretary, whom the Lord had called to eternal life. He then announced the decision of the moderators to nominate three commissions for Community, Formation and Mass Media and that these commissions would consider all that was said at the Chapter concerning these questions so that the new government would have clear directions to follow. Fr. Henricus Pidyarto, moderator, following various suggestions, presented for discussion the question whether it was right to change or not the structure of the General Council. Most of the members of the Chapter expressed approval of the present structure.

At 10.30 a.m. Fr. Carlos Mesters, led the assembly in a process of discernment in preparation for the election of the General government the following week. He gave a brief introduction, a synthesis prepared by the secretaries of the linguistic groups and made reference to the Carmelite Rule. Then he suggested some biblical texts for personal reflection. The day closed with good wishes from the members of the Chapter to Fr. Gaspar Mondéjar, ex-Vice General, whose birthday it was, and with the celebration of the Eucharist.

Free day.

Monday, 17 September

Feast of St. Albert, legislator. The President greeted the assembly, then the moderator, Fr. Carlo Cicconetti announced the two main events of the day: (a) the continuation of the discernment begun the previous Saturday, and (b) the consultative and definitive election of the Prior General, Vice Prior General, Procurator General and Bursar General. At 9.15 a.m. the members of the Chapter went into regional groups to suggest and discuss possible candidates for the four offices of the General government. After forty-five minutes, the members of the Chapter went from the regional groups to mixed groups. The results of the second groups were announced to the general assembly and at the same time the consultative vote took place.

At 4.00 p.m. the members of the Chapter gathered in the hall for the canonical election of the Prior General of the Order. After a moment of prayer, the roster was called. The election took place and Fr. Joseph Chalmers received 75 of 81 votes. He accepted the office and took over the presidency of the Chapter. Fr. Chalmers thanked the members of the Chapter for the trust they put in him. The following were then canonically elected: Vice Prior General – Fr. Carlo Cicconetti, Procurator General – Fr. Josef Jancar, Bursar General – Fr. James Des Lauriers. The day concluded with the celebration of the Eucharist followed by dinner.

The procedure for this day was similar to that of the previous one. After the greeting of the President, the moderator, Fr. Rafael Leiva, explained briefly the programme for the day. The members of the Chapter went back to their groups to discern, suggest and discuss who would be the candidates for the four General Councillors. At 11.15 a.m. they went back to the hall for the consultative vote.

The canonical election of the four Councillors took place during the afternoon session. The result was as follows: General Councillor for Northern and Central Europe and North America - Fr. William Harry, General Councillor for the Mediterranean – Fr. Rafael Leiva, General Councillor for Africa, Asia and Australia – Fr. Anthony Scerri, General Councillor for Latin America – Fr. Carlos Mesters. At 6.00p.m. the participants went to the chapel for the Eucharist. At the Eucharist the members of the Chapter prayed for Fr. Kilian Healey, ex-Prior General, who recently had a heart attack.

First, some messages of congratulations were read. Then the moderator, Fr. Mario Esposito, invited the members of the Chapter to read privately the draft of the Final Message and to make their comments and suggestions to the commission. Before the members of the Chapter went into groups to study the proposals, Fr. Richard Copsey, facilitator, explained the way these had been grouped: Community, Formation, Government, Communications, other. At 11.00 a.m. the members of the Chapter came back to the hall for further information. The session concluded with the celebration of the Eucharist.

In the afternoon, the members of the Chapter met in the hall and in small groups to study the proposals.

The Prior General, Fr. Joseph Chalmers, began the day by informing the assembly that a small commission had been appointed to prepare the proposals and the eventual voting on the proposals. Fr. Henricus Pidyarto asked the participants to form small groups and continue their discussion of the proposals. At 12.00 noon Eucharist was celebrated.

The afternoon session started with Fr. Christopher O’Donnell presenting the Final Message for further suggestions and developments. Then the members of the Chapter spent three hours voting on proposals on Community Life, General Government of the Order, Communications and other matters. The day concluded with dinner.

After morning prayer, the members of the Chapter met in the hall at 9.00 a.m. for the final session of the Chapter. In his closing remarks, the Prior General, Fr. Joseph Chalmers, thanked all: the members of the Chapter, the members of the Secretariat and of the commissions, Fr. Mimmo Meloni and his co-workers who run the Institute "Madonna del Carmine". Then he thanked the former General Councillors and welcomed the new. The reports of the Chapter were then approved and the Flos Carmeli sung. The Prior General and the new members of the General Council concelebrated the Eucharist. After communion the Final Message to the Carmelite Family was read.

Conclusion

The General Chapter of 2001 is over, but, as the Prior General said in his homily, "…the journey continues! The Apostle Matthew did not know exactly what his call to follow Jesus implied, yet he follow Him faithfully and with complete trust. We too are invited to continue our following of Jesus Christ, a journey that leads us into his reign, where Mary and Elijah have preceded us".