by Gabriele Cantaluppi

19th Chapter of the Guanellians

Pope Benedict XVI has indicated the personal testimony of Christian life, lived by every single believer, as the privileged path of the New Evangelization. this is what, in other words, Cardinal Severino Poletto, Archbishop emeritus of Turin, indicated on the evening of July 19st, in the opening Eucharistic concelebration of the XNUMXth General Chapter of the Servants of Charity, in the sanctuary of the Sacred Heart in Como, inviting the chapter fathers to share the gifts of nature and grace and renew spiritual life through a strengthened faith.
A sign of this desire was the delivery of "Way of virtue and holiness", the annotated text of the Constitutions, which finally sees the light after countless years of gestation. The theme of an intense spiritual life, still capable of surprising, was also the proposal for reflection offered by Father Michele Elli on the retreat the following day in Barza.
Father Alfonso Crippa underlined that our striving for holiness becomes hope for the world, because with our works we reveal the presence of God's love. A love that requires collaboration and unity between the members of the Guanellian family, in order to counteract the culture of 'individualism and the ephemeral, added Mother Serena Ciserani.

The following days offered the Superiors of every level, from the General Superior to the provincial ones, to the African delegate and the General Bursar, the opportunity to present their report in the hall, almost a snapshot of the human resources, the problems and the perspectives that have opened up during the past six years. The assembly presentation was followed by a request for clarification, then entrusting the critical analysis and proposals to the various groups.
The long hours of sitting at all levels made people feel the need for a bit of exercise, resulting in some evening football matches, with results that were not exactly Olympic.
The morning Eucharistic concelebration and the evening Vespers also gave those presiding the opportunity to offer ideas for meditation, aimed at nourishing the spirit of belonging to the Guanellian family.
If the Word of God proclaimed in the morning Eucharist started the day, in the evening we preferred to wander between family occasions or in memory of some significant figures in our history.
The second week marked full immersion in the works, with the study and analysis of the Instrumentum Laboris prepared by the specific Commission. The importance of the document was underlined by Don Wladimiro Bogoni, president of the Commission, in offering the chapter fathers help in outlining paths for the Congregation to follow in the next six years.
Four Commissions were then formed, according to the priorities of the topic of interest: evangelization, charism, mission, government. In the middle of the week each of them then presented their reflections and proposals to the assembly.
A philosophical principle taught to us in high school stated that one cannot give to others what one does not possess before: it is therefore also necessary to update and listen to some "off-screen" voices, through which the Holy Spirit could suggest novelty.
The Chapter Fathers, in addition to the initial spiritual retreat, had the opportunity to welcome the indications of Professor Stella Mora, professor of theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, regarding the New Evangelization which "passes through making our be believers. Jesus, the evangelizer par excellence, preached and healed, walked the streets of his time and was in direct contact with people."
Father Cristo Rey García Paredes, Claretian holder of the chair of theology of Religious Life at the University of Salamanca, underlined the importance of the mission for the new evangelization, stating that "it is better to talk less about God and announce him with the testimony of life ”.
The Cooperators also had their day on Monday 16 July, with the presence of representatives from various geographical areas in which the Work is present. The spokesperson of the group invited to the Chapter, Dino Stella, presented the "Document" with which they responded to some questions posed by the pre-capitular commission.
The Guanellian world was also complete through the morning dedicated to the Daughters of Saint Mary of Providence, who, with the interventions of Sister Neli Bordignon and Sister Antonietta Ripamonti, offered some ideas on the New Evangelization to be lived within our Guanellian charism .
An overview of a problem that worries the entire Church, at least the Western one, could not be missing: that of vocations. The situation of the Guanellian international seminaries was illustrated by Don Carlos Blanchoud for the one in Bogotà (Colombia), Don Luigi De Giambattista and Don Soosai Rathinam for the one in Chennai (India), Don Giancarlo Frigerio for the one in Kinshasa (DR Congo) and Don Alessandro Allegra for the one in Rome.
The day on which the eyes of the entire Congregation were focused was that of the election of the new General Council for the next six years.
The Eucharistic concelebration on the morning of July 19 was presided over by Monsignor Luigi Stucchi, auxiliary bishop of Milan, who defined the chapter fathers as the living body of Don Guanella, together with the entire Congregation and those who feel they participate in the same charism of merciful charity .
The morning vote reconfirmed Father Alfonso Crippa as Superior General, while in the afternoon Don Umberto Brugnoni, reconfirmed Vicar, Father Luigi De Giambattista second councilor, Father Ciro Attanasio third councilor and Father Gustavo De Bonis fourth councilor were elected.
The presence of the urn with the body of the Founder in his native town of Fraciscio offered the opportunity to conclude the Chapter with the solemn Eucharistic concelebration precisely in the places where the Holy Spirit began to form his human and charismatic personality in the days of childhood and adolescence.
The final invitation of the Mass: “ite, missa est” is the exhortation to continue in life what was celebrated in the temple. Perhaps this is also the Founder's exhortation to the new General Council and to all the members of the great Guanellian family: to continue in the world the richness and impetus of these days of the Chapter, convinced that "holiness will save the world".