From the General at the Chapter in Fatima
The Order celebrated its 90th General Chapter from April 17th until May 9th in Fatima, Portugal. Among the prominent considerations at the Chapter was the Order's proximate preparation for the 500th anniversary of the birth of our Holy Mother, St. Teresa of Jesus in 2015. The chapter members also elected a new General Superior, Fr. Saverio Cannistrà of the Sacred Heart. Father Cannistrà, 58 years of age, is a member of the Tuscan province and holds a doctorate in dogmatic theology from the Gregorian in Rome. He has taught at the Teresianum in Rome and more recently was professor of Christology and Theological Anthropology on the faculty of theology of Central Italy near Florence.
At the closing Mass of the Chapter, Fr. Saverio said in his homily: "I think that this 90th general chapter will not be remembered for having made big decisions or extraordinary initiatives in the Order's life. The Spirit has guided us along another path, inviting us to enter into the depths of our being. The Spirit calls us to know ourselves, humbly yet courageously. St. Teresa, our holy mother, often pointed out that such a interior journey is obligatory if we are to have a true knowledge of God and are to serve the Church efficiently. It seems to us, at this historical time, that what the Order needs is not so much works, even though these be useful and well done, but rather we need a renewal that begins from within, from our roots, which cannot come from what we do. We must rather know how to adopt an attitude of humble faith and, at the same time, to wait in allowing God to work in our lives and in our communities. I believe that everyone feels more or less clearly that it would serve little purpose to construct centers of spirituality or retreat houses, it would be of little use to install new foundations in every corner of the planet, and nothing would be gained by increasing our cultural institutions or making our communication more efficient, if all this does not come from the Spirit who is Lord and gives life. If all this were only an expression of our need of affirmation by the world then it would be of no help to us...
From this perspective we can all understand how important were the choices made by our chapter: to invite the entire Teresian Carmelite family--friars, nuns and seculars--to study the writings of St. Teresa. We have drawn up a study-plan over a period of five years, that will take us to the threshold of the fifth centenary of Teresa's birth, in 2015. If we are faithful, this anniversary will not be a simple historical commemoration but will have a sense of a rebirth for the entire Order..." (Fatima, May 7, 2009).
