Rome, Monday, July 4, 2016
As was already communicated, this morning was dedicated to the election of the Superior General of our Institute.
H.E. Msgr. Vincenzo Apicella, Bishop of the Diocese of Velletri-Segni, principal seat of our Institute presided at the Holy Mass. Afterwards, he presided over the election as required.
In his homily, the Bishop made reference to today's readings, first, from the book of the prophet Hosea, (Hos 2:16, 17b-18, 21-22), as well as the Gospel of Matthew (Mt 9: 18-26), which recounts the miracles of our Lord, working the healing of the woman afflicted with a hemorrhage and the daughter of Jairus.
Msgr. Apicella spoke of the representation of the people of Israel according to the prophet Hosea as a Spouse led into the desert, in order that God speak to her heart and betroth her in righteousness and fidelity. The Bishop interpreted the passage, applying these images to the Religious Family. We are all called into the desert so as to be allured by the Spouse and to be transformed into the Bride that St. Paul also references in his Letter to the Ephesians.
The miracles mentioned in today's Gospel are linked by a common characteristic: the people in them have a particular condition that makes them impure, both by themselves and to those who touch them, according to the law of Moses. In both cases, they are touched by Jesus.
Jesus touches the girl in order to bring her back to life, and He lets himself be touched by the woman suffering from a hemorrhage, in order to heal her. By these two physical contacts, Jesus takes upon himself the burden of human iniquity. In this way, he fulfills the prophecy of the Suffering Servant of Isaiah who "bears our sins" and, by doing so, turns into the Spouse who shares everything in common with the Bride, who join together in one Spirit.
Lastly, he highlighted a further detail in the Gospel: once the girl was brought back to life, Jesus orders that they give her something to eat, in the same way that the Spouse and the Bride must find their closest union in the nuptial banquet that is the Eucharist, applying this to today's liturgy, the moment in which the General Chapter is called to choose the person who will guide the Institute.
He finished by expressing the desire that, "along with the 'Daughters of Christ the King', who host us, we be one Spirit in the Risen Lord, who transforms us into the Bride sent to testify to all men the vocation to life, liberty, and love."
After the Holy Mass, we went to the Chapter room to proceed with the election. Before the voting began, Msgr. Apicella guided the Chapter Mothers in an opening prayer in which he invoked the aid of the Holy Spirit.
M. María Corredentora Rodríguez was elected for the position of Superior General, in an atmosphere of vibrant joy.
Immediately after the election, M. María Corredentora came to the front of the room to express her acceptance of the position publicly, at which time she asked for everyone's support in prayers.
After the greetings and group photos of the Chapter Mothers and Msgr. Apicella, we had a lunch celebrating this most important moment of the General Chapter.
Msgr. Apicella and the Mothers of the General Council of the Institute, "The Daughters of Christ the King" participated in the celebrations at lunch. The Daughters of Christ the King, who are generously lending us the building and grounds of their convent, also accompanied us both during the Holy Mass and in prayer during today's election.
The Mothers of the Institute, The Daughters of Christ the King, also presented flowers to Mothers María de Anima Christi y María Corredentora.
Before the thanksgiving, M. María de Anima Christi offered some gifts to Msgr. Apicella, which included a beautiful icon of Jesus Christ, the Good Pastor.
In the afternoon, we resumed the usual work schedule. Today was dedicated to addressing several topics relating to the government of the Institute.
In the first session, M. Mary of the Sacred Heart Gaes, Superior of the Province, “The Immaculade Concepción” (USA, Canada, Mexico, Surinam y Guyana), expounded on the relationship between the General Government and the Provincial Government.
Next, M. María de las Victorias Zapata, Superior of the Province “Madre de Dios, Empress of China” (countries of the Far East), expounded on the relationship between the Provincial Government and the Local Government. M. María de Itatí Lorente addressed the topic of the Spiritual Life.
When the afternoon sessions had come to a close, we had Eucharistic Adoration and Vespers. M. María Hoshivska Makota, originally from Ukraine and belonging to the Province "Our Lady of Zarvanytsia" gave the Good Nights. She has been specially invited to participate in the General Chapter as a representative of the Byzantine Rite.
M. María Hoshivska spoke about the apostolate of her community in the city of Stryy, in the Parish, "All the Saints of the Ukrainian people".
At dinner, the Mothers of the Province of the "Immaculate Conception" (USA, Canada, Mexico, Surinam y Guyana) delighted us with the traditional food of those countries, accompanied by the projection of photos and videos of the mission.
Finally, we invite all to continue to pray in union with us for the fruits of this General Chapter, especially tomorrow, on the 5th of July, for the election of the General Council members.
María de Bethlehem Pinciroli
Official Spokesperson