The Divine Liturgy on the occasion of the beginning of the Chapter was served by the Head of the UGCC His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
“New wine in new bottles” – this is the theme of the XI General Chapter of the sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great, referring to the Vatican document of the consecrated life “New wine in new bottles. God-consecrated life and its constant challenges after the Second Vatican Council.”
The Chapter is the highest governing body of the Order. From July 8 to 19, 2019, delegates from 12 provinces, vice-provinces, and delegatures gathered at the Ukrainian Pontifical College of St. Josaphat to analyze and sum up the results of their ministry, elect a new General Administration for the next six years, and outline the challenges for the future.
“The Church accompanies you with your prayers,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Head of the UGCC, who, on the morning of July 8, 2019, headed the Divine Liturgy on the occasion of the Chapter, on the tomb of St. Josaphat at the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican. Commenting on the gospel story of how the Pharisees asked Jesus whether he could heal on Saturday, he emphasized that there is no such time in which God does not work, does not save.
“Every time is the time when God acts,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav, pointing out that in the life of the sisters of the Basilian Order there comes a special time – the time of the Chapter. According to him, it should be remembered that “the time of the Chapter is the time to be the voice of our communities, and the time of the special healing of God when the Holy Spirit acts.”
Sisters of the Order of St. Basil the Great are an international congregation that unites the female monastic community of various Eastern Catholic Churches of the Byzantine tradition, based on the Rule of St. Basil the Great. Combined with their central Rome office, the Order is made up of eight provinces (Argentina, Croatia, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine and two in the USA), two vice-provinces (Croatia and Slovakia), two delegatures (Australia, Brazil), mission in Hungary and the Sacred Heart Contemplative Monastery in Middleton, USA.
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