What is a Chapter? - Part II

The Sisters of Christian Charity of the North American Eastern Province will hold our provincial chapter from February 14-18, 2019.  In a previous post, we asked you to join us in praying the prayer for our Provincial Chapter,  In yesterday's post, we shared with you the historical meaning of chapters as a function unique to the governance of  religious orders.  Today we would like to begin to share with you the history of chapters in the Congregation of the Sisters of Christian Charity.

The summary at the beginning of the first Constitutions of the Sisters of Christian Charity (in 1859) states, "A general chapter convenes for the election of the superior general and her assistants, and on certain other occasions."

Part 3 of the same Constitutions indicates that a general chapter should not be convoked frequently so as not to be a distraction to the Sisters.  Rather, communication of the superior general with the Sisters through letters, through her assistants and through other Sisters is seen as an effective method of governance.  (Mother Pauline von Mallinckrodt, the founder and first superior general of the Sisters of Christian Charity, wrote close to 3,500 letters that exist to this day.)

According to these Constitutions, then, the reasons for a general chapter would be to elect a new superior general and to "discuss lasting problems of great importance or matters that affect the whole Congregation and the way of dealing with them" (Part 3, Chapter 3, Article 2). 

Although the Congregation consisted of one "territorial unit" at the time (that is, Germany), the Constitutions pointed toward a future time when the Congregation might be divided into a number of provinces: "Therefore, whenever a general chapter is to be convoked, it shall be preceded by a provincial chapter in each province" (Part 3, Chapter 4, Article 3).

________________

Do you have questions you would like us to address in these posts?  Reply to/comment on this post and let us know.