During the dates of September 15 to 21 in an Eparchial Center located in Lovran, Croatia the Sisters of the Order of Saint Basil the Great held their Enlarged Council. In accordance with the Constitutions of the Sisters of OSBM, the Enlarged Council is called by the General Superior and her Council half-way through thier term. Participants are the Provincials and Superiors of the Provinces, Vice-Provinces and Delegatures, along with the members of the General Administration.
Members of the General Administation are M. Dia Stasiuk, General Superior, and Councillors: Sr. Lydia Anna Sawka, Sr. Mariela Rotzen, Sr. Nazariya Mykhaylyuk, and Sr. Emanuela Vavreková. Superiors participating in the meetings were the following Sisters: Sr. Norma Roznicki – Provincial of Christ the King Province in Argentina, Sr. Anisia Szewczuk – Superior of the Holy Family Delegature in Australia, Sr. Maria Demertrio – Superior of the Saint Macrina Delegature in Brazil, Sr. Fevronija Rapljenović – Provincial of St. Basil and St. Macrina Vice-Province in Križevci, Croatia, Sr. Anastazija Pitka – Provincial of St. Michael the Archangel Province in Osijek, Croatia, M. Magdalena Szewczyk – Provincial of the Holy Cross Province in Poland, M. Valentina Hădărău – Provincial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Province in Romania, M. Daniela Štefková – Provincial of the Mother of God Province in Prešov, Slovakia, Sr. Helena Šimková – Provincial of Saints Cyril and Methodius Vice-Province in Sečovce, Slovakia, M. Danyila Vynnyk – Provincial of the Most Holy Trinity Province in Ukraine, Sr. Dorothy Ann Busowski – Provincial of the Jesus Lover of Humanity Province in Fox Chase Manor, Pennsylvania, USA, and Sr. Ruth Plante of the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Province in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, USA. The Enlarged Council meetings were held in two languages – English and Ukrainian. The General Vicar, Sr. Lydia Anna Sawka served as translator for both languages. Divine Liturgy and othe Liturgical Services were celebrated by Rev. Yosyf Kralka, OSBM.
The Enlarged Council was opened by M. Dia Stasiuk, General Superior, who welcomed all the Sisters present and explained the function and tasks of the Enlarged Council. Mother Dia then gave a short reflection on our Vision Statement, the Jubilee Year of Mercy, and about Christ, the Good Shepherd, who hurries to find the lost sheep and cares for the spiritual shepherds of the people, as is written in Ezekiel 34: 1-6.
OUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE
The Vision Statement proposed and accepted at the last General Chapter was sent to all Superiors of Provinces, Vice Provinces, Delegatures, Missions, and Contemplative Monastery at the beginning of December 2013. The statement in the book of Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no vision the people perish” is a call to all of us especially those whose ministry is service.
Mother Dia encouraged all present to follow God’s call in their vocation and asked that Our Lord bless all the Sisters in our Order, and all those who will enter in the future.
Reflecting on our vision for the future, m. Dia underscored that in the Book of Proverbs we read that a nation without a vision dies. Being an international Order, whose members come from various Catholic Churches “sui juris”, we are called to live in communion with one another. This means allowing God and others to enter our lives, sharing our feelings and knowledge, sharing the joys we experience from “God engaging with us”, knowing how to share our gifts with others and receive the gifts others share with us. In community, as St. Basil the Great explains, the gifts of one become the shared inheritance of the entire community.
Following Divine Liturgy, each day’s program began with a short prayer and reflections based on the Jubilee Year of Mercy, which were prepared by the members of the General Administration. On September 16, Sr. Lydia Anna Sawka shared her reflections about the Holy Cross – a source of God’s mercy.
An important task of the Enlarged Council was to hear the report of The Basilian Governance Commission and discuss the work that the Sisters have done. This Commission was formed by the General Administration as mandated by the X General Chapter in 2013. Sr. Dorothy Ann Busowski, OSBM, co-chairperson of the Commission, presented a PowerPoint giving the results of a survey the Sisters had participated in and suggested various forms of governance. Sr. Vasylia Strutynska, OSBM – a member of the Commission – translated Sr. Dorothy Ann’ s presentation from English to Ukrainian. Also present was Sr. Josifa Śimová, OSBM, a member of the Commission. All the Sisters present had an opportunity to discuss the suggestions and give their ideas.
The following day started with a meditation presented by Sr. Mariela Rotzen, OSBM.
At the invitation of the Sisters, Most Reverend Ivan Devčić, Archbishop of Rijeke (RC) came to Lovran to visit and greet the members of the Enlarged Council. He shared the history of his Archdiocese, wished the Sisters a fruitful meeting and imparted his Apostolic Blessing.
On September 19 Reverend Professor Bartoslav Chalembek, SJ, was invited and came to share his thoughts and knowledge regarding community life, specifically difficulties, psychological and social influences. Later that day and continuing during the next two days, at the request of our General Superior, each Superior reported on the major accomplishments and challenges of her Province, Vice-Province and Delegature.
On September 20 the day started with prayer centering on the teachings of St. Basil about God’s Mercy, which was prepared by Sister Nazariya Mykhaylyuk, OSBM.
Prayerful reflection of Sr. Emanuéla Vavreková, OSBM
There was opportunity for small group discussions and sharing thoughts on the work done by The Basilian Governance Commission. Afterwards, reports from the small groups were summarized and shared with all.
The times of shared prayer and work passed quickly. On September 21 first following Divine Liturgy and breakfast, the Sisters bid farewell to one another, wished each other well and passed on greetings and well-wishes to Sisters back home. Special thanks were extended to Sr. Anastazija Pitka, OSBM – Provincial Superior of the St. Michael the Archangel Province in Osijek, Croatia and Sr. Fevronija Rapljenović, OSBM – Provincial Superior of St. Basil and St. Macrina Vice-Province in Križevci, Croatia for their efforts and hard work in organizing, preparing and over-seeing all the needs for the meeting of the Enlarged Council. The Sisters departed their monastic home, reflecting on thoughts about the Mercy of the Lord’s Love, inspired during their shared time at the Enlarged Council.
