On Sunday evening, June 6, 2021, the Extraordinary Provincial Chapter of the Province of St. Anthony and Bl. James of Strepar in Poland (Cracow) began. The Chapter took place at the St. Maximilian Kolbe Center in Harmęże, near Oświęcim [Auschwitz].
The main objective of the Chapter is to approve the new Provincial Statutes, in keeping with the Order’s recently amended Constitutions and General Statutes, which are currently in force.
The Minister Provincial, Friar Marian GOŁĄB, said that, during its previous mandate, the Provincial Definitory had already made the decision to introduce the corrections deriving from the new Constitutions into the Provincial Statutes, to systematically revise the entire text and to integrate it with elements of the history of the Province and features specific to its charism, which were important for the identity of the Province. It was also decided to review the Motions of the Provincial Chapters during last quarter century, in order to include the most significant ones in the text of the new Statutes.
The spiritual part of the Chapter was led by Father Dariusz BOREK (Carmelite), who spoke about the role of law in consecrated life. He emphasized that the Rule, the Constitutions and the Statutes are operational norms of the Gospel. The spiritual and juridical elements must have their expression in the Statutes, because it is through the Statutes that we take up the spiritual inheritance which has been transmitted and preserved. Finally, he mentioned that religious are called to follow Jesus Christ and to strive for perfect charity.
Friar Jan M. SZEWEK
