General Chapter of the Brothers of Saint John

“The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us”. 1 Jn 1:2

First session from 28 April to 10 May 2025

The Congregation of the Brothers of Saint John is preparing to celebrate its General Chapter; its first session will take place from 28 April to 10 May 2025 in Troussures (60). A second session will take place from 13 to 24 October 2025. 44 brother capitulants will take part.

A General Chapter on the theme of life

As part of the dynamic of the Jubilee that the Catholic Church is experiencing, this General Chapter is a time of grace and discernment for the Brothers of Saint John, who are also celebrating fifty years since their foundation.
In a letter addressed to the brothers of the Congregation last March, Brother François-Xavier Cazali, the current Prior General, underlined the choice of the theme of life for this Chapter. He invited the whole community to give thanks for what the Lord has given during fifty years of life, and to a time of renewal, listening to the calls of his Spirit.

Work topics

The first session of the General Chapter will be mainly devoted to electing the government of the Congregation, as the Prior General and his Councillors, as well as the General Responsible for Formation, have reached the end of their mandates.

In addition to this, the capitulants will address a number of subjects that are essential for the future of the Congregation, in particular :
– An assessment of the new organisation into Provinces three years after its introduction;
– The submission of the report of the Listening Mission, requested by the previous General Chapter in 2022. This mission, carried out by psychologists and listening professionals, took place from September 2024 to April 2025 with more than 200 volunteer brothers from the five Provinces. Its aim is to encourage the development of a culture of care and listening within the community. The report will present the key information collected for the development of the community, while respecting the anonymity of the brothers listened to;
– The activity report of the SOS Abus cell, two years after the publication of the To understand and to Heal Report;
– Continuation of the liturgical reform.

The work of the General Chapter will begin with two days of retreat guided by the Esdac (Spiritual Exercises for Apostolic Discernment in Common), placing it in a spirit of prayer, fraternal dialogue and openness to the Holy Spirit.

This Chapter represents a fundamental moment for the Brothers of Saint John, who are called to discern together the paths of the future in fidelity to their charism and to the Gospel.

Brothers of Saint John in numbers

– Number of brothers in the community: 414
– Number of priories: 48 priories in 21 countries
– Number of brothers in formation: 70
– Number of Provinces: 5 (Africa, America, Asia-Oceania, France, Europe)

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