The General Chapter of the Brothers of Saint John has just concluded. During the first session in the spring, the brothers of the Chapter elected the Prior General (re-election of Brother François-Xavier Cazali), his counselors, and the General Responsible for Formation. Then, they began their work, which continued and was completed during the second session held from October 13 to 24. Throughout these two sessions, accompanied by ESDAC (Spiritual Exercises for Apostolic Discernment in Common), the brothers repeatedly experienced spiritual conversation to advance their exchanges.
Rooted in the dynamic of the Jubilee celebrated by the Catholic Church, this General Chapter was a time of grace and discernment for the Brothers of Saint John, who are also celebrating their fiftieth anniversary of foundation. In a letter addressed to the brothers of the Congregation last March, Brother François-Xavier Cazali, re-elected Prior General, emphasized the choice of the theme of life for this Chapter. He invited the entire community to give thanks for what the Lord has granted during fifty years of life and to enter a time of renewal, listening to the calls of His Spirit.
Several major projects had been identified before the Chapter, then confirmed during the first session and worked on during the second session.
On the subject of prevention and reparation of abuse, the capitulars requested that each province appoint a brother responsible for safeguarding and establish or join a reception, listening, and support unit for victims of sexual abuse involving brothers of the community. Furthermore, all provinces must adopt by October 1, 2026, a pastoral and community code of conduct in accordance with the guidelines of the universal Church and those of the local Churches where the priories are located. At the level of the General Government, the brothers of the Chapter decided to strengthen human resources by assigning one of the Prior General’s counselors to oversee the implementation of a safeguarding culture throughout the community.
The brothers of the Chapter also worked on the themes of mission and community life. During the first session, the presentation of the “Listening Mission” report, decided in 2022, highlighted challenges in defining our community life. Proposals were adopted to foster care and mutual trust.
Regarding missions, the capitulars acknowledged what is common within the diversity of priories and voted on texts to better value the talents of each brother and the role of non-clerical brothers in the community. The discussions reinforced the conviction of the close link between our conventual religious life and mission. This Chapter was an opportunity to recall that, as apostolic religious, work—pastoral or otherwise—is a necessity.
The establishment of provinces and the decrease in vocations in certain provinces also led the capitulars to reflect on decisions to be made regarding the initial formation of brothers. In connection with the Ratio formationis promulgated in 2022 and the ongoing Ratio studiorum, the question of balance between internal and external formation was debated.
Through the decisions taken together, the capitulars confirmed and continued the reforms undertaken since 2013. This work will culminate in the rewriting of the Constitutions, which will be one of the major projects for the next six years.