The month of June marked the beginning of the joint journey towards the General Chapter 2025, when, in assembly, the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary will elect the Leadership Team for the next six years and determine the priorities of the Institute.
On June 8, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Mary, Sister Margaret Fielding, the current Institute Leader, officially convoked the next General Chapter, which will be held in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, from July 9 to 31, 2025.
During the online meeting, which brought together the RSHM from 14 countries, the theme of the Chapter was presented:” Women of Prophetic Hope, Walking Together, Risking the New, that All May Have Life”.
During the meeting Sr. Margaret read an excerpt from the letter sent by the Institute Leadership Council for the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Mary “Mary, who placed her hope in God, embodies the theme of our Chapter. She is the ‘woman of prophetic hope’ who in faith walked the journey of life with her people, often risking ‘the new and the unknown’” (2019 Gen. Ch. Doc. p. 3)
Following the convocation, the 2025 General Chapter Logo was presented. It was designed by Sister Margaret McKenna who explained: “I chose three symbols: a circle, representing our Earth, silhouettes of women/RSHM walking together, and finally, a multicolored wave symbolizing the divine spirit that encounters our reality.”
The Chapter Planning Committee composed of Sisters Margaret Fielding (RSHM Institute Leader), Paré Moreira (Institute Leadership Council – CLI), Ana Luísa Pinto (CLI), Sipiwe Phiri (CLI), Monica Walsh (Institute Secretary), Madalena Manhiça (Mozambique Area), and Mary Genino (Western America Area), met with the Area contacts for the Chapter on June 10.
During the meeting, the work already done was shared and responsibilities were divided. Sisters Beatrice Magaya (Zambezi Area), Joanita Vasco (Mozambique Area), Joanne Safian (Eastern America Area), Lucilene Oliveira (Brazil Area), Maria Julieta Mendes Dias (Portugal Area), Mary Genino (Western America Area), and Mary Jo Martin (Northern Europe Area) are the contact persons for their respective Areas.
The Institute website also includes a section dedicated to the 2025 General Chapter, where everyone can see the prayer, the logo, and find out more about the preparations.
“On this feast of the Sacred Heart of Mary, and throughout the coming year as we prepare for our General Chapter, may we listen and ponder together the ways in which God is present and active in our world today, remembering that ‘with God all things are possible’” (Matthew 19:26), states the letter from the Institute Leadership Council.