All our superiors just met in Goa, India. The occasion was the Extra-Ordinary Definitory, a plenary Council of Superior General, Definitors, Provincials, Commisars, Vicars, General Delegates and Provincial Delegates.
This was celebrated as a preparation for the General
Chapter to be held in 2021.
There are two definitories held in a sexennium, but this being, an extra-ordinary General Definitory, was organized in Goa on the occasion of the celebration of 400 years of Carmelite presence in India,
The agenda was mainly focused on the Discalced Carmelites Constitutions. Delegates from 65 countries participated. Eight geographic-linguistic groups (Italian, Spanish A, Spanish B, French, English, Indian, Asiatic, and Central European) were put in motion to discuss the special agenda of this meeting.
The Fathers were called upon to fulfill the mandate of the 2015 General Chapter by expressing their opinion on the various possible option regardng our laws. They had different options in front of them – either re-writing the whole Constitutions, or making partial revision of the constitutional text or simply writing a Declaration concerning our charism.
After having reflected extensively on the results of the first stage of work of rereading the Constitution (in which during these three years all the circumscriptions and the communities of the Order have been involved), as well as on the meaning and the implications of each of the proposed options, the Extraordinary Definitory voted by a large majority to not proceed to a modification of the existing text of the Constitutions, but to undertake the drafting of a Declaration on the Charism of the Carmelite-Teresian life.
At the present time, this work has emerged as extremely necessary to regain awareness of the inalienable elements of the charism we have received for the good of the whole Church, and to express them adequately in our time. At the present time, this work has emerged as extremely necessary to regain awareness of the inalienable elements of the charism we have received for the good of the whole Church, and to express them adequately in our time
Our Provincial, Father Juan, represented Malta and Gozo.
