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General Chapter September 28, 2023 

Today is the day of the election of the Superior General, which began with a common Eucharist celebrated in Italian by HE Fr. Cardinal Konrad Krajewski. In the homily, Fr. The Cardinal called us to reflect on the state of our faith and love for God, asking the questions: Am I a person who lives by the logic of the Gospel? Is God the only security for my life? The choice we are about to make should be the choice of a person madly in love with God and His Will.

At. 9.15 all Chapter members entitled to vote gathered in the meeting room and after singing the Hymn to the Holy Spirit together, after the introduction by the chairman of today’s proceedings, Fr. Cardinal Konrad, it was time to vote.

XXVI General Chapter for Superior General of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Elizabeth chose Sister M. Rafaela Fischbach. After completing the necessary canonical procedures, the Holy See approved the first term of office of Mother General M.Rafaelia Fischbach.

After announcing this decision, Mother General expressed her gratitude to all the Sisters of the Congregation and continued to ask for the gift of prayer and sisterly support. On behalf of the Chapter, the newly elected Superior General was welcomed by Provincial Sister M. Franciszka Polaczek, after which all the other Chapter members congratulated the Mother. After making the best wishes, all Chapter Participants went to the chapel to express our thanks to God by singing Te Deum laudamus together. Recreation during lunch was an expression of sisterly joy for the gift of choice.

This afternoon the Chapter Sisters had at their disposal, which they happily took advantage of, visiting the holy places of the Eternal City.

General Chapter September 27, 2023 

In memory of Saint Vincent de Paul, we are allowed to solemnly celebrate the 181st anniversary of the founding of our Congregation. According to the Chapter’s program, it is also a day of reflection, preparing us for tomorrow’s election of the Superior General of our Congregation.

We started it with the Morning Prayer, followed by Holy Mass. was held by Father Edward Czaja SJ. In the homily, the Father introduced us to the message of today’s Gospel (Luke 9:1-6). He defined them in four words: trust, effectiveness, caution, purpose. The essence of our vocation is to be with Jesus, to be with Him in unity with everything that constitutes us. It is God’s trust in us and us in God that gives rise to the fruitfulness of our lives and the effectiveness of our mission. We must constantly be vigilant so that our lives are not built on ourselves, but on the power of God. Then we will fulfill the Will of the Lord in our lives, which is the salvation of every person. Let us, together with Jesus, be those who will bring the world to the Father.

The morning meeting was introduced by a meditation prepared by our Sisters serving in Sarospatak in Hungary, presented by Sister Superior M. Kanizja Zaborowska. After the meditation, Father Edward Czaja very insightfully and accessiblely presented to us the conditions for proper discernment of God’s Will in our lives. The above conference was a great help for us in terms of proper reading of God’s Will, especially during the General Chapter.

In the afternoon, the Chapter Sisters spent a lot of time in personal prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, which ended with Vespers.

General Chapter September 26, 2023

We are allowed to experience the next day of the General Chapter in memory of our patrons, St. Cosmas and Damian.

During the morning Holy Mass celebrated by Father Andrzej Wodka CSSR, we were invited to follow the example of Saint. Patrons, continue to serve people suffering and in need of help in the spirit of merciful love. By living the spirit of our charism, we can share the gift of Elizabethan DNA with modern people. This can only happen when we surrender ourselves and everything that constitutes us into the hands of Good God.

We were introduced to the Second Plenum of the Chapter by a meditation prepared by the Sisters Delegates from the Province of Nysa . During today’s Plenum, the Reverend Mother General M. Samuela Werbińska presented an extensive report on the state and life of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Elizabeth for the period from October 6, 2016 to September 25, 2023.

After reading the report, the representatives of the Participants of the General Chapter expressed their great gratitude to the Beloved and Reverend Mother General M. Samuela Werbińska and the Beloved Sisters General Councillors, the General Secretary and the General Treasurer for their service during the ending term.

In the Vespers prayer and during the evening adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, we gave praise and thanksgiving to the Good God for the past day and entrusted the next days of the Chapter to His special care.

General Chapter September 25, 2023 

On September 25, 2023, the XXVI General Chapter of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. began. Elizabeth, which takes place in the Provincial House in via dell’Olmata in Rome. 47 Sisters, representing 19 countries of our ministry, take part in the Chapter.

The most important point of today was the Eucharist, presided over by HE Cardinal Stanisław Ryłko and Father Roman Banasik, a Franciscan monk. By calling on the Holy Spirit with the words of the sequence: “O Creator Spirit, come,” we asked for His light for the Chapter Participants. During the liturgy, the Cardinal emphasized that the General Chapter is a time of special grace and reflection on what is most important in our consecrated life and how to continue to develop the gift of the received charism of the Congregation.

After the solemn Eucharist, Superior General M. Samuela Werbińska welcomed all participants to the 1st Plenum of the Chapter. A great gift for those participating in the Chapter is a special word addressed by the Holy Father Francis

The deliberations of the current Chapter will revolve around the topic:  “God’s love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Rom. 5:5). In the power of the Holy Spirit, let us remain faithful in the charisma and spirituality of our Congregation.

The sisters would like to share their reflection on how to grow in the grace of vocation in the power of the Holy Spirit and how to develop the Elizabethan charism in today’s world, being open to the signs of the times.

In accordance with the Constitutions of the Congregation, on the first day of the meeting, the Regulations of the 26th General Chapter were read and voted on, and the report of the General Treasurer of the SM Anna Hałabis on the management of the Congregation’s assets was heard.

The day ended with common vespers and adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.

Thanking the Beloved Sisters for the gift of prayer, we continue to ask you to remain faithful before the Lord for the General Chapter.