CIRCULAR LETTER OF THE SUPERIOR GENERAL
TO THE MAJOR SUPERIORS AND ALL OF THE MEMBERS OF THE CONGREGATION
CONVOKING THE GENERAL CHAPTER 2023

Prot. n. 40/2022

“Consider brothers your calling” (1 Cor 1:26).

Bearing in mind Directory No. 220, according to which the General Chapter should be
convoked by a circular letter six months before its commencement, after consulting the
Superiors of the Provinces and Vicariates, in the context of a very difficult world situation,
after receiving the consent of the General Council at the session held on March 16th this
year, I hereby convoke a General Chapter in Rome: beginning with a retreat on
February 6, 2023 in the morning (D 220). The closing of the Chapter is scheduled
for February 18, 2023. The Chapter members are to arrive in Rome early enough, i.e. on
February 4-5, 2023 (Saturday-Sunday), so as to participate from the beginning of the day
of recollection on Monday.

The following participate in the General Chapter ex officio according to C 260: the current
Superior General, the General Councillors, the Secretary General, the General Econome,
the Provincial Superiors and the former Superiors General; and by election: delegates of
the Provinces, General Vicariates and Houses directly dependent on the Superior General,
lawfully elected.

Each Province should hold the first session of the Provincial Chapter well in advance of
the General Chapter, with prior notification to the Superior General (C 271 and C 272).
The second session of the same Provincial Chapter, however, is to be held no later than
three months after the conclusion of the General Chapter (C 272). Provincial Chapters are
to be conducted in accordance with the directives prescribed in our law, C 271-274 and D
243-245. During the first session of the Provincial Chapters and during the Chapters of
the General Vicariates, delegates and their substitutes are to be elected to the General
Chapter (C 272, D 223-224).

Chapters will be held in the General Vicariates to elect one delegate to the General
Chapter and one substitute delegate (D 224), with the participation of all of the perpetually
professed who, according to our law, have active and passive voting rights (C 252). The
time and place of the General Vicariate Chapter is chosen by its Superior after obtaining
the consent of his Council and the notification of the Superior General. Instructions on

how to conduct the Chapters in the General Vicariates will be sent to the Superiors of the
Vicariates in due time, to which the voting cards for the Chapter delegates will be attached.
Copies of the protocols and acts of the Chapters of the Provinces and General Vicariates
should be sent as soon as possible to the Superior General and his Council for review and
approval (D 245).

The Chapters of the Provinces and General Vicariates should both discuss and prepare
proposals for the General Chapter (D 244.7). I also remind you that every House and
every confrere can send their proposals to the General Chapter, either personally or
through the delegates (C 264). Each proposal is to be properly justified and specified –
whether it is an amendment to the Constitution or the Directory, a decree,
recommendation, declaration, explanation or appeal.

No later than 3 months before the General Chapter, in fulfilment of point 219 of the
Directory, the General Government will send to the Provinces and General Vicariates the
planned program of the General Chapter.

I remind the Superiors of the Provinces and General Vicariates to prepare a report for the
General Chapter on the personnel and disciplinary status of the members of the
Province/General Vicariate, on the material and financial situation and the scope of the
apostolic works (C 262). In order for the Chapter to be able to better discern the situation
of the Congregation, please pay attention to the positive aspects of the management of the
communities entrusted to them and the challenges they face, and to the possible
development prospects for the Congregation as well as its works. I propose that each
Provincial Superior should present his report within 45 minutes and the General Vicariate
Superior within 20 minutes. Please send the texts of the report of the Provinces and
General Vicariates to the General Curia Secretariat in three languages, i.e. Polish, English
and Portuguese, by November 30, 2022, by regular mail and e-mail
(segretariogenerale@marians.it).

The General Chapter is a momentous moment in the life of the Congregation. Its aim is to
preserve the patrimony of our religious community, to contribute to its constant
development and renewal in accordance with its own charism and mission adapted to the
needs of the time, to deal with matters of greater importance, to issue appropriate decrees
and to elect a new General Government (C 259).

We know that the fruitfulness of the General Chapter depends above all on the light of
the Holy Spirit and the openness of the minds and hearts of the Chapter members and

their submission to His inspirations. Therefore, I invite all my confreres to pray fervently
and incessantly. In a special way, I ask and oblige all my confreres and every
community to pray daily, beginning from September 8, 2022, the Prayer for the
Jubilee of our Congregation (attached bellowed) and from January 27, 2023, (Feast
of Blessed George), please pray the Sequence to the Holy Spirit (Come, Holy
Spirit), as part of/or instead of the Marian prayers. I also encourage everyone to
support the work of the Chapter by offering Holy Masses, prayers, suffering and good
deeds for this intention.

Invoking the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary Immaculately Conceived, and our
Founder, St. Stanislaus, our Renovator, Bl. George, Bl. Martyrs George and Antony and all
the patrons of the Congregation, let us ask our Merciful God for abundant fruits for the
Chapter.

In Rome, April 15, 2022.

Fr. Andrzej Pakuła, MIC
Superior General

Fr. Zbigniew Piłat, MIC
Secretary General

JUBILEE PRAYER
Almighty God and Father,
In Your Providence,
You have been shaping the Congregation of Marian Fathers from the beginning
– Your possession,
raised into existence by the Holy Spirit
in cooperation with our father, St. Stanislaus
to proclaim to all peoples and nations the deed of the redemption
carried out by Your Son,
born of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Grant, we pray, that the 350th Anniversary of the origin of our community
will renew and strengthen the charism in us,
poured into our hearts by Your Spirit.
May our life, immersed in You,
become a witness before others to Your salvific love.
Obedient to You as the Immaculate Mother of Your Son was,
transformed in the Holy Spirit,
we, individually and as a community,
want to respond to your salvific plan:
“That we should be holy and immaculate before Your sight” (cf. Eph 1: 4).
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

English PDF
Polish PDF
Portuguese PDF