Introduction – Methodology – Charism: Evangelical Counsels
Tuesday September 9, 2025 marked the start of the Plenary Council’s actual work. The adopted timetable puts prayer at the heart of this assembly with three moments of communal prayer each day.
After Morning Prayer, participants gathered in the meeting room. All of the expected participants had arrived in Nairobi. The Superior General, Fr. Stanley Lubungo, welcomed them and reminded them of a few practical matters, including the use of Google Drive to reduce paper usage. Then, the timetable and the three groups for the team sessions were presented. The calendar for the three weeks was then presented, along with the three groups for the sessions in teams.
The Superior General then gave a well-elaborated introduction to the Plenary Council, reminding the participants that it is not a General Chapter. “The General Chapter is the highest authority in the Society for all its spiritual and material interests. …” (C&L 157). He reviewed the three aims of the Plenary Council, as outlined in our constitutions and laws (C&L 240.3). He appreciated the various reports from Provinces and Sections, noting that the overall evaluation of the past three years was positive. However, he lamented that some Provinces and Sections did not consider the decisions made at their Post-Capitular Assemblies when presenting their reports.
Fr. Stanley Lubungo then recalled the theme that guided the 2022 General Chapter: “Mission as Prophetic Witness.” Furthermore, he provided specific examples when evaluating the tasks assigned to the General Council. He concluded his introduction by inviting the moderator of the Plenary Council, Fr. Charles Obanya, to present the methodology.
Building on the Superior General’s introduction, the moderator reminded the participants that they are leaders. He encouraged them to embrace three approaches to leadership: ethical, adaptive, and servant leadership. He then presented the methodology, saying: “To achieve the main objective, which is to evaluate how the 2022 Chapter has been received and to what extent its recommendations have been implemented, the Plenary Council will utilize the SEE, JUDGE, and ACT method as an evaluation strategy. This method is chosen firstly because it was used at the Chapter of 2022, and therefore it gives us the advantage of consistency and easy use by those members who were present at the Chapter. Secondly, the method is simpler in comparison to other Methods. It is also an effective tool for transformation”.
The Superior General then opened the Capitular Acts, beginning with the first point on Charism. The Capitular Acts clearly states that the “Charism identifies us and orientates our mission”. He argued that the characteristics that define our charism can be summed up as a passion for God and passion for humanity. Father Stanley then discussed the Evangelical Counsels, demonstrating their intrinsic relationship to our charism. He highlighted the importance of spiritual companionship, emphasizing the fraternal character of our communities. For our Superior General “the Evangelical Counsels constitute the very engine for consecrated life”.
The morning sessions concluded with a Eucharistic celebration presided over by Fr. Dennis Pam, the Ghana-Nigeria Provincial Superior. In the afternoon, the participants first met in groups before reconvening in the general assembly. They concluded the meeting by sharing reports from each group and discussing what can be done in future based on the See-Judge-Act method.
Click here to read excerpts from the introduction by the Superior General
By: Serge Zihalirwa Boroto, M.Afr.,
