Solemnity of St John of God

Circular Letter of the Prior General

   

A man who was passionate for God and compassionate towards the sick andthe poor (Pope Francis)

To all the Brothers and Co-workers, Members of the Hospitaller Family ofSt John of God

We have just endedthe Order’s 69th General Chapter, and as the Feast of Saint John ofGod, our Founder, approaches I wish to extend my best wishes to all of you, fora joyful celebration of the Solemnity of our Patron.

All of youhave keenly followed the proceedings and all the sessions and stages of theGeneral Chapter. As always, it was a key moment of communion and fraternity inHospitality, an intense experience permanent discernment, enlightened by theHoly Spirit, and listening to His voice, to enable us to respond as faithfully aspossible to perform the mission He has entrusted to our Order.

The theme ofthe Chapter was “Shaping the Future of Hospitality”. But this was morethan a mere title. It is a commitment we have undertaken to adopt a permanentdynamic attitude to building and shaping, renewing and living faithfully sothat we can work out new ways of responding to the newly arising needs today. Thisentail creating new wineskins for the new wine of Hospitality which is not onlythe mortar of the House that we are building up and shaping, but it is whatfills it with light and meaning.

For threeweeks in Rome we worked in this direction, to achieve these objectives, laying downguidelines for our St John of God Family to pursue. Many of you have certainlyalready been informed by your Provinces, and very shortly we shall bepublishing the final document and some of the addresses and the programme forthe Sexennium on which we have just embarked.

One veryspecial and moving moment for all of us was the private audience granted to usby Pope Francis on 1 February. It was a very important morning for us, becausein addition to being offered the Pope’s hospitality in his House, and beingable to share with him, and taking some photographs together, he delivered aMessage to us, full of enlightenment and inspiration which, taken together withthe Chapter’s Final Declarations, will inspire and form part of the GeneralGovernment’s programme for the coming years.

His Messagewas brief, but so full of light and depth. Something we have to read andre-read, thoroughly meditate on, pray over, and share with our Brothers andCo-workers. I earnestly urge you to do so. He did not fail to mention St Johnof God, our Founder, when he told us, “Avoidallowing the Hospìtaller Order to become a private army. Discuss, debate, drawingon your roots, and planning the present and the future of your life and mission,at all times heeding the voices of the many sick and needy people who need you,as St John of God did – a man passionate for God, and compassionate towardsthe sick and the poor. 

A whole lifeprogramme, under the leadership of St John of God. Let us remember his ownwords: “Love Our Lord Jesus Christ aboveeverything in the world, for however much you love him he still loves you more.Always have charity, for where there is no charity God is not there - eventhough God is everywhere.” (Luis Bautista 15). I pray to God and urge allthe members of our Saint John of God Hospitaller Family to have the courage tolive their lives with a passion for God and with the heart of the GoodSamaritan which moved to compassion by the sight of every sick, poor and needyperson.

We are settingout on the new Sexennium full of hope and confidence in our Lord and in all themembers of our Family. All the members of the new General Government will bedoing our utmost to continue shaping and displaying, day by day, thehospitality of the Gospel which John of God, more than anyone else, embodied inhimself. We have so many challenges and responsibilities to be addressed, butwe are confident that we can count on the help of Our Lord, Saint John of God, andthe whole Order. Working in communion and with courage. Over the coming days,the new General Government will be travelling to Granada to commit this newSexennium to the protection of our Founder, and be nurtured and inspired by hislife and example.

As always atthis time of the year, I wish to announce the results of our 2018 fundraisingcampaign for the Akassato (Cotonou), of the Province of Saint Richard Pampuri (Benin-Togo)” project . We have raised a total of 305,451.73euros thanks to the solidarity of all of you, for which once again my mostsincere thanks.

I would alsolike to inform you that we also launched a campaign at the General Chapter tohelp our Centres in Venezuela, entitled “Comida Solidaria Compartida”  being run to cater for the needs ofmalnourished people, and particularly for infants. So far we have raised 100,000 euros. We also decided not tolaunch a new campaign for 2019, but to leave the Venezuelan campaign open throughoutthe year, and to urge you all to continue supporting this project if you havenot already had the opportunity to do so, and even if you have. Many thanksonce again for your solidarity and your generosity for those who are in want.

With my best wishesfor a very happy Feast of St John of God. May his passion and devotionto the poor and the sick encourage all the members of our Hospitaller Family togrow and continue shaping the future of Hospitality as we set out on this newSexennium.

United in OurLord and Saint John of God, I send you my fraternal best wishes.

 

Brother Jesús Etayo

Superior General

 

 

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