The Province of Rio de Janeiro is represented in the assembly by the Visitor, Sister Selma Aparecida dos Santos, and by the delegate of the Province, Sister Aparecida Cirico.
A very simple and friendly person, Sister Françoise Petit is close to the sisters and easily accessible. She worked in small communities in neighborhoods on the outskirts of Paris and is no stranger to the lives of the poor. Sister Françoise Petit deeply identifies with and loves the Vincentian charism and, on November 8th , was elected the thirty-ninth Superior General of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. She had been in the position since 2019, when she took over after the death of the then Superior General, Sister Kathleen Appler. At the new General Assembly, she was elected for a term of 6 years, remaining in the position until 2027.
“Since she took over, after the death of Sister Kathleen, she’s been sending us newsletters that put us in touch with the needs of today’s world and with the pleas of the poor. In her letters, she always shares what the Sisters have been doing in favor of the poor all over the world, especially to alleviate their suffering in these times of pandemic. Sister Françoise Petit always encourages us to live in communion with the Lord so that it nourishes us and invigorates us for the service of the poor”, says Sister Carolina Mureb, who worked with her as a translator and interpreter at the Mother House events in France, from 2009 to 2015.
Held every six years, at the Mother House, in Paris, where the chapel of the apparitions of Our Lady is located, the General Assembly is the most important event of the Society of the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul. It was there, in 1830, that Our Lady appeared to Saint Catherine Labouré, a young Daughter of Charity at the time. “The goal is to elect the Superior General and her Council and, above all, to evaluate the journey of the Society in the previous six years and present new perspectives and guidelines on the priorities we want to approach in all dimensions of our life and within our vocation and charism for the next six years”, explains Sister Carolina.
It is a global meeting, where Superior General Father Tomaž Mavrič, successor of Saint Vincent de Paul, and Superior General Sister Françoise Petit, successor of Saint Louise de Marillac, the entire General Council and Visitors from all Provinces of the Society around the world meet, together with one or two delegates from each province. This year there were a total of 116 participants. The Province of Rio de Janeiro is represented in the assembly by the Visitor, Sister Selma Aparecida dos Santos, and by the delegate of the Province, Sister Aparecida Cirico.
The election of the General Councillors – the Sisters chosen to represent a particular language group – will take place next week. The current representative of the Portuguese-speaking provinces is Sister Corina, from the province of Fortaleza.
The General Meeting began on October 29 and will go on until November 21.