2004 General Chapter

                                  Option for the Poor

In Vita Consecrata, Pope John Paul II called religious to the conversion required to live the option for the poor in fidelity to the Gospel: "All of Christ's disciples are held to this option, but those who wish to follow the Lord more closely, imitating His attitudes, can not but feel involved in a special way."  (VC82)In Christ we see that the option for the poor is a privileged and essential way of proclaiming the Good News of God's reign, and it is a test of our fidelity to his mission.

A privileged expression of this option will always be direct commitment and ministry to the poor.  Other expressions include advocacy with the poor, sharing Catholic social teaching and educating others about the needs of the poor.  Each ministry in Holy Cross must be touched by th plight of the poor allowing it to inform and shape our every effort in faith.

A concern about the welfare of our home, the earth, has been growing. These concerns for the integrity of creation have become part of our justice mentality.  The Chapter urges every province, district and individual religious to become more aware of these issues and to continue exploring creative ways by which we might announce good news to the poor and freedom to those held captive.

In this Chapter we have reflected on our practice in living out the option for the poor and in educating and witnessing for justice these last six years.  We celebrate blessings:

• the witness and work, some of it extraordinary, for structural change and in direct service to the poor by many of our members and lay collaborators;

• and the congregational animation that has increased our social justice consciousness.

At the same time the Chapter exhorts all of us into a deeper awareness of justice, peace and environmental issues and a more effective standing with the poor by:

• encouraging a still more dynamic animation of our Holy Cross religious and lay collaborators;

•  increasing the awareness in our local communities of the especially challenging context in which many of our confreres live, e.g. where Christians are a small minority, where religious fundamentalism is a threat, and where violence and terrorism are frequent events;

• developing a more effective pedagogy of justice for all levels of the socio-economic spectrum we serve in our ministries. 

The General Chapter of 2004 recommits Holy Cross to the preferential option for the poor.  This is a biblical imperative, a call of the Church and our Constitutions.  We make the following recommendations in order to help us to work with people of good will to build up the reign of justice, peace and love.