12th General Chapter-Conclave of UFS held at Mangalore

12th General Chapter-Conclave of UFS held at Mangalore

Mangalore Today News

Mangalore, May 15:  Today the14th day of May 2010, on the very first ballot in the morning, the re-election of the incumbent ’Superior General’ became clear. The great and singular Superior General from 2004 chapter was as per Divine Will carried forward for the greater glory of GOD;  Rev. Sr.Doreen D’souza. UFS., is re-elected for a second term of 6 more fruitful years, till 2016!

 

Sr Susheela Sequeira successfully completed 2 terms as Provincial Superior and now raised to the rank of Asst. Superior General. She will continue as the Secretary General of the Congregation.

Sr Lily Fernandes –re-elected for the 2nd term. She is the secretary of Ursuline Franciscan Education Soceity.

Sr Jeraldine D’Souza – re-elected for the 2nd term. She is the General co-ordinator for administration of temporal goods.

Sr Alice Noronha- re-elected for the 2nd term. She is the General co-ordinator for formation.

 

Rev. Sr.DOREEN D’SOUZA. UFS.

The qualities of head and heart of Sr.Doreen are well known to people not only in India but through many countries the world over that the Ursuline Sisters are serving! It was in her tenure since 2004 that vast developments  have come about and a 21st century congregation has evolved; with a new look administrative configuration. The fact that she has been re-elected to this pinnacle of service in the Ursuline fraternity is proof of her great qualities which need not be analyzed and also can not be as they are without doubt ordained by the LORD for His purpose to serve humanity on this earth.
 
Sr.Doreen D’Souza, UFS., was born 27 September 1947 into an exemplary Konkani Catholic family of Valencia in the central part of Mangalore. Her parents Gracian & Mary were dedicated to six children. Sr.Doreen has two brothers and three sisters. One of her sisters Nelly is also a UFS nun, while another is in sisters of Mercy in Secundrabad - all this is exclusive to this family, a true blessing! After her education she made her first profession in 1968 and became part of the Ursuline family. She obtained her M.Th in Cathesis and is very keen on the deep spiritual training of the novice nuns in the recent years. She is also a regular visiting professor to her Alma Mather in Bangalore. Her erudition in many spheres has enabled her to reach great heights in the service of congregation, education, integration and community. She was two terms as a General Councilor, two terms as Provincial and has multi-tasked in various situations. Building a rapport with the benefactors at homeand abroad inparticularhas been a strong point of her skills. It was during her time that for the first time the congregation went into a new mission; that of serving the aged of the community who lacked care and help in the sun set of their lives. She has closely associated with this mission as a head of the Nympha Sadan Trust and in the principles of management. Also the first institution was built and dedicated to the indigenous co-founder of the Ursulines of Mangalore – Mother Nympha.
 
The renewed presence of  Rev.Sr.Doreen D’Souza, in this key position, will  go along way in the renewal and advancement of the congregation into the modern era which in it self is a challenge to any modern administrator of great stature. It should make all associated with the Ursulnes happy and proud, and these are great in number in Mangalore, in India and the world over. The Ursulines them selves will be elated at this grand news!                           
 

 

 

 

THE ELECTION PROCESS:
 
From 1st. May 2010, the  Ursuline Franciscan Sisters (UFS) Congregation which has it’s base in Mangalore with institutions all over India and overseas, commenced a secluded sacred process of electing it’s twelfth  ’Superior General’ and councilors/aides that make up it’s  higher/centralized Government. The participants in the process will be a selected cross section of the congregation’s inspired leaders. A new chapter will be set in motion at the headquarters of the Ursuline Congregation at ’Somarpann’ at Derelekatte in South Mangalore. 
                       

The theme and guiding spirit of this twenty first century chapter will revolve round - "Towards Redefining the Identity, Lifestyle and Mission of Ursuline Franciscan Sisters in the context of Today". Their motto is universal,"for the love of God’.    

             
The process of spiritual introspection and prayer, evaluation, consultation, election and future planning will be spread over the month of May. Presided over the present /out going Eleventh Superior General, Sr.Doreen D’Souza, who has been the head of the Congregation since the last six years assisted by ten aides that have formed the Government of the Ursulines overseeing it’s myriad activities. The Chapter is a very integral part of growth in all its aspects with a wide impact on present and future development of the Ursulines.  This conclave is also a very vital need for the day to day working and progress of each and every member of the Ursulines and those who live in and depend on the institutions which are the concern of this congregation according to the aims of the founders and the Almighty!         
 
 
HISTORIC BACKGROUND:
 
The first resident Parish Priest of Mangalore’s Rosario Cathedral, Fr.Urban Stein sj., a German by birth, with qualities of grit and compassion, in those times of turmoil envisioned an immediate need for the care and education of a large number of children, women and suffering of the old Bundar area the main part of old Mangalore town. He prevailed upon a few Young cultured ladies of the vicinity, who had no scope for serious work, to come forward and help in this generous task. In the fore-front was Nympha Fernandez, of the locality, who became a natural leader of this informal band, that came to be called ’Ursula’s Company’.  St.Ursula was an early Martyr of  Cologne, Germany. This small dedicated band of women did exemplary work among the down trodden / underprivileged for their uplift. The work of these compassionate women spread and grew, and in 1887 they under the care of Fr.Stein organized themselves into an informal religious group, while living in their own homes. These were the fore runners of the Ursuline Congregation in Mangalore.
 

On 21 October 1888, Fr.Urban Stein died tragically. The responsibility to carry on the good work automatically fell upon ’Mother Nympha’ as she was referred to. She courageously took up the challenges supported by her colleagues and family members; acquired a piece of land just behind the Rosario Cathedral and constructed a tile structure that is intact today and now honoured as the ’foundation house’.  Thus Mother Nympha was a co-founder and the first ’Superior general’ so to say, of the UFS congregation. Sadly Mother Nympha died at the unexpected age of 58 yrs, on Ash Wednesday 24 February 1909 - a pioneer of this band of sisters. The descendants of her family still live in the vicinity of Rosario. The Ursulines gained official canonical recognition from Rome in 1934. 
 

The centenary of the ’Foundation House’ was marked in a special way in December 2001; the India Posts released first day cover to mark the occasion which also bears a rare picture of Fr.Stein.  Today a century after the death of this illustrious pioneer the Ursulines of Mangalore have spread their goodness all over the world expanding boundaries and exceed 105 centeres/institutions more than 850 nuns and novices. They run educational institutions, trade-centric training, orphanages,hostels,homes for the aged and so on, expanding their motto for man from GOD.
 

It is with much interest, that those who know of this Congregation world wide are tuned in to know who will again wear the mantle of responsibility and be elected as the Superior General for a term of six years. It is possible for an incumbent to be re-elected for a second term; twelve years at a stretch is the maximum tenure under the present rules. A chosen cross section of 40 representative nuns is in segregation/retreat to elect a leader and about ten advisers/councilors to the leader and so on. Technically the ’General’ can be any of the nuns from the entire congregation who have completed the age of 30 yrs and have completed three years as full fledged nuns ( after Final Profession of the vows) - and reasonably believed to be a matter of inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Holy Trinity.