On 17 October - International Day for the Eradication of Poverty - members of the IBVM General Congregation meeting in Arricia, Italy, pledged to stand up against poverty.

The members of the General Congregation also pledged to work together to help the world get on track to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015.

They were meeting following the 400th anniversary celebrations of the foundation of Mary Ward´s Institute in Rome (5 – 9 October 2009).

Some fifty members of the IBVM gathered in Arricia, a small hillside town 50 kms south of Rome, for the General Congregation of the Institute.

Since the introduction of the Millennium Development Goals, the IBVM has committed itself to respond to this worldwide challenge.

Representatives from all the Provinces who gathered at the education meeting in Loyola in 2002 promised to make the Millennium Development Goals a priority for justice education in the schools.

In September 2005 in New York, JPIC Coordinators from all the Provinces made a commitment to promote the MDGs. While in Lima, the delegates at GC06 made a similar commitment to “endorse the UN MDGs and the Earth Charter and allow ourselves and our ministries to be transformed by what they require”.

At the General Congregation in Arricia the delegates made the following statement:

We are standing here on this symbolic day, the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, because we refuse to accept more excuses from world leaders who allow 50,000 people to die every day as a result of extreme poverty.

We are standing here today because we want our leaders to honour their promises to meet the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 and even to exceed these ‘minimum’ development goals.

To the leaders of the wealthy countries we say:

Keep your promises on poverty, debt cancellation, more and better aid, trade justice and gender equality.

Commit yourselves to reaching a fair and equitable agreement that dramatically reduces the impacts of climate change on the poorest of the world.

To the leaders of the poorer countries we say:

Make it your first responsibility to save the lives of your poorest citizens.

Tackle inequality. Be accountable to your people. Govern fairly and justly.

Fight corruption and respect the human rights of all.

We are not asking for charity but for justice.

So … standing here, as members of the IBVM GC09, we join our voices to millions of voices all over the world and in solidarity we say together:

We pledge to work together to help the world get on track to meet the MDGs by 2015.

No more excuses!

End greed now!

End poverty now!

Make poverty history!

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During the course of the meeting in Arricia, three IBVM Sisters were interviewed about the General Congregation: They were:

Sr Christine Burke from Australia

Sr Pat Hanvey from the South African Province, who is working in Zambia

Sr Cecilia O´Dwyer from Spain

Q: : What do you mean by a General Congregation?

Christine: Our sense of unity and internationality doesn’t just ‘happen’. We have to work at it! Every eight years a group representing each province or section of the Institute gathers to consider issues relevant to the works and life of the members, and to set priorities and elect a new leadership. 

Q : But it isn’t eight years since you last gathered in Peru. Why are you gathering this time? 

Cecilia: In 2003, a major event happened. The North American and the Irish Branches of the IBVM re-united. We had been separate since the mid-1800s. One condition of that re-union was that we work together on our Constitutions and develop a common ground from which to go forward. That is why we are having this meeting. At the beginning of the 20^th century Mary Ward´s Institute was separated into many Generalates. Since 2003 we have two branches, the Congregation of Jesus and the Institute of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Loreto).  

Q:  What exactly are Constitutions and why have them?

Christine: Under a very wise Church law, all official groups in the Church have to have some basic ‘laws’ which ensure they are well governed, that people know their rights and responsibilities and that the whole framework is grounded in the particular spirituality of the particular Institute. Our spirituality is Ignatian, based on Ignatius of Loyola’s insights on how to bring our whole lives to God. The Constitutions he wrote put into words and structures his deep sense that God is to be found in all aspects of life, but also that if a group is formed to serve others, they need to have a structure which supports this.

We have his basic Constitutions, which we have supported by companion Constitutions. This latter volume incorporates more recent theological and scriptural insights as well as canonical requirements, and brings the insights from Mary Ward’s experience and women’s experience today into dialogue with Ignatian spirituality. This meeting we are having is to finalise these documents so they can be presented to the Church authorities for approval. 

Q : Pat, how are you feeling as you come into this meeting?

Pat : I come to this meeting with a great deal of hope and expectation. Something new has been born with the reunion of the two Branches and this meeting is working on a document which will reflect the current desires of the whole Institute and guide our future presence and action in the world as one body living out Mary Ward´s Charism. It is important to have two Sisters from the Congregation of Jesus, the other Branch of Mary Ward´s Institute, here with us.