{"id":6575,"date":"2026-01-08T11:10:40","date_gmt":"2026-01-08T10:10:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siessen.org\/general-chapter-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T14:48:34","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T12:48:34","slug":"general-chapter-2026","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/siessen.org\/en\/what-drives-us\/topics\/general-chapter-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"General Chapter 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\">[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]The General Chapter will take place from August 2-21, 2026. A General Chapter is the highest decision-making body of the Congregation. It elects the General Leadership for the next six years and makes fundamental decisions for this term of office.<br \/>\nParticipants in the General Chapter are the current office bearers and the elected delegates from the three provinces.  <\/p>\n<h3>All professed sisters are involved in the General Chapter:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>through the election of delegates,<\/li>\n<li>by nominating candidates for the office of Superior General, Vicar General and General Councillor,<\/li>\n<li>by working on upcoming topics at sister meetings, mat chapters and provincial chapters,<\/li>\n<li>by submitting applications, suggestions and statements.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/3&#8243;]<figure class=\"vcex-image vcex-module\"><div class=\"vcex-image-inner wpex-relative wpex-inline-block\"><img width=\"2560\" height=\"1708\" src=\"https:\/\/siessen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC_0141-scaled.jpg\" class=\"vcex-image-img wpex-align-middle\" alt=\"\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" srcset=\"https:\/\/siessen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC_0141-scaled.jpg 2560w, https:\/\/siessen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC_0141-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/siessen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC_0141-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/siessen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC_0141-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/siessen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC_0141-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/siessen.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/DSC_0141-2048x1367.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/div><\/figure>[vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]The capitulars of the Extraordinary General Chapter 2025 can still be seen in this picture.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/4&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]\n<h3>The courage to build bridges<\/h3>\n<h4>This is the motto of this year&#8217;s General Chapter.<\/h4>\n<p>This motto comes from a prayer for the 800th anniversary of the Transitus of St. Francis.<br \/>\nPope Leo formulated it and made it available to the Franciscan Family.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;3\/4&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]\n<p>Saint Francis, our brother,<br \/>\nwho 800 years ago approached Brother Death in complete peace,<br \/>\nintercede for us before the Lord.<br \/>\nYou recognized true peace in the Crucified of San Damiano,<br \/>\nteach us to seek in Him the source of reconciliation that breaks down all walls.<br \/>\nYou who, unarmed, broke through the barriers of war and misunderstanding,<br \/>\ngive us the courage to build bridges where the world draws borders.<br \/>\nIn this time burdened by conflict and division,<br \/>\nintercede for us so that we may become peacemakers:<br \/>\ndisarmed and disarming witnesses of the peace that comes from Christ.<\/p>\n<p>Amen.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]\n<h3>According to the constitutions, the tasks of the General Chapter are to elect the new General Management:<\/h3>\n<p>The tasks of the General Chapter include<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Review of the Franciscan life of the Congregation and its mission in the light of the signs of the times,<\/li>\n<li>Receipt of the reports on the situation of the congregation as a basis for further consultations,<\/li>\n<li>Review and, if necessary, amend the constitutions,<\/li>\n<li>Issuing, reviewing and amending articles of association,<\/li>\n<li>Processing of applications, suggestions and comments received, establishment of a province,<\/li>\n<li>Determination of the provincial territories,<\/li>\n<li>Division and merger of existing provinces,<\/li>\n<li>Transformation of a province into a region,<\/li>\n<li>Abolition of a province and disposal of the provincial assets,<\/li>\n<li>Advice on fundamental financial and economic issues, if necessary adaptation of the statutes of the civil legal entity of the congregation, <\/li>\n<li>Determination of the delegate key for the next General Chapter.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][vc_column width=&#8221;1\/2&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]\n<h3>Topics of this General Chapter<\/h3>\n<p>These result from the tasks described on the left, as well as from the applications of the sisters.<\/p>\n<p>In any case, the following topics will be discussed:<\/p>\n<p>Our mission<br \/>\nInternationality<br \/>\nFormulation of our charisma.<\/p>\n<h3>What are we currently working on?<\/h3>\n<p>The election of delegates is complete.<\/p>\n<p>The sisters submitted their proposals and suggestions.<br \/>\nThese were translated and made available to all sisters. The sisters&#8217; comments on the proposals were also made available to everyone in the various languages. <\/p>\n<p>The delegates will meet online for the first time on June 6.[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221; wpex_border_color=&#8221;#b31d1d&#8221;]\n<h2>Request for prayer<\/h2>\n<p>This process can only succeed with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. So we ask everyone to pray for us!  <\/p>\n<p>Thank you![\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column width=&#8221;2\/3&#8243;][vc_column_text css=&#8221;&#8221;]The General Chapter will take place from August 2-21, 2026. A General Chapter is the highest decision-making body of the Congregation. It elects the General Leadership for the next six years and makes fundamental decisions for this term of office. Participants in the General Chapter are the current office bearers and the elected&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":2031,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-6575","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","entry","no-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/siessen.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6575","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/siessen.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/siessen.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siessen.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siessen.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6575"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/siessen.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6575\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7334,"href":"https:\/\/siessen.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/6575\/revisions\/7334"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/siessen.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/2031"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/siessen.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6575"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}