FSP-KK hosts General Chapter Echoing

KOTA KINABALU – The Daughters of St Paul Community in Kota Kinabalu hosted the echoing of the 12^th General Chapter for the communities of Sabah, Selangor and Bangkok on 2-5 Dec 2025 at the convent here.

Sisters Bernardita Dianzon and Lorena Briones, two of the three delegates who attended the General Chapter held in Ariccia Rome Sept 7-Oct 7, facilitated the echoing to the seven participants (two from Petaling Jaya, two from Bangkok, and three from Kota Kinabalu).

Prior to the echoing proper, the Sisters paid a courtesy call on Abp John Wong at his office at the Archdiocesan Centre Karamunsing Dec 2.

The echoing comprised the retreat of the delegates, the reports of the incumbent superior general Sr Anna Caiazza, the bursar general, Sr Anna Maria Gasser, the various circumscriptions (provinces, delegations, communities dependent on the General Government), followed by the discernment on the various proposals gathered from all the communities worldwide before they were synthesized into the final document.  The theme of the chapter was Impelled by the fire of the Spirit, listening to contemporary humanity, we communicate the Gospel of Hope.  In the final document the delegates came out with one direction for 2025-2031, seven calls and recommendations, recommendations on other aspects of Pauline Life, chapter deliberations, and amendments approved for the Directory. 

For the first time in their history, the Daughters of St Paul elected an Asian (Sr Mari Lucia Kim of South Korea) to head the 110-year-old congregation founded by Blessed James Alberione with Mother Thecla Merlo as its first superior general.  Sr Lucia is the eighth successor of Mother Thecla.  Her predecessors were mainly Italians or of Italian descent.  The six councillors elected were Sr Gabriella Collesei, Sr Micaela Pae, Sr Rosemary Mwaiwa, Sr Rosa Maria Ramalho, Sr Donald Maria Lynch, Sr Bruna Fregni. 

The congregation has 1,815 members in 11 provinces, 14 delegations and five houses directly under the generalate.

The chapter delegates had an audience with the Holy Father Pope Leo XIV Oct 2 who encouraged them to adopt with renewed enthusiasm two important attitudes: to look up so that they can be impelled by the Holy Spirit and to immerse themselves inside situations – in history, listening to humanity…a matter of inhabiting the current culture and embodying themselves in the real life of the people they meet.

As part of the echoing was the cultural tour of the participants to Kundasang Ranau where they visited the handicraft stalls, the Sabah Tea Garden, the Adenna Rafflesia Garden, the Desa Dairy Farm, and the Kundasang War Memorial. – Sr.Anna Yap,fsp