U.S. Spiritan Congregation Hosting General Assembly on Campus
Numerous members of Duquesne University’s founding congregation, the Spiritans, will gather on campus this month for the U.S. Province General Assembly.
The assembly will be held Monday, June 14, through Friday, June 18, at various locations on campus. Among the activities and topics to be addressed during the weeklong meeting are:
- Provincial leadership report and discussion
- Safeguarding workshop
- Election process for the provincial
- Discussion of the Spiritan mission
- Discussion on vocation animation
- Discussion on pastoral planning.
“The assembly is an opportunity to allow the Holy Spirit to challenge us as we reflect on the needs of the mission for today and tomorrow,” said the Rev. Jeff Duaime, C.S.Sp., current provincial for the United States. “Rather than remain comfortable with the way we have always done things, the Spirit is challenging us to embrace the needs of God’s mission today.”
Sixty members from across the United States are attending the assembly. The Most Reverend Fernand J. Cheri, O.F.M., auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of New Orelans, will present a morning keynote address on June 15 and celebrate Mass with the Spiritans that evening. A Franciscan friar, Cheri was appointed auxiliary bishop in 2015.
Duaime said that a pressing need on the post-pandemic path he will address is “the cry for racial healing” and reconciliation in the society in which we live and work.
“It is clear that the ‘signs of the times’ are calling us to think differently and more creatively about how to be faithful to the original charism of our founders,” Duaime said.
President Ken Gormley will host a dinner with those attending the assembly on June 15 in the Africa Room of the Union.
“Since the first Spiritan served in Baltimore in 1794, members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit have been in the United States selflessly working with and offering aid to the underserved and the marginalized,” said Gormley. “We are forever grateful to the Spiritans for establishing a new province in Pittsburgh in 1872, which led to the founding of our beloved Duquesne University in 1878 as a school for the children of local immigrants.
“The Spiritans’ ongoing commitment to education and to Duquesne is the cornerstone of this University,” Gormley said. “Their determination and strong faith have enabled us to walk alongside our students, connect them with life-changing people and opportunities, and enable them to build a professional path with purpose.”
During their time on campus, the Spiritans also will conduct a consultation process for the appointment of the Provincial Council and will discuss final recommendations.
“As members of the U.S. Province gather for the General Assembly and elect new leadership, we focus on the challenges and needs for contemporary Spiritan mission,” Duaime said.