“Generous in Charity”

Dear Brothers and Co-workers, members of the Family of Saint John of God,

There is no better occasion than this to remind ourselves that this year we shall be celebrating the 475th anniversary of the death of St John of God. Our Founder has left us with a precious yet challenging legacy which, despite all the years that have passed, we consider to be still alive and working thanks to the many Brothers and Co-workers who have made the spiritual experience of St John of God their own, working with passion and enthusiasm. Our knowledge of history shows us that not many institutions have lasted this long; many have had their day, and disappeared, although they leave behind memories of the good they had done; others are already totally forgotten, despite having made a major contribution to humanity; others are still struggling to survive, simply to stay alive. Looking at our magnificent and ancient Order, we realise that despite the time that has passed, the years have not only left it unscathed, but we see it continuing to regenerate itself like "stem cells", because when the charism that the Family of St John of God has adopted and accepted is lived, shared and practised, it unleashes its own inherent charismatic force, regenerating itself in new forms, shedding light on new care pathways at the service of poor and suffering humanity.

And the prodigious legacy of John of God is precisely this: “To love Jesus in the poor and sick, especially the most vulnerable and fragile.” We have always been driven towards the places where people are living on the margins of existence, but because we have stayed true to our identity, we have never lost sight of the Centre: Christ our Lord, who for John of God had become the very heart of his mission. Jesus' command to love one another in charity has enabled us across the ages to view history carefully and far-sightedly, enabling us to reach out to new horizons of hospitaller charity, which we might translate as ‘regenerating charity’, since God always reveals himself as charity. Calling to mind the anniversary of the death of John of God is an occasion for us to appreciate the great spiritual and human gift that Our Lord has bequeathed to the Church through the work of the Saint of Granada. Today, all of us are involved, individually, as communities, and as the Hospitaller Family, in nurturing the Charism of Hospitality, not only through study, research and using all the resources that science offers us, but additionally with the power of Charity which supplies oxygen to our Charism, making it ever more alive and relevant.

A few months ago we concluded our 70th General Chapter, which was attended by a significant number of our lay Co-workers. On that important occasion we worked hard on personal and community discernment, leaving great scope for the Holy Spirit to illuminate our decisions and inspire our thoughts and reflections. This experience involving the Brothers and Co-workers proved to be of great importance when drafting guidelines, to shed light on the future of Hospitality. The richness of the personal charism of each Brother and each Co-worker has further strengthened the charism of the Hospitaller Family, emboldening the members of Chapter to reach beyond what has already been said, what has already been given, and what is already known, attempting to deepen and to come up with new ideas inspired by the Holy Spirit to ensure that every new decision is always the fruit of our ideals of charity towards our neighbour. I believe it is important to continue the work we accomplished during the General Chapter at the Provincial level, in order to increasingly enlighten our decisions. I hope that this journey of discernment will continue at every level – individually, in community, as as the Hospitaller Family – and make us bolder when deciding on the choices to be made and the challenges that lie ahead of us.

My dear sisters and brothers, we must not be afraid about setting out along new avenues, on new projects to be implemented to give contemporary hospitality a tangible shape. What drives the vitality of John of God’s Charism isn our faithfulness to God and to the vocation to which He has called us. The more widely a gift is shared, the wider it expands, reaching out to the peripheries where humanity is suffering and where, through us, God's tenderness and love is able to reach.

We feel proud of the path our Order has travelled along over these past 475 years, with all its ups and downs, successes and failures. Centuries of hospitality have left their mark on the lives of many people: Brothers and Co-workers who have sanctified themselves by faithfully deploying the charism of hospitality, as such a generous expression of charity that it still remains as fragrant today as it ever was. And it is precisely this legacy that continues to bring comfort and hope to so many sick, poor and needy people today.

Dear Family of Saint John of God: it is now our turn to keep this "Spiritual Legacy" alive, since we have been called to participate in the Charism of John of God in our different ways and in various forms:  our time has come! Let us leave ourselves open to be challenged, to be questioned, to involve ourselves fearlessly, because the decisions we shall be called upon to take in the coming years will prove crucial and decisive for the very future of Hospitality. True love alone can urge us on to think up new ways of practising charity. True love leads us to generously reach out beyond ourselves, prompting us to seek the happiness of others. If it does not, we run the risk of our efforts remaining at the level of our emotions alone, failing to plumb the depths of our lives or to truly reach out to our neighbour. Let us walk forward together, supporting each other, generous in charity.

It is the beauty of the Charism of John of God which still enables us, today, to see events committed to fostering hospitality. I am sure that we are capable of putting our heads together to create and design new experiences of charity. But I cannot conceal my concern about certain situations where there is a tendency simply to survive, letting time decide, slowing down or even worse, hindering the development of plans that could give shape and impetus to the Charism. For some, perhaps, the lack of hope may be leading them to a static life, devoid of vision and projects, distant from the real life situations in which we are called to live.

It is my hope that the gift of the Jubilee Year, which is making us pilgrims of Hope, the refreshing event of our 70^th General Chapter, and celebrating the Anniversary of our Founder’s death, may be sufficient reasons for us to resume our journey enthusiastically, and drive forward the kind of hospitality that is increasingly responsive to the expectations of people today. Fidelity to the Charism means fidelity to God, and fidelity to God means being generous in charity.

In no. 11 the Bull of Indiction of the Jubilee 2025, Pope Francis wrote: “Signs of hope should also be shown to the sick, at home or in hospital. Their sufferings can be allayed by the closeness and affection of those who visit them. Works of mercy are also works of hope that give rise to immense gratitude. Gratitude should likewise be shown to all those healthcare workers who, often in precarious conditions, carry out their mission with constant care and concern for the sick and for those who are most vulnerable.

Inclusive attention should also be given to all those in particularly difficult situations, who experience their own weaknesses and limitations, especially those affected by illnesses or disabilities that severely restrict their personal independence and freedom. Care given to them is a hymn to human dignity, a song of hope that calls for the choral participation of society as a whole”.

Let us take fully on board the Holy Father's Jubilee invitation in this particular circumstance in which we are being called to turn our gaze more lovingly and passionately to those who are Our Lord's favourites and who, in His mercy, He will entrust to our Hospitaller Family, so that through our care and love they may feel God's affection and tenderness for them.

As usual at this time of year, I would like to take this opportunity to announce to the whole Order the result of the 2024 campaign for the “Construction and start-up of a primary care mental health centre in Kolda (Senegal)”. I thank you once again from the bottom of my heart, because the generosity and solidarity of the whole Order has enabled us to raise €328,228.17.

At the same time, I would like to announce that the 2025 campaign will be dedicated to our presence in Drohobyč (Ukraine). The campaign is entitled 'Home Care and Support for People Fleeing War'. I visited our people in Ukraine last month and have no words that could possibly describe the devastating impact of this war; a heartfelt ‘thank you’ goes out to our Brothers, Co-workers and Volunteers who are tirelessly endeavouring to restore health and hope to the people affected. I thank you all, and urge you to generously support this new project.

I hope that, for all of us, this New Year will be the prelude to the dawn of peace and tranquillity. All mankind is in urgent need of this, so let us invoke together the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St John of God, so that our Hospitaller Family may always be responsive to all those in need, acting with professionalism and love, with practical and inclusive actions that ensure that no one feels excluded from God's embrace and from the tenderness of St John of God.

To all of you, I extend my fraternal best wishes and my gratitude for your invaluable hard work to fulfil the mission that the Lord has entrusted to us.

Brother Pascal Ahodegnon, O.H.