On February 5, 2019, the 69th General Chapter of the Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God was officially closed.

The 78 Capitulars prepared to leave Rome after more than three weeks of intense deliberations, concluding with the drafting of proposals for the next Sexennium which will begin with the end of this Chapter. The new recently elected General Government and the Provincial Superiors will be responsible for taking on board these lines of action, and for incorporating them in a Plan of Action at the general, regional and local levels.

These lines of action and the message of Pope Francis, “will constitute the essential core of what will guide the General Government over the coming years," said Brother Jesús Etayo in his address closing the Chapter on the morning of 5 February. "I hope that the results of our General Chapter will bear abundant fruit in the future and bring a period of light and hope for the Church and for all the members of our Saint John of God Family.

“Shaping hospitality with our eyes fixed on the future will require us all to renew our vocation every single day by welcoming the call of our Lord and His invitation to go forth on the mission of Hospitality by placing ourselves at the service of the most vulnerable,” said the new Superior General, who was re-elected on 26 January for a six-year term of office. “At all times we must shape and reshape the ways and means of responding to the challenges and meeting the needs with which we are confronted so that are able to ensure that our Order and our Hospitaller Family always remain in readiness.  

“The Chapter which we are about to conclude has been a wonderful experience of universality, brotherhood and hospitality,” Brother Jesús concluded. “While it is true that the challenges are many, it is no less true that the grace and the gift which Our Lord renews in us every day will give us the strength we need to address them. And this is where the key is to be found, not becoming inward-looking and concentrating on our limitations, but living our vocation at the service of the Church of Jesus Christ enthusiastically and with dedication, based on our charism and our mission."

After the 24 days of Chapter, at least 72 proposals were confirmed and voted through by the Capitulars in the evening of 4 February. Differences of language, culture and local situations were often at the centre of the discussions, that were translated simultaneously into 8 languages. Finding commonly-agreed lines of action was therefore a major challenge for the participants at this Chapter, who came from over 30 different countries.

This diversity within the Order was also in evidence in the way the Chapter was being followed in the social media, with communiqués being issued daily throughout the whole event. About 6500 individuals from 84 countries were therefore able to follow the Chapter in their own ways, with more than 66,000 visitors to the blog pages, containing reports, interviews, videos and other information throughout the event.

The 78 Capitulars ended the 69^th General Chapter with a celebration of the Eucharist before returning home to their Provinces, to live this new page in the history of the Order, “hopefully and boldly on the new pathways along which our Lord is sending us".