Sr Rekha Chennattu, RA,
Superior General, Religious of the Assumption, Paris.

You are the first Asian to head the Paris-based Congregation ‘Religious of the Assumption’ which is there since 1839; So how do you, as an Indian nun take, this call as Superior General?

We are a congregation fou-nded in France and our sisters are now working in 36 countries of the 4 continents, engaged in serving people through a life of prayer, community living and transformative socio-pastoral mission of education. The call to be the Superior General came to me as a surprise that I least expected and wanted. So, I consider it to be God’s will for me and for the Congregation. I must say that my life has always been full of challenging surprises. When I was most comfortable with teaching Scripture at the Pontifical Athenaeum in Pune, I was elected to be Provincial, and when I became very familiar with my Province, I was chosen to be the General. This call has therefore been an invitation to leave my comfort zones to explore an unknown territory, always something more challenging, which I find very fascinating and energizing. Although I miss my biblical research, writing and teaching, what gives me the greatest joy is to do things that please God. I thus accepted this election as a golden opportunity for me to share with the whole Congregation – my biblical formation, the integral and wholistic spirituality of Asia, our radical option for the poor and marginalized, and the richness of our multi-religious and cultural contexts.

As your congregation has a clear vision of serving the people in the margins of society especially the outcastes and migrants, what are the present challenges that need special attention from the Church as your nuns work in more than 34 nations?
The last three General Chapters reminded the whole Congregation of our preferential option for the migrants and of our special commitment to ecology and sustainable development. The most pressing or urgent call for us today is to respond creatively and constructively to the coronavirus pandemic and its consequences for today and tomorrow. Since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic, there is so much pain and suffering everywhere: the agony of those who are sick and suffering from COVID-19, the pain of those who have lost their loved ones, the anguish of doctors, nurses, health care workers who risk their own lives while serving others, the insecurity and hardships of the daily wage workers and migrants due to long term and extended lockdowns, to mention only a few. We have seen millions of migrants become jobless and very poor overnight. For most of our students in India, so-called online classes remain a farfetched dream. I want to embrace this situation as a kairos moment to explore new ways of making our presence and mission more meaningful and significant. The most challenging task is to discern the “NEW FORMS” of the “Assumption Way” or the “Assumption Culture” that could make us a source of positive energy and hope for new dreams. This new lifestyle hopefully makes God’s mercy and justice more and more visible in these trying times.

How do you look upon ‘the Pope Francis effect’ in the Church and the world who brings special attention to the migrants and the poor which is already a prime concern of your Congregation? How do you see his concept of authority as Synodality?
I am personally inspired and challenged by Pope Francis’s way of animating the Church. As a Good Shepherd, he walks the talk. Transcending the boundaries of Collegiality, he embraced Synodality as the best model of leadership in the Church. Based on John’s Gospel, I have been teaching and proposing a covenant-friendship paradigm as the best model of animation in our religious congregations. The Johannine covenant-friendship paradigm takes seriously both Synodality and Collegiality. It is characterized by quality service and fair treatment, active participation of all, transparency coupled with confidentiality, and accountability. Far from insisting on conformity to one or another set pattern, it encourages diversity. We need forward-looking, optimistic, daring and committed leaders who are ready to offer what they can give and to be receptive in the process of discerning the will of God. The well-being of the entire community determines the choices and decisions. What is unique to John’s Gospel is the aspect of reciprocity in leadership roles: “one another” as friends and covenant partners in God’s mission. In such an atmosphere, relationships are mutual and collaborative rather than hierarchical.
If leadership is understood as reciprocal and communitarian, one can ask the following legitimate questions: is there a need for “a leader” in the covenant-friendship paradigm? If so, what is the unique role and mission of this leader or the superior? Yes, this model underlines a unique place for “a leader” of the community. Our daily experiences tell us that we need someone (“a head”) responsible for an institution to ensure its resources are pooled together and its goals are met. The leader will receive the grace of God to inspire all members to live the charism given by God in its fullness and to accomplish its mission with zeal and hope for a better world. The charism of leadership, rather than control from above, inspires both Synodality and Collegiality. It becomes animation from within to build up a community of covenant partners and friends for God’s mission. It is not easy, but it is not impossible when we “walk humbly with God” (Micah 6:8).

Vocations to convents have practically dried up in the West and also in Kerala from where you hail, how do you explain this phenomenon? Is it because the nuns’ vocation was no longer challenging to girls? Or is it because the Church relegated the nuns from the limelight to the green rooms?
I personally feel that there are many reasons for the lack of vocations to women religious congregations. One of the reasons seems to me that some of us have failed (at least to a certain extent) to be authentic witnesses of the Gospel values. We sometimes lack authentic spirituality, radiating the holiness of consecrated women. Sometimes we do wonderfully well in our respective apostolic field but we cannot live well together in community. If we are just like another charitable organization, the young are not attracted to our communities when there are innumerable better choices and possibilities before them. If we radiate the joy of Easter women, share the holiness of consecrated persons, and communicate zeal for God’s mission, we will receive vocations. If not, it is better that we die naturally, having given our best and lived our time. The present situation invites us to reinvent ourselves and reclaim our identity and mission as consecrated women of God.

You have been involved in the formation of young sisters for the past 10 years and also a professor of Biblical Studies at the Pontifical Atheneum in Pune, how do you define the role and mission of the nuns in the Church and how happy are you with the present status? Do you envisage a paradigm shift in the Church in the perspective of the Church?
None will contest the fact that women religious play an important role in fostering and preserving faith. And they give themselves at the service of life in and through their manifold apostolic ministries in the Church and in Society. Despite many new initiatives on the part of Church leaders, it still remains a disheartening truth that women religious are NOT given their rightful place in the Church in India, and elsewhere. I am deeply shocked and pained by the experiences of some sisters wherein they are denied the sacraments in remote places by the priests just because of some disagreements or disputes. It is rare (thanks be to God!), but it still happens. When I started teaching Scripture in the 90s, there was some resistance to the acceptance of women theologians whose perspectives are as valid and authentic as those of male theologians. But things are gradually changing. I was very happy to participate in the Synod of New Evangelization in 2012, and it signalled the growing acceptance and recognition of women theologians in the Church. I believe that women religious and also the laity can assume more responsibilities in the animation of the Church. A paradigm shift in mind-set for both women and men is imperative to overcome the deeply rooted prejudices against women. As the COVID–19-pandemic has taught us, the Church in India needs to move away from a “clergy-centred Church” to a more inclusive, participative, authentic “spirituality-centred” Church at the service of life for all, especially the poor and needy. It is my hope that the Church is now better prepared and better situated in the process of making this paradigm shift.