North American Conference Assembly Meets via Zoom
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November 2, 2021A meeting of the Conference Assembly for North America took place by ZOOM October 26th – 28th, 2021. Present were Mike Brehl, C.Ss.R., Superior General, Jeffrey Rolle, C.Ss.R., General Consultor, John Kingsbury, C.Ss.R., the Coordinator of the Conference and the members of the Assembly.
One of the first tasks was to have a “Check-In” by each Unit giving all members an understanding of how things were going, especially in light of the pandemic. This was the first Assembly where the Province of Mexico was present and gave a report. Because they are now members of the Conference of Redemptorists of North America there is a need to update the Apostolic and Restructuring Plan as well as the Conference Statues to incorporate their presence.
Preparation for the General Chapter in 2022 was a major discussion point. There is a need to study and reflect on the Working document that has received many observations made by confreres from around the world. The process of discernment of the General Chapter agenda will continue as we prepare for Phase I in May 2022.
The Assembly then reviewed the Apostolic and Restructuring Plan and suggested many major changes in its structure. A Secretariat for Mission will be created to review the suggestions and make a draft document for review. The Assembly emphasized that this document is meant not to be just a piece of paper but rather a tool for discussion and discernment by all ministries in North America.
The Assembly also reviewed the most recent draft of the Conference Formation Ratio. This document has gone through some major revisions in light of the General Government Formation Office review. Several suggestions were made, and a new draft will be presented at the next Assembly Gathering.
The Assembly received a report on Partnership in Mission activity by Dr. Anne Walsh. The recent PIM retreat was reviewed and then there was discussion about the new General Directory for PIM and the new Formation Ration. The goal is to have each Unit now discuss these documents and decide how to implement them in their own Unit.
The Director of Conference Communications, Charlie Wehrley, C.Ss.R. gave a report on this Office. For two years there was a focus on the internal structure of the Conference and how to make the confreres aware of the various units and their ministry. Now the focus will shift to Evangelization. Various ideas were suggested and the Conference Communications Commission will now work on exploring various options.
The Assembly then reviewed the names for the Brother Vocal at the General Chapter. The three names to be presented are Brother Mike Rhodes, C.Ss.R., Brother Gerard St. Hilaire, C.Ss.R. and Brother Eumir Bautista, C.Ss.R.
The Assembly also looked at the Conference Statutes, especially the Phase I section. It was decided that the Phase I gathering would include the entire Conference Assembly membership as well as the three candidates for Brother Vocal and the three candidates for Partners In Mission Vocal to the General Chapter. The Phase I gathering will also include some Conference Assembly issues at the end of the May 9-21, 2022 timeframe.
The meeting concluded with Father General’s blessing.
