CPC - 17

The Chapter Planning Committee (CPC) met via Zoom on Friday, June 18. As we get closer to Chapter our agenda continues to be full as we work toward finalizing the many preparations for pre-Chapter meetings, details and training sessions.

Chapter Co-Secretaries

First on our agenda was to raise names for Chapter Secretary/Secretaries and make a recommendation to Congregational Leadership. In recent Chapters two sisters served as co-secretaries, sharing the responsibilities of reviewing the minutes of the Recording Secretary and doing the Chapter Roll Calls. The committee recommended the continuation of co-secretaries and submitted names to leadership. We are pleased to announce that Lucy Cardet OSF and Lilian Cristina Pinheiro OSF have agreed to serve as our Chapter 2021 co-secretaries.

Table Facilitators Meeting

A Zoom meeting was held on Saturday, June 19 for the sisters who volunteered to be Table Facilitators for the Communal Discernment process. We are grateful for their willingness to serve in this critically important role. Click on Chapter Table Facilitator Training video to view the recording. A final Zoom meeting for Table Facilitators will be held on Friday, July 23 from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. (U.S.), 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. (JA) and 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. (BR).

Meeting of Fully Engaged and Consulting Participants

On Sunday, June 20 the Fully Engaged and Consulting Participants met for a presentation by Connie Gilder SSJ, Chapter Facilitator, to review the Communal Discernment process. Click on Communal Discernment video to view the recording.

We recommend that you continue to reflect and pray with the Discernment booklet as a way to be attentive to the Communal Discernment process. Let us continue to pray for our nominees. Nominees are to remain in the discernment process. A second Calling of Names will take place during Chapter on Thursday, July 29 after the discussion of the three Focus Areas, Integral Ecology, Interculturality and Leadership. This second calling is the opportunity to raise names of other sisters in nomination for election to Congregational Leadership.

The Chapter of Election will take place from Friday, July 30 to Sunday, August 1.

On Friday, July 30the nominees will be given the opportunity to respond to two questions developed by Connie. On Saturday, July 31, the Fully Engaged members will engage in Home and Consensus table discussions on the gifts and skills that nominees would bring. Nominees will have the opportunity to withdraw their names by submitting a form to Connie on the evening of Saturday, July 31. The elections for Congregational Leadership will take place on Sunday, August 1.

Chapter Voting Procedure: ElectionBuddy

Typically at the opening of an in-person Chapter a vote is taken to affirm the procedure for Chapter. In the leadership’s discussion with the canon lawyer regarding the virtual Chapter, it was recommended that the affirmation be done prior to Chapter. The Fully Engaged members received a letter with a ballot and the ElectionBuddy information.

To date there are 83 Fully Engaged (Voting) members. Sr. Catherine Kane has submitted a letter requesting her participation be changed from Fully Engaged to Supporting.

A committee met on Friday, June 25 to open and count the ballots for the election process using ElectionBuddy. A 2/3 majority, 55 yes votes, was needed for approval and to move forward with the Chapter elections. 83 ballots were sent out. 82 ballots were returned with 81 yes and 1 no. The voting process using ElectionBuddy has passed.

We are grateful to committee members, Carole Ann Hoppe, Elaine Cote and Lucy Cardet for their service to the Chapter.

Since Chapter will be virtual the Fully Engaged Participants will use ElectionBuddy with the assistance of NIX Management. Training sessions on the use of ElectionBuddy will be done by NIX in the week prior to Chapter. Dates and times will be sent as soon as they are available.

Consulting Participants

Sr. Aparecida Maria Guimarães OSF and associates Agnelia Marques Ferreira, Claudia Cristiane de Andrade and Jo Mary Pescatore have asked to change their mode of participation from Consulting to Supporting. Click this link for the list of the 19 Consulting Participants.

Actuarial Study Report

A presentation on the Actuarial Study will take place on Tuesday, July 13 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. (U.S. and Bolivia), 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. (JA) and 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. (BR). All sisters are invited to attend via Zoom. A link will be sent closer to the date of the presentation.

Chris Treichel and Pat Klemm will give an overview of the report. Before the Zoom call, sisters are asked to carefully read the report that you have received. If you have any clarifying questions before that date please send them to Pat Klemm at pklemm@fsallegany.org who will answer them individually.

Congregational Financial Report

The Finance Report will be presented via Zoom for sisters on Tuesday, July 20 from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. (U.S. and Bolivia), 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. (JA) and 3:00 to 4:00 p.m. (BR).

Chris Treichel and Ellen Weaver are in the process of finalizing the report. The translated report and a response form for questions will be sent electronically to sisters in Brazil and Bolivia. The electronic report and response form will be sent to the sisters in Jamaica. Printed copies of the report and the response form will be mailed to sisters in the U.S. in early July. Sisters are asked to review and study the report and submit the response form no later than Friday, July 16.

Resources:

In these final weeks before the opening day of Chapter, we offer another resource to share in your local communities, clusters and associate communities. Linked below is an article by Mark Clark, “Living and Leading Transformative Communities in an Era of Societal Crisis” and the third Pre-Chapter Prayer and Communal Reflection.

- “Living and Leading Transformative Communities in an Era of Societal Crisis”

- No. 3 Pre-Chapter Prayer and Communal Reflection

Let us continue to invite the Spirit to breathe something new within us, around us and through us for the good of all people and all the earth.

Webinar and Zoom Programs for Chapter 2021

Unlike our Zoom Assemblies, NIX will be using two programs for our Chapter. The webinar program will be used to facilitate the larger gatherings for presentations by Fr. David Couturier OFM Cap, the Congregational Minister’s presentation and prayers. Zoom will be used to host the Home and Consensus table conversations and for the Second Calling of Names.

NIX will develop a Chapter 2021 schedule page that will provide all the information, the daily schedules and the links to enter the various sessions. NIX will provide training the week before Chapter on how to navigate the schedule page and these programs. The date for the training will be communicated as soon as it becomes available. It is critical for all the Fully Engaged and Consulting Participants to participate in this training.

Let us stay open to the stirrings of the Spirit to engage our senses, our hearts and minds to capture and deepen the meaning of our theme: “Behold, I Am Doing Something New… Listen!”

Next Meeting Date

The next CPC meeting is Friday, July 9, 2021.