First meeting of the Preparatory Commission
The Preparatory Commission for the next General Conference met on 27 October 2011, in Rome, at the General House. This was the first meeting of the Commission.
This was in accord with the decisions taken by the General Council in January: “In September 2013, a General Conference will be held in the house of the Hermitage, lasting three weeks. The Conference will be preceded by group visits to places significant for the mission of the Institute”.
In June 2011, the Council appointed the Preparatory Commission for the Conference, composed of Brothers Emili Turú, Superior General, Joe Mc Kee, Vicar General, Michael De Waas and Ernesto Sánchez, General Councillors, and Óscar Martín Vicario, Provincial of Compostela.
The Preparatory Commission is charged with making immediate preparations for everything necessary for holding the General Conference, taking into consideration the proposal of themes, main guidelines and criteria suggested by the General Council. Among others, it has to consider the approach of the bicentenary of the foundation of the Institute and the application of the documents and decisions of the 21st General Chapter. The meeting of a large group of persons of the Institute, who are responsible for its leadership, is a time of great opportunity to give new drive to the animation of Marist life and mission.
The work of this first meeting consisted in reflection on previous General Conferences in order to trace the path followed by the Institute following on their realization, and to begin to define the direction the next one should take.