From the Provisional Committee to the Central Commission
The Chapter agenda included, in its order of the day for 11 September, reaching consensus on the ?Global Plan? of the Chapter. By ?Global Plan? is understood the results of clarifying the goals it seeks to achieve during the duration of the Chapter, the distribution of time it has to use for each goal, and the final date for bringing the assembly to a close. Those responsible for seeing to the carrying out of the Chapter?s ?Global Plan? are the members of the Central Commission, chosen from among the capitulants.
The one directing the morning?s chapter session explained that the ?Global Plan? is a response to an initial question raised by the assembly: What do we seek to achieve during the Chapter? This question has its roots in the whole process of preparation the institute has gone through. The Initial Consultation, the Guidelines subsequently sent, the provincial and regional Letters revealed some relevant ?themes? of special interest. The Chapter has to define how to treat these themes and has to find what unites them together. The binding element has already been stated as the ?fundamental call? God is making to the Marists of today. To grasp what God is asking through today?s situation requires an attitude of listening and opening the heart to welcome the new challenges.
After listening and defining the central call and the themes which have to be clarified for treatment by the assembly, the Chapter has to determine what and how it is going to transmit to the whole Institute. In this fashion it has brought together in a whole the road the Chapter has to follow through to the closing date.
The proposal approved was couched in these terms: ?The Chapter recommends to the Central Commission that the methodology of creating consensus be used for the work of the Chapter, and that voting be used to show the range of consensus achieved?. The suggestions expressed for presentation to the Central Commission made reference to a flexible application of the ?Global Plan?. And finally the capitular assembly revealed that the 10th of October was the date indicated for concluding the tasks of the Chapter.
Process for electing the Central Commission
The afternoon session commenced with a brief Marial prayer. The work carried out by the capitulants consisted in reaching agreement on the powers held by the members of the Central Commission, the number of members, the method of proposing candidates and the method of election.
A practical system to indicate progress in the consensus underway, at the tables as well as in the hall, consists in the use of three pieces of coloured cardboard. Green shows that the person agrees with the proposal or decision to be made. Gold indicates that he desires to carry on dialogue on a point not yet sufficiently shared or clarified. And red shows disagreement with the proposal. This mode of determining progress in the dialogue is no more than a sounding of the consensus taking place. The voting, which consolidates the decisions of the capitulants, takes place in electronic form once the process of consensus is concluded.
In this way it was decided that each table propose four names for the list of persons elegible to make up the Central Commission. The members of the Provisional Committee would draw up a list of the names, which would be presented to the chapter assembly and serve as the basis of the election.
The Provisional Committee had decided that anniversaries, birthdays and feasts occurring during the week would be celebrated together on Fridays after supper. On Friday, 11 September, there was a joint celebration for the birthday of Br. Ă“scar MartĂn Vicario, the anniversary of the Independence of Brasil, and Catalonia Day.