Provincial Chapter of the United States
During the Provincial Chapter of the United States, held April 8-11, Br Dan O’Riordan took office as the new Provincial, replacing Br Patrick McNamara. The Chapter meeting also elected the new Vice-Provincial, Br Owen Ormsby and the other five Brothers members of the Provincial Council: Hank Hammer, Dominick Pujia, Todd Patenaude, Steve Schlitte and Seán Sammon.
Br Dan thanked Br Patrick, Provincial since 2015, for his work during his term of office. For his part, the Superior General, Br Ernesto Sanchez, sent a video message from Rome to all the Brothers of the Province and in a special way to Br Patrick: “Thank you for your continuous dedication to the Brothers and the laity of the Province, for your ability to be a team player, for your heart that knows no bounds”. “Thank you for your continuous dedication to the brothers and laics people in your province, for your ability to be a team builder, for your heart without borders”.
The Chapter participants defined the priorities of the new Provincial Council and also took into account the reports presented to the Chapter.
These are some of the topics discussed:
– The results and analysis of the Questionnaire on the challenges facing the U.S. Province were addressed. The topics addressed by the different groups, segmented by age, were as follows: mission, retirement and health, vocations, ongoing formation, laity and Marist charism, spirituality and prayer life of the brothers, evangelization, pastoral ministry, community life, northern arc and other points of interest, such as the evaluation of achievements and challenges in the light of covid-19, and new structures of governance to promote Marist life and mission.
– A report was given on the work of the Laity Council which, despite Covid-19, has been meeting faithfully every 2 weeks. Among the achievements, in January 2021, 56 people started the formation programme and there are 22 brothers involved either as participants and/or mentors. More information on the US Council of the Laity can be found here.
– A report on “Relationships with Pastoral Institutions” was presented. Over the past six years, leaders, school board members, faculty and staff have been invited to participate in Marist professional development programmes. The Brothers also share the Marist charism of Champagnat in the schools where they are present. They also conduct workshops and invitations to participate in the Marist Youth and Young Adult Program.
– A report was also presented on the progress and challenges of the Marist Community of Welcome (Austin, Texas), which welcomes individuals and groups who wish to learn more about Marist life. More information about this community can be found here.
– The topic of vocation promotion was also on the agenda, highlighting the need to increase commitment and develop a vocation plan that embraces young people also outside the school environment. (See the document).