MINUTES

ON-GOING FORMATION MEETING

March 7, 2008

Members present: Ann Lucia Apodaca, Nancy Bauman, Catrina Bones, Lynn Casey, Rosalie Curtin, Kevin Marie Flynn, Margie Hogan, Marie Michael Mollis, Maria Orozco, Mary Lex Smith, Vie Thorgren, Paula Marie Tweet, Alice Vicevich, and Susie Yerkich.

The meeting was opened with a prayer prepared by Margie Hogan. Our thanks.

Thanks for Ann Lucia for the refreshments.

The minutes were approved as amended:

In the report on Sacred Circles, it was Clarita who helped, not Clarice.

Subcommittee: omit “Relationship with Church and with Peru.”

The Eucharist subcommittee - prayer for fall house meetings was not part of their project.

Rosalie moved and Nancy seconded the motion to accept the minutes as amended. Motion carried.

INFORMATION ITEMS

Healthy Celibate Sexuality workshop

            Eighty-nine people are registered; there is much energy around this. The committee was asked to help set up the room when the meeting is finished. It was mentioned that some of the Mother House sisters did not get the information. Ann Lucia will print out and have posted for those who do not use email.

Formation in Peru:

            Maria reported that it is summer break time in Peru. Some of the sisters have gone to Lima for workshops.

            There are 5 young women in Chuschi on mission. This is not a pre-candidacy                             program.

            It is the rainy season in Chalaco so the sisters have been in Piura. St. Vincent                             DePaul Center has some problems with a leaking roof from all the rain.                               Sisters Julia, Ester and Regina live in the Center.

            Maria was asked if there is an Associate program in Peru. Not at this time because                    the sisters don’t really have time to do it.

            The sisters are shifting positions at this time. Elena is Director of Formation and doing her work in Chulucanas as well. Lourdes is healing well.

Council Updates:

 

• Aging and health at the Mother House - they are finding that there is more need for acute care than just skilled nursing. The Council is working on how best to serve our sisters, and working on more training for the aides and nurses working in Ross. There is renovation going on in Ross because of things like mold. There has been a lot of moving to temporary room assignments.
• There are challenges for the sisters who have entered since 1980. There are 13 of them. The Council will meet with them Saturday evening to listen to their needs and brainstorm what they can do for one another and what support can be provided for all of them
• 2008 Fall Wisdom Gatherings will be follow up on Jubilee Days and Regina Bechtel’s talk.
• Public Juridic Person – Sue has been around to the Community and has given the explanation. The process of requesting letters of support from bishop’s where the hospitals are located, has begun.
• People asked about the dates for Jubilee and time schedule.  The information needs to go out soon so that people can make their plans and reservations for travel.

Initial Formation - Task Force:

                        The Task Force is meeting on Sunday. They did a survey of sisters of every age and got a lot of responses. Members are working on collating the information and will make a report. We can invite Ann Schumacher and Susan Chase to come and present that information which has application to Ongoing Formation.

Vincentian Family Gathering

            April 10-13 in New Orleans. OGF will pay for two people to go. Paula Marie had volunteered but wasn’t sure she could get away from school. Peg Johnson and Irene Skeehan are scheduled to attend.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Web Page

            Ann Lucia met with Peg and Stephanie and the On-Going Formation link is set up.
            We must get permission for any articles we want to put in our section. Ann Lucia went on the internet and got some basic information about it. If you find an article that you think would be good, you can get the information from Ann Lucia and check on the copyright before submitting.

            We have a folder for our minutes and agendas. Mary Lex will email these to Peg and they can be put on. The minutes from the last meeting will be sent and a draft copy of these minutes so we get them right away – and they are there more permanently when we need them come fall.

Phase II of Journey of the Heart

            Workshop on the 8^th is the next section of this. Further follow-up will be on future agendas. Sisters Catrina, Nancy and Lynn will be the transition group for Ongoing Formation follow up.

            Since we have been discussing the topic of homosexuality as another step in this journey, at this meeting we heard from Ron McCorkle and Tami Greensberg who shared their stories as a gay man and a lesbian woman. They had two very different stories but they were very enlightening and a good experience for us. Their openness is very much appreciated.

            Catrina brought a couple of resources in case someone would like to do more research. They are

HOMOSEXUALITY,  A Positive Catholic Perspective. Questions and Answers about

            Gay and Lesbian Life; Mt. Rainier, MD: New Ways Ministry

Lopata, Mary Ellen and Casey Lopata, FORTUNATE FAMILIES, Catholic Families   with Lesbian Daughters and Gay Sons, Trafford Publishing.

                        There is also a newsletter from this group.

Lynn and Catrina will work with Nancy to see how we can link the Human Sexuality Workshop with the work of the OGF Team after looking at the evaluations from the workshop.

            Each of us can make a difference by taking a stand on the welcoming side with  our gay brothers and sisters.

Renewal Topics for the future – Eucharist

      The subcommittee worked on Eucharist - Relationship with the Church.. Kevin Marie, Rosalie, Susie and Margie brought a list of resources on the topic of Eucharist.

NEW BUSINESS

Video Program: “A Sacred Trust – Boundary Issues for Clergy and Spiritual Teachers”:          The Community owns a set as does the Great Falls-Billings Diocese. This might be a resource for follow up.

Lynn identified these directions for the future.

Ø      Conciliation/“Making Peace” – This is another program that is available from Great Falls. The introduction of the program requires three days: one for the general information for everyone and two days for training facilitators/conciliators.  We have to look and decide if and how we would do this. Lynn was invited to work with the Council on Monday to follow up on last meeting’s recommendation to the council,  but Linda Roth’s father’s death/funeral has changed that plan.

Ø      Eucharist – Relationship with the Church. Susan Wood’s will be on the Chapter Directive on relationship with the Church. This will be the topic for the spring 2009 Wisdom Gatherings. (Fall Wisdom Gatherings will follow-up on Regina Bechtel’s work at Jubilee Days.)

                     There is a Study Guide on Eucharist by a Jesuit. Lynn will          check   on this link for our web page.  Jerome Hall, SJ:  www.PastoralLiturgy.org has a downloadable version of the study guide “Reflecting on God’s Action in the Eucharist”.

         Margie put a list of resources together on Eucharist. This could be on the           web page as well.

Palliative Care – Catrina suggested that we do something more around palliative care. Nancy reported that some of the staff from Ross have attended workshops, especially Barb Weiseler. Linda Roth and Lucy are working on some further training for Ross staff. Some of the local people who might be resources are Pat Dalyrimple and Dr. Ann Allegri.

It was suggested that the Jubilee Committee work on the prayer(s) for the beginning of the year in the fall since they are most in tune with what is happening.

Membership: Catrina 1-08 begins second term, Kevin Marie and Susie will start a second term at the fall ’08 meeting

Our next meeting will be on Friday October 24, 2008 with the option of attending a day with Joyce Rupp on October 25.

Kevin Marie will do the opening prayer and Maria will do the closing prayer. Rosalie will take care of the refreshments for October 24.

Respectfully submitted:

Mary Lex Smith, SCL

Secretary