Provincial Convokes Provincial Chapter for March 2019

Provincial Convokes Provincial Chapter for March 2019

Fr. Tim Zak

Fr. Tim Zak, our provincial, in a letter on July 11 convoked a provincial chapter to meet at Don Bosco Retreat House in Haverstraw, N.Y., March 19-23, 2019.

The chapter's main focus will be to discuss the theme for the Congregation's next general chapter, the 28th, which will meet during Lent 2020.  That theme is "What kind of Salesians for today's young people."  The Rector Major wishes that theme to be considered from three angles:  the priority of the Salesian mission among today's young people; the profile of the Salesian for today's young people; and collaboration with lay people in the mission and in formation for the mission.

There are also some juridical or legal matter that will be considered, e.g., the structure of the general council and its various departments.

The provincial chapter will also have the task of electing the province's delegate to the general chapter, to accompany the provincial, and a substitute in case the delegate is unable to attend for some reason.  And the chapter will review the Province Handbook (guidelines and procedures for many areas).

Every community and confrere in the province will spend the next several months discussing the general chapter theme and providing fodder for the provincial chapter, which will in turn send its input to those who are preparing GC28.

Fr. Mike Mendl at his editorial work 
in New Rochelle in 2008

(photo by Jo Ann Donahue).

Fr. Provincial and his council nominated your humble blogger for the responsibility of moderator of the provincial chapter.  He said (and wrote) some very nice things about the blogger (having nothing to do with this blog), but we shall not repeat them here.  Your humble blogger was taken by surprise and was reluctant to say "yes," but he felt obliged to do so.  Our Rule doesn't spell out precisely what the moderator's duties are, but in general he is to coordinate all the planning for the chapter, encourage the active participation of the confreres in discussion of the theme, and oversee the timely election of delegates to the chapter.

Fr. Tim appointed an all-star roster of confreres to serve on the preparatory committee assisting yours truly: Fr. Tom Dunne, Bro. Bill Hanna, Fr. Luc Lantagne, Fr. Dave Moreno, Fr. Tom Ruekert, and Fr. Steve Shafran.  That group includes 3 former provincials and the moderator of the last chapter, and all together is an assembly of vast experience and commitment to the Salesian mission of working for the salvation of the young and the poor and those who have never received the Gospel.