The 2019 Provincial Chapter of the St. Philip Province opened on Tuesday, March 19, with a morning of recollection and Mass of St. Joseph, the latter celebrated by Fr. Tim Ploch, member of the SDB general council, who is at present conducting an extraordinary visitation of the province in the name of the Rector Major. (Every province in the Congregation is so visited every 6 years; it's "extraordinary" in that ordinarily the provincial carries out the annual visitation of the houses and the works of the province.)
On Tuesday morning the chapter members observed a half day of recollection. Bro. Tom Dion, a member of the provincial council who represented our province at the 26th General Chapter, gave a conference based on the lead articles of the Constitutions concerning the provincial and general chapters, stressing their importance for the communion that they foster among the capitulars and in the communities they represent.
Fr. Ploch presided at the Mass of St. Joseph on the 19th. His homily spoke of St. Joseph's virtues as models for our SDB imitation.
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| Chapter members discussing one of the documents that will go to Rome. |
Chapter sessions began on Tuesday afternoon with the provincial's report on the state of the province and discussion thereof, followed by committee meetings on the five topics of next year's general chapter.
On Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning the chapter members discussed three of those five topics: what young people think of the Salesians; what Salesians think young people expect of them; and the profile and formation of today's Salesian. On Wednesday afternoon they took up the other two topics: the collaboration of lay people and Salesians in the shared Salesian mission; and various juridical concerns. In the evening there was a discussion of safe environment concerns (for the protection of young people in our works).
Most of Thursday was given to various sections of the Province Handbook (policy statements), such as finances, formation, care for senior SDBs, and general administration. There was also a presentation on the province's youth ministry plan, part of which involves policy.
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| Fr. Tim Zak guiding discussion of one part of the Province Handbook. |
Two of the 5 documents that will be sent to SDB headquarters in Rome for GC28 were given final approval on Thursday. The other 3, after various revisions, were approved on Friday, as were the separate components of the Handbook.
Finally, on Friday the chapter elected our province delegate to GC28 (which will meet in Turin from the end of February next year until early April). It was a surprise to your humble blogger, a veteran of about half a dozen chapters (usually as a humble secretary), that it took just 2 ballots to elect the delegate: Fr. Mike Conway, director of the "Washington" community, who received 24 of the 40 votes. And it took only 1 ballot to elect a substitute delegate (in case Fr. Mike will be unable to attend): Fr. Abe Feliciano, the province's delegate for youth ministry. Fr. Abe got 22 votes out of 40.
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| Frs. Abe Feliciano, Tim Ploch, Tim Zak, and Mike Conway |
The chapter's 4 days were marked by a great spirit of fraternity among the 40 capitulars (and 2 secretaries), who came from all over the province: Canadians, Americans, foreign confreres on loan from their home provinces, and immigrant members of our province. We prayed together, ate together, laughed together, and shared together common concerns both personal and pastoral.
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