Shaping Our Future
Christian Brothers Oceania
Australia - New Zealand - Papua New Guinea
Newsletter September 2004 Dear Everyone
The Shaping Our Future Committee Oceania (SOFCO) first met formally in May 2003. This is our fifth communication to you and follows our most recent meeting in Christchurch. The Christian Brothers in Christchurch (Norm Gillies, Terry McErlane, Des Fay, Don Murray and Joe Lauren) were most hospitable to the SOFCO members, making us feel very much at home, and they even arranged a fall of snow for us. This is probably a challenge beyond the Papua New Guineans as they prepare for our meeting there in 2005.
A Gathering of Brothers
You will recall in our last newsletter that Brothers Luke Quinn and Laurie Needham were to attend a gathering of North American Brothers in early July. This took place at Cornwall in Canada. The gathering had led to the Congregation Leadership Team approving a restructure of the three North American Provinces (Canada, Eastern and Western USA) in July 2005. The three Provinces will join to become one Province. A region in Latin America will be accountable to this new Province. Laurie and Luke, in discussion with SOFCO, have noted that they experienced a wonderful sense of welcome and Brotherhood from being at the gathering. At the Inter-Province Leadership Committee (Province/Region Leaders and Deputy Province Leaders) recently held in Adelaide (September 8 – 10), a final decision was made on a gathering of the Brothers of Oceania. The Inter-Province Leadership Committee (ILC) approved a proposal from SOFCO that: the gathering be called „Shaping Our Future 2006‟ Shaping Our Future 2006 be held in the first half of January 2006 all Brothers of Oceania be invited to attend.
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SOFCO – Shaping Our Future Committee Oceania The Shaping Our Future Oceania project is a joint venture of the Christian Brothers Leadership Teams of St Patrick’s, St Mary’s, St Joseph’s, St Francis Xavier, Holy Spirit Provinces and the Edmund Rice Region Chairman: Kevin P Ryan cfc Executive Officer: John Corbett cfc
Learnings from the North America gathering will be applied to the Oceania gathering as planning proceeds. These will include practical planning matters, matters related to prayer/liturgy and also to discernment processes. Let us ponder the name, “Shaping Our Future 2006” for a moment. What might be some of the reasons for this name. The proposed gathering is a key activity in the total Shaping Our Future process which extends from 2003–2008. The name suggests that there is a future for Christian Brotherhood in Oceania. While it is not a forum for final decisions, the gathering will certainly be a very significant part of “the shaping” of „new wineskins for new wine’ (cf The Heart of Being Brother document from the 2002 Congregation Chapter.) Many things are happening, and will happen during the remainder of 2004, and in 2005, which will help prepare all of us for Shaping Our Future 2006. These will include: Visitation 2005: o Community visitations throughout Oceania will focus on community living skills. This will be done within a broad framework designed by two of the SOFCO members (Goal 1.1). This broad framework will, of course, be adapted for local conditions and in the light of whatever work has been done in Provinces/Region on this or similar matters over the last year or so. The Oceania wide visitation process will, however, provide one common basis for our discussions and prayer at the as we gather as Brothers in sixteen months time. (Goal 1.1) The Personal and Pastoral Needs of the Brothers: o In the first half of next year an Oceania wide discernment process will be implemented to develop a comprehensive picture of the needs of the Brothers in Oceania. The results of this discernment will provide some of the most critical information necessary for the designing of the new Congregation Structures for Oceania, and in the shorter term will be the basis for much reflection at Shaping Our Future 2006. (Goal 2.4) The Mission of the Congregation in Oceania: o The members of SOFCO wish to thank the Brothers responsible for over 110 responses to the recent consultation on draft 2, of the proposed Mission Focus Statement. As some of these were community responses this is a very high response rate. A third draft will be available for consultation in a few weeks. In the shorter term all the responses to the last consultation will be available from your Region/Province Office. If you wish to receive these please contact your Province or Region Office. (Goal 5.1) o Further reflection on this statement and its implication for the future structures of the Congregation in Oceania will take place during 2005 and at Shaping Our Future 2006. 2
SOFCO – Shaping Our Future Committee Oceania The Shaping Our Future Oceania project is a joint venture of the Christian Brothers Leadership Teams of St Patrick’s, St Mary’s, St Joseph’s, St Francis Xavier, Holy Spirit Provinces and the Edmund Rice Region Chairman: Kevin P Ryan cfc Executive Officer: John Corbett cfc
Other Matters relating to the Shaping Our Future 2006 gathering Reference Group and Facilitator o By April 2005 SOFCO will have more clearly defined the emphasis of Shaping Our Future 2006. Br Bob Wallace who will be Conference Organiser will then, with the Conference Reference Group, which will have a member from each Region and Province, and an appointed facilitator, bring the Conference to fruition. Other activities, in addition to those noted above about Visitations, the Pastoral and Personal Needs of Brothers and the Mission of the Congregation in Oceania, may also be implemented during 2005 to prepare us for the Conference. Website o For many Brothers, consultation, communication and reflection will be assisted by the launch of a website in about four weeks time. The address of the website is cfcoceania.org.au. Br Neil Richards will be the webmaster and more details about the functioning of the website will come to you in a special letter at the time of the launch.
WHAT ELSE IS HAPPENING? Matters of Finance o The business managers of the four Australian Provinces continue to work with SOFCO to deepen and broaden our understanding of the financial situation of the Congregation in the Oceania Region. (Goal 6.2) Our next step, beginning early in 2005, will be to establish assumptions and principles for decision making on future expenditure which are agreed upon across the Region. These will then guide our management of financial resources into the future. (Goal 6.3) Matters to do with Edmund Rice Network (ERN) o SOFCO has come to a deeper understanding of the diverse understandings of the ERN across Oceania. In the light of this SOFCO has, at its last meeting, taken a very significant decision in relation to the SOFCO process and the ERN. o For the purpose of achieving a restructuring of the Congregation in Oceania through the SOFCO process, it has been decided that the process will concentrate on dealing 3
SOFCO – Shaping Our Future Committee Oceania The Shaping Our Future Oceania project is a joint venture of the Christian Brothers Leadership Teams of St Patrick’s, St Mary’s, St Joseph’s, St Francis Xavier, Holy Spirit Provinces and the Edmund Rice Region Chairman: Kevin P Ryan cfc Executive Officer: John Corbett cfc
with „the Brothers‟ as an entity separate from the ERN. The restructuring process will engage the ERN in communication and consultation as appropriate on matters that are critical for them. o It needs to be understood that SOFCO, in making this decision, is simply trying to establish a working arrangement for this planning process. The committee is not wishing to stifle other reflection, now or in the future on „who or what is the ERN?‟
WHAT IS THIS ALL ABOUT? The restructuring of the Congregation „is an urgent call to transform minds and hearts. It facilitates new life in mission and ministry, promotes prophetic religious living and ensures a redistribution of resources in a spirit of fraternity‟.
Yes, it is a matter of “minds” and we hope that much thinking is going on now and will go on between now and “Shaping Our Future 2006”. BUT there needs also to be much individual, community and larger group contemplation of what new life God is calling us to in the deeper recesses of our Congregational Heart. We invite you to bring to your heart and mind the Brothers in each of the other Regions and Provinces in Oceania and ask God to send the Spirit upon them.
We ask you to do that especially for our three Oceania Novices, Fidelis, Andrew and Joachim, who are about three months from concluding their novitiate in Tamale, Ghana.
Br Kevin P Ryan Convenor, Shaping Our Future Committee: Oceania
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SOFCO – Shaping Our Future Committee Oceania The Shaping Our Future Oceania project is a joint venture of the Christian Brothers Leadership Teams of St Patrick’s, St Mary’s, St Joseph’s, St Francis Xavier, Holy Spirit Provinces and the Edmund Rice Region Chairman: Kevin P Ryan cfc Executive Officer: John Corbett cfc