Marist Fathers Provincial Chapter
By Fr Bob Barber sm The Australian Marist Fathers held their 4- yearly Provincial Chapter in the Colin Library at Hunters Hill from 20 – 24th October. Twenty delegates elected by the Province and four observers, from the General Administration in Rome and the neighbouring provinces of New Zealand and Oceania, took part in the four days of meeting.
The Chapter is the occasion when a religious group reviews the years since the last Chapter and sets its goals and mission for the period until the next Chapter. It is the principal governing body of a religious group. Between Chapters it is the role of the Provincial and his Council to see that the decisions of the Chapter are carried out.
Apart from a number of reports to consider, including a Provincial’s Report, a Finance Report and the reports of a number of Provincial committees, the Chapter has to consider a number of proposals that are submitted by members of the Province or the General Administration (Rome) and to make decisions on them.
A number of the challenges and issues the Australian Marist Fathers Chapter had to deal with were the result of our ageing Province, the shrinking pool of men who were available for posting, and the prioritising of our various works to see where the limited manpower and energy could be spent. The Australian Chapter also had to prepare for the General Chapter of the worldwide Marist Fathers group to be held in Rome in eleven months time.
Probably the biggest issue to be discussed at the Chapter concerned s o m e k i n d o f “reconfiguration” with the New Zealand Marist Fathers. This reconfiguration would be a joining together or it would involve working more closely with them in some way.
The New Zealanders in their Chapter, held a week later than the Australian Chapter, were to look at the same proposals concerning reconfiguration that a Working Party from the two Provinces prepared.
The outcome of the discussion on reconfiguration was that both Provinces agreed to eventually merge and form one province but the two units preferred to follow quite different steps to achieve this and according to a different timeline. How the two groups move forward from this apparent impasse will be decided by the two Provincials and others over coming months.
The charism and spirituality given by the Marist founders was not to one group but to many. Being Marist is not reserved to four groups of religious sisters, brothers or priests but was given just as authentically to lay people. While the future of ageing Marist religious is a major concern the future of Marist laity seems much more alive and full of promise. Aware of this and aware that our lay Marist brothers and sisters can look at what we, Marist Brothers and Fathers of the Society of Mary, can offer to the Church and world from a different perspective, the Chapter decided to invite a panel of four lay Marists to look at our mission and future with us.
This occurred when Maria Baden (President of Marist Laity Australia), John Burton, Sue Edwards and Ralph Fitzgerald joined the Chapter on the morning of the third day. These people with their many years of being Marist in their own right and long association with the Marist Fathers group gave an invaluable contribution to the Chapter.
Sub Mariae Nomine 
Ralph Fitzgerald, John Burton, Sue Edwards, Maria Baden with Father Provincial Paul Cooney sm | |
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News December 2008 |
