<p> Provincial Gathering Queen of Apostles Retreat House January 10-12 2011</p><p>Present: Sylvia Obrigewitsch, Margie McGrath, Dianna Lieffers, Juliana Heisler, Donna Purdy, Bernadette O’Reilly, Stephanie Schmidts, Josie Germaine, Audrey Doetzel, Jocelyn Monette, Phyllis Kapuscinski, Kay MacDonald, Mary Babic, Mary Ellen Coombe, Margaret Hughes, Jackie Chenard, Audrey Gerwing, Joyce Sinnett, Pauline Greenizan, Elizabeth Losinski, Lucy Thorson, Terry Horvath</p><p>Skype: Catherine Seemann, Virginia Scissons</p><p>Presenter: Desmond Lamont, Life and Pensions. Regrets from Helen Harrington</p><p>January 10, 2011</p><p>Des Lamont presented the actuarial study results for the Congregation:</p><p>An Assessment of Resources available for the Congregation Mission</p><p>January 11, 2011</p><p>Morning Session</p><p>Des Lamont presented the actuarial study results for our province:</p><p>An Assessment of Resources available for the Congregation Mission Canada/US Province</p><p>Bernadette O’Reilly presented a financial report for the province and Budget Comparisons from 2009- 2011.</p><p>Province of Canada/USA Financial Report January 2011</p><p>Congregation of Our Lady of Sion Canada/USA Budget Comparison 2009-2011 Afternoon Session</p><p>Personal Reflection time on 4 questions.</p><p>-How do I feel about all that I have heard, now that we have this information, our own year-end reports and the facts presented by L&P?</p><p>-Is there anything surprising for me, distressing for me?</p><p>-What 2 or 3 facts do I see that might be important sign posts? Name a least 2 facts that you see are going to be important for you/for us?</p><p>-What are 2 or 3 implications of the facts that you see as important? To what do they invite you/us?</p><p>Small group sharing.</p><p>Large group conversation. (Report of individual comments)</p><p>Feelings</p><p>Great appreciation that everything brought to light; nothing hidden Good energy; ready to put it to the deep questions Gratitude for study and Des</p><p>Grateful for how Des helped as get a whole picture of congregation</p><p>Hopeful for the future</p><p>At this point in our history, distance is killing us</p><p>Need to be corporate in our response to these questions; together is important</p><p>Liberation; untied something among us in order to move us forward</p><p>Humble vulnerability that arises from the facts; the truth will set us free</p><p>Life-giving spirit, freedom in our group</p><p>More oneness in the congregation</p><p>Move the life style question forward ; all of us together Closing the door and the door that is opening for us is totally awesome that we cannot even imagine</p><p>Feel energized</p><p>Important Signposts</p><p>Questions around governance – legal structures, very important in work on reconfiguration</p><p>Collaboration with others is essential</p><p>Remember that we are an international congregation; live in a multicultural, multireligious context wherever we are</p><p>Need for strategic planning; we are ready. Need criteria. </p><p>Collaboration re vocations with other areas</p><p>Study is one step in strategic planning; basis for policies on e.g. vocations, formation</p><p>Also need a strategy for Charism</p><p>Aging and decline in numbers at same time coupled with giftedness, wisdom, and passion</p><p>Stewardship – do no t own anything; deep reality check</p><p>Transparency of process; need to carry the transparency forward in our strategic planning</p><p>Our own history – remembering the Sobeco study that really helped us get to this point – also gives us hope; the study is not the last word.</p><p>Even as we make the plan, it will be changing</p><p>Implications</p><p>We have not been good at decisions and actions, but shift of language even to words such as strategic signal that we are ready to act</p><p>Movement toward coming together, maybe two places of coming together – Saskatoon and Toronto</p><p>Need concrete planning right now</p><p>Need for sharing of resources across congregation</p><p>Like suggestion of Des – any profit from selling properties go to a common pot, need this to move justly</p><p>Looking for directives for our mutual care</p><p>Great for words, not for action – think we are now forced to do something</p><p>Think strategically and concretely about future of mission and new membership Face issues of living alone sooner rather than when we have to; this will be difficult</p><p>Better stewardship, personally and communally</p><p>Call and need to establish solidarity fund</p><p>January 11, 2011</p><p>Morning Session</p><p>Overview of “Task and Timelines” Next 15 months: leading to Jan 20, 2012 </p><p>Personal reflection:</p><p>-From the information gathered and shared here in these days and at the regional meetings, what values are being called for in the future?</p><p>-How/where am I, personally, called to change?</p><p>-In what ways might we as a group be called to change?</p><p>-From your life in Sion and in the values shared from the Advent reflections, identify several essential lived values that you want to see continued as we begin to reconfigure?</p><p>Small group sharing.</p><p>Large group conversation. (Report of individual comments.)</p><p>What have these days been like for us, for you?</p><p>Enlightening, learning new information and deepening other information, from L&P, Bernadette but also from conversations</p><p>Good days of listening and learning; also stretched us, invited to have big ears, remember well our past, open eyes, courageous hearts</p><p>Not a bit stressful, even though difficult facts, joyful time</p><p>Time of coming home for me Astounding – spirit is hopeful, connected, courageous. Shift from when we arrived. A liminal moment shared by all of us. Ready to go. Renewed vocation</p><p>Energizing and at same time daunting; information to all at the same time, this is when discernment can happen. This allows us to say what is the next step</p><p>Amazing – back to Ezekiel reading, the bones have started to move. Don’t know the dance steps yet but we are ready to go</p><p>Reception. We have received this – have let the information in and are with it and are ready to move together.</p><p>Lovely family reunion</p><p>How wonderful it is when we come together as sisters.</p><p>Image of being in a car with locked doors, steering wheel and could not go. Realized there are other people in the car with me- the doors are beginning to unlock and we are beginning to go. On an adventure.</p><p>Key was all the preparation for this meeting – back to prep for chapter, the regional meetings, etc. All brought us to this point. Grateful to the planners. Spirit is working with us in these days. All in view of where we have come from.</p><p>What of all we have heard and shared is important to you, and what do you want to remain important for you, as we move forward?</p><p>Need to do research, especially in area of care, before meeting in July</p><p>In our strategic planning and decisions, not determined by finances. Mission is important and need to make prudent financial decisions.</p><p>Transparency – what do we together understand by transparency. Trusting God and each other; trust the sincerity of each other</p><p>Do not lose the threads of the things that were brought up, e.g. vocations, collaboration. Be gatherers of some of these threads.</p><p>We are on the journey together. Together we can do it. Really believe we can together move to a new place</p><p>Diversity. Discern and respect each other. Welcome the diversity of all our gifts.</p><p>Do not lose our connectedness.</p><p>Stewardship</p><p>In planning/preparing for chapter July 2011 -What would help you/us at this moment to continue?</p><p>-What do you/we need now to be ready and prepared for the July Chapter? </p><p>(Report of individual comments)</p><p>Given a lot of information and general directions, some study of this in terms of implications in terms of charism, outreach to associates/friend. Implications in broader perspective</p><p>Impetus from this meeting to strategic planning plus Chapter agenda is reconfiguration. Pursuing the strategic plan will be the way that we reconfigure.</p><p>Research the options of what reconfiguration might look like- that addresses care, charism, etc.</p><p>Personal and area conversations help us. But keep in mind some timelines – 5 years or 10 years down the road. We cannot ask leadership to do strategic planning if we don’t do it as well more concretely.</p><p>Timelines for other areas – vocations, friends/associates. Can we find a process to share what is happening and what is seen ahead? Share over next 5 months</p><p>Communication is really important. Learned here many things did not know about.</p><p>Personally take on responsibility to find out, bring information. Come prepared.</p>