the OCDS view: Delegate Report

Dear Carmelites,

There have been questions asked about our province’s revised statute that a member of your local council cannot serve more than two consecutive terms. The original statute stipulated that condition for only your president, but Rome approved our extension of the limitation to include all local council members. What this means is that we are no longer allowed to merely re-arrange the furniture at election time in 2008. “Re-arranging the furniture” means electing someone already on the council president or formation director, then having the former president or formation director move down to simple councillor position. The statute applies to all five council members. The president and formation director are both councilors. So if you’ve been formation director since 2002 (that’s two consecutive terms), you cannot be elected president in 2008 (because that would be a third consecutive term on the council).

The reason for the statute is to promote leadership in our canonical communities. The statute does not apply to our Study Groups where councillors are not elected but appointed. Nevertheless the same principle applies to them as well, given the added in factor that our Groups have a more limited pool of personnel from which to choose. We need to keep rotating our leaders. Part of belonging to an organization that elects their leaders is that sometimes you are in and sometimes you are out (out of the loop of the decision makers of your community). This is always hard to take for those who have been in a long time --to find themselves suddenly excluded from the inner circle. But it’s a simple fact of political life that we must adjust to in our community relations.

Another thing to consider as you prepare for elections next year is this. Always plan to have some new blood on the council so everyone’s eligibility for office does not expire at the same time. It always seems best to have some councillors left to help make the transition from one term’s council to the next a smooth one. The provincial council will keep this in mind if you decide to postulate a council member for a third term when all the others have been in for two consecutive terms. Postulation means asking the Provincial superiors (myself and the Councillors) for permission to be dispensed from the general law for a serious reason.

--Fr. John Michael OCD, prov delg.

Kansas

The evening of Thursday July 12 began at Holy Name church in Topeka with meditation at 5:00 pm followed by the Profession Mass celebrated by Assistant James Moster OFM Cap. Left to right: Geri Prather, Sheila Head and Marian Ganser made their Definitive Promise. Geri is a councillor, and Marian has served a secretary. Guests at the reception after our meeting were Marian’s husband Mike, Sheila’s husband Kevin, and Geri’s friend Mary Kay. Both Mary Kay and Debbie’s friend Sharon shared how they have become interested in Carmel. Congratulations Geri, Marian and Sheila.

Louisiana

Former Councillor Rachél Stevens requested voluntary release from her Promises and vow in August. Mary Mother of Grace Community of Lafayette offered Rachél inactive status, as health issues were reasons given; but she decided to “relinquish the benefits of membership.” The council, on 07-Aug-07granted her request “with compassionate understanding for your difficult decision, and sorrow for the community's loss.” Rachél was a wonderful and valued member of our order. We will miss her.

DeRidder lost their Assistant when Fr. Daniel Torres was reassigned. I await word from this Study Group as to who they recommend I appoint as their new Assistant. Howard Duhon plans to make his First Promise in October in Lafayette at the hands of Fr. Kieran Kavanaugh OCD.

Tennesse

At our July 15, 2007, meeting of the OCDS Group of the Holy Spirit in Knoxville, Tennessee, we celebrated a profession and a clothing.

This picture, shows the First Promise of Dorothy Terheyden. Fr. John Dowling, our Spiritual Assistant, [left] and our Formation Director, Jan Hicks, OCDS, receive the profession of Dot [right]. Reception of the Scapular was given to Susana Navarro-Valenti. The picture shown in our last Flos Carmeli was of a retreat hosted by Knoxville.

Iowa
Sioux City’s Council and Visitator has suggested the Provincial Council appoint Steve Vacha coordinator, and Stephen Ramsay Director of Formation for a Group in Discernment to be formed in the state of Nebraska. We are also overseeing a newly formed group in South Dakota.

Texas

New assistant appointed for New Caney. Deacon Scott Matz has served us well for the past few years; I appointed him on 28-Apr-03. Job, family and deaconate obligations forced him to resign his position on 31-Aug-07. On October 2, I appointed the other deacon at St John of the Cross parish where our community meets each month. The new Spiritual Assistant is Deacon Bob Keller.

I gave a retreat on St. Therese for our Houston Carmelites from Sept 14-16 at Deertrail Rd. This retreat was hosted by San Juan de la Cruz community, but members fro

m New Caney and St. Therese also attended. At the final liturgy we clothed five new novices, and I received the Definitive Promises of Leta Melder from the Community of the Most Holy Trinity in New Caney [left], Mary Cano [below] and Jerry McBeth [right] from San Juan de la Cruz community.

The profession Mass was celebrated on Sunday 16-Sep-07 at 11:00 am, and preceded by the clothings.

When we celebrate both clothings and professions at the same time, it is preferable to perform the admission ritual before or after Mass, and the profession ritual after the homily of the Mass. Confusion often rises as the ritual states that the admission ceremony “is held during a liturgy of the Word.” Notice that the introduction to our ritual does not state that the admission rite is performed “during a Eucharistic liturgy,” as it does for the rite of Promises. The solemnity of our professions is emphasized by making the Promises during Mass, and having our clothings outside the Mass, preferably after the reading of the Divine Office which would be “a liturgy of the Word.”

Visitation of our original Houston community has been rescheduled from October to January of next year due to scheduling conflicts. Councillor Natalie Ocansey has moved to the California province.