Carrier Pigeon Communications. Saint Barbara Province Chapter 2016 Mission San Luis Rey, California. Thursday, January 14, 2016.

Transcription

1 Carrier Pigeon Communications Saint Barbara Province Chapter 2016 Mission San Luis Rey, California Thursday, January 14, 2016 Morning Thursday, the last full day of Chapter business, began with our newly elected Vicar Provincial Martin Ibarra presiding at Mass. Martin shared a story in his homily about his grandfather; when Martin entered the friars formation program, he said his grandfather s reaction was less than encouraging. He told me I don t see a vocation in you, Martin recalled. But things change, his grandfather came around, and Martin was able to minister the last rites to his grandfather before he died. It was a beautiful, touching story, full of that personal warmth for which Martin is known, and a wonderful way to start the day. After yet another substantial breakfast (the food will be hard for some of us to leave behind), the friars congregated for Morning Prayer in the parish chapel, and then moved over to the Serra Center (aka, the Chapel Hall) for another day of discussion and elections. Prior to the business of the day, Anthony Garibaldi introduced Sr. Colleen Byrne,

2 OSC, abbess of the Poor Clare monastery in Spokane, who attended some of the morning Chapter session along with Sr. Debbie Brown, OSC, another member of the community. Sr. Colleen told the friars that we are in their prayers daily, and assured the assembly, We re always there for you. She also extended an offer for friars to stay at the Poor Clare monastery s guesthouse in Spokane for anyone looking for a little quiet reflection. The Chapter moved on with Adrian Peelo continuing to read from the Rule, beginning with Chapter 5 and concluding with the end of Chapter 6, in which the friars are encouraged to care for the sick brothers as they would want to be cared for themselves. Visitor General Francisco O Conaire then took the speaker s podium to read the Minister General s letter to the Chapter. It was a very personalized message, including a number of points and realities particular to the Province of St. Barbara. In it the Minister General noted that elections were a substantial part of Chapter business, but emphasized that the most important aspect of a Provincial Chapter was that the life and activity of the friars is renewed and revitalized. This, according to the MG, is the responsibility of every friar a responsibility that is fostered by teamwork, collaboration, and good communication. The Minister General s letter likewise emphasized the importance of interprovincial collaboration, especially as it pertains to the newer friars, and encouraged the Province to see the interprovincial restructuring process as being particularly significant for the friars who have joined us recently. The Minister General s letter included a number of other salient items as well, including the recent canonization of St. Junipero Serra, the important role of the guardians in the life of fraternity, and the financial and vocational challenges faced by the Province. The full text of the Minister General s letter is available to those who wish to read it in its entirety. After hearing from the Minister General via the Visitor General, Anthony Garibaldi once again introduced the Chapter canonist (Ken Laverone) and parliamentarians (Sebastian Sandoval and Charles Talley), and the

3 Chapter went on to discuss and vote on the three remaining Chapter proposals: Proposal #1 Convocation of an Extraordinary Chapter before August 2017; Proposal #3 Removal of Article 65 from the Particular Statutes of the Province, which dealt with the nomination of guardians and vicars by the local friar community; and Proposal #4 Creation of an Ad Hoc Committee to review and propose changes to the Special Statutes that govern Provincial Chapters. Brief discussion followed about each proposal, with Raymond Bucher providing the genesis of Article 65 (nomination of guardians and vicars the subject of Proposal #3) and Mel Jurisich offering similar historical background and context about the initial development of the Special Statutes for the Provincial Chapter. All three of the Chapter Proposals passed easily, with the final proposal (Proposal #4) receiving a unanimous vote of approval. The morning session of Thursday s business ended with friars telling stories about how their own lives have been revitalized by a particular event or interaction. After some table talk, a few of the stories were shared with the Chapter at large. Garret Edmunds spoke eloquently about the bravery and commitment of various friars in the Custody of the Holy Land, including friars who have refused to leave their ministries in Syria despite being kidnapped (more than once) and being attacked by missile fire while celebrating Mass.

4 Tommy King told a moving story about a man in the Tenderloin who asked to be blessed during the Blessing of the Animals, saying that he considered himself an animal. Tommy recounted how John Luat Nguyen didn t miss a beat, responding to the man, You re not an animal, you re a son of God, and I d be happy to bless you. Didacus Clavel s story also involved the Blessing of the Animals, this one at a Methodist church. It was the first time I was asked to go to a Methodist church to bless Methodist animals, he said, claiming that some of the Methodists tried to convert me. And both Adrian Peelo and Joe Baur told stories about how friars and others have warmly and caringly responded to them when they were sick. Story-sharing completed, the friars adjourned the morning session of the Chapter and sought lunch in the Mission dining room. Afternoon/Evening Back in the Chapter Hall after lunch, the main order of business for the afternoon session was the election of definitors. The election process proceeded smoothly and briskly, with the first ballot yielding five definitors and the second ballot providing the final one. The 2016 Definitorium is: Garrett Galvin, Anthony Garibaldi, John Guiterrez, Dan Lackie, Bill Minkel, and Joe Schwab. May God continue to bless these fine men and their willingness to serve!

5 After this epic election cycle, the friars went over to the parish chapel for Evening Prayer. This was followed by a delightful social and yet another amazing dinner.