Provincial Plan Text
Provincial Plan 2006 – 2010
St. Vincent brought together as many people as he could, rich and poor, humble and powerful, and used every means to inspire in them a sensitivity to the poor, who are the privileged image of Christ. (Constitutions, Introduction, p.19) We, the members of the Eastern Province of the Congregation of the Mission, having been inspired by St. Vincent de Paul’s charism, will seek over the next four years to grow more deeply ourselves and to inspire and deepen others in this charism.
I. Year One and Year Three: “…to grow more deeply ourselves…”
A. Each Confrere will:
1. Reflect and pray on his understanding and living the charism. 2. Assess in his life and ministry what he needs to do to grow more deeply in the charism 3. Commit to act on his assessment. Some ways of doing this include participation in a house, apostolate, provincial or appendix activity.
B. Each House will:
1. Reflect and pray annually on how its members live the charism. 2. Assess the lived expression of the charism. 3. Commit to act on their assessment. Some ways of doing this include incorporating this action into the house plan, or by participating in an apostolate, provincial or appendix activity as a house. C. The Province (us as a whole) will: 1. Reflect and pray on how we are living the charism. Some of the ways of doing this include participation in the annual retreat or convocation and by an activity in the appendix. 2. Assess our lived expression of the charism. 3. Commit to grow in a particular expression of the charism as revealed by the assessment.
II. Year Two and Year Four: “…to inspire and deepen others in this charism.”
A. Each Confrere will: 1. Familiarize himself with how the Vincentian charism is expressed and lived by those with whom he ministers through dialogue and reflection with them. 2. Assess how the Vincentian charism could be better promoted among those with whom he ministers. 3. Commit to act on his assessment. B. Each Head of the Ministry with the confreres in the Ministry will: 1. Study how the Vincentian charism is expressed and lived by this ministry. 2. Assess how the Vincentian charism could be better promoted in this ministry, especially with immigrants and youth. 3. Commit to act on the assessment. Some ways of doing this are by initiating a youth group, by promoting membership in the Congregation of the Mission and other branches of the Vincentian Family, by encouraging Vincentian Spirituality and our particular view of Gospel living and by doing an activity in the appendix. C. The Province will: 1. Study and gather ways in which the confreres and apostolates may be assisted in their collaboration with their co-workers and the Vincentian Family. 2. Assess and determine the best ways, both locally and corporately, to assist the confreres to inspire and deepen the expression of the charism in the apostolates. 3. Commit to act on the assessment. Some ways of doing this are by sponsoring regional gatherings of the Vincentian Family members, by publishing and making available Vincentian resources and by doing an activity in the appendix. III. Evaluation and Outcomes A. The provincial shall appoint someone to review the implementation of the Provincial Plan. B. Each house at the end of one year shall evaluate whether this plan is effective in deepening and inspiring the charism. C. The house plan in years one and three will reflect the local community’s commitment to growth in the charism. D. As part of his house visitation, the provincial shall discuss with each confrere his growth in the Vincentian charism as promoted in this plan. E. Each Provincial Newsletter will have an article about this Provincial Plan created by the Provincial administration. F. In years two and four, the head of a ministry will give to the provincial a copy of their study, assessment and commitment (II. a. 2.).
Appendix
Confreres - Possible Activities to Fulfill the Provincial Plan
- Read what the Province sends
- Participate in Provincial workshops/presentations
- Do the On-line study of the Constitutions
- Be attentive to the young and the ways in which their idealism and energy may be attracted by and directed toward our charism
- Read various Pastoral letters on the subject of immigrants such as "Strangers No Longer," "The Hispanic Experience in the United States." "Many Faces in God's House," "Encuentro & Mission," "Welcoming the Stranger Among Us: Unity in Diversity," and Pope John Paul's Exhortation "Ecclesia in America." The confreres will use House Meetings and Sharing of the Word to discuss these various documents.
- Invite others to use our formational resources in Brooklyn, North Carolina, Oyster Bay, Panama, Philadelphia, and Princeton.
- Create/invent an activity appropriate to you.
Possible House/Ministry Activities to fulfill Provincial Plan
- Share what we know with our lay collaborators (those who work with us and believe in this charism – including religious & laity) by giving a presentation or talk about St. Vincent, his charism and our work(s).
- Pray and celebrate, both socially and liturgically, the Charism with other Vincentian groups and with religious & laity who work with us and believe in this Charism.
- Plan a monthly prayer around a Vincentian theme.
- Focus on creating a Vincentian youth group from existing adult/youth groups or immigrant groups by inviting their young adult friends and relatives.
- a. Fundamentals for the group are prayer and work with the poor.
- b. The group should be visited by the vocation director annually.
- Be attentive to the young and the ways in which their idealism and energy may be attracted by and directed toward our charism
- Pray and reflect with other groups and religious & laity on Vincentian themes, particularly on our common feasts.
- Invite a group who shares the Vincentian Charism to tell the house about its work.
- Visit annually, as a house, one of the ministries of a Vincentian group.
- Invite others to use our formational resources in Brooklyn, North Carolina, Oyster Bay, Panama, Philadelphia, and Princeton.
- Create/invent an activity appropriate to the house/ministry.
Possible Provincial Activities to fulfill Provincial Plan
- Appoint someone to inventory the activities of formation in the Vincentian Charism in our apostolates and distribute them to all confreres. It should emphasize “good practices” that are applicable/useable in all apostolates.
- Have each group of our ministries give a presentation at a day workshop on how they form others, especially youth, in the Vincentian Charism.
- a. Have an individual at this workshop note activities that are formational
- b. Distribute to each house/confrere these notes.
- Form a committee to put together a program on Immigration to be presented at an annual provincial gathering. This program should address the issues of immigration in a deeper manner.
- Form a committee to put together a program on 21-35 year old people. It should include demographics, what they like and how to attract them. Research Specialists and “youth” theologians should be a part of this.
- Sponsor an annual workshop on developing Vincentian preaching, spiritual direction, advocacy and/or formation.
- Open an annual provincial gathering to those who collaborate with us in our ministries, especially the immigrant poor ministries; we should also invite our collaborators from the wider Vincentian Family.
- Hold a 4 – 6 hour workshop on a Vincentian theme.
- Invite other U.S. Provinces, especially the New England Province, to give presentations on 1 & 2 above.
- Send Vincentian themed Advent and Lenten Readings.
- Suggest Monthly Readings from St. Vincent de Paul.
- Convene 5 area gatherings (Niagara Falls/Buffalo, New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Charlotte/Greensboro) of Vincentian Family Members for mutual sharing and possible collaboration.
- Use both the Superiors' Meeting and its accompanying Education Day to offer to the Confreres an overview on the issues of immigration or youth.
- Create/invent an activity appropriate to the province.
