Send us out Lord, with your help we have nothing to fear

On 19th February 2009, the General Superior, Fr Anthony Chantry sent out a letter to all members of St Joseph's Missionary Society to convoke the 17th General Chapter.

Chapter Convocation letter

In compliance with the directive from Chapter 2005 to give special consideration for Asia, the General Council has chosen Malaysia as the venue of the Chapter. It will take place at St Peter's College, Kuching, Malaysia from 18th May until 6th June 2010. It is taking place two months earlier than usual to accomodate the timetable of the College.

The theme of the Chapter is "I will not fail you" (Heb 13:5). In the face of diminishing resources in a world thirsting for Good News, this theme embodies a call to trust firmly in God who has promised that he will not fail us. Our prayer is: Send us out Lord, with your help we have nothing to fear.

The General Chapter

“The General Chapter seeks to lead the Society to renewed dedication to its missionary calling.” (C55) The General Chapter reviews the life and activities of the Society and establishes policy guidelines. It receives a report on the state of the Society from the General Superior and Councillors on the Society's activities within their area of sphere of work. The Chapter is also responsible for electing the next General Council that will serve the Society for the next five years.

The Chapter Delegates

The Chapter is composed of ex officio, elected and co-opted memebrs. Delegates are elected and co-opted to represent the Society and not any particular individuals, regions or interests. They also represent the range of experience and wisdom available in the Society.

After a process of nominations and election, twenty-two delegates from various Mission Areas and Home Regions and four observers have been chosen to participate in the Chapter which will deliberate various issues of interest to the Society.

Composition of the Chapter

Chapter Preparation Committee

A Chapter Preparation Committee has been appointed by the General Council in accordance with D63 of the Constitution.

“The General Council appoints a committee to collate suggestions and proposals made by the Members and Associates, individually or in groups, for submission to the Chapter.”

The Committee Members are:

John McCluskey, Bernard Fox, Ivan Fang, Kathleen McGhee (Facilitator), Michael Corcoran.

Sr. Kathleen McGhee is the former Provincial of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. She was born in Clydebank, Glasgow though she has spent many years in England.

it is also a task of the Committee to work out the procedure and process which the Chapter will follow. There will also be other tasks that the Committee has been entrusted with such as making available to Regionals, Society Representatives, Contact Persons and the Delegates documentation that are relevant to the Chapter.

Pre-Chapter Meetings

Over the next few months before the Chapter, members and associates are encouraged to make use of every opportunity to deliberate on the various documents made available to them. This documentation, together with the Society Assembly 2008 Document, would be the basis for Pre Chapter meetings, local Assemblies and all other Mill Hill meetings, to raise, reflect upon and discuss the issues that will be presented to the Chapter. All area reports are to be presented to the Chapter Preparation Committee by 15^th January 2010.

Personal Submissions

Members and Associates are also invited to contribute to the discussion on the various topics and issues by making personal submissions.

All the submissions should be sent to the following two addresses:

Michael Corcoran   counreg@millhillmissionaries.com

Ivan Fang     office@millhillmissionaries.com

All personal submissions made by the Members and Associates are to be forwarded to the Chapter Preparation Committee by 15th January 2010.

Once the various submissions have been received, the Chapter Preparation Committee will collate and summarise the various issues that have come up and these will be presented to the Chapter for deliberation.

Availability and Accessibility of Documentation

All relevant documents and personal submissions received by the Chapter Committee are forwarded to the Regionals, Society Representatives, Group Leaders, Delegates and Observers.  They are to ensure that the membership in their respective areas has access to the documentation.

These documents and personal submissions are also available on the internet via the Chapter Blogspot which is only available to members and associates of the Society.  To view the documentation online, members and associates have to be invited to be given access to the blog.  The blog is especially useful for those who wish to comment on the various documents and personal submissions that have been received by the Chapter Preparation Committee.  Comments can be posted easily on the blog and this allows for a wider debate on issues pertaining to the Chapter.

To receive an invitation for accessibility, please send an email to the Secretary General at office@millhillmissionaries.com who will put you on as a viewer of the Blog.

You will receive an email with a message that reads:

The Blogger user Secretary General has invited you to read the private blog: MHM Chapter 2010.

To view this blog, visit:

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Bookmark this link http://mhm-chapter2010.blogspot.com/  and use it to access the Chapter blog.   You will always be asked for your username and password in order to access the blog.

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