Maryknoll Retreat and Meetings 2010

Meeting Day 1
20 January 2010

After four days of retreat, the focus today shifted to meetings. Maryknoll has a priest and brothers group, a sisters group, and a lay persons group, and today each of these "charisms" met separately to discuss issues particular to their type of religious or lay life.

Breakfast time Sr. Rebecca Macugay and Sr. Sue Gubbins start the day with breakfast together.

Preparing for mass Helen Graham, Peg Vamosy, and Lisa Pirie preparing the music for the morning mass. The mass time moved to 8:00 AM for the rest of the week to facilitate the meeting schedule.

Fr. Tom O'Brien Fr. Tom O'Brien was the priest presider for the mass this morning. He noted it was the first day we were not celebrating something special like the new people or a profession of vows or deceased former members.

MKLM meeting The Maryknoll Lay Missioners had the fullest schedule for today. They also have the largest group so they met in the main meeting room.

Celina Campas The morning was spent on reflections on the past year, and how it affected us and the MKLM. Here Celina Campas from Cambodia puts down some of her thoughts.

Reading the group's reflections Each member of MKLM wrote his or her reflections and then posted them on the wall where the whole group could view them before discussing different ideas raised through the reflections.

Meeting of the Maryknoll priests The Maryknoll priests and brothers also met today. Much of their meeting time was given to catching up with the various individuals and what they have been doing the past year.

Jim Noonan At the end of the morning, Jim Noonan, the Asia desk at the Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns, spoke to the lay mission group about OGC and asked for grassroots input from Asian countries to the office in Washington which lobbies Congress and the United Nations in New York.

Remembering the lay missioners in Asia At the end of the day, the lay missioners had a celebration of all lay men and women who have worked in Southeast Asia with MKLM over the years. A type of mosaic was created by overlaying strips of cloth which contained the names of the almost 90 lay missioners.

MKLM dinner together In the evening all the lay mission group went out to dinner together to welcome the one newly arrived member and to celebrate the lay missioners who are finishing their work with MKLM this year. Some are terminating early because their mission countries are closing in a cost-cutting move.

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	Sr. Rebecca Macugay and Sr. Sue Gubbins start the day with breakfast together.
	Helen Graham, Peg Vamosy, and Lisa Pirie preparing the music for the morning mass. The mass time moved to 8:00 AM for the rest of the week to facilitate the meeting schedule.
	Fr. Tom O'Brien was the priest presider for the mass this morning. He noted it was the first day we were not celebrating something special like the new people or a profession of vows or deceased former members.
	The Maryknoll Lay Missioners had the fullest schedule for today. They also have the largest group so they met in the main meeting room.
	The morning was spent on reflections on the past year, and how it affected us and the MKLM. Here Celina Campas from Cambodia puts down some of her thoughts.
	Each member of MKLM wrote his or her reflections and then posted them on the wall where the whole group could view them before discussing different ideas raised through the reflections.
	The Maryknoll priests and brothers also met today. Much of their meeting time was given to catching up with the various individuals and what they have been doing the past year.
	At the end of the morning, Jim Noonan, the Asia desk at the Maryknoll Office of Global Concerns, spoke to the lay mission group about OGC and asked for grassroots input from Asian countries to the office in Washington which lobbies Congress and the United Nations in New York.
	At the end of the day, the lay missioners had a celebration of all lay men and women who have worked in Southeast Asia with MKLM over the years. A type of mosaic was created by overlaying strips of cloth which contained the names of the almost 90 lay missioners.
	In the evening all the lay mission group went out to dinner together to welcome the one newly arrived member and to celebrate the lay missioners who are finishing their work with MKLM this year. Some are terminating early because their mission countries are closing in a cost-cutting move.