MMAF General Assembly--May 2000

Sunday / 21 May 2000

Seated on the floor after mass
Today was a totally free day. Some people left yesterday afternoon to visit friends and relatives overnight but a few remained at Stony Point. These and the early returnees had a liturgy tonight at 7:30 PM. One of the many informal discussion at the assembly
Heidi Cerneka (Brazil), Mary Mallahan Hicken (USA), Alicia Butkewitz (Bolivia), and Joe Regotti (Mexico) get together after the Sunday evening liturgy.

Monday / 22 May 2000

Judy Ress explains her diagram of what a new leadership structure would look like. Her model replaced the area coordinators with a regional representative. Members watching the discussion
Tom Rowan, Mike Duggan, Joe Rigotti, and Kathy Vargas follow the discussion on leadership models.

Part of the Asia Area presentation
Hey, who are those two guys in skirts?! Charlie Dittmeier and Pat Capuano demonstrate the Cantonese and Khmer languages as part of the Asian presentation. A THOUGHT FROM THE ASSEMBLY DISCUSSIONS:
MMAAF needs to be a learning community. We can't talk an issue to death, talking until we're 100% sure what to do. Instead we need to let people experiment and then report back on what happens. And we have to expect failures. They are part of learning and getting experience.

Tuesday / 23 May 2000

The steering committee
Facilitator Barbara Miller works with a five-person steering committee to plan how the assembly issues will be dealt with by the participants. Three participants of the assembly in a lively discussion
Sr. Ellen McDonald, Vicki Armour- Hileman, and Mary Mallahan Hicken discuss the session on leadership which just ended.

Gerry Lee catches up on some note-taking on his laptop. The Latiin America area in a meeting
After we finished work for today, all the area groups were supposed to meet to discuss various options for a leadership structure before we resume tomorrow morning. Here northern Latin America discusses the possibilities.

Wednesday / 24 May 2000

Baby Grace and mom and Dad
One of the central figures of this assembly has been Baby Grace Griffin seen here with mom Lisa Nolan and dad Dan Griffin. Grace is always in the middle of the goings-on, offering various comments and admonitions. Peru reconciliation service
This morning's opening prayer featured a Peruvian reconciliation ceremony. Peruvians are very conscious of establishing right relationships with God and each other before beginning their work.

Notetaker Karen Halbert
Throughout the week, several people have rotated as note takers. Today Karen Halbert came over from Bethany to take a turn at the computer. Evening BBQ at the seminary
This evening all the assembly participants were invited to the seminary for a BBQ with the members of the Society US Region who are having their assembly this week. The sun came out finally for a beautiful evening together. Thanks, Society!

Thursday / 25 May 2000

The new MMAF leadership
The new MMAF leadership elected today: Gerry Lee, Sheila Matthews, and Pat Capuano

A blessing for the outgoing leadership
At morning prayer today, the outgoing CCT received a farewell blessing and gratitude for their work over the past six years. Here Mary Mallahan Hicken blesses Vicki Armour-Hileman with incense. The outgoing CCT receive some gifts
Vicki Armour-Hileman, Tom Rowan, and Sheila Matthews receiving gifts of African wall hangings in gratitude for their dedicated service to the Association.

Discussion during the election process
The election process provided time for individuals to reflect and consult about choices for the CCT leadership. Examining and African wood carving
Dan Griffin (right) explains an African wood carving to Jim Noonan, showing the series of generations represented in one family.

Friday / 26 May 2000

Group shot of assembly participants

Morning prayer, led by Tom Rowan, was outside and focused on the prayer intention cards that have been sent to MMAF by our donors. Our final prayer time in the chapel area
After morning prayer we gathered a final time in our prayer space inside (mainly for a photograph by the director of Stony Point Center!)

Our group plus the center staff in the labyrinth
Something very beautiful happened during our stay at Stony Point Center. The staff there fell in love with us! We were the longest-staying group they had ever had, and they decided last night to give us a pizza party and today they asked us to meet with them on a labyrinth on the grounds where we exchanged gifts. Closing liturgy back at Bethany
Our closing liturgy was back at Bethany at 3:00 PM, and we were joined by all the Bethany staff plus Society and Congregation members and other friends.

A blessing of the new leaders
Each of the new leaders was blessed by the group with representatives from the Society, Congregation, Bethany, Staff, and Affiliates. Taking the light back to our areas
At the opening ceremony we symbolically carried the light from our mission areas to the assembly. Now we took light from the assembly candle and lit candles representing our four areas.

The End

Go to the GA2000 home page
Go to the Assembly at Bethany page
Go to the Assembly at Stony Point (Week 1) page
Go to Charlie Dittmeier's home page

Sunday / 21 May 2000
Today was a totally free day. Some people left yesterday afternoon to visit friends and relatives overnight but a few remained at Stony Point. These and the early returnees had a liturgy tonight at 7:30 PM.	Heidi Cerneka (Brazil), Mary Mallahan Hicken (USA), Alicia Butkewitz (Bolivia), and Joe Regotti (Mexico) get together after the Sunday evening liturgy.

Monday / 22 May 2000
Judy Ress explains her diagram of what a new leadership structure would look like. Her model replaced the area coordinators with a regional representative.	Tom Rowan, Mike Duggan, Joe Rigotti, and Kathy Vargas follow the discussion on leadership models.
Hey, who are those two guys in skirts?! Charlie Dittmeier and Pat Capuano demonstrate the Cantonese and Khmer languages as part of the Asian presentation.	A THOUGHT FROM THE ASSEMBLY DISCUSSIONS: MMAAF needs to be a learning community. We can't talk an issue to death, talking until we're 100% sure what to do. Instead we need to let people experiment and then report back on what happens. And we have to expect failures. They are part of learning and getting experience.

Tuesday / 23 May 2000
Facilitator Barbara Miller works with a five-person steering committee to plan how the assembly issues will be dealt with by the participants.	Sr. Ellen McDonald, Vicki Armour- Hileman, and Mary Mallahan Hicken discuss the session on leadership which just ended.
Gerry Lee catches up on some note-taking on his laptop.	After we finished work for today, all the area groups were supposed to meet to discuss various options for a leadership structure before we resume tomorrow morning. Here northern Latin America discusses the possibilities.

Wednesday / 24 May 2000
One of the central figures of this assembly has been Baby Grace Griffin seen here with mom Lisa Nolan and dad Dan Griffin. Grace is always in the middle of the goings-on, offering various comments and admonitions.	This morning's opening prayer featured a Peruvian reconciliation ceremony. Peruvians are very conscious of establishing right relationships with God and each other before beginning their work.
Throughout the week, several people have rotated as note takers. Today Karen Halbert came over from Bethany to take a turn at the computer.	This evening all the assembly participants were invited to the seminary for a BBQ with the members of the Society US Region who are having their assembly this week. The sun came out finally for a beautiful evening together. Thanks, Society!

Thursday / 25 May 2000
The new MMAF leadership elected today: Gerry Lee, Sheila Matthews, and Pat Capuano
At morning prayer today, the outgoing CCT received a farewell blessing and gratitude for their work over the past six years. Here Mary Mallahan Hicken blesses Vicki Armour-Hileman with incense.	Vicki Armour-Hileman, Tom Rowan, and Sheila Matthews receiving gifts of African wall hangings in gratitude for their dedicated service to the Association.
The election process provided time for individuals to reflect and consult about choices for the CCT leadership.	Dan Griffin (right) explains an African wood carving to Jim Noonan, showing the series of generations represented in one family.

Friday / 26 May 2000

Morning prayer, led by Tom Rowan, was outside and focused on the prayer intention cards that have been sent to MMAF by our donors.	After morning prayer we gathered a final time in our prayer space inside (mainly for a photograph by the director of Stony Point Center!)
Something very beautiful happened during our stay at Stony Point Center. The staff there fell in love with us! We were the longest-staying group they had ever had, and they decided last night to give us a pizza party and today they asked us to meet with them on a labyrinth on the grounds where we exchanged gifts.	Our closing liturgy was back at Bethany at 3:00 PM, and we were joined by all the Bethany staff plus Society and Congregation members and other friends.
Each of the new leaders was blessed by the group with representatives from the Society, Congregation, Bethany, Staff, and Affiliates.	At the opening ceremony we symbolically carried the light from our mission areas to the assembly. Now we took light from the assembly candle and lit candles representing our four areas.
The End