30 September 2002
Monday
The meetings began this morning with the reports from the Africa, Asia, Latin America, and US areas, giving a broad overview of conditions in the Maryknoll sites around the world. The numbers and placement of personnel were noted, but more focus was given to issues that have arisen in the different areas and to new challenges and developments that need to be addressed. The ALT also reported on their activities and the state of the MMAF from their vantage point.
In the afternoon we started meetings with the planning committee for the General Assembly to be held in May, 2003. Heidi Cerneka, Mary Mallahan Hicken, and Lisa Nolan are the members of this committee, and they focused mainly on the agenda preparation. Ideas for agenda had been sought from around the world, and they have compiled that input into a suggestion of four major areas on which they would like now to get more feedback.
Overall the plans for the assembly are proceeding well. Ruby, one of the resource people for the assembly, joined our meeting to help with the discussion about agenda and process.
The Society began their Chapter today and the Congregation their Assembly. Joe Regotti is a MMAF observer at the Chapter and Jim Campion at the Assembly.
The photo shows a goodbye lunch held last week for Kate Pendzuk who is leaving the Finance Office after four years with MMAF. She will be working with her husband in their family security alarm business.
1 October 2002
Tuesday
This morning Heidi Cerneka led a morning prayer for the ALT+5 and the candidates.Then the ALT+5 continued their discussions about the 2003 general assembly. An issue this morning was whether the Area Representatives at the assembly should have both voice and vote. The handbook gives them only voice but some feel strongly that they should be allowed to vote also. The ALT heard all the different ideas and will decide on this question soon.
Later in the morning the ALT+5 finished their work on the new strategic plan, looking at both the content again for minor revisions and then proposing a process for finalizing the document.
Lunch was with the candidates today as was supper. A local caterer brings in the food which is always simple fare like sub sandwiches for lunch and pasta and broiled chicken and salad for supper. Only three lunches a week are brought in for the candidates. The other days they prepare their own food in the kitchens on the various floors.
In the afternoon the +5 (the Area Reps) met with all the candidates to answer various questions they had proposed. The first two hours were in a general forum and then we broke into area groups for more specific discussion about how the different regions and areas operate. After that the ALT+5 reconvened in the third-floor solarium for an evaluation of the ALT+5. Most of the focus was on the ALT since it must be clear what are their roles and how well the present structures work before we elect new ALT members who are now being nominated.
2 October 2002
Wednesday
The first topic of business when we gathered in the solarium this morning was the replacement document for the old Sponsorship Agreement which had been put together when the relationship between MMAF and the Society and Congregation was being worked out. Now the Association is recognized as an equal partner under the Maryknoll umbrella and so a new document has been written to reflect the common heritage and spirituality of the three entities, their joint leadership meetings and planning, and the various collaborative efforts they have undertaken together.Then the ALT+5 met with the three directors of the Finances, Mission Services, and Promotion Departments for the rest of the morning. They presented an overview of the activities of the Association at this time.
At lunch time, all the MMAF staff from both buildings were invited to eat together over at Bethany, and during the meal Sam Stanton and Heidi Cerneka gave a report on the recent Latin America Area Meeting held in Venezuela.
After lunch the ALT+5 got seriously focused on the budget for 2003. We started off trying to understand the broad financial picture but quickly realized that there are several significant issues that need to be dealt with before we can fully address and approve the budgets, issues such as guidelines for apostolic budgets, a maximum for a budget for 2003, shared expenses, etc. We made a list of those issues and then our attention to the deficit that is facing the Association. Last year a surplus was projected but several large unbudgeted contingencies have arisen to wipe out that prospect. And now with the downturn in the economy, the ALT+5 is trying to determine how to cope with the certain deficit for 2003.
This evening Sheila Matthews and Eileen Charleton invited the ALT+5 over to their house for supper. Bernie Butkiewicz made some WONDERFUL apple pies for dessert!
The photo is of Maryknollers square dancing in the parking lot of the Walsh Building last Saturday night.
3 October 2002
Thursday
The morning started in the cloister chapel with a simple prayer service focusing on southern Sudan which has degenerated into another really dangerous civil war situation. Liz Mach asked us to pray for a successful meeting today of representatives from CRS in Sudan and one of the bishops there with some influential US Senators.Our morning was devoted to budgets again, and the work day started off with a comment that an awful lot of work throughout the Association could be avoided if we switched from our present model to a compensatory model where people just got a lump sum of money and were responsible for it themselves. There are some drawbacks to such a model but it would eliminate so many people going over so many budgets every year.
We looked at some issues we had flagged yesterday, such as the authority of the Area Reps in the realm of budgets and guidelines for apostolic budgets. Maryann Sorese, the director of Promotions came in to talk about apostolic budgets and the guidelines that are needed to help members to prepare the requests and receive the money they need for projects. That session was quite helpful.
We were meeting at the cloister today, and at lunch time we joined all the staff there for a meal which has become a regular part of these ALT+5 meetings.
The afternoon started off with a presentation by Vicki Simon of the results of the survey she made on personnel needs and her plan of action for the months ahead. Vicki's professional background is in human resources management, and her service to MMAF now is very valuable. This picture shows Vicki with us at the cloister.
We finished off the afternoon with a review of the policy on the use of the Maryknoll name in the media and a discussion on guidelines for housing for MMAF members. We then adjourned so some members could get to other meetings and prepare for tomorrow's work.
4 October 2002
Friday
Today was meant to be a full morning with the afternoon free for other meetings and preparations for the Advisory Board meeting. The morning session covered a range of issues and items:
- The first order of business this morning was placement issues. The ALT+5 met first to discuss the world-wide and area-wide priorities, and then Admissions joined us to discuss in more detail the information on priorities and places that should be given to next year's candidates who are already starting to apply.
- The One-in, One-out policy was then discussed. We heard the results of the survey that was taken about the experimenting that had occurred since the GA 2000. The ALT will work with these results and the discussion today to prepare a next step in the development of a policy.
- We discussed the minimum age requirement for MMAF membership also, and felt that more information is required, espcially getting more feedback from the recruiters on their experience and perceptions.
- A discussion followed on the housing situation, mostly looking at the data and the comments so far about members owning houses. That issue also will be put together for more action at a later date.
- The ALT reported that they have decided that the area representatives will have both voice and vote at the GA 2003. Earlier in the week, the ALT+5 had a discussion about this in which various opinions were expressed, and the ALT then reflected further and made their decision.
- Tasks and Dates: A schedule was set up to coordinate all the documents and information that will be sent out to members in the period before the GA 2003 to try to minimize confusion and not overwhelm people.
- Odds and Ends: Some issues were not able to be finished in the time we had available for this meeting. Still to be more fully discussed and decided were some questions about shared expenses in the regiions, an evaluation of the ALT+5, and CSR.
- The final action of the day was an evaluation of the two weeks we spent at Bethany for the Mission Forum and the ALT+5 meetings. The meeting finally adjourned at 1:30 PM and everyone grabbed lunch before a 2:00 PM round of meetings and preparations.
[The photo above shows candidate Kathy Kremer from Cincinnati lighting a candle at morning prayer.]
MMAF Advisory Board Meeting
This evening the ALT+5 began a weekend of meetings with the MMAF Advisory Board. At 5:15 PM, there was a social followed by a dinner. The candidates were invited to this first part to learn about the Advisory Board and meet the members. At 7:00 PM Chairman John Reid opened the meeting with an activity and introductions in the classroom, and then we moved upstairs to the chapel where Charlie Dittmeier led an opening prayer and then presented the realities and challenges of Asia.
The End
[Editor's note: the editor left early Saturday morning for another meeting out of town so there will be no reporting at this time on the Saturday and Sunday events with the Advisory Board.]