13^th meeting of the International Coordination of the Lay of the Chevalier Family

and the Executive Committee of the Association “Lay of the Chevalier Family in Europe”

Paris, (France), December 16-17, 2006

Present: Rita CLEUREN (Belgium), Marie-Blanche CORDONIER (Switzerland), Louis JOLY (France), Mimi van POPPEL (Holland), Sue KIMBERLEY (Great Britain), Ana San Martin (Spain), Sister Stephani ORLOWSKI (Germany), Nora Gonzalez de Cardona (Spain), Nick HARNAN (Cor Novum).

Excused: Martin KOVAC (Slovakia)

We say a prayer before the meeting starts.

1. APPROVAL OF THE REPORT OF THE MEETING OF May, 20-21, 2006.

No remarks are made. We ask Father José-Maria to translate the report into Spanish.

2. SHARING THE LIVES OF THE GROUPS

a) Belgium:

- July: Both the Belgian and the Dutch groups went on a pilgrimage to Issoudun.

- End of September: Meeting day for all members of the Chevalier Family

- Beginning of December: 11 members renewed their engagement/vows

- Organisation of a interreligious wake

- Information evening on refugees and undocumented immigrants

- Visit to a prison in Louvain together with the “Peace and Justice” Commission

- Monthly meetings

b) Spain:

One remark: the Spanish word for “Lay” has a non-religious connotation. The more secular word would be more appropriate.

- the Missionary Fraternity is a NGO that financially supports a Buenos-Aires school in Argentina

- In Paraguay, we are building a child’s home (with kitchen)

- Fund raising: 2 markets (summer – winter); lottery and collection

- Madrid: 30 people (of whom 15 are more involved) pay a monthly amount to support the ONG projects

- Weekly prayer service on Tuesday:

- Weekly meeting on Monday.

c) France – Switzerland

MSC Fraternity

- July: weekend together with the Alain de Boismenu Communion;

- Monthly Newsletter: is no longer published, due to a lack of editors. From now, things will be shared through the “Issoudun Annals”. A first reflection text has been drawn up and distributed amongst the members;

- Number of members is decreasing + ageing.

Alain de Boismenu Communion

- One fraternity with engaged members;

- July: one weekend together with the MSC Fraternity. Three members (Nadette-Louis and Louise) have expressed their engagements as MSC Lay;

- Retreat in July with MSC Father Karl ELSNER;

- The F. MSC letter is no longer published. But two years ago, a document based upon the Formation course (Internet) was set up to prepare the engagements of the MSC Lay;

- Parochial work in Mas Rillier in close collaboration with the “Famille de Miséricorde” Community. (The “Famille de Miséricorde” is in charge of the organisation of the “Miséricorde” Congres in Rome in 2008);

- Louis and Nadette are invited to participate in a 6 year evangelization project proposed by Bishop Guy BAGNARD for the Ain Diocese.

d) Germany

- June: meeting in Tilburg together with the Dutch group;

- Father Kees BRAUN gave lectures on Father Jules Chevalier;

- Meeting in 2007 together with Belgium and Holland: MSC Father Karl Elsner will participate;

- The 3 German groups are about to form one group and Sister Stephani hopes to have one lay participating in the 2007 meetings of the Coordinating Team;

- April 2007: one female lay will accompany Sister Stephani at the Issoudun meeting.

e) England

- very small group: one member who is seriously ill, will withdraw from the group next year, two other members withdrew from the group this year;

- June: meeting on the Spirituality of the Heart with Fahter Nick Harnan.

o People will be asked whether they are interested in receiving a formation: 27 people are in favour of the idea. The disappearance of the old parish groups also favours this idea;

o A team of 3 people that followed a formation will organise other similar meetings.

- Difficulties: the Retreat Center is the only place where actions and activities are organised for all groups.

- London: one FNDSC (Sister Ursula) works together with Lay. The two groups are totally different. Still, they are planning to contact each other.

- Sue is member of a team that organises Spirituality lessons in a MSC House in Ireland.

f) Holland:

- Kees BRAUN and 16 other priests passed away this year;

- With the Fathers and Sisters getting old, there are two Lay taking care of the elderly;

- Close collaboration with the three congregations;

- New members, one “engagement”;

- The person responsible for the Arnhem group asks whether it would be possible for a lay to be sent by the Coordinating Team to do missionary work:

o The Lay International Coordinating Team serves as a link between the different groups, but has no spiritual authority whatsoever. In order to get to the bottom of this question, the autonomy of the Lay branch should be further developed and discussed by the Generalats.

o Some problems with finances and insurances

o Missionary Formation Centers already exist in several countries

3. PRESENTATION OF COR NOVUM AND THE 3 GENERALATS:

- Official structure of the International Coordinating Team:

o Delegates of the countries that are represented

o One Cor Novum representative: Father Nick Harnan

o One representative of the 3 Generalats: Father Mark Mc Donald.
At this moment, the 3 Generalats each have one representative in the Coordinating team:
Father Mark Mc Donald for MSC

Sister Rosalia KUNMARTYATIN for FNDSC

Sister Kim BONAVENTURA for the MSC Sisters

- Cor Novum

o Father Nick tells us that Cor Novum has been established by the 3 Generalats as a location where the 3 congregations and the Lay could return to the source. Lay who are interested, are free to follow the formation programs. Cor Novum only exists to meet our demands.

o Louis explains why Cor Novum needs a representative in the Coordinating Team:

· Formation texts should be put on the Internet site, as much as possible, because Lay do not always have the possibility/means to attend the Formation sessions organised by Cor Novum. The Cuskelly Symposium should equally be able to work with these texts.

· The Cor Novum texts put at the Lays’ disposal should be under spiritual authority of Cor Novum at all times.

· Cor Novum can equally participate in the Coordinating Team activities. It is important for both of them to support one another financially.

4. GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN ISSOUDUN, APRIL 21-22, 2007

Louis no longer wishes to chair the General Assembly. He asks if someone could replace him at the next General Assembly.

Everything that has been installed up till now, is based upon the experiences of the MSC Lay in the French/Suisse Province officially since 1997 (MSC Lay Council) and upon the organisation of the “Issoudun 99” international meeting.

The next chairperson should meet the following requirements:

- knowledge of foreign languages (at least of the English language)

- live in a place where the engagement of the MSC Lay can be experienced locally in a lively relationship with the religious of the Chevalier Family.

At this point, Belgium and Holland are the best candidates to take up this task.

- Spirit/goal of the meeting: Reveal our existence!

- Participants: all persons of our groups with a personal invitation.

- Timing:

- 20.04.2007	Arrival
- 21.04.2007	8h00	Breakfast
	10h00	Prayer service General Assembly: Report on the activities and experiences of the Coordinating Team – Financial report - Questions
	12h00	Lunch
	15h00	Lecture by Father Nick Harnan + discussion groups
	18h00	Mass
	19h00	dinner
	20h30	Enjoyable evening (watch a video…)
- 22.04.2007	8h00	Breakfast
	9h00	Time to share the experiences of the groups of all countries present. Announcement and presentation of the 2008 meeting. Lectures by Cor Novum and the Generalats
	11h00	Mass in the basilica
	12h00	Lunch
		Departure

5. FINANCES

Cf. documents that were distributed. Louis will send us a first estimate for the General Assembly.

6. INTERNATIONAL MEETING IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC IN 2008:

The Charter should be reviewed and some articles should be chosen as basic principles for the whole world.

Preparatory letter

- Meeting should be attended by only one or two representatives per country. No restriction for citizens of the Dominican Republic;

- Estimated costs? Number of places available? Translations?

- Clearly note that all costs should be paid by the participants. Maybe the richer countries can lend some financial help to the poorer countries? Ask the Generalats and the Provinces for some support.

- Create a “Solidarity Fund” for this meeting and for other events?

- Patronages?

- Vaccinations?

All information on this meeting should be placed on file. This should enable us to present it to associations that might lend financial support.

- Theme

- One Heart for the whole World

- Being Heart of God on earth

- Christ is the Heart of God on earth

- Being Lay in today’s Church

- Different cultures…the same heart for everyone.

7. INTERNET SITE

Things to be put on the Internet site:

- A presentation of the European part and the preparation of the General Assembly and the International Meeting

- How can we put a large number of texts on the Spirituality of the Heart at the disposal of those who want to follow a formation, but who are not mobile?

NEXT MEETING: APRIL 21-22 2007 IN ISSOUDUN (FRANCE)