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19th Provincial Chapter
The Augustinian Recollects of St. Augustine Province held their 19th Provincial Chapter in Oxnard, California, June 16-23, 2003. A Provincial Chapter is a gathering of the friars that takes place every three years. It is a time when the work of the previous three years is evaluated and a program is devised for the next three years. This program (made up of "Determinations" or recommendations) is to be followed by the new Prior Provincial and his Council, who are elected at the end of the Chapter. The Chapter is made up of delegates, some of whom attend a jure (by right of office) and others who are directly elected by all the friars of the community. The required number of delegates is 16, a number that includes the Prior General, the head of the Order. The Chapter included daily prayers and Mass in common together with four sessions in which the business of the Chapter was conducted. The first few days of the Chapter were dedicated to reports from the various individual friars who had been entrusted with the proposals to be discussed. Any friar was free to discuss, to agree or disagree with a proposal. Following the information and discussion phases of the Chapter, the friars were divided into commissions that represent the different areas in the life of the Augustinian Recollects: spirituality, apostolate, vocations-formation, and finance-government. Each of these commissions was responsible for gathering together the pertinent proposals and fashioning them into the program that would guide the Province for the next three years. These were voted upon by all those present at the Chapter and modified as necessary. The friars were especially concerned about promoting "unity among the brothers" and spoke of ways to strengthen the bonds of community, animated by faith and charity. All were optimistic about the future and excited by the recent ordination of five new priests who had become part of the Province's work force. There was also concern for the elderly friars and how to properly care for them, about the training of our vocation and formation personnel, and how best to minister to the people entrusted to our spiritual care, most especially our young people. The Chapter ended with a Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by Fr. John Gruben, OAR, the newly reelected Prior Provincial, and accompanied by the other priests present for the Chapter. A dinner, shared by all, was followed by the departure and return of each friar to his particular assignment, filled with a new spirit and a new direction for the work ahead. for other stories, visit our news archive
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