Chapter 2005

The Carmelite order runs in three year cycles called triennia. Every three years each local province of the order holds a chapter. The chapter is composed of an equal number of delegates: half the chapter members go by virtue of the leadership roles they presently hold; the other half is composed of elected delegates. The chapter traditionally elects the superiors who will serve the province for the coming triennium. They then draft the local legislation that will govern their lives for the coming triennium. This draft is submitted to Rome for approval after the chapter.

2005 is a chapter year. The superiors elected in 2002 were these: Ralph Reyes Provincial, Gregory Ross 1st Councillor, John Magdalene Suenram 2nd Councillor, Bonaventure Sauer 3rd Councillor, and Jenaro de la Cruz 4th Councillor. These five attended the chapter held in May 2005 “ex officio” (by virtue of the office they held). The elder friars selected three delegates: Sam A. Morello, Raphael Kitz and Henry Bordeaux. The young friars elected three delegates: Marion J. Bui, Stephen Sanchez, and Jesús Sancho. Jesús broke his heel in a construction accident prior to the chapter, and John Michael Payne took his place at the chapter as substitute. These eleven friars convened in our monastery in Oklahoma City on Monday May 16 to open the chapter of 2005.

Towards the end of the 20th century, the Washington province broke the tradition of electing the new Father Provincial at the chapter, and began a popular election of the Provincial by all the friars of the province. This election took place in the spring, so by the time the chapter opened in May, the new Provincial had already been elected. Our Oklahoma province followed suit in 1999, adopting the popular election option. Gregory Ross was elected Provincial of Oklahoma on the first ballot 01-Mar-05.

So the first order of business for the chapter on Monday night was to install Father Gregory in office. Fr. Ralph swears him in at 5:15 pm. The chapter friars then each went up, embraced him, and offered our obedience to him for the next three years. We then gathered in the upper room of our old monastery to toast our new superior. After supper, Ralph gave his state of the province report at 7:30 pm, and Gregory asked us each to write down our nominees for provincial councillors.

Tuesday was a day spent in prayer, asking the Holy Spirit to guide us in our deliberations for the next two weeks of the chapter. Tuesday evening at 7:30 pm we gathered to elect the Council: 1st Councillor (and Vicar Provincial) John Magdalene Suenram [right], 2nd Councillor Ralph Reyes [left], 3rd Councillor Raphael Kitz (our novice Master 2nd R), and 4th Councillor Luis Joaquin Castañeda, who was in Rome. The council was installed in office at 7:45 pm.

Our 3rd session on Wednesday morning began at 9:00am. We were informed that Fr. Luis had sent Fr. Gregory an e-mail accepting his position as fourth councilor. Fr. Luis assured us of his prayers and support. He asked to be released from the obligation to attend the chapter. The Washington Province and California were informed of our election, Fr. General in Rome was informed, and the nuns in the province were informed. The first item on our agenda was discussion of a common novitiate with the Washington province. Their novitiate is presently at Holy Hill Wisconsin, and ours at Marylake south of Little Rock Arkansas. After much discussion of how we might collaborate in accomplishing this, we drafted the following resolution:

“As a chapter we desire to work with the friars of the Washington Province in the development of a common novitiate program. We are committed to dialogue, to collaborate and to identify and overcome any obstacles that might stand in the way of such collaboration.”

Before breaking for lunch, we opened discussion of a restructuring of our province in light of a personnel shortage. At present we have only two friars in two of our houses, one in another, and only one solemnly professed in our House of Studies. Some houses may need to be closed to shore up community life in our province.

session 4: Wednesday afternoon 18-May-05

Wednesday afternoon, restructuring discussion continued: “A positive dynamic of planning must be formulated to identify the essentials. We must return to what is essential for our life. Everything is built on the idea of having a praying community and a fraternal community. Communities must be healthy in terms of being supportive and life giving. It is from this base that apostolate flows.“

Fr. Stephen gave a report on how he has managed to run Mt Carmel Center in Dallas as a Spiritual Center with the help of the Secular Order. Two lay members of our order live there, and others come on a weekly basis to keep the place in order. Although only two friars remain stationed there since the departure of Fr. Francis, they actually have a community of four including the Seculars. Fr. Sam then gave a report on getting a spiritual center established in connection with our shrine in San Antonio. “It is wonderful that we have a place that has institutionalized the ideal of our spirituality.”

After an afternoon break we discussed our students, and how a restructuring could best suit their needs as they prepare for the priesthood. Advantages and disadvantages were explored of having our students stationed in either New Orleans or San Antonio. Great improvements have been made to our oldest foundation in Oklahoma City, but community life there needs another friar. Three items from our last General Visitation were noted: 1. Collaborate with Washington on the novitiate, 2. consider moving the students, and 3. no recommendation to close a canonical foundation. We concluded the day with the General Chapter’s encouagement to celebrate the centenary in 2006 of Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity.

session 5: Thursday morning, 19-May-05

Fr. Jenaro gave a report on our house in Oklahoma City. In addition to the regular prayer schedule kept Mondays through Saturday, they have Eucharistic adoration on Thursday evenings, and on Tuesdays the community meets to do lectio divina. Now that the old monastery has been renovated, they are embarking on a 1.6 million dollar project to construct a multipurpose building that will seat a thousand. All Spanish Masses in the church are filled each Sunday, and most to overflowing. The archbishop has promised to match the funds we can raise. We have 650 kids in Religious Education. Henry said, “I think we are beginning to feel our age.” A third friar stationed in Oklahoma City would be a big help.

Fr. John Michael pointed out that the helpout ministry at Marylake takes us to a different parish throughout the state each weekend, and affords us the opportunity of introducing people to our Carmelite spirituality. In order to recruit vocations, it is helpful to have visibility. Gregory asked us to zero in on what we consider the most significant issues and questions that have emerged in our discussion to get a sense of our priorities. Fr. Sam was impressed with Ralph’s statement that the good of the men in our province was the most important thing in restructuring.

“Institutions exist for persons. This is a life giving principle… Our Order has been known for living dramatic tensions. We have never known a time when we were in an ideal situation when it was easy to live that tension…"

In the brainstorming session that followed, we have chosen not to publish personal ideas and opinions expressed, interesting as they were, as all are duly recorded in the minutes. This is done so as not to intimidate our Brothers from expressing their views candidly for fear of seeing their frank appraisals published for all the world to see.

In general the chapter brothers spoke of the need to close houses or to weather the present personnel crunch, “our continued viability as a province,” our need for “praying communities... At present 3 of our 6 houses have less than three,” the “priority to the apostolate of spirituality, which is our primary service to the church.”

“Attracting and maintaining vocations requires fidelity to the charism we possess. What are the immediate steps that need to be taken to have life-giving communities?” Our lack of commitment to “establish a foundation in Louisiana, to do more than rent a temporary location there.” As for our students, “let things develop for a year and then make our decision.”

Fr. Gregory: “How difficult it is to move from general goals and desires to concrete embodiment of them.” He then summarized what he considered important points others had made. “Keep in mind what Fr. Ralph said about restructuring: that it not involve just closing houses but involves planning.” Our Father Provincial then brainstormed some new ideas “about making Mt Carmel a collaborative effort for the province, beginning a Carmelite spirituality program in Oklahoma City.”

Bonaventure suggested an effort of the three houses in the province that are not parishes to develop sources of income. “There are development issues that we can only deal with through collaboration.”

There was talk of developing a provincial website. Fr. Ralph said: “For us to move into the future, something has to be done and planning needs to be undertaken. Otherwise we are maintaining only and not doing what we need to do to orient ourselves to the future; respond to the need for vocational recruitment and retention.” Another Father said he would like to hear from us “a recognition that under certain circumstances the day might come in which we might discuss the fusion of ourselves with another province.”

Session 6: Thursday afternoon

A consensus was reached to discuss our commitment to the parish of St Mary of Carmel in Dallas, as we do not have the resources to commit another friar to that house. As to where to have students, Gregory said, “The goal would be that in 2008 we could complete these actions. If these proposals are agreed to, I commit myself to acting upon them… We have spent a full day on discussion about restructuring. I think we should let these thinks percolate for now.”

With that, we moved on to form a committee to work out a vision statement for the coming triennium. Bonaventure, Sam, Stephen, and Gregory volunteered. We then began a review of the Chapter Acts of 2002, to see which we would keep, which we would expire, and which we would modify. We took the section on I. Carmelite Life, and II. Members in Formation. When we got to the section on government, we adjourned for the day.

Session 7: Friday morning 20-May-05

This morning we continued with our chapter Acts section II. Members & Formation, A-O. Then section III. Government, A-J. Most of our old Acts were approved for renewal with minor revisions. The Vocation Promotion act which had not been implemented was scratched and replaced by a monthly Mass for vocations in each of our communities. The formation team was replaced by “a meeting of the formators” convoked by the Provincial. The on-going formation act was revised to include a study of Bl. Elizabeth of the Trinity in 2006. “Mini-Sabbaticals” were replaced by “personal retreats.” An act requiring a mentoring program for the newly ordained was passed. The smoking act was changed from encouraging our members “not to smoke” to “not to use tobacco.” Under government, we passed an act allowing all solemnly professed members to participate as members of the Provincial Chapter at the suggestion of Fr. Ralph. This act would abolish the old “ex-officio” members balanced by “elected delegates” from age groups. The Prioresses of nuns under the jurisdiction of our province will be invited to participate in the Provincial chapter for a day. And the final act of this first week of the chapter was “a friar, 70 or older, will be consulted at the beginning of the triennium on the house of residence of his preference.” Note what that act does not say: that he will be granted his preference!