Sunday 27th April 2008
The meeting scheduled for the 26 th April 2008 in connection with the Presidency Circulars 64/02-08 regarding the General Chapter, Circular 65/02/08 regarding the Demographic Survey and circular no 63/02-08 concerning Payments overdue to CIOFS, was held as scheduled.
Present for the meeting on the SFO National Council side were
Pierre Eugine Buttigieg - Vice Minister, who in the absence of the National Minister presided the meeting
Charles Grech – International Councillor, who was the main speaker.
Joe Caruana - National Council Secretary.
Franca Zammit – Treasurer.
Emanuel Vella - Member
Peter Paul Abela - Member.
Fr. Godfrey Zarb – Ofm Cap. Spiritual Director.
Ministers, Secretaries and Treasures from all the Local fraternities council’s attended including two new representatives from the new Msida Fraternity which is currently undergoing a formation period.
The meeting started with a Prayer from the Vice Minister and the Subject was immediately introduced by the International Councillor – Charles Grech.
A copy of the General Chapter Document, Prayer for the Chapter and a business Card
Showing the National Council ‘s blog site address, contact numbers, and its member’s telephone numbers were handed to each Fraternity. The business card was envisaged to make officials of the Local Fraternity feel closer and more in touch with their counter part in the National Council.
A brief outline of the need and the advantages of having this electronic site on the internet http://ofsinfo.blogspot.com/ as a means of fostering quick communication and easy access to documents, circulars, formation material news and updates was given. Fraternity officials were urged to encourage members who have access to internet to visit the site often, subscribe to the mailing list, and report directives and other relevant news back to their fraternity.
A summary of the above mentioned Circulars and the Chapter document was given. These documents had all been placed on the Maltese official SFO blog site a week before for consultation and this placement and site was communicated to those concerned to be prepared. All relevant points in these documents were explained in detail. The moral obligation of fairness in reporting active membership and early submission of contributions due to Ciofs was stressed again and again. The Fraternities were also exhorted to indulge in repeated debates in their respective fraternities on the theme of the Chapter so that valid and quality results are gathered and referred to the National Council for vetting and further addition before being presented by the National Councillor for debating in the General Chapter.
From the ensuing discussion in which nearly all those present took part it was agreed that:-
1. The Prayer for the outcome of the Chapter was to be recited in every fraternity meeting up to the date of the chapter
2. Novices were to be included in the contributions sent to the International Fraternity and Fraternities were to revise their member’s list and payments in this respect.
3. Regarding old people who did not attend due to old age or genuine sickness the fraternities were to shoulder their fee.
4. Those professed members that are not interested to continue are to be listed as Non Active and no contributions are due in their respect.
5. Those professed members who contribute an annual fee but never attend fraternity meetings, their main interest being burial in the Fraternity graves, will be reported Non Active. Since they continue submit a yearly contribution, they will still enjoy their aspiration for burial in time. Their contribution will go to offset contributions entailed by the Fraternity in respect of the old and sick members.
6. To eliminate difficulties and unnecessary delays the local fraternities were to submit their member’s contribution at the beginning of the year from Fraternity funds or collections made during fraternity meetings. The number was to be based on what the Local fraternity Council morally feels are (a) the actual active members, (b) admitted members (Novices) and (c) those formerly active but now genuinely sick and elderly members whose health condition prevents them from attending Fraternity meetings.
7. Maria Regina’s Minister will try to offset the 2007 unpaid contributions from the fraternity meagre funds
8. Death of SFO members is to be reported to the National Council Secretary indicating the date. In turn the information is to be referred to the International Councillor to update the database used to compile the Demographic Survey.
9. Following an objection that the Chapter document should be submitted in Maltese, it was agreed that a Maltese translation of the document was to be referred to all the fraternities as soon as possible. However, the absence of this Maltese version was not to delay in any way the debates regarding the Chapter document which should start immediately in those fraternities that had no language barrier.
10. The Fraternities were urged to undertake this exercise without any delay and were notified that another meeting for the Local Fraternity Officials will be convened to discuss their findings on the theme of the General Chapter. The National Council was to decide the date of this meeting and inform the fraternities.
Fr. Godfrey read the letter prepared by National Minister who expressed his regrets for not being able to attend for this meeting and stressed the points mentioned above, supporting them with quotations. This letter was supposed to have been read at the beginning but was read at this point due to a delay in arrival. However, read at this point it had the effect to seal what had been agreed above. In fact some fraternities adjusted their payment as stated above with the Treasurer there and then. Miss Franca Zammit will refer details of the adjustments later on.
The meeting ended with the ending Prayer by the Vice Minister and the Blessing by Fr Godfrey Spiritual Assistant
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