Sparks from the Province Secretaries Meeting at Ipswich, March 9-13, 2020
On the last day of the Meeting of Province Secretaries, the participants and presenters met on the stairs to the auditorium at Ipswich for a photo shoot with our photographer, Sr. Jon Julie Sullivan. Rows back to the front, and left to right: 1-Srs. Kristin Hokanson, Carol Cherop, TeresitaWeind, Karen Hokanson, Evelyn McKenna, Liliane Sweko, Patience Mpela, Mrs. Britney Chapman, Srs. Anne Stevenson, Masheti Wangoyi; 2-Sr. Maureen White, Mme Marie Felten, Sr. Lorraine Connell; 3-Mrs. Chris Reid, Mrs. Sue Parkinson, Sr. Marie-Rose Lepers; 4-Srs. MaryPrecious Ugwuoke, Leonore Coan, Ellen Dabrieo; 5-Srs. Lucyane Diniz, Teresa Anyabuike, Marie Prefontaine, Mrs. Suzanne Geerts, Sr. Angele Lewis.
How can we recapture the spirit, On Fire With Mission:
– The building and growth in relationships,
– The goals explained, valued and accepted,
– The significant interactions,
– The networking growing and expanding,
– The learnings among participants for continuing education and assistance,
– The desire and planning for ongoing connections,
– The challenges described, noted and faced for future action?
This spirit and sharing at a week-long international meeting of Province Secretaries and Congregational Leaders and Staff may have ongoing implications for the goals of this meeting:
– Support of Leadership and Membership
– Security and Management of Congregational Data
– Networking in the Congregation and Provinces
– Strengthening the Congregational Communications System.
– Most of all, how can anyone describe a gathering of Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, and their Co-Workers On Fire With Mission?
Top left: Sisters Mitsuko Shoji, Mary Corripio; Top right: Sister Masheti Wangoyi; Bottom Center; Signora Laura Elia
PARTICIPATING ON THE INTERNET
Unable to join in person, due to the Coronavirus, but participating fully in the Meeting of the Province Secretaries were two new members of the Leadership Team in Japan: Sisters Mitsuko Shoji and Mary Corripio. They joined the week-long meetings on Zoom Sessions, beginning for them in the late evening and concluding each day through the early morning hours in Japan (12 hours in advance of EDT).
Also, unable to come to the USA, Signora Laura Elia, Assistant to the General Secretary, participated at the meeting on Zoom, every day, in the mid afternoon in Rome, Italy and concluding the sessions into the evening (six hours in advance of EDT). These far-away participants contributed so much, from March 9 to 13, in presence and sharing through technology.
