New England Province » provincial assembly

2019 Provincial Assembly and the Foundation Day

Toma — Sun, 27 Jan 2019 18:23:12 +0000

Confreres from all over the New England Province of the Congregation of the Mission gathered at DePaul Residence, Manchester, CT for triennial Provincial Assembly which was held on January 23 and 24, 2019 prior to the Foundation Day which celebration closed the event on January 25.

Delegates to the Provincial Assembly were Fathers: G. Marek Sadowski, C.M. (Provincial), Mitchell Wanat, C.M. (Ansonia), Anthony Kuzia, C.M. (New Haven), Rafal Kopystynski, C.M. (Derby), Tadeusz Maciejewski, C.M. (New Haven), Eugeniusz Kotlinski, C.M. (Brooklyn, St. Cyril & Methodius), Jan Szylar, C.M. (Derby) and Slawomir Szucki, C.M. (Brooklyn, St. Cyril & Methodius). Various topics were discussed during the Assembly regarding current situation of the Province and upcoming future. According to Provincial Norms assemblies are convoked every three years. No longer new administration of the Province is elected during the assembly because there is direct voting for major posts. New Provincial superior will be elected in such procedure later on this year.

On January 25, the Feast of Conversion of St. Paul, the Apostle, the date when Congregation of the Mission celebrates the Foundation Day, when St. Vincent preached his first so called mission sermon in the rural church of Folleville in 1617 and which lead to establish eight years later the community of the priests of the mission known as Vincentian Priests and Brothers nowadays. A solemn Eucharist was celebrated in the chapel o the Provincial Residence on Friday. Fathers Edmund Gutowski, C.M. and Chester Mrowka, C.M. joined the delegates to the Assembly in the liturgy

Let us keep the ministry and works of the New England Province of the Congregation of the Mission in your prayers, so that there come new laborers to the Master of the Harvest and let the harvest be plentiful.

(from left) Frs. Rafal Kopystynski, Tadeusz Maciejewski, Eugeniusz Kotlinski, Jan Szylar, Anthony Kuzia, Mitchell Wanat, Slawomir Szucki, Marek Sadowski, (sitting, from left) Edmund Gutowski, Chester Mrowka

2012 Assembly – Opening Address from the Provincial

Toma — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 14:40:02 +0000

The address delivered by Very Rev. A. Rafal Kopystynski CM, Visitor of New England opening the Assembly of New England Province on Tuesday, June 5, 2012 describing the theme of the Assembly: “Read the signs of the time and look for the future”.

Download: 2012 Assembly - Opening Address - Provincial (1510)

This introduction to the Provincial Assembly 2012 is a continuation of my reflection regarding the future of the New England Province which members of the Province discussed during our heritage pilgrimage to St. Louis on October 13, 2011. Let me remind you of the theme: Look forward and make right decisions.

Let me make a theme of this Assembly 2012:

Read the signs of the time and look for the future

In a letter regarding my decision that we will have two sessions of our assembly I wrote a sentence: “Our Province, recognizing signs of the time, should make very important decisions regarding its future”.

Let me explain my understanding of the term “signs of the time” in a context of our Province.

In 1904 Vincentian Fathers arrived from Poland to the United States. It was a sign of the time. There was a great need to serve immigrants from Poland who at that time were arriving to the States. in great numbers. It was a mission to provide to those people sacraments and serve them in their native language. Later this Polish Mission became Vice Province of Poland.

In 1975 the Vice Province became independent Province and took the name the New England Province. It was a sign of the time. At that time there was a great hope that numbers of local vocations to our Province will grow and mission of the Province will expand.

This is year 2012. Let’s read the signs of the time.

Frs. Kuzia, Sledziona and Wanat are the youngest American born priests in our Province. We haven’t had local vocation to our Province for many years.

Our Province belongs to (NCV) National Conference of Visitors in the USA. This means we are an American Province. However out of 27 members of our Province 18 are from Poland. In our Province 10 members are below age 60 and all of them are from Poland. I repeat my question from our meeting in St. Louis: Due to lack of local vocations in America, confreres from Poland will be responsible for the leadership of our Province. How can we prepare ourselves for these responsibilities? How can the American Province be governed by foreigners?

According to our Provincial Plan 2009-2012: “The Province of New England will continue to concentrate its pastoral work among Polish immigrants and the American Polish within the confines of its New England territory as well as in their established Houses beyond the territorial limits of the New England Province”.

On March 8, 2012 the Bishop of Bridgeport Diocese informed us that he would not prolong a contract with the Province and we have to leave the Holy Name Parish in Stamford by July 1, 2012. The diocese has enough priests from Poland who are able to serve in this ethnic parish.

We have asked the Archbishop of Hartford Archdiocese Henry Mansell for an ethnic, Polish parish, according to our Provincial Plan. We are aware that the Archbishop has also enough diocesan priests from Poland who serve in his diocese and he cannot remove them and give a parish to the Vincentians.

An additional sign of the time is that the number of Polish emigrants has drastically dropped every year since Poland joined the European Union in 2004. You have also noticed in your parishes that there is no new wave of emigrants from Poland. To the contrary many Poles decide to return to Poland for good.

This is my observation but I know that each member of the assembly would add his “signs of the time” which we should be aware making our decision for the future of our Province.

Reading these signs of the time how should we continue the mission of our Province? What is a plan for our Province for the future?

I officially open our assembly of 2012.

Our goal during this assembly is to make necessary changes in our Provincial Norms and Policies but most importantly to read the signs of the time and try to make right decisions for the future of our Province.

St. Vincent de Paul. Pray for us.

A. Rafal Kopystynski CM
Provincial

Manchester, June 5, 2012

Provincial Assembly 2012

Toma — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 23:38:55 +0000

Evening Prayer in the chapel of DePaul Residence, Manchester, CT, starts the Provincial Assembly of New England Province of the Congregation of the Mission on June 4, 2012. From Monday to Thursday delegates gathered in the Provincial House will discuss the most important matters considering the life of the Province, plan for the future, proposed changes in legislation norm, etc.

According to our Constitutions provincial assembly is a gathering of members who represent the province as delegates, and is to be held twice every six years, once before the General Assembly and once at some intermediate time Recent General Assembly took place in 2010). As a consultative organ of the provincial, one of the assembly role is to deal with matters which can promote the good of the province.

By the reason of office participants in the assembly are
Very Rev. Rafal Kopystynski CM, Provincial,
Revs. Roman Kmiec CM, Rev. Eugeniusz Kotlinski CM,
Rev. Marek Sobczak CM, Rev. Mitchell Wanat CM
as consultors.

other present are elected delegates:
Rev. Roman Gorowski CM, Rev. Marek Sadowski CM,
Rev. Jaroslaw Lawrenz CM, Rev. Tadeusz Maciejewski CM,
Rev. Lukasz Sorys CM, Rev. Anthony Kuzia CM.

SCHEDULE OF THE ASSEMBLY

MONDAY, JUNE 4

Arrival – delegates are expected to come in the afternoon until 5:30 PM
5:45 PM – Evening Prayer in the Chapel
6:00 PM – Supper

TUESDAY, JUNE 5 & WEDNESDAY, JUNE 6

8:00 AM – Breakfast
9:00 AM – Morning Prayer in the Chapel
9:15 AM – First Session
10:30 AM – Break
10:45 AM - Second Session
11:50 AM – Eucharist
12:30 AM – Lunch
2:30 PM - Third Session
4:00 PM – Private study
5:45 PM – Evening Prayer in the Chapel
6:00 PM – Supper

THURSDAY, JUNE 7

8:00 AM – Breakfast
9:00 AM – Morning Prayer in the Chapel
9:15 AM - Closing Session
11:00 AM – Eucharist
11:45 AM – Lunch (and departure)