ANNUAL MTG & RETREAT
Each year the Partnership holds these two anchor events, both held over a weekend.
ANNUAL MEETING
The Annual Meeting is to educate Partners on developments, make a progress report and to chart goals. Most of 2011’s meeting time will be a detailed survey of Partners’ interests and hopes for our future together-when we say “partnership” we mean it! (The pictures will show you that we have fun too!)
Each Annual Meeting also includes the Oblate Forum, a panel presentation focused on an issue of spiritual or human development, from a Missionary Oblate point of view. This year will feature a discussion with Cardinal Francis George, OMI, not only the Partnership’s Honorary Chairman, but a luminary of the entire Church. Past topics include:
- 2011: Where We Have Come | Chicago
- 2010: A Critical Assessment of Mission Philanthropy | San Diego
- 2009: Church & Society | Denver
- 2008: The Many Faces of Evangelization | Washington, DC
- 2007: Partners with OMI Leadership: Rome | Rome, ITALY
- 2006: Developing A Mission Philanthropy | San Antonio
- 2005: If We Building It, Will They Come? | Chicago
ANNUAL RETREAT
In all past years we have added a day before or after our annual meeting to focus exclusively on our faith understanding and development, with excellent speakers and wonderful liturgies. Past leaders include:
- Archbishop Harry Flynn, DD
- Cardinal Francis George, OMI
- Very Rev. Bill Morell, OMI
- Rev. Ron Rolheiser, OMI
- Archbishop Roger Schwietz, OMI
- Rev. Tom Singer, OMI
- Rev. Lou Studer, OMI
2011 was a special retreat year as it marked the beginning of making this time of prayer and reflection and weekend all to itself and we began in grand fashion. In late September, several Partners and friends attended “In The Footsteps Of De Mazenod,” a 3 day/4 night retreat in Aix-en-Provence, where the Missionary Oblates were founded. It focused on the life of the congregation’s founder, Saint Eugene de Mazenod and how the Spirit moved him to abandon all for God’s poor. The retreat included travel to scenes in De Mazenod’s life in Aix, the Provence countryside and Marseille, where he was bishop.