Oblate fundraisers meet in Rome
- At June 25, 2013
- By getchart
- In Meetings & Events, Partnership News
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By Fr. Billy Morell, OMI
The Global Oblate Fundraisers (GOF) held its 13th annual meeting in Rome during the week of May 12. Participants from the U.S. this year were Frs. Billy Morell and Jim Chambers, along with Artie Pingolt and Graciela Etchart (both representing the Oblate Partnership).
The GOF, sponsored by the General Administration, investigates ways to improve our individual and common efforts at fundraising and grant writing.
Each Fundraising/Grant Writing Office functions under its own respective Provincial Administration. In FY 2012, the group provided in excess of $10 million US dollars to Oblate entities and projects worldwide.
The 21 GOF participants, consisting of both Oblates and lay persons, were from 9 countries who manage 12 Offices, representing 8 Units. Special invitees were Fr. Francis Nallappan (Provincial of India, newest province in the congregation) and Fr. Maxime Eugene (former longstanding treasurer of the Haiti province).
The General Administration invited the entire group to meet with them during their Friday morning plenary session. In that session, the GOF proposed two strategies for helping to deal with financial sustainability of developing units:
- a series of capacity building workshops over the next several years in the developing units, and
- the creation of a permanent research and advisory group to propose, to the General Administration and units, pathways to self-sustainability.
On Pentecost Sunday, participants attended the mass offered by Pope Francis at St. Peter Square.
Source: OMIUSA, July 2013
