Committee Working toward Congregation Collaboration/Reconfiguration
by Barbara Dannhausen, OP, and Mary Ellen O’Grady, OP, for the Collaboration/Reconfiguration Enactment Committee
The Collaboration/Reconfiguration Committee.
Front row, from left: Srs. Mary Ellen Green, Joan Murray,
and Mary Catherine St Martin. Back row: Srs. Judy
Parent, Mary Hopkins, Barb Dannhausen, Mary Ellen
O’Grady, and Sue Brodeur.
In her Epiphany letter to the Congregation, Pat Mulcahey, OP, named the members of five committees established to assist the Congregation in the implementation of the 2006 Chapter Enactments. The committees are Governance, Constitution, Collaboration/Reconfiguration, Technology, and Relationship/Transformation. We would like to share with you the purpose and the goals of the Collaboration/Reconfiguration Committee (CRC). The members of the CRC include Sue Brodeur, OP; Mary O’Donnell, OP; Barbara Dann-hausen, OP; Mary Ellen O’Grady, OP; Mary Ellen Green, OP; Judy Parent, OP; Mary Hopkins, OP; Mary Catherine St Martin, OP; and Joan Murray, OP. At our last meeting on April 1, there was no foolin’ [around]! We worked to generate our purpose and goals and hope for feedback from you to help us actualize these goals. Please carefully read and reflect on the following and send your comments, suggestions, and compliments to Judy Parent, chair of the CRC, via e-mail at jp9343@aol.com. Your suggestions will help us move forward. Thank you.
Our Purpose
To study and develop resources and processes to adequately prepare the Dominicans of Sinsinawa to actively participate in dialogue as recommended in Enactments 31 and 32.
Enactment 31: For the sake of our Dominican life and mission, we recommend that, as leaders and members, we commit ourselves to increased collaborative efforts through the Dominican Alliance, Federation, Dominican Leadership Conference, and others.
Enactment 32: We recommend that the Prioress of the Congregation, leadership, and membership actively participate in dialogue leading to reconfiguration.
Our Goals
- Encourage our Sisters to acquire an understanding of the terminologies used and the present experiences of collaboration and reconfiguration.
- Encourage members to collaborate with the Dominican Leadership Conference (DLC) Task Force using the Vision Kit 2020.
- Make the Collaboration/Reconfiguration Committee efforts known to other Dominican congregations and share information.
- Create opportunities for interaction with other Dominican congregations.
- Examine ways in which collaboration will help us preach better and build a holy and just society.
- Brainstorm ways to collaborate and reconfigure our Congregation with others and share these ideas with the Congregation and with members of the Alliance, Federation, and DLC.
- Engage the ’63 and beyond group to dialogue and imagine the future together.
- Develop a process for congregation members to actively participate in dialogue, internally and with others, leading to reconfiguration with Dominican women’s congregations nationally.
- Hold collaboration as a value among us.