MISSIONARY CENACLE FAMILY COUNCIL

NEWSLETTER - February, 2002

When the members of the Missionary Cenacle Family gathered in 2000 in Villanova, PA, it was a unique opportunity for offering council/counsel to the Family Council. The Missionary Cenacle Family Council was requested to lead the Family into a "contemporary understanding of preservation of the Faith in light of the call to a new evangelization. It called for a new way of attracting people into mission, finding ways of involving youth in the life of the Gospel, understanding and responding to the needs of immigrants and of incorporating issues of social justice into our work. This call demands an understanding of ministry to the contemporary Church of America."

The Family Council, at the time consisted of the members of all four councils. It became apparent to the members that a different type of working group would be needed.

In 2001, the ‘new' version of the Family Council began its work. Consisting now of only 12 members, it re-articulated its purpose:

"The Missionary Cenacle Family Council exists to call the Family to faithfulness to the founding charism. We do this by holding the vision, planning for the future, and calling the Family into mission for the sake of the Church."

If this group is to call the members of the four branches to faithfulness to the mission, what is the "Family's mission?" The Council identified four essentials to this mission.

1. We exist to glorify the Triune God

2. We participate in the mission of Jesus

3. We are an apostolic Family

4. We are missionary in the providence of our everyday life.

When the Family Council meets, it focuses in three ways.

A. Immediately after the meeting of Jubilee 2000, the Council identified and created four areas of needed response:

1. Initial and on-going formation into the MCF

2. Methodology for giving and receiving of Council/counsel.

3. Apostolic Spirituality unique to the Family

4. Communication among the Family members.

These areas, staffed by various members of the Cenacle Family, meet regularly and submit their work to the Family Council.

B. The Family Council also monitors the on-going work of the Missionary Cenacle Press (including the Ordo committee) and TMC.

C. The Family Council meets to vision for the future of the Family in Mission.

The Family Council reflects upon its own growth in order to understand the dynamics that exist within membership as a whole. It uses the process of counsel both before and during the meetings. When gathered together, the members reflect upon scripture and its meaning and application to the work at hand. Members individually share their thoughts and feelings about the particular issue, then all are invited to reflect upon the groups' wisdom as a whole. The members then return to scripture for additional insight. If a decision is needed, the members individually articulate their stance. After each meeting, the members spend time in evaluating their time together in order to grow in understanding of themselves and their work.

Counsel/Council is time and energy consuming, especially as each individual branch operates differently. The Family Council is attempting to create a ‘new' culture, one that deals with the attitudes of laity, religious and clergy toward each other, attitudes of men and women, and the reality of full time council members vs. those who meet infrequently. Often the ‘ghosts of the past' enter into the discussion and the members work hard to overcome that which might interfere with the gifts of wisdom and counsel.

In the next meetings, the Family Council will shift its focus to the "New Evangelization" and the call of the Cenacle Family, in light of this, to the Church in and of America. It will also continue to develop responses to the four areas of Jubileo 2000.