CPC MEETING June 7-8, 2013, St. Louis
PLANNERS: Mary Nelson, Karen Johnson Wehrman (assisted by Barbara Nicholas)
Opening Prayer
Introductions: Each person introduced herself and mentioned which Community Group (CG)
she belonged to. Barb Light will be moving out of the CPC and Matt Meyer will replace her.
Mission of the CPC:
The CPC started in Assembly 2000 to be a communication link from CGs to the community in
many diverse locations.
The task of the CPC is to think, share, listen, and take back to each CG the spirit of the
discussion.
History: The proposal to the General Assembly of 2012 that the CPC be continued without a
term limit was accepted and passed. We are mandated to continue this work.
Question: What happens to questions that are sent in by the CGs that do not get discussed?
Discussion: Some of the topics may be more pertinent to a particular committee or team and
the input is sent to them. Time is very limited and prioritizing is sometimes necessary leaving
some issues unaddressed. There was concern that this process didn’t best convey the concerns
and questions of every CG.
Decision: All items brought forward by each CG will be discussed in the CPC.
Suggestions:
*Be sure to bring back to the CG why some questions are not fully considered by the CPC.
*Be sure copies are made of notes and sent to all members of your CG.
*Publish some of the comments on the member site or send them to Interchange.
*CPC is evolving. Use whatever means necessary to be sure minutes and discussion topics
reach each member or co-member in process.
Small Group Discussion
We numbered off and joined 3 other persons to make groups of 4. The task for this time period
was to hear the items sent by the CG of each member of the small group.
Common Issues:
Some of the main ideas raised in the small groups were:
* Communication from CGs to CPC and back to CGs
There was a question about why some topics like the common good were not on the agenda for
CGs. It seems that no one was assigned the task and it was lost during the administration
transition.
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*try to be attentive and precise about who will take action forward
*have facilitators of CGs make a copy for the CPC rep of sheets to be sent to another source
*have conversation in the CPC about items that may not be in the purview of this group and
should be forwarded someplace else
Large Group Discussion: Following the small group breakout the group as a whole chose to
consider each topic raised by the different CGs. This time it was done in order of CG number.
There is the suggestion that like topics be grouped for the next meeting. These topics and notes
are on a separate copy.
*There was a desire for more conversation in CGs on the Common good and deepening of
spirituality . Rita Bruegenhagen will generate some questions and send them to the planners
for editing before sending these questions to Sandra Hareld for distribution.
Conversation with CPC and Forum: Three questions were generated for this discussion. They
are:
1. You have given the community organizational charts showing accountability for teams
and Staff. How do you envision the Forum’s relationship with CGS and the CPC?
2. We appreciate that the Forum is engaging in conversations about how Loretto makes
public statements. At one time, Loretto’s policy was that public statements came from
our Genera Assemblies. Presently, certain Loretto committees and groups feel called to
make a public statement against oppression, abuse, and other issues on behalf of
furthering justice and peace. What guidance can you give that would allow Loretto’s
voice to be expressed publicly beyond the occasions of the General Assemblies?
3. We’d appreciate some openness about eligibility requirements for Loretto committees
beyond vowed and co-members. For example, there may be co-members in process
whose expertise and interest would serve Loretto well in committee work but who are
excluded as not-yet-members. The CPC encourages openness to such individuals and
would like to hear your thoughts.
Response:
1. This was an oversight and will be rectified.
2. This is a part of on-going discussions by the Forum.
3. Committees are not prohibited from inviting others to join them if that will forward the
process. This can include co-members in process.
Webex: There was a presentation by Mary Catherine Rabbit on the history of the Forum
followed by questions and comments.
Open Forum Discussion: The local community, the CPC, and the Forum engaged in
conversation.
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Further Discussion: Our discussions revealed a spectrum of viewpoints and understanding. This
is an important perspective to take back to CG to “cross-fertilize”. We are modified by what we
hear and are moved by the actions of the Spirit.
Lisa Reynolds and Carole Eschen worked on a document suggesting how follow-up can occur
to and from CPC. Theresa Kinealy and Karen Wehrman collaborated on this document. (To be
included in a separate attachment.)
There was discussion about the length of time needed for CPC meetings. It was decided that
our next meeting in December will begin Friday morning and will conclude on Saturday
afternoon prior to Mass.
Several CGs brought forth questions about Mission. These CGs were 4, 6,7,8,16,25, and 33.
Patty Calixto will contact Natalie Wing to address our questions and concerns.
The current list of CPC reps needs to be updated and Barbara Nicholas agreed to do this.
Evaluation of June CPC Meeting
Generally, everyone felt that the meeting was effective and productive.
Things that went well:
*the planners did a good job of dealing with change in plans
*thanks to Barbara Nicholas for stepping in and helping with the planning and facilitating
*Karen and Mary modeled an openness and inclusion of all
*the group planned for the future and ideas arose organically
*all the topics raised By CGs were discussed
*there seemed to be a collective conscience and it was great to be part of something so
wonderful
*people were engaged and willing to give their best effort during our time together
*the small group time helped us organize our ideas and gave a sense of accomplishment
*getting to know people better was great
*there was respect for all and no sense of tension
*reports on green sheets are so very important in setting the tone and providing the
substance for our discussions
*people made clear comments and were prepared for the work
*the process was not too solidified and able to evolve
*appreciation for the receptivity of the group and a willingness to “go with the flow”—
this bodes well for the future and will allow us to move the conversation to the next level
Suggestions for Improvement
*have snacks, color, and ambiance
*have items from the green sheet organized thematically but not omit any of the items
*the small group sharing could be in pairs
*going through the topics one be one felt tedious to at least one person
Suggestions for Improvement (continued)
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*meeting on Friday evening made for too long a day
*find ways for quieter people to make contributions comfortably
*the chairs were too hard
*meet in a circle without a table between us
*name tags might help—Sandy Ardoyno offered to organize this
*write comments on chart paper and note where follow-up is needed
*keep track of unfinished business
*go over the responsibilities of a CPC rep at the start of each meeting
*we missed sharing about what people in our CGs are doing for mission—we agreed to include
this in the December meeting
*different meeting rooms got confusing
Final notes and tasks:
*CPC reps have agreed to send minutes to CG members promptly after receiving them.
*Planners for the December meeting: Vivian Doremos, Mary Nelson, Karen Wehrman, and
Jacqueline Diego
*planners will coordinate with Sandra Hareld and with the centers where meetings occur to
*Theresa Kinealy will check about meeting rooms and informing the local Loretto community
of meeting times
*system needed to coordinate arrival and departure pickups—no one assigned to this task
*Lisa Reynolds and Carole Eschen have agreed to take notes at the December meeting for one
of the days. They request two others complete this task for the second day. This will allow
everyone to participate fully in the meeting.
*two recommended books are: Healing the Heart of Democracy by Parker Palmer and
The Blind Man’s Garden by Nageen Aslam
*request for some form of visual presentation of the mission of each member—Eleanor Craig
was suggested as a possible source
*request for a searchable data-base of the mission of each member—no suggestion for source
*request for a place on the member website for CPC issues—no one assigned to do this
*question about inviting a member of the Discernment Committee to meet with us in
December—no decision reached
*the winter meeting will be in Denver, Dec 6-7. The meeting will start Friday morning and
Conclude prior the 3:30 mass
*travel to CPC meetings is paid for centrally—send receipts to Kathy Wright
*suggestion that reps set up a binder or computer folder to collect CPC meeting items to
provide more follow-through when new members join the committee
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