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Minutes of the
International
Culture Commission Meeting (in conjunction with the Steering Committee of the Institutum Carmelitanum) Present from the Culture Commission were Patrick McMahon, Fernando Millan, Mark Attard, who also serve on the Steering Committee of the Institutum Carmelitanum, and William J. Harry. Present, as members of the Steering Committee of the Institutum Carmelitanum were Jos Huls, and Joachim Smet. Absent were Carlos Mesters, Michael Plattig, Tito Figuerirôa de Medeiros, Peter Go, and Huub Welzen. These are unofficial minutes which will be expanded once the minutes of the Steering Committee of the Institutum Carmelitanum are completed. Please note two future meetings: Both the Culture Commission and the Steering Committee of the Institutum Carmelitanum are scheduled to meet with some Carmelites in Nairobi, Kenya, January 2-7, 2007. A meeting with the Institute for Asian Spirituality (ISA) in Manila, Philippines, is being proposed in conjunction with their annual conference in July or August 2007. Details need to be worked out. 1) Report on the Lisieux Conference Patrick McMahon distributed sheets listing the participants, the papers presented, and the finances for the conference held in July 2005. He reported that the papers are being assembled by a committee and will be published in either one or two volumes. There should be no problem having this publication in time for the celebration of the Rule in 2007. 2) Report on the Meeting of the Institutes in Lisieux A list of participants and the topics covered at the meeting of the Institutes in Lisieux in July was distributed. It was noted that the attendance was much better at this second meeting of the Institutes and the reports by the various institutes indicate that good things are happening in various parts of the world. However, the reports highlighted the vast difference in the scopes of and programs offered by the Institutes. 3) Review of the Finances Patrick distributed a financial report with “budgeted and actual” figures for 2005. This was reviewed by the members. 4) Librarians Meeting in Nantes, France in Janauary 2006 Mark Attard, the Delegate for Culture, distributed a report on the meeting of Carmelite Librarians held in Nantes, France in January 2006. Twenty-five people were in attendance. A large number of libraries were represented for the first time. Topics discussed were: the standardization of software for library cataloguing, placing various library catalogues on the internet, collaborating on acquisitions and sharing doubles with new libraries, and ways of collaborating and sharing information. Following the meeting, there was a library information course which was to help the newer librarians in their jobs. Sixteen participants stayed for the courses. The next meeting of the Carmelite librarians will take place April 10, 2007 (arrivals) – April 15 (departures). The location is yet to be determined. 5) Report from the Carmelite Librarian in Rome Edison Tinambunan, in his first year as librarian of the Carmelite Library in Rome, met with the group to give his report. The protocols for library access were reviewed. The changes will be placed on the library website. Edison also proposed the hiring of an additional person to help with the workload of the library as he has been nominated sub-prior for the CISA community. 6) Report from Edizioni Carmelitane Evaldo Gomes joined the group to make a report on Edizioni Carmelitane, the Order’s publications house. He reported on the progress several books have made towards being published. A new collection of the Institutum, entitled “Art of Carmel”, is being proposed. Concern was expressed over the quality of books being placed in the various collections and the need to safeguard that they are of the highest academic standards. 7) Carmel in Dialogue with the Cultures of Asia and Africa A lengthy discussion took place about the status of the Institutes, culture, and academic preparation in Asia and Africa. It was finally decided that some form of “congress” of the Institutum take place in conjunction with the Institute of Spirituality in Asia (ISA) during their annual conference. Since we had no information on the theme or date of this meeting, our plan remains sketchy. It was felt that we need to meet with some of the leaders of Carmel in Africa. This is a growing area for the Order yet the area has no functioning Carmelite Institute or Carmelite library. Such a meeting could be the initial step towards establishing an on-going dialogue between the Order’s culture and the cultures found on the African continent. This meeting will take place in Nairobi, Kenya January 2 (arrival) -7 (departure), 2007. Both members of the International Culture Commission and the Steering Board of the Institutum are encouraged to attend. The meeting time will be divided between the Commissions’ regular meeting and the meeting with the Carmelite leaders in Africa. 8) The Virtual Carmelite Museum William J. Harry distributed pages showing the website of the virtual Carmelite museum and the outline of future developments. He also distributed a draft of a letter to the provincials, prioress of enclosed monasteries, and webmasters in the Order which explains the project and asks for their help in building up the museum. This letter will be distributed soon. 9) The General Congregation and the Theme of Culture in the Order In general, the members at the General Congregation in Sao Paolo in September were not impressed with the interest the provincials showed in the advancement of the culture and academic life of the Order. Mark Attard reported that he was able to speak with several provincials and was happy with the promises to receive more information for the survey of the academic studies members have completed. 10) Review of the Norms of the Institutum Carmelitanum Patrick distributed copies of an English translation of the norms of the Institutum Carmelitanum. It was suggested to add the idea of “working collaboratively” with the other institutes. It was suggested that caution be given to making the statutes too restrictive. 11) Nomination of New Members/Value of Being a Member of the Institute A brief discussion of possible new members also stressed the need for member to understand the value in belonging to the Institutum. There needs to be more of an exchange of information about projects underway. |