1. Finances

On December 14 the Regional Council met in Montréal. On the agenda was mainly the finances of the Region. For this reason, also the Finance Committee was there together with our accountant Benoit Lefebvre and our investment counsellor Michel Lefebvre. It made for a very informative meeting. The Region had a first view of the 2015 financial statement but, at the time, it was not yet finalized. The main aim of the meeting was to determine the financial health of Region and to see what flexibility there exists in the finances for helping other parts of the Congregation who require help. By way of the Procure in Montréal we have been able to help other provinces and districts but it was never clear where in the financial report we could find the resources to help others.

2. Review of the meeting with the USA council in October

Council had not met since October and so Council needed to firm up the decisions made at the meeting of councils on October 18.

• Dehonian Family: At the NORAM meeting it was decided to tie in with the USA efforts to bring to life the Dehonian Family in North America. On November 21 David Schimmel the North American coordinator for these efforts came to St. Thomas More parish and explored with the Toronto Community how to go about setting up the Dehonian Associates in the Toronto area. Jim Casper has been asked to spearhead this effort. It is hoped that in the not too distant future it will also be possible to think of introducing the Dehonian Family in Montreal.
• International Theological Commission; at the meeting of the international Theological Commission in Rome from December 1 to 4 the new North American Theological Commission was welcomed. The North American commission will now have to set up its statutes and to begin the preparation for the Theological Seminar in Yogyakarta in July 2017. The North American Commission will be meeting in Hales Corners on January 10 – 11. The members of the Commission are John van den Hengel (chair), Zbigniew Morawiec, Charles Brown, and Gustave Lulendo. The first task of the Commission will be to begin the analysis of the results of the questionnaire sent out in October on devotion and devotions. The Commission has received 46 responses from the North American members.
• Migration Committee:  Council confirmed the re-establishment of the committee and set its objectives. Peter McKenna and Richard MacDonald have been nominated the co-chairs. Members on the part of the Canadian Region are Louis-Marie Butari and Ms Karen Mahoney, a member of  Resurrection parish in Ottawa. The objectives of the committee are:·        To further develop the decision of the North American Continental Conference of 2013 to give migration  priority status for pastoral involvement in North America;

  ·        To encourage individual members or community groups to become directly and personally involved with  migrants, refugees, undocumented, etc. in the places where we live.

  ·        To develop concrete action programs for the SCJ communities of North America to welcome, assist, accompany migrant and refugee groups at our local level

  ·        To provide regular concrete information in our internal and external communications media regarding issues on migration, migrant workers, refugees

  ·        To develop a workshop on migration issues

  ·        To report once a year to the meeting of the North American SCJ Councils about the activities of the committee

  ·        To develop a travel and meeting budget and present it to the meeting of the NORAM councils

  3. Feedback from the meeting of Major Superiors in Rome  The results of the meeting from November 28 to December 2 have been reported already. The meeting of council had the results recorded in its minutes. The Region will have to look more closely in one of its next meeting at the document on sexual abuse that the General Administration has asked all the entities to incorporate into their procedures before July 2017. The Regional Superior has asked Jim Casper to compare the document of the General Administration with its own “Policy and Procedures for responding to Sexual Harassment” and the “Policy and Procedures for responding to allegations of child abuse” (pages 36 to 50 in Regional Directory / Directoire régional)