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1-
What does the word “Convention” means?
The
Convention is a gathering of Priests,
Deacon, Religious Sisters and the Laity who
participate with them in the management of
the Eparchy and the parishes — i.e., Eparchy
Directors, Members of Eparchy Pastoral
Council, Members of Parish Councils,
Stewardship Committees, and Members of other
parish committees such as: Ladies
Committees, Youth Groups, Confraternities,
Spiritual, Educational and Cultural
Committees. Other specialised people who
work in the parishes or the Eparchy may also
be invited to participate in the gathering.
The
Eparch convenes the Convention and has
appointed a Convention Committee to organize
matters prior to the Convention to ensure an
orderly meeting.
2-
Convention goals:
2.1
Review of the current situation of the
Eparchy.
2.2
Plan for the near future: until 2012
2.3
Study of issues concerning the overall
Eparchy.
3-
Convention 2009 – “Together we build our
church”
· The
Eparch assigned Fr Samir Haddad, Episcopal
Vicar for Victoria, as Chairman of the
Convention Committee.
· A
Committee was appointed in Melbourne to
assist the Chairman of the Convention
Committee to oversee the organization of the
Convention.
· A
Sub-committee has been appointed in Sydney
led by Fr Fady Salameh to assist him in the
coordination of activities of all the
churches in Sydney related to the
Convention.
· Fr
Edward Ibrahim was assigned to form a
Committee to manage all the other parishes
outside Sydney and Melbourne. This
Committee will have two (2) representatives
from each parish.
4-
Research topics in the 2009 Convention
The
Eparch determined, in the first meeting with
the Preparation Committee, the following
four points which must be discussed as part
of the preparation for the Convention.
These are:
4.1
Spiritual matters comprising:
·
Spiritual state of the parish, for example:
spiritual harmony, preparation for the
sacraments of Marriage and Baptism,
evangelisation, spiritual retreats,
visitation by the priest or members of
parish committees, cooperation among the
faithful, and a sense of spiritual
belonging.
· Divine
Liturgy and liturgical services, homilies,
choir, organisation of religious
celebrations.
· Religious
Education.
· Spiritual
life of the youth.
4.2
Social matters:
· Social
services -"What social services does the
Church offer you and what are your
expectations?”
· Sense
of belonging to the Eparchy and to the
parish.
·
How do
we preserve our social heritage?
·
How
does the church help families that are going
through difficult times?
·
Does
the parish present programmes of support for
families and make them aware of helpful
seminars?
· Camps.
4.3
Educational matters:
·
What
educational services does the Church
provide?
· What
services does the Church provide for
children, the youth, families, and the
elderly?
· What
is available and how do we develop it?
4.4
The Goods of the Church:
· General
overview of the assets of the Eparchy. Each
minor Committee is asked to prepare a slide
show of parish photos (PowerPoint
presentation), to be presented during the
Convention or a CD/DVD to be distributed to
all the parishes.
· Good
financial management in the parish and its
income.
· Importance
of supporting the Eparchy and why.
5- How we prepare for the
Convention
· The
Convention Committees are to distribute the
Convention Invitations and Registration
Forms to the parishes. Registration Forms
are to be returned to the Convention
Committee Secretary, Mrs Madeleine Haddad,
by the dates listed on the Registration
Form.
· Prepare
a PowerPoint presentation about the
Convention in each parish and excite
interest in registration.
· Coordinate
the work among the members of the parish,
directly with the person responsible for
each committee and share the duties.
· Supervise
the review of the current situation with the
members of the parish through workshops and
responses to a Survey, which is currently
being prepared. This will ensure that we
meet the first goal for the Convention –
“Review of the
current situation of the Eparchy”.
This
matter is the responsibility of each
representative of the parishes and he/she
must meet with the persons in charge of the
various councils and committees (President
of the Parish Council, Stewardship
Coordinator, Ladies Coordinator, Youth
Coordinator, Confraternity Coordinators,
etc.). The parish representatives must
explain the importance of the Convention,
the topics to be discussed as shown in Point
(4) above.
Also,
they are responsible for meeting with the
other members of their group; to respond to
the Survey and to discuss with them any
other issues, should they arise.
The
coordinator of the committee is to return
all copies of the Survey to the person in
charge of the State Committee.
·
Once
the State Committee Coordinator receives all
the results of the Survey, he/she then
presents those to his/her State Committee
for further consideration.
·
The
responses and the results from each State
are to be returned to the Convention
Committee in Melbourne, which in turn will
forward these to the Eparch for discussion
with the Eparchy Board of Directors and the
Eparchy Pastoral Council.
6- What is required from the
Committees in the States?
·
Registration of participants for the
Convention.
·
Coordination between the delegates and the
priests to prepare a meeting of the various
members of parish councils and committees in
each parish.
·
Conduct the Survey with each individual from
all the sections of the parish.
·
General meeting of the State’s Committee and
consideration of the latest developments.
·
Ensure
that each parish has prepared the requested
presentation on the parish and its
activities.
·
Special Fundraising activities to reduce the
burden of travelling and accommodation
expenses during the conference.
Fr
Samir Haddad
Convention Coordinator
 Together
we build our church
Convention Survey 2009
“Review
of the current situation of the Eparchy”
The
first goal of the Convention is to review
the current situation of the Eparchy
throughout Australia and New Zealand and to
evaluate plan and develop strategies to
improve services for the whole of the
Melkite community. For this reason a Survey
to all parishioners has been developed as an
initial step to assist with the
identification of gaps in service delivery
and future planning for the Melkite
community. All parishioners will be invited
to participate in the survey and those who
do not attend the church for whatever
reason, will also be highly encouraged to
participate.
·
Parish
Council members in Australia and New Zealand
will be responsible for encouraging their
parishioners to participate in the survey.
Collected surveys will be analysed and the
results presented to the local Convention
Committee/representative, who in turn will
pass it onto the Main Convention Committee.
To maximise parishioners’ participation in
the survey it is
advisable to form group sessions per
committee to
ensure
that all concerns are documented.
The
Convention held in November 2009 will be
attended by the clergy, all council and
committee members as well as His Grace Arch
Bishop Issam John Darwish. All attendees
will then review the results of the surveys
collated and future directions will be
identified and included in the plan
2009-2012.
The
outcome of the convention will give the
Eparchy a better picture of the parishioners
needs to “build our church together.”
His
Grace determined, in the first
meeting with the Convention Steering
Committee, the following four points which
should be discussed as part of the
preparation for the Convention:-
1 Spiritual matters
2
Social matters
3
Educational matters
4
The Goods of the Church
Hand to hand, heart to heart we look forward
to your input in the Survey and in helping
build our church together.
Preparation Committee
Recommendations from the First Annual
Convention 2005
“I
Love My Church”
On 5
and 6 November 2005, the first convention of
the Eparchy was held at the Nan Thiep
Conference Centre in Wollongong. The
discussions and reflections centred on the
topics of the Unity of the Eparchy, the
ministry to youth and the ministry to
families.
MINISTRY TO THE FAMILY
* That
the parish promote the value of the family,
and family values, in the community through
a variety of activities.
* That
the parish educate young families about the
meaning of a Christian family and how to
develop and keep the Christian values.
* That
the marriage preparation course includes a
section on the importance of keeping alive
Christian family values.
* That
the parish priest provides support and
guidance to families who are experiencing
difficulties.
*
That the parish provide seminars about the
dangers of drugs, alcohol and gambling.
* That
the parish priest educate families on the
impact that divorce has on parents.
MINISTRY
TO YOUTH
*
That the parish give more
attention to Youth Ministry.
* That
the clergy provide continued guidance to the
youth, develop friendship with them, listen
to them and advise them, especially in
strengthening their faith, and explain to
them the importance of the Sacraments in
particular the sacraments of Confession and
the Eucharist.
* That
the parish organize social activities for
the youth to bring them closer together and
make them feel welcome in the church.
*
That the parish budgets should include an
item for the needs of youth ministry.
*
That the youth should participate in the
Parish Council.
Costs
a. Full package
(3-day
conference, 2 nights accommodation,
2 Breakfasts and all meals and beverages):
·
$365
per person
Single Room with
double bed
·
$265
per person
Twin Share Room
with one
double bed and one
single bed
b.
Partial package -
$140
per person
(3-day
conference, all meals and beverages)
Deposit:
$50 per person (Non Refundable)
Deposit
required by:
Friday, 14 August 2009
Please
make cheque payable to:
Catholic
Development Fund Victoria
Melkite Catholic Eparchy Convention
Reply
Paid 174
96
Wellington Pde East Melbourne Vic 3002
Please
return the Registration Form and Deposit to:
Melkite Convention 2009 Committee
C/- St Joseph Melkite Church
40 Gillies Street
Fairfield VIC 3078
For bookings,
please contact:
for
VIC Madeleine Haddad on 0419
311 538
for
NSW Fr. Fady Salameh on 0404 088
913 |
