USA, Stockbridge: The Chapter of Affairs of the American Province of Our Lady of Mercy was held at the Provincial House of the Marian Fathers in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, from May 4 to 7 of this year. Twenty-one religious participated, representing all the religious houses in the United States and Argentina.

As is customary, the Chapter proceedings began with a Conventual Mass of the Holy Spirit, preparing the participants for a day of recollection. On the second day of the proceedings, the assembly first heard a report from the Provincial Superior, Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, on the state of the Province, followed by reports from all the superiors of the religious houses and the Marians responsible for the Province’s various ministries. Following the reports, there was an opportunity to ask questions and provide additional information.

The next task for the Chapter members, divided into appropriate committee groups, was to review the proposals submitted by the various religious houses and individual confreres. The proposals that were approved by the committees were then put to a vote in the plenary session, so that they could subsequently be incorporated into the Provincial Statutes, which, after review, were reapproved for the next three-year term. The proceedings concluded on the evening of Thursday, May 7, with a communal singing of the Te Deum Laudamus.