Thursday: Associates Meet and Greet

The 29 Associates attending the 2008 Chapter met for lunch on Wednesday, and found the “meet and greet” opportunity exciting. Our reporter met with Audrey Kettell, Lorraine Casey, Kathy Allard, and Mary Thelwell, who said that it was great to put names to faces, to enjoy lunch together and to have their picture taken. For some it was a chance to meet up with some of the friends they had made at the last Chapter in London or on one or other of the Congregation Programs of the past two years, and, for Audrey, a welcome return to the joy she experienced when she visited both US Provinces some years ago. All four associates spoke about how comfortable they are with each other, how freely they can talk (even more freely than with their friends who are not CSJP associates) and how exciting it is to feel so close.

They are incredibly appreciative of the inclusion and acceptance they feel in relation to all of the CSJP community. The associates new to Chapter are really experiencing the wonder and surprise of having an opportunity to reflect, to know the power and effectiveness of contemplation – and to realize this is something they will take home with them.

There is a feeling that this is a different Chapter from 2002, with a different tempo, free and exciting – this may be due to the fact that we are all wide-eyed and wondering where
we are going!