From 10-14 March, forty members of the Irish Province gathered for an Intermediate Provincial Chapter. The event took place at the Shamrock Lodge Hotel, in the picturesque town of Athlone, a two-hour drive from Dublin.
One of the most key topics addressed by the friars was the state of the process of union between the Provinces of Ireland and England-Scotland. In fact, for two days, fifteen friars from the Anglo-Scottish Province, including Provincial, Fr Robert Marsh, attended the Provincial Chapter as guests. Father Ian Wilson, Assistant General for Northern Europe and appointed by the Prior General as President of the IPC, stressed the importance of continuing to work on a shared journey, saying that, "we all see this gathering as great news that helps us to create a common future."
During the Chapter, which took place in a climate of prayer and reflection, reports were presented on the financial situation of the Province, its investments, the ever pressing and worrying question of vocations, the importance of ongoing formation, interprovincial collaboration and the care of older friars.
On this latter issue, Fr Wilson reports, "a lot of time was spent discussing how best to provide health care in Ballyboden, the care home for our elderly and sick confreres".
The Irish Chapter Fathers signed the minutes around midday on Thursday 14 March, leaving a roadmap up to 2025 - the date of the next General Chapter - which allows further work to be undertaken with regard to greater optimisation of resources, pastoral objectives, and the common mission of the Order in Ireland, Scotland and England.
