SND-USA Shared Life Common Province Guidelines

SND-USA Shared Life

Common Province Guidelines

As the sisters of the four US Provinces “embrace our shared future,” we desire to live as apostolic women religious committed to global transformation. The SND-USA Common Province Guidelines serve to support the personal, community and apostolic life of each sister individually and our one province as a whole. Clear and simple guidelines free each sister to proclaim the goodness and provident care of God through her life and ministry. The guidelines are rooted in Gospel values and our SND Constitutions and Directory.

The implementation of the guidelines will require more practical procedures. General procedures are suggested for each set of guidelines. These procedures may need to be made more specific in each present province until bookkeeping and secretarial processes are unified. In general:

 Each area includes the foundational references from the Constitutions and/or Directory.

 The guidelines are stated simply and as far as possible in point form for the purpose of clarity.

 Each set of guidelines includes general procedures.

 The guidelines provide the “norm.” Any sister is free to confer with her provincial (or her designated representative) and request changes which will meet her needs.

 Topics considered for this first set of guidelines will impact related topics (e.g.,

SND-USA Shared Life

Personal Budget / Wellness / Personal Technology/ Vacation Guidelines 2017-2018

Constitutions / Directives:

Article 26: “The witness of poverty lived in common requires that we share all we have with one another, not only our material goods but also our spiritual and intellectual gifts. This mutual sharing unites our community. To keep alive the religious spirit in our congregation, we must be faithful to living poverty personally and as a community.”

Directive 25.2: “With accountability and in accord with approved guidelines, we are permitted to use money for designated purposes.”

Article 27: “A simple lifestyle is in accord with our vow of poverty as well as with our spirit of simplicity. It requires a detachment that frees us from whatever turns us away from God and from our mission. Each of us shares the responsibility in our personal and community living s as well as in our place of ministry to avoid accumulation of possessions and to make choices that reflect preferential love for the poor.”

Article 59: “In community we follow a rhythm of life, which, as far as possible, takes into consideration the demands of our ministry as well as our personal needs. We respect the

necessary privacy, which provides each sister and the community the time and place for silence, solitude and relaxation.”

Directive 59.3: “For balanced community living we need recreation and relaxation. Longer times of rest and relaxation are provided according to province/delegation guidelines. We take reasonable care of our health in accord with our simple lifestyle.”

Recommended Guidelines:

Based on the personal budget history of each of our four provinces, we propose that the following expenses be considered as either a personal budget expense or a province/ community budget expense as listed:

Personal Budget Expenses

 Clothing / shoes

 Personal care items

 Hair care

 Entertainment / movies, books/ dining out for entertainment

 Ministry supplies if not covered by place of ministry

 Driver’s license/traffic fines

 Postage/shipping for personal online purchases

 Donations for ministry potlucks, sunshine fund, etc.

 Personal gifts for others

 *Vacation: travel/food/lodging

 *Wellness (massages/ fitness memberships, etc.)

 *Charitable donations

 *Personal technology expenses (purchase/upgrading / maintenance)

Province/Community Budget Expenses

 Over the counter medications

 Doctor recommended orthotics

 Prescriptions

 Gas/tolls/parking

 Roadside assistance: AAA, Doering, Enterprise

 Postage (stamps)

 Cell phone and data

 Dry cleaning

 Batteries

 Professional certification

 Passports

 Spiritual direction/spiritual activities

 Tickets for major fundraisers (for institutions)

 Further education/workshops

 Food

Notes:

1) *Vacations: Vacation costs are included in the Personal Budget amounts. Sisters should follow the guidelines listed on the Vacation Guidelines sheet.

2) *Wellness: If needed, a sister may request a further allowance for wellness from the identified community authority.

3) * Charitable donations (not to exceed a total of $100): A sister may make small contributions toward SND ministries or non-profit organizations with which a sister is personally associated

4) *Personal technology: A sister wishing to purchase a laptop/kindle/notebook/iPad/etc. for her personal use may do so from her personal budget. If needed, she may request a “loan” from the province for the initial purchase. The sister is responsible for battery

Based on the above listed personal budget expenses as well as the current regional cost of living for our geographic areas, the personal budget amounts are as follows:

 Sisters residing in the California province: $2900

 Sisters residing in the Chardon, Covington, Toledo provinces: $2500

Option for an individual budget: If a sister foresees a need for additional funds than these caps, she may contact her provincial or designated contact person.

Additional Recommendations: (until finances are combined)

 Each province will give directives regarding bookkeeping and accounting relative to the personal budget.

 Each province will determine credit card procedures.

SND-USA Shared Life Vacation Guidelines

2017-2018

Recommended Guidelines:

 To foster physical, spiritual, and emotional wellbeing, all sisters are encouraged to take a vacation each year. (normally 2-3 weeks)

 Sisters should take into consideration the needs of the local community, province, and ministry when planning a vacation.

 Vacation expenses are part of the personal budget:

o While on vacation, the personal budget will cover expenses related to food, transportation (plane/train), lodging and entertainment.

o A community car and gas card may be used for vacations. (community expense) Recommended Procedures:

 Sisters are encouraged to make their own arrangements. If assistance is needed contact the appropriate personnel.

 The general procedures will be made more specific in each province until bookkeeping and secretarial processes are unified.

SND-USA Shared Life Home Visit Guidelines

2017-2018 Constitutions / Directives:

Article 61: “We show our love and gratitude to our family, relatives, friends and benefactors by praying for them and offering them hospitality.”

Recommended Guidelines:

 To foster physical, spiritual, and emotional wellbeing, sisters are encouraged to maintain contact with their family.

 Sisters should take into consideration the needs of the local community, province, and ministry when planning a home visit.

 Recognizing the importance of visiting family at a distance, the community will incur the cost of transportation (plane, train, bus, etc.) for one annual visit to parent(s)/sibling(s) living at a distance.

o If there is a circumstance that requires a sister to visit more often, she should confer with her provincial (or her designated representative).

 For sisters ministering at a distance from their province of origin, the community will incur the cost of one annual visit to her province of origin.

Recommended Procedures:

 The general procedures will be handled by each province until bookkeeping and secretarial processes are unified.

SND-USA Shared Life International Travel Guidelines

2017-2018

Recommended Guidelines:

 Prior to making plans for any international travel, a sister completes the appropriate request form and sends it to the provincial secretary. The secretary will submit the form to the provincial superior for approval.