Dear members of the OEF Community:
The
COVID-19 pandemic has been increasingly on our minds and hearts, and we appreciate the conversations we’ve been having and
prayers that have been offered. Know that we, the OEF Council,
are doing our best to monitor the situation and will adjust upcoming Order plans
according to the best information and practices that are available.
In a nutshell: At this time, we are not cancelling
OEF Chapter/Convocation, scheduled for June 24 (early arrivals,
everyone else June 25) – June 28 2020. However, stay tuned, of course.
In more detail:
-The
scientific and medical consensus at this time is that the pandemic’s
main effects will be felt for the next 4-6 weeks, which would be about
to the end of April, well before Chapter.
-We are in conversation with our hosts, the Pallottine Renewal Center.
At this time, they are still hosting groups, and intend to do so for as
long as it makes sense. They host groups under 100, which is well under
the limit imposed by the latest emergency measures of 250. We are well
under that threshold as well. They are undertaking all health-related
measures that have been recommended for the safety of their guests, and
have plenty of supplies (e.g., chlorine, hand sanitizer) on hand.
Of
course, all of this is subject to change. A lot is happening, and
things are changing rapidly.
Given the fluidity of the situation, we feel that it would inappropriate
for us to set a hard deadline for our decision about holding Chapter at
this time.
Again, know that we are keeping tabs on the situation as best we can. We
will continue to post updates on the chat and the website.
If we do decide to go forward with holding Chapter, some of us would gather in St. Louis in June, but many of us may decide to stay home. We are looking into how we could do electronic participation, via Zoom etc., during the time of Chapter.
Finally, just some reminders about “best practices” in the current situation:
- Stay informed with trusted resources, such as the CDC: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
- If you are showing symptoms or have been exposed to those with symptoms, please stay at home when you can.
- If you are at higher risk, or you are in close contact with someone at a higher risk, please be mindful and limit your exposure as much as possible.
- Wash your hands thoroughly and often.
- Cough or sneeze into a tissue that you can throw away.
- Bow and say ‘Grace and Peace’ instead of shaking hands.
Feel
free to contact any of us directly (i.e., not via the chat but by our
personal emails, which are available to members of the OEF community) if
you have questions, concerns, input, …, about this situation.
Keep on praying!
Peace & All Good,
The OEF Council
Bruce James Kay
Jacoba (David) Ketchum
Betty Lou Leaver
Markie Oliver
Juniper (John) Robertson
