LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. — The friars of Holy Name Province are participating this week in their Chapter of Mats, a four-day gathering comprising meetings, prayer, fraternity, and recreation, at Siena College.
This chapter is being called historic by the Province’s visioning and planning committee, because it is the first time the friar gathering will “affirm a common vision for the Province,” according to Provincial Minister John O’Connor. The gathering, being held from noon on June 5 through noon on June 8, culminates more than a year of work and conversation involving friars and laity throughout the Province.
In a March letter to his brothers, John encouraged all friars to attend, saying that “the Chapter of Mats will be a very important moment in the life of our Province.” Holy Name has held two previous Chapters of Mats — in 1989 and 2001. They were mainly fraternal gatherings, according to Provincial Vicar Dominic Monti.