West Midwest Community Leadership Goals 2013 …

1 West MidwestCommunityLeadershipGoals2013-2018 1 Sisters of Mercy of the West Midwest Community Community Leadership Team Goals March 2014 Inspired by the God of Mercy, Wisdom, and Mystery, and committed to strengthening the Union and Charity that ground our relationships, we continue our Sacred Journey in Mercy and Hope in service to you, the Sisters of Mercy of the West Midwest Community , and the Institute, to: Strengthen and Support Community Relationships Knowing that deep conversation can further vibrant Community , we strive to empower the Mercy Community , especially Personal Contacts, the Conveners Council, Consultation Networks, and diverse groupings, to initiate opportunities for education, spiritual enrichment, and social gatherings.

2 Funding for such opportunities will be integrated into the annual budgeting process. We will: Promote participation in anti-racism initiatives. Offer several opportunities for personal growth to the Sisters through Life Size, pre-Consultation Network Meetings, and recorded presentations that are accessible on the internet or other media. Initiate a minimum of a yearly electronic town hall meeting through which Sisters, Associates and Companions can be heard with openness to diverse voices within the West Midwest Community and heeded by each other. Assist the WMW Mercy Community in coming to a better understanding of our interrelationships among Sisters, Associates and Companions.

3 Support the endeavors to celebrate the major milestones of the Community . Expand and Enliven Communication Vehicles Strengthen our spiritual lives and our communal and ministerial relationships by improving and expanding our communication vehicles and the technology that supports them. We will: Work with IT and Communications to develop a functional and user-friendly intranet. Consult with Conveners and Personal Contacts about various communication vehicles to assess applicability and functionality. Make service-oriented, end-user driven changes. Continue to work with the IT and Communications staff to expand new communication vehicles, such as Life Size, Skype, discussion boards, blogs, etc.

4 For working with various audiences. Identify Sisters at each location to assist Community members in accessing a variety of user-friendly communication vehicles, such as Life Size. 2 Share Leadership /Governance Engage in a comprehensive evaluation of shared Leadership /governance roles and processes and design models of relationship that address our changing demographics and the evolving needs of the WMW Community . We will: Appoint a task force to evaluate the current Personal Contact role, responsibilities, and processes to identify changes to meet future needs. Initiate a process, if needed, to amend the Governance Plan to reflect changes in roles and responsibilities of the Personal Contacts and/or Conveners.

5 Evaluate and update the roles, responsibilities, and capacity of the Sponsorship Councils and empower them to move our sponsored works into the future. With our colleagues in our sponsored ministries, evaluate and clarify these relationships and canonical and civil governance structures to ensure ministerial and financial viability, vitality, and accountability. Share Responsibility for Support and Well-Being of Members Educate and encourage all WMW Community members to share in the responsibility for the care of members in view of providing quality care through all life stages and in the best interest of the Institute and the limitations of our common resources.

6 We will: Support programs and services that meet the needs of active and retired Sisters. Evaluate how these programs and services are meeting the current and future needs of the Community . Embrace a holistic approach to aging which respects the needs of all Sisters in the Community and provides them with quality care. Identify and educate ourselves on new income sources to offset retirement costs, particularly in the area of government programs. Examine the cost of care at our Life Centers to align more closely with NRRO benchmarks. Steward Resources for Sustainability Reflecting the values of our Core Documents,1 steward our real properties and other assets for the current and future use of the WMW Community and others in ways that are sustainable.

7 We will: Develop criteria, in consultation with the members and the Finance Advisory Committee, for use of property. 1 Constitutions, (1991/2011); the ILC Guyana Statement (2004); Institute Direction Statement, (2005); Fourth Institute Statement of Critical Concerns (2005), the ILC Leadership Perspectives Document (2010/2013), and the Fifth Institute Chapter Declaration, (2011) 3 Evaluate current use of properties and explore future directions that will lead to alternative uses for our underutilized properties, including sales when appropriate. Solicit information and advice from members about current and future use of local properties.

8 Make decisions about property in light of Institute-wide processes and potential use. Reflect our core values in the budgeting process. Establish Communities of Invitation and Support Promote vibrant Communities to further the life of new members and all who form Community with them. We will: Support the New Membership Team in educating and encouraging our Community members to help establish and maintain at least three new Welcoming Communities for discernment before and during the incorporation process. Work with the Mercy Community to explore new and creative forms of vibrant Community . Inspire Future Direction for Communal and Ministerial Life Raise awareness of emerging Mercy Hubs and collaborations with like-minded religious communities and individuals to further our passion for service through contemplation, ministry and Community .

9 We will: Encourage the building and growth of Mercy Hubs. Recognize the characteristics of emerging Mercy Hubs, encourage their development, and tell their stories. Contribute to and implement the decisions of the Institute Covenant Relationship committee while engaging our own Community in on-going education and building relationships with the congregation(s) requesting a Covenant Relationship. Promote Mission Integration with Co-Workers Create an environment of mutual respect and accountability for all employees, and provide ongoing development that ensures an understanding of the Mercy charism and culture. We will: Establish a culturally comprehensive mission integration program for employees throughout the WMW Community .

10 Offer and invite participation of employees in annual in-services that highlight Mercy charism, mission, culture, and Critical Concerns Work toward a common philosophy of compensation and an equitable benefits package across the Institute. Annually evaluate employee policies to ensure that they reflect Mercy values. 4 Give Voice to the WMW Reality within the Institute Faithful to our responsibility to shared Leadership within the Institute, represent the voice, experience, and perspectives of the WMW Community to facilitate collaboration with and across the Communities of the Institute. We will: Continue to participate in and influence Institute committees, decisions, programs and networks.