November 25, 2006

To:                   Superiors General, Members of the UISG

From:              Sr. Victoria Gz de Castejón, RSCJ

                        General Secretary

Subject:            2007 UISG Plenary

                        2007 UISG Assembly of Delegates

Dear Sisters,

These few lines are being addressed to you simply to recall certain items of importance for the Plenary and Assembly, which will be held, as you know, in May 2007.  I am using this occasion also to thank you for your responses to the questionnaire on the theme of the Plenary and to the questionnaire on the Life of the Constellation.  To respond to so many questions when one has already enough to do can be demanding at times.  However, I must say that for me, all this is transformed into dialogue with distinct realities that breathe life and dynamism, interest and love for Religious Life.  Moreover, I encourage those who have not yet responded, not to forgo nourishing this dialogue.

Let us now go on to the points I would like you to recall to mind:

I. PLENARY

Registration for the Plenary:

Many of you have already registered, and I have no doubt that those who have not already done so will do so without delay. But it seems that some have not received the registration form.  If this is so, do not hesitate to send us a few lines (uisgseg@tin.it) with your Fax number and we will send you a form immediately by this means.

Opening of the Plenary

I remind you that the official opening will take place in the afternoon of May 6, 2007, but during that same morning there will be a meeting for general superiors who are participating at a Plenary for the first time.  During the course of this meeting, the present Executive Committee will introduce you to the life of the Union, its mission and its functioning.

In my letter of the month of June, I promised I would send you the program, the schedule and other information in the month of December.  For several reasons, this information will not be sent before the end of January, and this will be done by electronic mail (E-mail) or by fax..

The closing of the Plenary will be on May 10 in the evening, as foreseen.

General organization

Lodging and transportation:  each participant must personally see to finding her own lodging and means of transportation.

Lunch:  the noonday meal is included in the amount of the registration fee.

Visas

Each person who needs a letter of invitation as part of the visa process must send to the UISG her registration form along with the monetary contribution and her request for the letter.  On our part, we will request this document from CICLSAL and from the Secretary of State of the Vatican, and we will send it to you by post as soon as we receive it.  In order to make this request the following information is absolutely necessary:  your name and surname (exactly as they are written in your passport) – place and date of birth – nationality – number of your passport – place of residence in Rome – length of stay.

We cannot ask for this letter more than 6 months before the date of the event in question.

Such were, up to now, the procedures involved in order to obtain a visa on the occasion of our Plenaries and Assemblies.

Contrary to what some are requesting, the letter of invitation cannot specify that the UISG will assume financial responsibility for the person in question in case of necessity.

Financial help to participate in the Plenary

The Union greatly regrets that it cannot offer financial help for participation in the Plenary.

Electronic mail (E-mail)

We will use electronic mail as often as possible.  We ask that if anyone has not yet sent us her electronic address, or if you have changed this address recently, please send a message to: uisgboll@tuttopmi.it

If for particular reasons, someone among you does not have access to electronic mail, we ask you to please communicate to us the Fax number where you want information to be sent to you.

Web Page

We wish to update the web page with all the communications we will have. You will find there everything regarding the Plenary and the Assembly, beginning with Sr. Therezinha Rasera’s letter of convocation.  We recommend that you open the web page from time to time at: www.uisg.org

II.  ASSEMBLY OF DELEGATES

For Delegates of Constellations or Substitutes participating in the Assembly

Reminder:

            Form No. 1: Confirmation of Attendance

 We ask that those who have not yet sent in their Confirmation of Attendance do so as quickly as possible. “In the event that the Delegate is unable to attend the Assembly, one of the Substitutes replaces her and has the right to vote”. (UISG Directives, VII. Article 10, election of the delegates and substitutes)

Form No. 2: Request for financial aid

If a delegate needs financial aid for the trip, she is asked to send us the request form.

I thank the congregations that have already contributed financially for the trip of the Delegates who need this help.  If someone still desires to contribute, she can send a check to the Administration of the UISG, indicating the purpose of the donation.

Place for the Assembly of Delegates

As was mentioned in the letter of June 27, the Assembly will take place at the UISG headquarters, Piazza di Ponte S. Angelo, 28 – 00186 Rome, and not at Hotel Ergife.  I realize that the change of location can cause inconvenience for certain persons, but the change was made for financial reasons.

I wish you a very joyful Feast of the Nativity.  May the contemplation of Jesus – the Infant-God - be the light that illuminates our journey!

Sr. Victoria Gz de Castejón, RSCJ

General Secretary