The local Council is the immediate, competent authority of the local Community within the limits of the OCDS Constitutions. Attendance is expected and needed to facilitate human and spiritual growth, which will enable the member to understand and live fully their Promise in the Community. Persistent absenteeism without approval of the Council may lead to dismissal.
Our faithful attendance requires the spirit of poverty whereby we learn to lay down our lives for our friends by being present to and with them in Community, which sometimes means sacrificing our desire to be somewhere else or to do something else that seems more pleasurable to the senses.
Attendance is defined as arriving on time for Morning Prayer and not leaving until the meeting is concluded. Definitively Professed members must arrive on time for their formation session and remain through the business meeting unless they are formator for a formation session. Late arrival or early departure will result in the member being counted absent.
It is the sole responsibility of the Community member to notify the Formation Director in advance of missing a meeting. The member must provide a reason for the absence.
- In the case of an emergency, a member who is unable to contact the Formation Director prior to the meeting needs to contact him/her as soon as possible.
- All absences should be made up within two weeks of the absence by emailing the Formation Director four talking points from their formation group’s reading assignment and four talking points from the Community reading assignment. The Council may grant more time for the assignment to be completed based upon the community member’s circumstances.
Absences are excused if the absence is due to serious and unavoidable issues or those related to the person’s duties of life.
Absences are Unexcused if:
- The Community member does not contact the Formation Director per the process listed above.
- The absence is due to personal scheduling.
- It could be avoided.
- The member fails to complete the makeup session process.
It is the member’s responsibility to complete the makeup assignment. The member will not be contacted or reminded to complete said assignment.
Attending a Carmelite related activity (i.e., training, Congress, etc.) will not be considered an absence and will be marked on the Attendance Records as a “C.”
A concentrated effort should be made to keep absences to a minimum. When a member must miss due to ongoing serious and unavoidable issues, such as serious health issues for themselves or a family member, Council will determine if a status other than active is indicated or identify other ways to help the member.
A member who has three absences in a 12-month period is required to contact the Council who will determine if the member can maintain active status in the Community.
- Three absences in one year and/or excessive cumulative absences seriously impact the member’s formation even if the absences are excused.
- Excessive absences may require an extension of the member’s formation with Council approval or may be cause of dismissal.
Any member who misses four meetings in the 12 months prior to the month in which an election is held is ineligible to:
- Serve on the Community’s Council (i.e., President, Formation Director, or Councilor)
- Serve as Secretary or Treasurer
- Vote in the election
Those restrictions are not intended to be a punishment but rather a means to ensure that new Council members and officers are aware of the current state of the Community and that the office would not be burdensome to the member.
The Order recognizes that members have legitimate obligations and God-given responsibilities that may at times conflict with responsibilities of the OCDS Community. Such conflicts should be the exception in an OCDS vocation.