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Mission Development Office-MDO

MISSION DEVELOPMENT OFFICE OF THE MISSIONARIES OF ST FRANCIS DE SALES (MDO-MSFS)

DEFINITION OF MISSION DEVELOPMENT OFFICE

 

Mission Development Office is a body that is appointed by the Superior General of the Missionaries of St Francis de Sales with the consent of his Council to mobilise resources human, material and financial to assist the Missionaries of St Francis de Sales all over the world especially in mission territories in their mission work which consists of faith formation, leadership formation, humanitarian and developmental and educational works for the poor and marginalised people.

OBJECTIVES:

The following are its objectives:

  • To contact friends, benefactors, NGOs, funding agencies on behalf of the MSFS to acquaint them of the mission engagements of the MSFS in the whole world especially in mission territories so specified by the Congregation and build a partnership with them to assist the missionaries in responding to the needs of the missionaries in their service to the people.
  • To mobilise finances and material resources in general for the missions through appropriate mechanisms that are approved by the Congregation.
  • To receive projects and appeals from the Provinces through the recommendation of the Provincials, study them and forward them to agencies or benefactors for the necessary sanction of grants.
  • To build a mission fund of the Congregation to be at the disposal of the Superior General for disbursing amounts in mission situations that need urgent assistance.
  • To animate and provide on how to organize province mission development offices when requested by the Superior General or the Provincials.

 

SCOPE AND REALISATION OF THE OBJECTIVES:

Objective 1:

  • Association of friends and benefactors need to be formed in each affluent country, and in countries where there are juridical units of the Congregation, with the approval of the Provincials/Superiors.
  • These friends are to be initiated into Salesian spirituality, in the knowledge of our Congregation and missions and motivated to be partners with the mission of the Congregation.
  • The Association in each country will see the different ways in which support for missions in general can be mobilised.
  • The details of the functioning and accountability of each of these associations, and the transfer of their collection of resources to MDO will have to be worked out by the MDO.

Objective 2

  • The MDO has to explore various ways of mobilising finances for the missions of the Congregation in general.
  • For this, the MDO will have to have good and detailed information of all missions of the

Congregation in all its Provinces. A mechanism has to be proposed by MDO to the Superior General to obtain data and information about missions and all missionary activities as far and as quick as possible. Once mechanism of flow of data and knowledge is approved, MDO will have direct contact with those who supply the information and data in the Provinces.

  • The amount obtained for general purposes of the Congregation will be made known to the Superior General periodically, twice in a year before the General Council Meeting, with proposals of how the money can be shared with the various missions of the Congregation. The decision will be finally endorsed by the Superior with the consent of his Council.

Objective 3

  • The members of the Congregation will be free to send to the MDO projects well written and with the written approval of the Provincial.
  • The projects will be periodically studied by MDO, sorted out, and forwarded to funding agencies with its recommendation.
  • The money thus obtained for the project will be disbursed directly to the Province concerned and a record will be kept. This record will form part of the annual report that MDO will submit to the Superior General at the end of the calendar year (Projects received, projects forwarded to agencies, and projects that were materialised)

Objective 4

  • MDO will explore ways and means of building a Mission Fund which will be at the disposal of the Superior General, who with the consent of his Council will use it for the emergency and urgent needs of the Missions in the whole world.
  • Legacies, endowments, one-time gifts for mission should be welcomed to this Fund.

 

COMPOSITION OF THE MDO- MSFS

  • The MDO will consist of five members: The Superior General, General Bursar, the Procurator General in Rome, General Secretary for SAIM and the Director of MDO appointed by the Superior General with the consent of his Council.
  • The Superior General will be the President of MDO and he is ultimately responsible for the MDO. It is to him that the other members are accountable. The minutes of all meetings are sent to him. If possible he attends the meetings of the MDO. But he does not take part in the decisions for proposals for which he later has to give his approval.
  • The Director of MDO will be a suitable MSFS confrere who is appointed by the Superior General with the consent of his Council for a period of 3 years and who can be reappointed for further terms but not more than three terms consecutively.
  • The other members of MDO are ex-officio and they cease to be members when their term comes to an end.
  • More members can be inducted into the MDO by the Superior General with the consent of his Council and for a period of 5 years at a time.

MEETINGS OF THE MDO AND MINUTES OF THE MEETING

  • There will be a minimum of 4 meetings in a year of the MDO.
  • The Director will convene the meeting with agenda and circulate the agenda to the members at least 15 days in advance. If the Superior General is present, the Superior General will preside at the meeting and the Director will conduct the meeting. In the absence of the Superior General, the Director will preside at the meeting and conduct the Meeting.
  • The Director will write the Minutes and within 10 days after the meeting the minutes need to be circulated to the Superior General and to the members of MDO.

OFFICE OF MDO

  • The Superior General will issue a Decree of establishment of MDO office and make known to the entire Congregation and its functioning.
  • The Superior General will indicate the place where the office of MDO should be located and ensure its sufficient autonomous functioning in the context of a local community which has other objectives and give guidelines for the effective functioning of MDO as well as the local community in its pursuit of its objectives.
  • The Director with other members will explore the possibility of civil registration of MDO and other legal matters.

ACCOUNTS

  • The MDO will maintain accounts of all the money it receives and which are sent to the missions following due procedures as stated in these terms of Reference or otherwise as given by the Superior General in writing to the Director.
  • The annual statement of accounts has to be passed by MDO and submitted to the Superior General.