WHAT IS THE AGGREGATION?
“Aggregation marks the full juridical membership of the Conference in the Society” Rule II, Article 6.1
“Aggregation is the visible bond of the unity of the Society. I Art.3.8
This unity is achieved, beyond borders and cultural differences, around a common way of acting and a common spirit defined in the Rule.
According to the present Rule (2003) the life of the Conference is articulated around 3 main aspects defined in Part I, article 2.2
- Life of prayer
- Service of the poor
- Fraternal life
Aggregations are pronounced by the Permanent Section twice a year, on 15 June and 15 December.
Only the National/Superior/Assimilated/Associated Council of the country concerned is authorised to submit applications for aggregation. This is done exclusively online at https://www.cgi.agreg.ssvpglobal.org.
To access the website, each National Council must appoint a “Country Representative” responsible for aggregations and request the opening of an account with the CGI (cgi.agregations@ssvpglobal.org ), providing their name and email address.
MAIN CRITERIA FOR APPROVAL/REJECTION
- Age of the Conference: The Conference must have been in existence for at least one year.
- Name of the Conference: the name of a Saint, a Blessed, or a Marian title, often the name of the parish; but not Saint Vincent de Paul, Frédéric Ozanam or another founder, nor the name of another Conference belonging to the same Council or parish.
- Frequency of meetings (Rule, Part I: 3.3.1): Ideally, weekly meetings, but at least every two weeks.
- Number of active members: No fewer than four members.
- Membership requirements: Members of the Executive Committee must be Catholic (Rule I 6.5) and may not belong to the clergy (Rule: B.R.13).
- The Special Works of the Society cannot be aggregated; aggregation is exclusively reserved for Conferences.