Dear Brothers and
Sisters,
Saint Clare often reminded
her sisters of the value of their vocation as a gift from God that is to be
valued and nourished. Concerning this,
Clare wrote in her Testament: "Among the other gifts that we have received
and do daily receive from our benefactor, the Father of mercies, and for which
we must express the deepest thanks to the glorious Father of Christ, there is
our vocation, for which, all the more by the way of its being more perfect and
greater, do we owe the greatest thanks to Him”.
As Secular Franciscans, we too are called to a deeper understanding of
our vocation, and to bear fruit in the various parts of the world in which we
live.
The identity of
Seculars Franciscans is intimately linked to our secularity and to living a
secular way of life in the world. This
identity, which differentiates us within the Franciscan family, is also what
makes us indispensable to the Franciscan family. Being aware of this identity must be complemented
by making it known to others. During
2003-2004, a survey was conducted to document the work that is already underway
within national fraternities across the world; a summary of the results of this
survey has already been published and shared in order to stimulate Secular
Franciscans to become further engaged in the family, the workplace, the
communities in which they live, and in the Church. Although the quantity and quality of
information provided in the survey varied, the results of the survey reinforce
that the work being undertaken by Secular Franciscans is exemplary in nature
and that it should not be “hidden under a bushel”. However, the survey also seems to indicate
that Secular Franciscans lack the sense that they belong to a single Order and
that all of its activity is linked worldwide.
As a result, Secular Franciscans need to move towards ownership of their
activities across the world and of the unity that Secular Franciscans share
when engaged in apostolic work.
During the General
Chapter of the Secular Franciscan Order, held in Assisi in November 2005, capitulars reflected
on the mission and witness of Secular Franciscans in the world. In a round table format, a number of
presentations were made by Secular Franciscans outlining how Secular
Franciscans are living and witnessing their mission in the various continents
and cultures around the world. I am
writing to share with you a brief summary of these presentations with the hope
that it will stimulate you and the Secular Franciscans in your nation to move
forward and set out into the deep, as Pope John Paul II has invoked the Secular
Franciscan Order to do in his message of 2002.
During the General
Chapter, Enrico and Elisabetta
Tavazzani, members of a Secular Franciscan fraternity
in Rome, spoke
of their experience with the Centro Missionario dell’Ordine Francescano Secolare (CeMiOFS). This Missionary Centre of the Secular
Franciscan Order is a voluntary organization established in 1998 which strives
to make present the charism of St. Francis within the
context of a lay, Franciscan spirituality.
In particular, it engages young couples and families in missionary work
and promotes Franciscan lay spirituality in the world. To-date, CeMiOFS
has undertaken missionary work in a number of countries, including Venezuela and Romania, supported spiritually and
financially by local and regional fraternities of the Secular Franciscan
Order. Enrico
and Elisabetta provided a strong testimony of the
vitality of youth in the Church and of the engagement of Secular Franciscans in
the life and mission of the Church.
Julio Marales, International Councillor for Guatemala,
spoke about the situation of the National Fraternity of Guatemala. He made reference to Bartolomé
Martinez, the first Tertiary in Guatemala
(professed in 1613) and of the recently canonized Saint Pedro de San José Betancurt who also lived in the seventeenth century. He pointed out that the reality lived by the
Secular Franciscan Order in Guatemala today is quite different from the reality
lived some 400 years ago during the time of Brothers Martinez and Betancurt. Today,
there are approximately 5000 Secular Franciscans in Guatemala, primarily women, and
most of whom have little education and live in poverty. Social conditions are challenging and all
work at building a society that is rooted on values and justice for all. Julio used Saint Pedro de San José Betancurt as an example of one who lived the spirituality
of Secular Franciscans, challenging society in non-violent ways by calling
attention to the problems faced by the people of his day. Today, Secular Franciscans in Guatemala are
rising to the challenge of living this example in their own time by becoming
engaged in their society with the support of their fraternities.
Antica-Nada Ćepulić, International Councillor for Croatia, shared an initiative undertaken by the
National Fraternity of Croatia in protest of a Government project dealing with
the exportation of oil from Russia
across the Adriatic Sea (Project “Druzba Adria”). She spoke of working with the Episcopal
Conference of Croatia, other branches of the Franciscan family and a variety of
Croatian organizations in an attempt to reverse a government decision that
could have significant impacts on the environment of the area. She pointed out that the project presented a
number of ecological concerns, including putting the area’s potable water
supply at risk, as well as its flora and fauna.
Letters to the Parliament and Government of Croatia were written and the
level of awareness regarding this project was raised through radio and
television broadcasts and interviews.
Protests were organized as well as a number of public debates. International support was also retained
through Franciscans International.
The project is currently on hold pending final decision by the
Governments involved.
Hervé Sylva,
International Councillor for Mauritius,
spoke of the life of the Secular Franciscan Order on the Island of Mauritius. He pointed out that Franciscans had arrived
on the island in 1854 and that the Third Order of St. Francis had been
established shortly thereafter. Mauritius
became an independent nation in 1968.
The Franciscan family, consisting of religious and seculars, are
actively present in the diocese and are active in various commissions in the
area of education, liturgy, catechesis and social engagement. There are 18 Secular Franciscan fraternities
in Mauritius,
all of whom engage themselves in working with the poor and in supporting
couples and youth. Through their
efforts, fraternities have nourished the faith of the people of Mauritius and
contributed to a greater unity within the family. Secular Franciscan fraternities have actively
engaged themselves in promoting peace in their region and in promoting social
justice, creating better conditions of life for the people of Mauritius, and
exerting pressure on governments for change.
Although Maritius is a mulitracial,
multicultural and muliti-religious nation, its
fraternities have presented a vision of how people can live in harmony with
respect for each other and share common values in a pluralistic society.
Lucia Park,
International Councillor for Korea,
spoke of the engagement of Korean Secular Franciscans in missionary work in China. She pointed out that China played an important role in the creation
of the Korean Catholic Church (since 1784) and that John Paul II had indicated
that the Korean Catholic Church must now assume some responsibility for sending
missionaries to China. She explained that, in spite of the
challenges associated with working within Communist China, the Korean Secular
Franciscan Order sent a missionary to China in 2002 – to an area where a
large percentage of the population are people of Korean origin. In this context, Lucia described the Hwaryong Charity Project, a project conceived in 2002 which
provides poverty relief and spiritual support to the people of the Hwaryong area. This
project delivers funds to extremely poor households and has established a
supermarket for the buying and selling of recycled goods. Members of the Franciscan Youth Protection
are actively engaged in supporting this project. Other initiatives include the establishment
of boarding houses for orphans and abandoned children, as well as providing
comfortable accommodations for youth in support of their study. In the end, it is hoped that projects of this
kind will help families in need to understand that they are not alone and will
assist in creating compassionate structures that will assist them in improving
their living conditions.
Each of these
initiatives represents significant examples of the presence of Secular
Franciscans in the world. To further its
presence internationally, the Secular Franciscan Order is also exploring ways
in which it can become more engaged with Franciscans International. Franciscans International is the first
endeavor of the entire Franciscan Family to unite justice and peace efforts and
affect change at the international level.
The work of Franciscans International belongs to the entire Franciscan
Family who commit themselves to peacemaking, concern for
the poor and care of creation.
Franciscans International receives its direction from the
Conference of the Franciscan Family (CFF), which includes Encarnacion
del Pozo, General Minister
of the Secular Franciscan Order, and from an International Board of Directors
which includes three representatives from the Secular Franciscan Order. Like Franciscans International, members of
the Secular Franciscan Order also commit themselves to the work of peacemaking,
concern for the poor and care of creation.
Secular Franciscans are called to be in the forefront in promoting
justice by the testimony of their human lives and their courageous
initiatives. One of the “courageous
initiatives” that belongs to the Franciscan family is the work undertaken by
Franciscans International.
Secular Franciscans from across the world are invited to claim this work
as members of the Franciscan family and to support it as a vital component of
their vocation. By working more closely,
it is hoped that Secular Franciscans will become more aware and knowledgeable
of Franciscans International and how it can be of assistance in living
out their vocation in the world. All
Secular Franciscans are called to be the voice for those who do not have a
voice, and FI provides this voice, on behalf of all Franciscans, including
Secular Franciscans, on the world stage.
By increasing understanding of each other’s work, it is hoped that the
Secular Franciscan Order and Franciscans International will be able to collaborate together as witnesses
and instruments of the Church’s mission.
At its last meeting, the International Presidency appointed the
Coordinator of the Presence in the World Commission to be its liaison with
Franciscans International.
The Secular Franciscan Order is
also acutely aware of world events that impact the lives of people and, in many
case, the lives of the poor and those who do not have a voice. During its March 2003 meeting, the Presence
in the World Commission reflected on the war in Iraq and prepared a statement for
the Presidency's consideration. This
statement called on Secular Franciscans to express their opposition to violence
and to commit themselves to building a more peaceful
world. It further urged Secular
Franciscans to become actively engaged with relief organizations that can
provide humanitarian support to the people of Iraq and in the rebuilding of their
country. This statement was subsequently
circulated to all national fraternities.
The Presence in the World Commission also prepared an article, entitled
“Terrorism: What can we do about it?”,
which was subsequently published in the CIOFS
bulletin. In it, Secular Franciscans
were reminded that they are called to be a people of hope,
and a people who live this hope by example.
Through their efforts, bridges can be built over which peoples of all
colours, and of all nations, and of all religions can move safely towards “a
more fraternal and evangelical world” (SFO Rule 14). Messages were also circulated to national fraternities
expressing the Secular Franciscan Order’s solidarity with those who are
suffering as a result of political turmoil or natural disasters. More recently, messages of solidarity were
sent to the National Fraternity of Lebanon to express the Secular Franciscan
Order’s hope that the Divine Seed that is in all people would soon germinate so
that everyone in the area might once again live in peace and without the
presence of violence. At the request of
the 2005 General Chapter, a letter was also written to the European Parliament
requesting that the Constitution of the European Union include references to the
Christian roots of its European members.
A response to this letter had been received, indicating that the Secular
Franciscan Order’s request would be referred to Committee on Constitutional
Affairs and that the process surrounding the European Constitution remains open
for further interventions.
In spite of the
challenges facing Secular Franciscans worldwide, it is with joy that we acknowledge
growth within the Secular Franciscan Order, especially in Eastern Europe and Africa. There are
currently 103 national fraternities worldwide, 59 of which have been
canonically established and 44 which are emerging. Clearly, God continues to attract people to
the Secular Franciscan Order who wish to go from Gospel to life, and life to
Gospel. A particular grace is the
presence and contribution of Franciscan Youth in various parts of the world.
As you can see,
much has been done and more is being done.
The presence of Secular Franciscans in the world is making a difference
and needs to continue to bring about the reign of God. Hopefully, this letter has provided you with
an appreciation for the work that is taking place across the world and to
motivate each of you to go further in animating the Secular Franciscan Order in
your specific area of the world. In
particular, we call on the International Councillors to become engaged in
implementing the conclusions of the General Chapter of 2002 and 2005. This is important work that only you, in
collaboration with your National Councils, can move forward. Duc in altum.
Wishing you peace
and all that is good!
Doug Clorey
Co-ordinator,
Presence in the World Commission
