BUDAPEST, 20 Nov. 2008 – A number of Hungarian tribes came together to form the state of Hungary in the year 1,000 – under the leadership of St. Stephen, who was crowned king by Pope Sylvester II.

The assembly at the Secular Franciscan Order's General Chapter got to see a statue of St. Stephen during a tour of Budapest. Sporting a halo and perched on horseback, St. Stephen occupied the center of a square in one corner of Castle Hill.

Encompassing an entire hilltop, Castle Hill "is more like a city than a fortress," noted tour guide Tibor Kauser, Hungary's former international councilor to the Order and the newly elected Presidency councilor for English-speaking area 1 (North America and Europe).

Within the castle's walls are houses, apartment buildings, stores of all stripes, churches, archeological digs, the former Royal Palace (which is now a royal art gallery and museum of natural history), and the offices of the president of Hungary. Castle Hill overlooks downtown Budapest, split in two by the wide winding Danube. The Hungarian seat of government, the Parliament, rises up from the far edge of the river, dominating the cityscape.

"It is one of the largest Parliament buildings in Europe," said Kauser, after spewing off a few historical tidbits. The buses taking the group through Budapest whizzed by the ruins of a Roman amphitheater, a visible reminder that Hungary was once part of the Rome Empire, he said.

From Castle Hill, buses took the group of over 100 Secular Franciscans across the Danube, on a bridge guarded by twin stone lions on each end, and wound through downtown streets lined by immense buildings before coming to a stop at the Church of St. Elizabeth. A statue of St. Elizabeth, sculpted by Gyorgy Kiss, rises up in front of the church. Her features appeared soft and youthful in the afternoon sunlight.

The Secular Franciscans attended Mass there concelebrated by friar spiritual assistants at the General Chapter. The three-naved church was built over 100 years ago and sports huge stained glass windows in each of the naves. Outside, towers rise 76 meters high.

After Mass, the National Fraternity of the Order in Hungary treated the visitors to a homemade dinner of chicken and dumpling-like noodles smothered in gravy. Homemade pastries, cookies, and espresso coffee were in abundance.

After dinner the group made one last stop in Budapest – at Heroes Square -- before heading back to Manréza Hotel and Conference Center, located in the mountains of Dobogókö. Arriving at dusk, the group fanned out over Heroes Square. A light rain began to fall, and the YouFra (or Franciscan Youth) contingent broke into dance and song. Suddenly, camera flashes lit up the square as many in the group turned into paparazzi.

Back at the conference center, the assembly convened for an early evening session, where attendees got the opportunity to make public comments relating to the Order and to make requests of the new leadership, or Presidency.

Many attendees expressed their gratefulness to the previous Presidency, the hard work and the successful efforts in preparing for the general chapter.

Among the other comments:

• From Kenya came an invitation. "There is a lot that we are called to do as Secular Franciscans today, but we must listen to the voice of Christ as Francis did. He said, 'rebuild my church'. By working together we will be able to rebuild the church much better. We must visit each other. Come to Kenya. See how we are doing things. Let us learn from each other."

• From Bolivia came a plea for the Order to become more involved in the social issues of the day. A Secular Franciscan from Peru echoed the need for an Order that grapples with social issues. Another invited the SFO – as an international entity or as individual fraternities – to participate in the 2009 World Social Forum in Brazil.He especially invited the Commission on Presence in the World to participate.

• From Poland came a plea from aYoufra representative for a greater emphasis on formation of youth.

• Another delegate noted that there were a number of couples/families represented at the Chapter. As an Order, we must look at the family of love and focus on the family "because we are family".

• From the United States came an observation: "I am grateful to witness a healthy fraternity. At this chapter you have stretched us out of the comfort zone. The person that came here is not the person that will go back. We have become open for transformation."

• From Latin America came a prayer for the well-being of the Order and the pledge, "You can count on me".

• From Italy came an announcement that the Order there will be merging into two regions.

• From a Presidency councilor came the observation that the richness of the Order is too little known. "We need to spread the word".

• From France came a "thank you" to Hungarian hosts and to the last Presidency for the great work done on formation.

General Minister Encarnación del Pozo closed the session acknowledging the downpour of ideas and telling the capitulars, or delegates, that Friday's session would focus on priorities for the next six years.

The Open Forum was chaired by new General Vice Minister Doug Clorey.

###