SFO International Council - Weekly edition
Volume: 1 - N. 15 - 1995 - November - I
From: Koinonia, 1995, N. 3
Br. Ben Brevoort OFMCap
The Spiritual Assistant plays an important and delicate role in the meetings of the Fraternity and of its Council. The Statutes for the Spiritual and Pastoral Assistance to the SFO (Art. 5) say: "-Assistance is a valid help but is not a substitute for the responsibility of the secular ministers and councils in the guidance, co-ordination and animation of the fraternities (see Const. 86,2)-". In other words, the Minister and his councillors will guide the meetings of the Fraternity and of its Council, with the valid help of the spiritual Assistant or of the Animator.
The specific field of action of the Assistant or the Animator is spiritual: to favour the communion with the Church, to bear witness to religious Franciscan spirituality, to co-operate in formation and to nourish the Christian life of the Fraternity (Statutes 3). His or her contributions to the meetings, those of the Fraternity as well as those of the Council, have to refer principally to this specific field. This asks of course for spiritual maturity to know one's limitations and to give priority to secular leaders in the co-ordination and animation of the Fraternity.
During meetings, two extremes should be avoided: First, the temptation to guide the meetings in person, especially if the secular leaders appear weak or lack formation. Second, the temptation to let go and to limit oneself strictly to the dictates of one's duty, or even to lose interest in the Fraternity.
The specific role of the spiritual assistant or of the animator will vary according to the different types of meetings in which he or she participates: Meetings of the Fraternity or of the Council, meetings focusing on aspects of spirituality, formation, organisation, recreation, etc. It remains however true that the spiritual assistant or animator should always play that role in the context of "-that vital reciprocity which arises from belonging to the same family, although in various forms-" (Statutes 1).
"-Both the spiritual assistant and the animator ... are members of the council of the fraternity to which they give their service, collaborating with it in all its activities (see Const. 89,4), participating in its meetings and work in accordance with the law proper to the SFO; ... act ... with due respect for the responsibilities and the role of the seculars, giving them priority with regard to the guidance, co-ordination and animation of the fraternity (see Const. 86,2)-".
The participation of the spiritual assistant or of the animator in the meetings and activities of the council will vary according to the needs and specific situations of the fraternity. He or she will play a more active role in the council meetings of a newly established or reactivated fraternity, than in one already fully established and active. It remains however true that the assistant should always give to the seculars "-priority with regard to the guidance, co-ordination and animation of the fraternity-" (Statutes 10). His or her principal role remains that spiritual one of nourishing the Christian and Franciscan life of the fraternity (see Statutes 3).
The meetings of the council will focus on various elements of fraternity life: Franciscan and Christian life, apostolic activities and charity, initial and on-going formation, fraternal life and contact between members. Topics to be treated will be many: preparation of fraternity meetings; planning and evaluating fraternity activities; evaluation of candidates to be admitted to the order or to profession; preparation of the chapter or another special meeting; formation courses for leaders, actual and prospective, or for members of the fraternity. The role of the spiritual assistant or animator during council meetings is normally limited to taking active part in the debate, offering suggestions out of his or her religious and Franciscan sensitivity.
It is important that the meetings of the council are prepared and have a clear agenda. The assistant or the animator too, should be prepared, to help the secular leaders with his or her spiritual intuition regarding the arguments to be discussed. A previous contact between the Minister of the fraternity and the assistant or animator will be useful to pass on information and to inspire a better participation during the council meeting.
The council meetings can be structured in different ways according to the principal arguments to be discussed. It is important to follow a basic structure with variations in particulars. Such a basic structure could be the following:
1. Opening prayer (Assistant)
2. Agenda and eventual modifications (Minister)
3. Minutes of the last meeting (Secretary)
4. Various reports (Officers)
5. Topics on the agenda (All)
6. Spiritual reflections (Assistant)
7. Conclusion (Minister)
This structure can be varied according to the situation or to the topics to be discussed.
The opening prayer (N. 1), can be inspired by the prayers suggested in the Ritual for fraternity meetings (Pars II, Ch. I). It can be just a very simple opening prayer; it can also be a more solemn recitation of some part of the liturgy of the hours.
The various reports (N. 4) during a meeting discussing the admission of candidates to profession, will consist of an evaluation by the person responsible for formation and by the spiritual assistant on each candidate, followed by discussion and secret ballot (see Const. 41,1).
In other cases the various reports could be the bursar's financial report or reports by officers responsible for the apostolic activities or for the Fraternity's charities.
In a meeting planning the activities of the fraternity, the various reports could be skipped to give more space to the work of programming and planning activities, indicated in the agenda of the day.
Spiritual reflections (N. 6) too, could take various forms. They can be very brief, nothing more than a moment of silence followed by a concluding prayer. They can be more prolonged, taking the form of in-depth reflections on some aspect of Franciscan spirituality or on a religious text. The spiritual reflections can be guided by the sole Assistant, as a conference or a reading followed by meditation. They can also take the form of reflections following the pattern of LEA (Look, Evaluate, Act; see below, N. 4), with the active participation of all those present.
The Conclusion (N. 7), can be a simple formal conclusion by the Minister, or a time for taking formal decisions, or listing the decisions taken, or deciding the day and place of the next council meeting. The whole meeting can be concluded as suggested in the ritual (Pars II, Ch. I).
Good functioning council meetings need on the one hand a fixed way of addressing things, and on the other hand a creative flexibility in its application. This fixed order facilitates the regularity and the consistency of the meetings. The creative flexibility in its application gives the possibility to consider the problems in various ways and to explore new solutions to routine problems.