SFO International Council - Weekly edition
Volume: 1 - N. 18 - 1995 - November - IV
From: Koinonia, 1995, N. 3
Br. Ben Brevoort OFMCap
Part II
Fraternity meetings are family meetings, of brothers and sisters, of people who want to live the Gospel in the manner of Saint Francis of Assisi. They consist normally of four elements: prayer, formation, activities and fraternisation (see Rule 5; Ritual Pars II, Praenotanda 4).
Common prayer unites the brothers and sisters in praising God, our Father in heaven. It can be a eucharistic celebration, with a homily and chants, or a celebration of the liturgy of the hours, or another form of common prayer.
Formation allows the members to develop their spirituality, their human, Christian, evangelic and Franciscan life. It can consist of a conference by the spiritual assistant, a reading of some formative text, a shared reflection on a spiritual topic.
The apostolic activities and charities of the brothers and sisters are put in common, so that they may be activities of the Fraternity and not just of isolated individuals. The fraternity meetings give the possibility to all members to become aware of the activities of the others and to involve themselves actively in the commitments taken by the Fraternity. This part of the meeting can be sharing the work of other members, a collective planning effort, an evaluation of the work done so far, a division of work, an endorsement of the commitments already taken, a proposal of initiatives to be undertaken.
Fraternisation presents an opportunity to all members to become really brothers and sisters, to live that fraternity desired by Saint Francis. It can simply be a moment of being together, to compare notes, to better know one another, to meet one another. It can be accompanied by a snack, by some sweets and drinks, or even by a meal consisting of dishes prepared at home.
The meetings of the fraternity are meetings of bothers and sisters. Every meeting therefore should be characterised by these four elements: prayer, formation, activity and fraternisation. There is of course no need to give always the same importance to each of these elements. During spiritual retreats or recollections, the element of prayer will be the most important. In meetings of formation, the formative element will take the first place. A meeting of the Fraternity to evaluate the work done or to plan the apostolic activities and charity, will be centred on activities. And when the Fraternity goes for an outing or organises a pilgrimage, the element of recreation will predominate. One should however remember that all four elements are essential for the life of the Fraternity and should be present in one or the other form in any Fraternity meeting.
It is also important that the contents of the single elements show a dynamic continuity that can be felt by the members of the Fraternity. The continuity preserves the connection with the past, with the habits and traditions of the Fraternity. The dynamism tends toward the future, enters the "-road to renewal-" (Rule 7), sustains the "-open and trusting dialogue of apostolic effectiveness and creativity-" (Rule 6) and helps the brothers and sisters to be "-witnessing to the good yet to come-" (Rule 12).
The dynamic continuity of contents means concretely that the interventions of the Assistant or the Animator should be connected one to the other. They should be based on knowledge and convictions already present, while fully open to the impulse of the Holy Spirit who inspires the brothers and sisters to "-strive for perfect charity in their own secular state-" (Rule 2). One should strive for an equilibrium between tradition and innovation, between continuity and creativity, between fidelity and openness to the Holy Spirit. An assistant or animator fearing "-dangerous novelties-" can bind the fraternity to the past, and render it incapable to understand the signs of the times. In the same way an assistant or animator in love with "-liberating innovation-" can unleash an unbridled curiosity in the Fraternity, which impedes it to bear fruits of patience and perseverance.
The meetings of the Fraternity can be structured in various ways, keeping in mind here too, the need for dynamic continuity. The meetings of the same Fraternity can be structured differently according to the various moments, alternating weeks, e.g. the first week a eucharistic celebration, the second week a formation meeting, the third week programming the work, the fourth a spiritual recollection. The Fraternity can also form, "-under the guidance of the one council, sections or groups which gather members sharing particular needs-" (Const. 34). The meetings for each of these groups evidently can be structured differently according to the various needs, keeping a specific structure for the meetings of the whole Fraternity.
It will be useful to describe various types of Fraternity meetings:
With a special Eucharistic celebration:
1. Opening prayer (Minister)
2. Formation (Assistant)
3. Eucharist (Assistant)
4. Evaluation and planning of activities (Officers)
5. Fraternisation (All)
With the parish Eucharistic celebration:
1. Opening prayer (Minister)
2. Formation (Assistant)
3. Evaluation and planning of activities (Officers)
4. Eucharist with the parish community (All)
5. Short socialising (All)
or:
1. Eucharist with the parish community (All)
2. Formative moment (Assistant)
3. Evaluation and planning of activities (Officers)
4. Socialising (All)
5. Concluding prayer (Minister)
Without Eucharistic celebration:
1. Liturgy of the Word or of the Hours (Minister)
2. Formation (Assistant - Officer)
3. Evaluation and planning of activities (Officers)
4. Fraternisation (All)
5. Concluding prayer (Minister)
Each element can vary according to circumstances. The eucharistic celebration can be simple, without songs, or solemn, with a short homily or a longer sermon. The formative moment or session can consist of a reading or a conference given by the assistant, or of a sharing of experiences lived by the members. It can also be an in-depth reflection on a text by all members together, facilitated by the assistant or the animator. The evaluation and planning of activities can be a simple communication of things to be done together, or a common evaluation of the work done in view of future activities. The fraternisation can be a short meeting just to say good-bye or a longer get-together. The concluding prayer can be a spontaneous or a written prayer said by the Minister, or a simple blessing by the Assistant.