SFO International Council - Weekly edition
Volume: 2 - N. 9 - 1996 - March - I
From: Koinonia, 1995, N. 4
with particular reference to the role of the General Assistants
Emanuela De Nunzio, Minister General SFO
In a discourse to the Consilium pro Laicis in 1981 addressed to
the ecclesiastical assistants of lay associations, Pope John Paul
II exhorted them to be:
-- artisans of communion;
-- educators in the faith;
-- witnesses to the Absolute God;
-- true apostles of Jesus Christ;
-- ministers of sacramental life, especially the Eucharist;
-- spiritual animators.
The pastoral action of Franciscan religious who are spiritual
Assistants to the SFO at all levels, should also be characterized
as:
-- theological and spiritual direction;
-- witness of fidelity to the Franciscan vocation;
-- incentive to create conditions of peace and justice, of truth
and love;
-- help in reading the signs of the times;
-- presentation of the spiritual dimension of the motives and goals
of the SFO.
But the spiritual Assistants of the SFO are not only the "-ecclesiastical assistants-" of a lay association. For the secular Franciscans they represent something more: a kind of "-umbilical cord-" linking them to the Franciscan family, a special channel through which flows the sap which is there to guarantee the "-vital reciprocal communion-" between the secular members and the religious members of the same Family.
This aspect makes the role of the General Assistants more
elaborate and, at the same time, more complex. We must not forget
that, as delegates of their respective General Ministers, the
Assistants must also be attentive to the "-the interests of
religious and their preparation for service to the SFO-" (
Const. 87,3).
The objective of the "-life-giving union-" (Rule , 1)
calls for the surmounting of some obstacles which at all levels are
still to be found deeply rooted in some minds, albeit reflecting an
oldfashioned viewpoint:
Obstacles on the part of the seculars
-- an insufficient understanding of the dignity of lay people in
the Church;
-- a poor knowledge of the true identity of the secular
Franciscan;
-- an "-emotional-" dependence on the friar;
-- a mistaken "-reverence-" for religious even in areas which have
nothing to do with their status and role;
-- an idealized picture of the religious as a person, coupled with
a ruthless criticism when their limitations and weaknesses come to
light.
Obstacles on the part of the religious
-- the "-esprit de corps-" in relation to their own Order, even
when they are convinced about the unity of the SFO;
-- the tendency to pursue and impose their own idea of the SFO,
rather than the knowledge which the SFO has of its own
identity;
-- the fear of losing face and prestige if they share
responsibility with seculars.
For a full development of the essential and delicate service of
the General Assistants, one would hope for:
-- a more clear-cut distinction between the function of the members
of the Conference of General Assistants and that of members of the
Presidency of the CIOFS, by stressing the first over the
second;
-- a greater incisiveness of rapport between the General Assistants
and the spiritual Assistants of all levels. In effect, it seems
that the General Assistants have authority and influence only over
the seculars and nearly none over their fellow-Assistants at
national, regional and local level. Also,in the pastoral visits,
more consideration is given to the application of art.92 of the
General Constitutions than to that of art.95;
-- an assessment of the possibility of reviving the national or
continental or sub-continental meetings of Assistants, at which the
need was often voiced of having opportunities for exchanging
experiences;
-- an assessment of the possibility of organizing joint courses of
formation and spirituality for secular and religious leaders. When
the seculars grow in the knowledge of their own role and the
Assistant fails to make similar progress, this leads to great
frustration on both sides and to grave risks of a breakdown.
1. Is the formator (or person responsible for formation, formation officer,Master of formation) elected in chapter or appointed by the Fraternity Council?
Officers are elected and consultants are appointed. Officers therefore have the right to vote in the Council; consultants do not. The person responsible for formation in the local Fraternity is one of the officers of the Council (cf. Const. 49,2) and is therefore elected. It is appropriate to have a national and regional formation officer, but it is necessary to have a local formation officer. It is such an important job that whoever is given it should have the assurance and the authority that comes from having been elected and should have the full cooperation and support of the Fraternity Council, including the Spiritual Assistant.
The formation officer should form a team with the Assistant and possibly with others approved by the Fraternity Council, to help in the initial, ongoing and specialized formation of the candidates, professed and leaders respectively. These approved others are not officers but rather consultants, who are also active in the formation programs.
Ideally, the formation officer should have no other charge in the Fraternity, in order to enable him or her to concentrate fully on formation. However, one of the elected officers may also be elected as the formation officer, since there is no question of incompatibility of offices in this case (cf. Const. 82).
There should be a specialized course of formation, either at the national or at the regional level, for local formation officers.
2. What material is available for the formation of Secular Franciscans?
The essential materials are the Rule of 1978, the Ritual of 1984 and the General Constitutions of 1991. Commentaries on the Rule and courses of formation, especially in the initial stages but also for ongoing formation,are available in many languages. Some commentaries on the General Constitutions are being prepared, but most are waiting until the experimental period is over after the General Chapter in 1999.
The international offices of the SFO (that is, the International Secretariat and the offices of the General Assistants) do not carry stocks of literature in the various languages. For literature in a particular language, contact a National Council in a major country that speaks that language. The addresses of national councils are available from the SFO International Secretariat, Via Pomponia Grecina, 31 - 00145 Rome - Italy. Tel.: (+39-6) 512 3964 or through the INTERNET (CIOFS-L@AMERICAN.EDU).
The Presidency of the International Council SFO published in 1992 Guidelines for Formation, which were sent to all National Councils.
3. What is meant by the "-formation of SFO formators-"?
This is a specialized type of formation which is most important, since no one can help to form another person if he has not first received a solid formation himself. It is the spiritual Assistant's task, but not exclusively. He should form a team with persons approved by the regional or national Fraternity Council, whose duty it is to form the mem-bers. Especially the national and regional formators should be involved in teams with the spiritual Assistants at the same levels in order to instruct the local formators. The Presidency is preparing a document on the role and formation of Fraternity leaders, including the formators.
4. Whatever happened to the Continental Assistants? There were not any present at the last General Chapter.
Before the General Chapter in Fatima in 1990, the elections for the Continental Assistants were annulled by the Union of Ministers General at the request of the Conference of General Assistants. The reason was that less than half the National Assistants voted, and those who "-won-" received only one, or two, or at most three votes. In most of the continents, the Assistants of the four Orders involved do not know one another. It is simply impossible to hold a proper election. Since 1990, there have been no Continental Assistants elected to be present at the General Chapter. Only the four General Assistants are present to represent the Assistants. This question was settled in the revision of the Statutes for the International Council (CIOFS), which are now the Statutes of the International Fraternity (FIOFS), since 1 January 1995. They follow the general trend of reducing the number of Assistants voting in the Chapters of the secular Order.
5. Our Regional Minister insists on receiving all the professions in the local Fraternities. Is that his right?
Only the Minister of a local Fraternity, with the approval of the Council, has the right to admit and profess members in the SFO (cf. Const. 41,1). The local Minister can delegate another, preferably a professed Secular Franciscan of the same local Fraternity, to profess members when the local Minister is impeded. The Regional Minister should not accept delegation if the local Minister can be present. He should insist that the local Minister profess the members of his local Fraternity, even if the Regional Minister is present at the ceremony. If the Regional Minister takes over the right of the local Minister without his delegation, then the profession would be judged invalid if a case were brought up against it.