SFO International Council - Weekly edition
Volume: 2 - N. 19 - 1996 - May - II
From: Koinonia, 1996, N. 2
of the General Constitutions SFO and the Statutes for Assistance
After the General Chapter SFO, held in Mexico in 1993, Emanuela
De Nunzio, Minister General, wrote the following letter in Italian,
on 10 November 1994, to John Corriveau OFMCap, President of the
Conference of Ministers General:
"Most Reverend Father, the General Constitutions of the Secular
Franciscan Order have been approved by the Congregation for
Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, by
the decree of 8 September 1990. The approval was granted ad
sexennium, experimenti causa ("for six years, for the purpose
of experiment").
"The Constitutions entered into effect immediately, with the
Italian text that was submitted to the Holy See. But their actual
publication and application required not a brief space of time. It
was above all necessary to proceed to translate them into the other
main languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese), to
reproduce them and send them out to the national Councils which, in
many countries, took the care of translating them into the local
languages.
"At the present moment, we can say that in the more advanced
countries, furnished with cultural and economic means, the
Constitutions are regularly applied, are used as formation material
for the members of the SFO and in adjusting the National Statutes
to the same Constitutions. In the more disadvantaged areas all of
this has been hardly begun, as we have found out also on the
occasion of the fraternal and pastoral visits carried out by the
Presidency of the International Council and by the Conference of
General Assistants.
"This Presidency has not failed and does not fail to promote every
useful means to encourage and support the diffusion of the General
Constitutions, considering that they are not only a collection of
juridical norms binding the entire Secular Franciscan Order, but
also a body of spiritual and experiential indications that help
every Fraternity and each single Secular Franciscan to live the
Rule in the daily contingencies and in the variety of the
respective surroundings.
"However, we do not believe that their experimental application can
be considered as ended and that we can proceed adequately in 1996
to their definitive approval, after having collected, evaluated and
approved the proposals for their modification that must be found
necessary. For these considerations, the General Chapter of the
SFO, held last year in Mexico City, gave the Minister General the
mandate to ask for a prorogation of the experiment for a further
three years, that is, until the end of 1999.
"In fulfilment of that mandate, I request the Conference of
Ministers General - to whom it belongs to care for the relations
with the Holy See concerning the approval of the legislative and
liturgical documents of the SFO (cf. Gen.Const.SFO, Art.87.2) - to
kindly present this request for prorogation to the competent
Congregation."
Following on this request, the Conference of Ministers General, on
15 January 1995, asked the Roman Congregation for a prorogation of
the General Constitutions SFO:
"Holy Father, the Conference of Ministers General of the four
Franciscan Religious Families, after the deliberation of the
General Chapter of the Secular Franciscan Order, requests from your
Holiness that the Decree, Prot. n. T.69,a)-1/90, of 8 September
1990, by which the Constitutions of the said Order were approved
"for six years", be prorogued until 8 September
1999, for the reasons given."
The Roman Congregation, on 20 January 1995, gave the following
reply:
"The Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies
of Apostolic Life, after having attentively examined the ques-tion,
grants the request. Any disposition to the contrary
notwithstanding."
The President of the Conference of General Assistants, Carl
Schafer OFM, on 9 June 1995, requested of the Conference of
Ministers General: "Given that the Statutes for Assistance have not
yet been translated into many languages and that many Fraternities
have not had enough time to put them into practice, the Conference
wishes to request the prorogation of the period ad
experimentum of the Statutes for Assistance, to coincide with
the definitive approval of the General Constitutions of the SFO
after the General Chapter in 1999."
The following reply, written on 2 October 1995, was received from
John Corriveau OFMCap, President in turn:
"In the meeting of 3 July 1995, the Ministers General of the First
Order and of the TOR examined your letter of 9 June 1995...
"The Ministers General agree to prolong the time ad
experimentum of the Statutes for Spiritual and Pastoral
Assistance to the Secular Franciscan Order, in conformity with what
was said in your letter above-mentioned."
Slovakia
The first national elective Chapter, held from 10 to 11 November 1995, was presided over by Emanuela De Nunzio, Minister General SFO, accompanied by Zvonimir Brusac TOR, General Assistant. Ladislav Zelenak was elected National Minister. The combined fraternal and pastoral visit was made from 11 to 14 November. There are about 1,200 members in 50 Fraternities. The visitors met five local Fraternities in the western part. The Hungarian Fraternities represent about ten percent of the SFO. Six Regional Fraternities were recently established. Formation and spiritual assistance are most important. The purpose of the visits in Slovakia and in Hungary was to revitalize the SFO.
Hungary
From 15 to 19 November 1995, Emanuela and Fr. Zvonimir carried out the fraternal and pastoral visit, a month after the first national elective Chapter. There are 700 Secular Franciscans in 35 Fraternities, which will be united into six Regional Fraternities. The visitors met Bela Nemeth (National Minister), Tibor Kauser (National Formator) and Jakab Varnai OFM (Minister Provincial). They had an intensive work session with the National Council, and visited the local Fraternities in Budapest and Piliscsaba. They participated in the rites of admission and profession at Szentendre, where most of the new members were married couples.
Italy : Fermo
The Interobediential Council SFO - Region of the Marches held a meeting of the Regional Councils at Fermo, 26 November 1995, on the theme: "The SFO on the way to unity". Fr Carl presented the first conference: "Theological and historical reasons for the unity of the SFO". Rosa Galimberti, Vice National Minister of the SFO assisted by the Capuchins, presented the second conference: "In unity, the SFO discovers its true face." About 40 persons were present. For 25 years, the SFO in the Marches has followed an interobediential path towards the unity of a Regional Fraternity.