SFO International Council - Weekly edition
Volume: 2 - N. 43 - 1996 - October - IV
From: Koinonia, 1996, N. 4 - CFITOR
Who are the brothers and sisters of the Third Order Regular of St. Francis?
We are about 125,000 religious; sisters, brothers, priests; apostolic and contemplative; living in some 400 autonomous pontifical and diocesan institutes on each of the continents, and professing the Rule and Life of the Brothers and Sisters of the Third Order Regular.
Who are we in the family of Francis and Clare?
Some movements of penitential life existed some 600 years before the birth of Francis of Assisi in 1182. Men and women dedicated themselves to a life of continual conversion to Gospel values by a program of public and private prayer and penance. Francis and his early companions followed a like program and called themselves "penitents of Assisi". Later (1215), Francis gave spiritual direction and guidelines to the "conversi" of his time. These are found in his Letter to All the Faithful.
From this root, two shoots emerge:
1. the Secular Franciscan Order, and
2. the Third Order Regular of St. Francis when lay Franciscan
Penitents began to live in community, profess public vows and
dedicate themselves to the corporal and spiritual works of
mercy.
Founders and foundresses of our institutes down through the ages
have sought to follow Christ after the example of St. Francis, and
we are today the penitents of the bimillennium.
The First Order is composed of the Order of Friars Minor, Order of Friars Minor Capuchin, and the Order of Friars Minor Conventual.
The Second Order, the "Poor Clares", is composed of independent monasteries grouped in federations.
There are also some communities of active "Poor Clares" and some contemplative communities of the Third Order Regular.
The First, Second and Third Orders are not distinctions implying differences of status, but rather differences of emphasis in the spirituality and mission of each.
As the Third Order Regular has unity in its diversity, so too the First, Second and Third Orders Secular and Regular make one family, children of the same spiritual father.
Conference of General Assistants
17 June 1996: The three Assistants met at the Capuchin General Curia. They discussed the liturgies of the SFO General Chapter and their presence at obediential Chapters of the SFO in Italy, and revised their arrangements for pastoral visits and their presence at National Chapters. Fr Carl tabled the report of his visit to the Philippines and spoke about his visit to the Ukraine. Fr Ben presented the project of a programme for an international meeting of the Franciscan Youth in Paris. Fr Iglesias OFMCap presented an inspiring paper on spiritual assistance.
19 July 1996: Three Assistants met at the TOR General Curia. They revised their commitments after the SFO General Chapter, especially their pastoral visits and presence at national elective Chapters. They decided that they will more often delegate a nearby national Assistant to be present at SFO national elective Chapters. Fr Ben informed the Conference about the general assistance being given to the Franciscan Youth gathering in Paris.
Presidency of International Council SFO
4-7 July 1996: All members of the Presidency were present except Inmaculada Sainz (Franciscan Youth) and Valentín Redondo OFMConv (General Assistant), at Via di Monte Cucco, Rome, immediately before the General Chapter. The Presidency reviewed all the aspects of the programme of the General Chapter, to be held in the same house, and resolved last-minute problems.
General Chapter SFO
7-14 July 1996: Fifty voting members attended the SFO General Elective Chapter, in Rome. Fr Valentín arrived before the elections. The Chapter voted not to change the arrangement of "linguistic areas". The Minister General, the Vice Minister General and three Councillors of the Presidency were re-elected: Emanuela De Nunzio, Minister General; Encarnación Del Pozo, Vice Minister General; Marianne Powell, English-speaking Councillor; Emerenziana Rossato, Italian-speaking Councillor; Alicia Gallardo, Spanish-speaking Councillor. Four were newly elected: Jean-Pierre Rossi, French-speaking Councillor; Wilhelmina Visser-Pelsma, German-speaking Councillor; Rosalvo Mota, Portuguese-speaking Councillor; Pedro Nuno da Silva Coelho, Councillor for Franciscan Youth. The four Ministers General, Hermann Schalück OFM, Robert Corriveau OFMCap, Augustin Gardin OFMConv and Bonaventure Midili TOR, presided at liturgies, and Fr Augustin presided at the elections. Mimi Def presented the replies of the National Councils on the theme, "Which SFO for the new millennium?" The capitulars worked in groups on their response and presented motions that the Chapter voted on. The evenings were given to fraternal recreation, including a tour of Rome and half a day at Subiaco.
Poland
Carl Schafer OFM was guest of Zenon Stys OFM at the Franciscan Centre for Eastern Europe and Northern Asia, in Warsaw, from 25 to 30 May. He met members of the SFO National Council, attended the regional assembly of Secular Franciscans in Katowice, and met the Warsaw Regional Council. As one of its many services, the Franciscan Centre distributes Franciscan literature to the countries of the former Soviet Union.
Ukraine
Together with Larisa Dubrowskaja, local Minister of St Anthony's Fraternity in Lvov, Fr Carl visited fifteen local Fraternities in the Ukraine, from the Polish border to Kiev, from 30 May till 16 June. They travelled by car and were the guests of Conventual friars, diocesan priests, Friars Minor and Capuchins. They already knew a number of people who had attended the SFO Seminars in Cracow in 1993 and 1994. The Secular Franciscans show extraordinary perseverance but they are looking for basic formation and spiritual assistance.