C I O F S LIST

Composition of the new Council of the Presidency CIOFS

Sidenotes on the General Chapter

Composition of the new Council of the Presidency CIOFS:

General Minister:
Emanuela De Nunzio (reelected)
Secretariate CIOFS
Via Pomponia Grecina 31, 00145 Roma

Vice General Minister:
Encarnación Del Pozo (reelected)
Calle Alenza 8-5 A, 28003 Madrid (Spain)

Councillor for the French area:
Jean Pierre Rossi (newly elected)
2 Rue Eugenie Cotton, 93420 Villepinte (France)

Councillor for the Italian area:
Emerenziana Rossato (reelected)
Consulta Nazionale delle Aggregazioni Laicali
Via della Conciliazione 1, 00193 Roma

Councillor for the English area:
Marianne Powell (reelected)
Damstraede 9, 9220 Aalborg Ö (Denmark)

Councillor for the Portughese area:
Rosalvo Mota (newly elected)
Rua Maria Figueiredo 618/164, 04-002 Sao Paolo (Brasil)

Councillor for the Spanish area:
Alicia Gallardo (reelected)
Santa Ana 1453 P.19 San Ramón, Santiago (Chile)

Councillor for the German area:
Wilhelmina Visser-Pelsma (newly elected)
Swalm 22, 5032 El Tilburg (Netherlands)

Councillor representing YOUFRA:
Pedro Nuño Coelho da Silva (newly elected)
Rua Joao XXI n.12 - 7 B, 2410 Leiria (Portugal)

I would like to share with you another dimension of the General Chapter - that of fraternity, communion and sharing. Here are some notes on some aspects which seemed to me worth remembering:

First: the participation of the Franciscan Family. During the various days of the General Chapter the four Ministers General of the Franciscan Orders giving spiritual assistance to the SFO were present: Fr. Hermann Schalück OFM, Fr. John Corriveau OFMCap., Fr. Agostino Gardin OFMConv. (who presided over the elective session) and Fr. Bonaventura Midili TOR. The greetings from the International Franciscan Conference TOR were presented by its General Secretary, Sister Nancy Celaschi. I feel that these attentive and affectionate presences showed that the "unity" of the Franciscan Family has been consolidated and that there is "vital reciprocal communion". The religious and their spirituality is completed by the Seculars'. The Secular Franciscans know that their independence does not mean being abandoned to their destiny, having no links to those who founded and guarantee the charism.

Second: the wide range of representation. Of the 38 International Councilors present, 4 came from the African continent, 3 from Asia, 2 from North America, 12 from Latin America, 15 from Europe and 1 from Oceania. Among the observers were two sisters from the countries of the ex USSR which still do not have yet an organization on a national level and therefore cannot be represented by their own International Councillors. Larissa Dubrowskaja is a Secular Franciscan from the Ucraine who participated in the seminars on formation in Cracovia in 1993 and 1994. She made us be aware of their thirst for correct formation and for having a closer link with the International Fraternity and with the National Fraternities that are able to encourage and sustain the Franciscan realities emerging in the ex USSR.

Gundega Zake is a young Lithuanian who communicated to us in a most moving way her enthusiasm and her gratitude for an experience that was able to brake her away from the hiding and isolation which she had experienced in her own country.

Third: the meeting was very busy with much work accomplished both in small groups and in general meetings. But it also had, hidden under its very active surface, a spiritual and human basis which broke out into joy and faith.

We prayed with the hearts and expressions of the various continents present at the Chapter. Groups coming from Asia, Africa and Latin America animated the Eucharistic liturgies with their songs, with multicolored costumes, with the gestures of their cultures, and offered small gifts to everyone in sign of fraternity.

Every evening was festive: music, songs, dances... I apologized to the sisters that were hosting us, afraid of disturbing them. "No, no" the sisters answered "it's beautiful to see you so happy to be together".

We were happy to be together. And I strongly hope that also these simple moments of Franciscan gaiety shall create bridges among the different realities and cultures, launch new contacts and links, and lay the foundation for "partnerships" between National Fraternities that can make them become closer and reciprocally enrichening.