SFO International Council - Weekly edition
Volume: 4 - N. 8 - 1998 - February - III
From: Koinonia, 1998, N. 1
Carl Schafer OFM
Part-I
This is the sequel to an article I wrote five years ago, entitled, "The Pauline Rule - Fifteen Years After", which was published in The Cord, November 1993. I presuppose all that I wrote on that occasion, but will return to some of the questions and points that I raised in the last paragraphs.
This time, I will concentrate more on the state of the Secular Franciscan Order as I experience it twenty years after it received the Rule from Pope Paul VI in 1978. I hope to show to what extent the Pauline Rule is embodied in the SFO today.
Unity
As a consequence of the Rule of 1978, the Secular Franciscan Order has been restructured as a single Order in Fraternities at the local, regional, national and international levels.
The restructuring of the Order has been widely achieved but some National Fraternities are still in the process of achieving unity in their structure. Canada has worked consistently at its problem, which is almost resolved. In Italy, the problems are enormous and will take more time to resolve. Some want unity structured from above while others want to build up to national unity from below.
There are still unresolved problems in a number of other countries regarding unity in structure, especially at the level of regional fraternity. Often the problems are kept hidden and are not confronted. Some National Councils are composed of representatives belonging to the obediences of the friars. The old obediential Third Order Provinces are renamed "Regional Fraternities". This is not the restructuring of the SFO that the Rule and Constitutions call for.
"Provincial" is a structure that belongs properly to the religious Orders of friars, not to the SFO, but the term is still preferred in a few countries. The corresponding secular structure and term is "Regional Fraternity", which is usually not co-terminal with a particular Province of the friars.
Basic to genuine unity is unity of spirit. I am convinced that, in every country and at every level of Fraternity, even in those countries where structural unity has been achieved, much hard work has yet to be done in order to achieve unity of mind and heart.
National Fraternities
What strikes me, after making many visits, is that each country is different and so is the state of the SFO national fraternities. Generalizations can be misleading. One cannot speak about the Third World countries, or about the ex-Communist countries, as though they form a monolithic or homogeneous block.
The state of the SFO in Mexico is vastly different from the state of the SFO in Thailand, although both countries are classified as Third World. Mexico, with 33,000 members, is one of the largest National Fraternities after Italy (69,000). The Third Order has flourished in Mexico throughout its history of nearly five hundred years of evangelization. The Secular Franciscan Order has inherited its cultural expression and religious spirit, but now it is solidly based on the Vatican II model.
Thailand has one local Fraternity canonically established three years ago in Bangkok, with barely more than five professed members. Without a Franciscan history or tradition, all that it has in common with Mexico is that it too is solidly based on the Vatican II model.
The SFO exists in almost every country of Africa and in the islands to the east. There are recognized National Fraternities in Zambia, South Africa, Madagascar and Mauritius. But there are thirteen National Fraternities in formation and six countries with local Fraternities in formation. The state of these Fraternities various from vibrant to embryonic.
In Africa it is not difficult to find people to join local Fraternities, but it is difficult to give them a proper formation, and it is very difficult to find spiritual Assistants and Animators to accompany them all. Without proper accompaniment and formation, a Fraternity can easily develop into a sect.
The Third Order existed in the ex-Communist countries. Since 1989, the Secular Franciscan Order is coming into its inheritance. At present there are seven recognized National Fraternities (Croatia, Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, Slovenia), four National Fraternities in formation (Byelorussia, Latvia, Rumania, Ukraine) and three countries with local Fraternities in formation (Albania, Estonia, Russia). In many of these countries, since the very fabric of the human person has to be restored, formation in the SFO must begin there.
France, Germany and the Benelux countries since the 1970s have presented a particular problem regarding the acceptance of the Rule and General Constitutions, especially with regard to profession. It is not only that many members reject terminology that they consider to be proper to religious life. There has been a general reluctance to commit oneself to lifelong binding promises in both secular society and also in the priesthood and religious life.
In the past five years, there has been a marked improvement in dialogue between the National Fraternities of Europe. The National Council of France, in particular, has gone deeply into studying the Rule and General Constitutions. The voluntary and unofficial association of Secular Franciscans from Eastern and Western Europe at annual EUFRA-Meetings and EUFRA-Weeks has also helped the dialogue.
Acceptance of the Rule and General Constitutions has not been a problem for the SFO in the United States, which does not mean that the Secular Franciscans do not take their profession seriously or that they simply submit to a ritual. But in the United States as in Western Europe, a major problem is the advanced age of the members and the absence of younger people. I think that this is another aspect of the reluctance of people to commit themselves to joining a group with obligations to fulfil.
Lebanon
From 21 to 27 May, Emanuela De Nunzio and Fr Ben Brevoort OFMCap carried out the first phase of the fraternal and pastoral visit to the SFO in Lebanon. The visitors had four meetings with the Assembly of the Councils of all the local Fraternities. The Assembly set three goals: formation of the formators; meetings for formation, spirituality and sharing, open to all members; preparation of the regulations of the national elective Chapter. The local Fraternities are dynamic: they hold frequent, even weekly, meetings and lead an intense life of prayer; they are committed to charitable works and to helping the members in difficulty; they do not lack new vocations. Any weaknesses are due mainly to the adverse conditions that they have had to suffer during the war. The second phase of the visit will take place in 1998.
Canada
Carl Schafer OFM spent a week visiting Quebec Province before attending the National Elective Chapter in Ottawa, 23-25 May 1997. Accompanied by two National Assistants, Henri Ethier OFM and André Chicoine OFMCap, he met Fraternities in Montréal, Trois-Rivières, Lac Bouchette, and Chicoutimi, and visited "Urgence Vie" in St. Hyacinthe. He spoke with Jacques Bélanger OFMCap, Minister Provincial, and with the Assistants in Montréal. Laura Haukaas, International Councillor USA, presided over the elective Chapter where Françoise Malboeuf was re-elected National Minister. Much effort is being made to achieve the unity of the National Fraternity. Three Regional Fraternities are already functioning.
Brazil
Fr Ben made the pastoral visit to the National Fraternity of Brazil from 13 to 27 July, and visited the Fraternities in San Paulo, Salvador (Bahia), Petropolis and Rio de Janeiro. On 15 July, he met the National Council of the Franciscan Youth at Campo Grande, and, at Brasilia on 16 July, the Conference of National Spiritual Assistants, who elected Diogo Fuiten OFMConv as President. He was present as witness at the national elective Chapter held in Brasilia from 17 to 20 July. The theme of the Chapter was "The Spirit of Service". Alicia Gallardo presided at the elections when Maria Aparecida Crepaldi was elected National Minister. The National Fraternity is alive, well organized, efficiently structured and important for the life of the regional and local Fraternities. The relation between the SFO and the Franciscan Youth is excellent.
Ireland
Fr Valentín Redondo OFMConv, General Assistant, was present and Emanuela De Nunzio, Ninister General SFO, presided at the National elective Chapter of the SFO in Ireland, celebrated at Multifarnham, from 22 to 24 August. Maura Noone was reelected National Minister.
Great Britain
Fr Valentín was present and Emanuela presided also at the National elective Chapter of the SFO in Great Britain, celebrated at Birmingham, from 5 to 7 September. Merle O'Driscoll was reelected National Minister.
Ukraine
From 20 to 29 September 1997, Fr Ben visited the SFO in the Ukraine. He met two bishops, the Secular Franciscans of about fifteen local Fraternities, many friars of three Orders and the Custos of the Capuchins. He was present at the formation of the Western Ukraine Regional Council and participated in the first meeting of the provisional National Council of the SFO in the Ukraine. The Conference of National Assistants, consists of three members (OFM, OFMCap, OFMConv). The visit has also been useful for the preparation of the Seminar to be held in the Ukraine in September 1998 and for the publication of the basic texts of the SFO in Ukrainian. The Ukrainian Franciscans need texts in their language for their programmes of initial and ongoing formation.
United States of America
Doug Clorey, from Canada, was delegated to preside at the elections during the National Chapter of the SFO, held in St Louis, Missouri, 15-19 October 1997. Fr Carl attended as witness. The Chapter constituted the thirty-first Regional Fraternity, completing the process of regionalization that had taken seven years. The 38 voters followed an amendment to the National Statutes whereby the conditions required in the election of the Minister (cf. GC SFO 78.1) were applied to all elections. William Wicks was elected National Minister.