SFO International Council - Weekly edition
Volume: 7 - N. 13 - 2001 - March - V
From: Koinonia, 2000, N. 4
On the 14th September, the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Fr José Angulo Quilis TOR, ex-Minister General, was called by sister death.
Following a serious operation in 1991 his health was no longer like it was before, he improved and got worse by turns. In latter years there were complications due to liver problems. Following on some months of deteriorating health and having exhausted all human means Fr. José succumbed to the illness effecting him.
Fra José was born in Quintanar de la Orden in 1934, the second of nine children. He completed his studies of philosophy and theology in the Gregorian Pontifical University in Rome. In the same city he made his solemn profession (1957) and was ordained priest (1958). From the Gregorianum he also received Licenses (in philosophy 1955 and theology 1959). Immediately afterwards he received a License in Humanities (philosophy) in Madrid. From 1959 to 1981 he lived in Madrid, dedicating himself to pastoral activity and teaching. He became Professor of Pastoral Liturgy in the Pontifical University of Comillas in Madrid (1971-1981).
In 1981 he was elected Minister Provincial and in 1983, Minister General, an office he held for two six-year periods until 1995.
His closeness to and collaboration with the SFO began in 1978 when he was nominated National Assistant. As Minister General he continued the esteem, promotion and help to the SFO and to its renewal. He was present, and confirmed the elections, at the General Chapter of the SFO in Madrid (1984) and in Fatima (1990).
At the Chapter of Madrid he said to the chapter members, among other things, that when that universal, silent, humble and simple presence is lived and experienced while actively working, involved in and willingly helping the SFO in the Church and in the world of today, its vitality is discovered. The SFO is like the grass of the field that takes root everywhere, becomes green continually and produces flowers unceasingly. Such had been his personal experience. He called on all to increase, work hard, serve many, love much and pray much (cf. Acta TOR, n. 16, p. 135).
During the Chapter in Fatima he delivered the new General Constitutions to the SFO, just approved by the Church, saying that they were in continuity with the historical-spiritual tradition of the Order and were the happy result of the commitment to renewal of the brothers and sisters, present and working in the whole world.
It was at his request that the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments approved on the 9th of March 1984 the Ritual of the SFO. On the 18th August 1989 he signed, together with the other Ministers General, the letter Vocation and Mission of the lay Franciscan faithful in the Church and in the World, following on the Synod of Bishops on the Lay Faithful and on the occasion of the VII Centenary of the Rule of Nicholas IV.
On the 17th November 1991 he prepared, as Minister General, the letter to the brothers and sisters of the Third Order Regular on the fraternal relationships with the Secular Franciscan Order and on their Spiritual Assistance. At the end of the letter he wrote that some brothers and sisters of the SFO had helped him to deepen his understanding of the charism. They had been for him living witnesses and they had given him inspiration that he did not previously have (cf. Acta TOR, n. 25, p. 84).
The following year he delivered, in the name of the Ministers General, the Statutes for the Spiritual Assistance of the SFO to the President of the Conference of Assistants General.
Fra José remained in constant contact with the Presidency of the SFOIC and with the Conference of Assistants General, even after his return to Spain. He participated in the programme of the Chapter of the SFO 1999 in Madrid. He again confirmed his love and dedication to the SFO and his conviction of the value and mission of the SFO in our day by accepting, after his return to his country of origin, the office of assistant to the local fraternity of the SFO in Quintanar de la Orden and in nearby El Toboso.
We thank God for the services of Fra José who has enlightened, helped and encouraged us. Thanks in the name of the SFO fraternity and of the Assistant brothers.
Zvonimir Brusac’ TOR
The text of the General Constitutions of the SFO, revised by the General Chapter of the SFO in Madrid in the month of October 1999, were immediately evaluated by a commission of four religious, experts in their respective Orders, nominated by the Conference of the Ministers General of the Franciscan First Order and TOR. Their observations were later entirely accepted by those responsible for the International Fraternity of the SFO. With the letter of the 1st August 2000, the Conference of Ministers General presented the text to the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, requesting approval.
With the decree of the 8th December 2000, the Congregation approved the definitive text of the Constitutions of the SFO.
On 16th August, World Youth Day, an international meeting of delegates of the Franciscan Youth took place at the General Curia OFMConv. It had been expected that each delegation would have two national delegates of Franciscan Youth, a SFO fraternal animator and the National Assistant of the Franciscan Youth. Delegations from Italy, Portugal, Czech Republic, Lebanon, United States, Brazil, Cuba and members of the SFOIC, Emanuela De Nunzio, Minister General, Peter Nuño da Silva Coelho, Councillor of the Presidency for Franciscan Youth and three General Assistants, Bros. Valentin Redondo, Ben Brevoort and Zvonimir Brusac’, participated.
Andrea Chiarelli, President of the Italian National Fraternity of Franciscan Youth assisted by the OFMConv, saluted the participants in the name of the organisers (his National Fraternity and the Italian National Fraternity of Franciscan Youth of the OFMCap).
Emanuela de Nunzio testified that the SFO nourished great love and hope for the Franciscan Youth. There has long been a desire to set up a proper relationship between the SFO and the Franciscan Youth, in such a way that the latter would be linked to the SFO that shares the same spirituality but would never be just a "hatchery".
Peter Nuño presented the principal characteristics of the Franciscan Youth as seen today. The Franciscan Youth is a way of life (not a movement), an experience of fraternity that makes it available for service in the Church and in society. In the countries in which it is beginning, he said, there should be a link to the National Council of the SFO or, if this does not exist, with the Presidency of the SFOIC. The Franciscan Youth is different to the other Franciscan groups because it accepts the Rule of the SFO, a document that inspires it, because the members accept the personal and formal commitment before God and the fraternity, because it is an integral part of the SFO and because it has its own formation and pedagogical methods. At the beginning of the third millennium the fraternities of the Franciscan Youth find themselves faced by some big challenges: to build true evangelical fraternity, to help the "lepers" of our times, to be active in safeguarding nature, developing communications between the existent National Fraternities.
Representatives of the Italian Franciscan Youth presented programmes and experiences of formation in their country.
In the final part of the meeting the delegates spoke of the organisation and life of the Franciscan Youth in their own countries, giving some suggestions for the international structure of Franciscan Youth. In Italy there are three National Councils (according to the friars who give assistance: OFMConv, OFM and OFMCap). There are about 8000 members in 500 fraternities. On 19th May 1998 the Pope received the Italian Franciscan Youth in a special audience on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its foundation. The fraternities have a lively relationship with Franciscan religious, with the SFO and with the Church in Italy. In Portugal there are 30 fraternities with about 300 young people. The Franciscan Youth has its own bulletin, is well assisted by Franciscan religious and has very good relations with the National Fraternity of SFO. In the Czech Republic there are only 4 groups, in Prague, Hradec Králove, Opava and Brno. In the Lebanon there are 122 members in 7 fraternities; in 1998 the first National Council was established. The SFO in The United States of America gives, since 1996, special attention to the education and establishment of youth fraternities; for this end there has been established an appropriate commission that has prepared a manual for this task, conducts seminars of preparation of animators and is organising the 1st national Congress of Franciscan Youth that will take place in 2002.
The following day, 17th August, all the delegates participated, with about a thousand young Italian Franciscans, in the demonstration "Youth summit – Francis: street festival", in front of the Basilica of St. Laurence outside the walls; the demonstration was included in the official programme of the World Youth Days.