SFO International Council - Weekly edition
Volume: 7 - N. 15 - 2001 - April - II
From: Koinonia, 2000, N. 4
From 22nd to 24th September, in Assisi, a meeting was held of five commissions (formation, communications, national structure, regionalisation and economic) formed after the "Congress of the SFO and FY of Italy" (1999) with the duty of continuing the activity on the national level during the period following the cessation of the National Inter-obedience Council (6th February 1999) and the 1st unity National Chapter, arranged for the Spring of 2002. The meeting was presided over by Emanuela De Nunzio, Minister General SFO, who, in the name of the Presidency of the SFOIC, is co-ordinating in this period of transition the activities regarding the ordinary life and process towards structural unification. Bro. Zvonimir Brusac’ TOR, President of the Conference of General Assistants, also participated in the work. The fraternities of the SFO assisted by the Friars Minor (OFM), despite invitations, still do not participate in this activity. The commission for formation prepared the guide for on-going formation for the year 2000/2001, published, in conjunction with the commission for communications, the calendar of the SFO for 2001 and is organising the formation courses. The commission for communications reported on the process of the unification of the national magazines "Voce del Padre" and "Vita Francescana". The commission for the national structure is preparing a draft of the regulations on which it will have to report to the elective Chapter of 2002. The commission for "regionalisation" is making the SFO fraternities aware of and preparing them for the setting up of regional fraternities of the united SFO.
During the Congress, that took place in Assisi from the 25th to 29th of October, Bro. Ivan Matic’ OFM, new Assistant General, presented a report on his experience of attending to the FY. The Congress, because of its international character, had been for him a profitable occasion to know the friars of his Order. Among those present there were many SFO assistants.
The ordinary meeting of the Presidency took place on 10-17th November in Rome. For the first time Fra. Ivan Matic’ OFM participated. Among the topics discussed were preparations for the General Chapter of the SFO in the autumn of 2002, the process of unification of the SFO in Italy, economic contributions of the national fraternities and the seminar of renewal of the SFO in Romania (May 2001). Having analysed the necessary requirements, the Presidency officially recognised the National Fraternities of Malta and Chad. At the end of the meeting the Presidency sent a message to the International Fraternity of the SFO on the occasion of the conclusion of the Jubilee year.
The Congress of the Laity on the topic of "Witnesses to Christ in the new Millennium" was held in Rome from the 25th to the 30th November 2000. Emanuela De Nunzio, Minister General, Tibor Kauser, International Councillor for Hungary and Emerenziana Rossato, Councillor of the Presidency of OFSIC for the Italian speaking area participated as representatives of the SFO. John Paul II invited associations and communities of lay faithful to become places for deeper Christian formation and subjects of more incisive apostolic activity. The Minister General presented a short speech on the vocation of the SFO – as essential for Secular Franciscans – the "living of the Gospel in fraternal communion" and exercising "minority" in promoting justice, in solidarity with the poor and in safeguarding "mother earth" and in collaboration with all people of good will.
During 5-8th October Wilhelmina Visser-Pelsma, Councillor to the Presidency of the SFOIC, and Fra. Zvonimir Brusac’ carried out the fraternal and pastoral visits of the National Fraternity of the SFO in Warsaw, Poland. On the 6th October the meeting of the visitors with the Presidency of the National Council took place. The national Presidency is promoting with great care the formation of those responsible for the SFO. With regard to assistance, the priority tasks for the next period are the organisation of collegial assistance to the regional fraternities and the formation of assistants. On 7th October a meeting with the regional ministers took place. In Poland there are more than 16 thousand secular Franciscans, 14 regional fraternities and 361 local fraternities. There are about 600 members of the Franciscan Youth in 28 fraternities organised according to the ten provinces of the Franciscan religious. Many are the local fraternities that are dedicated to the various works of mercy, especially to the care of abandoned babies. Many other fraternities actively participate, in different ways, in the life of their parochial communities.
From the 17th to the 22nd October, in Philadelphia, the elective Chapter of the national Fraternity of the United States of America was held under the presidency of Doug Clorey, international Councillor from Canada, in the presence of Fr. Ben Brevoort OFMCap. Bill Wicks was re-elected National Minister. The Chapter, very well prepared, joined moments of prayer and reflection to those of formation, work and recreation. One evening was dedicated to a visit to the sanctuary of St. Katharine Drexel, the palace where the independence of the United States was declared and to other places in the city of Philadelphia. The Chapter wished to pay special homage to Annette Duveen, Jim Lynch and Laura Haukaas for their services to the national and international Fraternities. A representative of the Third Order of St. Francis of the Anglican Communion was also present. Plenty of space was given to the different presentations, especially those of the apostolic commissions (formation, family, Youth) and to the committees (fraternal life, multi-culture and ecumenical). The work of the commissions and committees is very important for the life of the national Fraternity. The work group "Spirit and Life", established to animate or re-animate the local Fraternities, also animated the Chapter with a transition rite entitled "Paschal Memory".
On 20-22nd October, in Samobor (Zagreb), Fra Valentin Redondo OFMConv, General Assistant, participated in the annual meeting of the national Council of the SFO. The central topics were the process of regionalisation, begun in recent years, and the elaboration of new National Statutes that have to be adjusted to the new structure of the National Fraternity. Fra Valentin shared information and experiences, matured at the international level, with the participants.
From the 17th to the 27th November fra Ben Brevoort OFMCap made an informal visit to the Fraternities of the three regions of Switzerland to propose the formation of one national Fraternity. He was present at the elective Chapter of the Italian speaking region. He had occasion to meet with those responsible for, and members of, the SFO, with the spiritual assistants and the Religious Superiors in the German speaking region. He also participated in a festive meeting of the French speaking region. The need was noted, especially in the German speaking region, of a specific formation in the secular Franciscan charism and of overcoming the isolation in which the Fraternities of the SFO find themselves. Even among the friars there is still a lack of up dated knowledge of the secular Franciscan spirituality, of the nature of the SFO and of its place in the Franciscan Family. On the other hand there is a widespread conviction that the future of the Franciscan Family in Switzerland will depend, in great part, on the witness of secular Franciscans.
On the 18th to the 20th November the fraternal and pastoral visits to the SFO Fraternity in Portugal took place. The national Council prepared the visit, and the information about the national Fraternity, in an exemplary manner. On the first day the fraternal Visitor, Rosalvo Mota, Councillor of the Presidency of SFOIC for the Portuguese speaking area, and the pastoral visitor Fra Valentin Redondo OFMConv participated in the meeting of the FY in Leiria, in which 25 young people prepared themselves for their promises, and visited "Lar S. Francisco", the house of welcome for old people of the local Fraternity of SFO. On the second day the visitors visited the SFO Fraternity in Baratojo, which is dedicated to two works of mercy: the care of a residence for the old and sick and the direction of a school for the children of poor families. The meeting with the national Council took up the whole of the third day of the visit. Throughout the nation a re-birth of the SFO is noted. The national Fraternity has a good organisation for formation. The Conference of national assistants was set up recently..
Zambia. From the 7th to the 9th July the elective Chapter of SFO in Zambia took place in the Franciscan centre in Ndola, presided over by Felix Mosha, International Councillor of Tanzania, in the presence of Fra Artur Hauser OFMCap, National assistant in Tanzania. Francis Mulamba was re-elected National Minister. The national programme for initial formation was formulated recently. In eleven regions seminars for those responsible for the SFO were held.
El Salvador. From the 4-6th August the elective Chapter of the SFO in El Salvador was held. It was presided over by Alicia Gallardo, Councillor of the Presidency of SFOIC, in the presence of Fra Miguel A. Hernandez Salazar OFMCap, assistant to the SFO, delegate of the Conference of the General Assistants.
Great Britain. During the 1st to the 3rd September, in the Centre for Spirituality of Gwynedd (North Wales), the elective Chapter of the SFO in Great Britain was held, presided over by Marianne Powell in the presence of Fra Andrew Fraser OFMConv, delegate of the Conference. Ursula Waight was elected National Minister. Following the election Marianne held a long conversation with the new Council and with the assistants.
Tanzania. From the 14th to the 16th September, in the Mbagala Spiritual Centre in Dar es Salaam, the elective Chapter of the SFO was held, presided over by Salesio Njuki, International Councillor from Kenya in the presence of Fra Alexander Ngosa OFMConv from Zambia.
Sweden. From the 20th to the 22nd October, in Linkping, the elective Chapter of the SFO in Sweden was held under the presidency of Marianne Powell, Councillor of the Presidency of the SFOIC, in the presence of fra Robert Showers OFMConv, National Assistant of the SFO in Denmark. Ulla Callert was elected National Minister. The national Fraternity is growing and is completing the draft of the national Statutes, with a view to recognition on the part of the Presidency of the SFOIC.
Slovenia. From the 17th to the 19th November, in Kanèevci, the elective Chapter of the SFO in Slovenia took place, presided over by Maria Altin, International Councillor from Croatia, in the presence of Fra Augustin Kordic’ OFMConv, national Assistant of the SFO in Croatia. Franc Herle was elected National Minister. In Slovenia there are 37 local fraternities, more than 800 secular Franciscans, 51 candidates and 115 sympathisers.