SFO International Council - Weekly edition
Volume: 9 - N. 10 - 2003 - March - I
From: CIOFS Secretariat
Rome, November 15-23, 2002
(Part II)
The animation of the Secular Franciscan Order - with the goal to live the Gospel in fraternal communion - is concretized in the formation of the members of the SFO. For the spiritual assistants it is important to insist on an adequate formation of all friars for the SFO and, more specifically, of all candidates to Franciscan life.
The text of the General Constitutions of the SFO, revised by the General Chapter in Madrid in October of 1999, was later evaluated by a commission of four friars, experts of their respective Orders, appointed by the Conference of Ministers General. Their observations have been integrally accepted by the leadership of the International Fraternity of the SFO. With a letter dated August 1, 2000, the Conference of Ministers General presented the text for approval to the Congregation for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. By a decree dated December 8, 2000, the Congregation approved the definitive text of the General Constitutions of the Secular Franciscan Order, which was then promulgated by the Minister General, Emanuela De Nunzio, on February 6, 2001.
During the live-in period of November 2001, the Conference of General Spiritual Assistants drafted a new text of the Statutes for Spiritual and Pastoral Assistance to the SFO, adapting it to the revised General Constitutions. The text was later approved by the Conference of Ministers General on March 28, 2002. The Statutes entered immediately into force replacing the preceding ones which were approved in 1992.
"The Ministers General entrust to the Conference of General Spiritual Assistants the task of making these new Statutes known to all the brothers of the Franciscan First Order and the Third Order Regular and to foster the understanding and study of the text. This instrument can thus serve as a basis for our fraternal service to the SFO and guide us all in our relations with it according to our own vocation and the specific nature of the SFO itself."
The Presidency of the International Council of the Secular Franciscan Order, of which the Conference of General Spiritual Assistants is a part, meets approximately once every six months. Almost all the meetings took place in Rome, though two were conducted in Madrid. The assistants participated in all meetings of the Presidency, specifically by preparing the prayers and the celebration of the Eucharist during the gatherings.
Apart from the study and discussion of the ordinary problems of the life of the SFO, various projects were realized during the past six years to animate, guide and coordinate emerging fraternities. For this purpose the Presidency approved the "Guidelines for formation" in its meeting of April 20-27, 2001, and also planned and realized three projects of formation in Eastern Europe, Africa and Cuba.
In Eastern Europe three seminars were conducted: one in the Ukraine, September 2-11, 1998, with about fifty participants, including some spiritual assistants; one in Lithuania (May 8-17, 2000) for the Baltic countries, with 40 Secular Franciscans from Lithuania, Lettonia, Finland, White Russia and Russia. The following topics were presented: The History of the SFO, Secular Franciscan Spirituality, The SFO in Present Day Ecclesiology, The Vision of Assistance, Practical Aspects of Spiritual Assistance, and Franciscan Youth. Please note that great attention has also been given to the situation of the SFO and its assistance in this part of Europe through visitations and the presence of General Spiritual Assistants at national chapters. The third Seminar for this part of Europe was celebrated at Oradea, May 21-30, 2001, for the SFO of Romania in which 30 members of the fraternities of Transylvania and Moldavia participated.
The above named topics were also presented in seminars in Africa: in Tanzania (October 18-27, 1997) and in Kenya (October 30 - November 2, 1997).
The seminar in Cuba was conceived after the pastoral and fraternal visits held in the beginning of February of 1999. Further preparations were made during the intermediate General Chapter in Madrid and it was finally held from June 11-18, 2000, with the presence of Fr. Ben and Fr. Valentín.
The Youfra project seeks to animate Franciscan youth. The national fraternities of Franciscan youth were asked for their suggestions during the revision of the General Constitutions. Fr. Valentín Redondo participated in the preparation of the proposals regarding the international structure of Youfra particularly in an improved formulation of the tasks of its International Councilors.
The General Spiritual Assistants have also collaborated in other projects -- specifically with Franciscan Children, topics of formation, communication, the use of modern technical means -- including the Internet site (http://www.ciofs.org), and with the guidelines for formation for leaders, ecumenism and inter-religious dialogue.
In February of 2000 the Presidency of CIOFS received the pastoral visit of Fr. Bonaventure Midili TOR, at that time President of the Conference of Ministers General. The Presidency has also celebrated its own jubilee day with the visit of four major and two minor basilicas in Rome.
This chapter, celebrated in Madrid from October 23-31, 1999, was dedicated to the revision of the General Constitutions.
The General Spiritual Assistants actively participated in this revision, collaborating in a better understanding of the identity of the SFO, of its "own secular, specific and lay character" (LG. 31, cf. ChL. 15), and its mission in the Church and society. Fr. Ben has participated in a dedicated and special way in its remote and immediate preparation - and in the presentation of the work of the revision of the General Constitutions.
The present General Constitutions stress that the task of the spiritual assistant is not sacramental but rather spiritual assistance. This makes it possible for the First Order and the Third Order Regular to assist a fraternity through a capable and prepared friar, priest or brother. On the other hand, experience shows that many fraternities lack a spiritual assistant, in which case the General Constitutions permit major superiors to entrust the service of spiritual assistance to "religious brothers or sisters of other Franciscan institutes; diocesan clerics or other persons, specially prepared for such service, who are members of the SFO; other diocesan clerics or non-Franciscan religious" (General Const. 89.4).
The General Constitutions insist on the responsibility of the major superiors of the First Order and the Third Order Regular in regard to spiritual assistance.
For the erection of local fraternities, a document was approved with appropriate forms to be used for this purpose (Presidency meeting, June 8-15, 2002).
To collaborate in the animation and formation of assistants, The Conference of General Spiritual Assistants has planned a number of seminars at international and national levels during the past six years.
At Frascati (Rome) three seminars were organized: one for assistants of Slavic languages from February 23 - March 6, 1998, with 34 participants from 16 countries; another one for assistants from Africa, from June 23 - July 4, 1998, with 26 participants from 15 countries; and, the third, which was held from October 7-28, 2002, with 38 participants from 19 countries.
In Assisi a seminar for assistants from Italy was conducted from May 31 - June 4, 1998, with a good number of friars from the four Orders: OFM, OFMConv, OFMCap and Third Order Regular.
The four General Spiritual Assistants, the Minister General and some secular Franciscans also took part in these seminars.
In the city of Diriamba in Nicaragua a seminar for assistants and animators from Central America was held from June 28 to July 3, 1999. The meeting included participants from Mexico and Puerto Rico. The presentations were given by Fr. Zvonimir Brusac' TOR and Fr. Valentin Redondo OFMConv.
A second seminar for assistants of Central America was held from February 19-22, 2002, in San Salvador (El Salvador) with Fr. Michael Higgins TOR, Fr. Ivan Matic' OFM and Fr. Valentín Redondo OFMConv as the presenters.
The participation and presence of the Conference of General Spiritual Assistance at congresses is a sign of animation and formation for Secular Franciscans and spiritual assistants alike.
From August 11-18, 1998, the first anglophone congress of Africa took place in Nairobi (Kenya) with Fr. Ben Brevoort as a participant. Delegates from six countries were present. The second anglophone congress, celebrated at Lusaka (Zambia) from August 18-25, 2001, saw the presence of secular Franciscans from South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi and Zambia and of Fr. Valentín Redondo. The topic: Witness and Relevance of Secular Franciscans in Africa.
Fr. Valentín Redondo participated in the IVth Latin American Congress which was celebrated in Salvador de Bahía (Brasil) from October 12-18, 1998, with 85 participants from 11 countries. The central topic was: The Rule, Gift of the Spirit, Leading to the Father.
The Central American Congress in Panama, January 15-17, 1999, saw the presence of Fr. Valentín Redondo. The topic was formation in general and formation of formators on the Central American level. The congress formed a Formation Commission to work in collaboration with national councils. A more effective exchange of information among fraternities of the region was requested as well as more decisive participation in the Latin American congress.
Fr. Ben Brevoort was present at the Vth Latin American Congress which was held in Santo Domingo (Dominican Republic) from June 17-24, 2001, with 16 delegations from Central America, South America and the Caribbean. The topic of the congress was: Francis and Clare: an answer for Latin Americans of the third millennium.
Fr. Michael Higgins took part in the 16th Quinquennial Congress of the National Fraternity of the Secular Franciscan Order in the United States from July 2-7, 2002. The congress, which was held on the campus of Loyola University in New Orleans, focused on the theme Called to Build a More Fraternal and Evangelical World and had over 500 participants.