SFO International Council - Weekly edition
Volume: 9 - N. 11 - 2003 - March - II
From: CIOFS Secretariat
Rome, November 15-23, 2002
(Part III)
In collaboration with the Presidency of CIOFS, the General Spiritual Assistants have played an active role in the guidance of the Secular Franciscan Order by devoting special attention to pastoral visits, normally held at same time as fraternal visits, and by their presence at national chapters. Only a few times a provincial minister or a national assistant of the region was delegated for these meetings.
A secular member of the SFO presides over national elective chapters, but the presence of a General Spiritual Assistant or a delegate of the Conference at his or her side is a clear sign of the communion within the same charism and the co-responsibility in the animation and the formation of SFO fraternities (cf. SFO Rule 26).
Pastoral visits have the same purpose as fraternal visits, i.e. "to revive the evangelical Franciscan spirit, to assure fidelity to the charism and to the Rule, to offer help to fraternity life, to reinforce the bond of the unity of the Order, and to promote its most effective insertion into the Franciscan family and the Church" (SFO Const. 92.1).
After mature reflection, the Presidency of CIOFS decided to hold the pastoral and fraternal visits outside the national elective chapters, because they will then be more fruitful. We prefer to hold the pastoral visit together with the fraternal visit so as to be able to exchange impressions and ideas with the fraternal visitor.
The Conference of General Spiritual Assistants has collaborated in its own way with the Presidency of CIOFS in the process towards the unity of the Secular Franciscan Order in Italy in its participation in obediential chapters, and in meetings with the Ministers General and the Presidents of the Conferences of Provincial Ministers of Italy: COMPI, CIMP, CIMPCap and Third Order Regular. The General Spiritual Assistants have also participated in various congresses celebrated in preparation of the first unified national chapter of the SFO in Italy. All four of the General Spiritual Assistants were present at the first national chapter celebrated at Frascati from April 27 to May 1, 2002.
The spirit of collegiality lived by the Conference has been a sign and an encouragement for the unity of the SFO in Italy and for the national assistants as they move towards a greater collegial assistance and the establishment of a Conference of National Spiritual Assistants. The Conference of General Spiritual Assistants has met twice with all four national assistants to invite them to establish the Conference of National Assistants and has closely followed its first steps as a way to encourage the work of collegial assistance to the SFO of Italy.
Through sincere and humble fraternal communication there is still a long way to go to reach the unity asked for by the Rule and the General Constitutions, but the Conference of General Spiritual Assistants trusts the project of unity of the SFO of Italy, which is taking its first steps, will succeed.
The Conference of General Spiritual Assistants, together with the Presidency of CIOFS, has promoted the coordination of communication. As a consequence, the number of joint pastoral and fraternal visits has increased and special attention has been given to coordination among assistants at all levels, and to their contacts with the ministers provincial and custodes through Koinonia, the Letter from Rome, meetings, etc.
Koinonia, a small formation magazine which consists of a main article and information (news in brief), was founded in 1994 and appears four times a year. It is published in four languages: English, French, Italian and Spanish. Copies are sent to major superiors and to local, regional and national assistants. The publication is well received by the assistants and others on the mailing list. The easiest way to send it at present is by E-mail through the Internet.
Koinonia is a simple instrument to keep communication and formation of the assistants alive and is also used by some SFO Fraternities.
This is another instrument of formation, information and communication fostered by the OFM General Assistant, at present under the care of Fr. Ivan Matic'.