SFO International Council - Weekly edition
Volume: 10 - N. 12 - 2004 - March - III
From: CIOFS Secretariat
Madrid, February 16, 2004
Circ. 10/02-08
SFO International Councilors
cc: SFO National Councils
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
The Lord give you His Peace!
In their last meeting held in November 2003, the CIOFS Presidency decided to contact all of you on an issue whose objectives, set by the 2002 General Chapter, are far from being fulfilled:
Communication
The Presidency would like to remind all CIOFS members that the 1999 Madrid General Chapter, in approving the General Constitutions, decided to maintain the structure of the International Fraternity: International Council and Presidency. This means that it considered necessary for the International Council to actively carry out its duties between one General Chapter and another. The only way this can be done is through communication, which, in fact, is the specific responsibility of all of you, International Councilors, as the International Statutes clearly spell out: Art. 7.1 e) “to maintain frequent and regular contacts of communication and dialogue with the Presidency of the International Council of the SFO, with the Minister General, with the Secretariat and with their respective National Council”.
The Presidency, from the time of its election, has put its full trust in you all, as the essential communication hub for its relationship with the National Councils. We have, however, come to realize, with disappointment and frustration, that in numerous national Fraternities, the local Fraternities, i. e. the concrete brothers and sisters, are not at all reached by the information on the initiatives and proposals that the Presidency offers in its services of animation and guidance of the International Fraternity.
All the International Councilors, those who are also National Ministers as well as those who have been explicitly elected to carry out this responsibility by their Chapter, are members of the national Council of their respective country (FIOFS Statutes 5.1). Although not occupying a pre-eminent position in your National Council, you all are fully invested members and therefore, must share in a spirit of collegiality, all its responsibilities, in the full awareness that the Minister is the primary person responsible. One of your primary tasks is to ensure communication between the national and the international levels and, consequently, to make sure that the Council transmits to their respective regional and/or local Fraternities all communications that are issued by the CIOFS Presidency or by its Commissions. Furthermore, you have to make sure that the national and regional councils (where these exist) follow up and implement all the recommendations offered for the good of the Order and to ‘contribute, in line with the tradition of the SFO, to the spreading of ideas and initiatives which are valuable for promoting the availability of the secular Franciscans in the life of the Church and of society”, as recommended by our Constitutions (Art. 71.1, d).
To inaugurate this new stage, which I want to “dream” as being fruitful, the Presidency and I, propose to declare the year 2004 as the “year of Communication in the SFO” and kindly ask you to warmly and positively welcome this fraternal message.
I would like to remind you of the various initiatives communicated to you, for which we are awaiting a reply:
-- Distribution of the Guidelines on Formation and reply to the letter of the Commission on Formation, in which we solicited information regarding your formation projects and the manuals or guidelines used.
-- “Survey” on the situation of the Franciscan Youth in your country. Even if it does not exist in your country, a reply is necessary in order to have an overview of the present situation worldwide.
-- “Survey” of the Presence in the World Commission.
-- Campaign to sensitize members on donations for the CIOFS headquarters.
We kindly ask you:
1. To confirm receipt of this letter along with your suggestions, by ordinary mail or, when possible, by e-mail (ciofs@ciofs.org), as quickly as possible but not later than April 16th.
2. To immediately reply to the Commissions, since the Presidency will be meeting from April 24 to May 1, 2004, and will be discussing, among other things, the above points (this does not apply to those who have already replied).
3. Your responses will enable us to verify the degree of acceptance of the various initiatives, whether they are useful and practicable, if they should be re-elaborated and, if so, how, etc.
While waiting for a reply, on behalf of the CIOFS Presidency I send you fraternal regards and assure you once again of our availability and love. We pray that in this Lenten period, the Lord will help us to decisively progress in our conversion and commitments so as to be “significant” with our life and our Christian, Franciscan and Secular presence in our living environment.
Your sister and minister.
Encarnación del Pozo
SFO General Minister
“Together with St. Francis” was the theme of the Third European Franciscan Youth Congress held August 17-23, 2003. The Congress was celebrated in two parts: the first in Croatia (August 17--20), and the second in Slovenia (August 20--23). Among the participants were approximately 40 YouFra delegates from Portugal, Spain, Italy, Slovenia, Lithuania, and Croatia. CIOFS was represented by Encarnación del Pozo, SFO, Minister General; Xavi Ramos, SFO, International Councilor for YouFra; and two General Spiritual Assistants: Valentin Redondo, OFM Conv., and Ivan Matic, OFM.
The first part of the Congress, from August 17th to the 20th, was dedicated to a discussion of two main topics: the SFO Rule as an inspirational document for YouFra, given by Encarnación del Pozo; and YouFra in Europe and the World, presented by Xavi Ramon. The visitors also met with the SFO executive council in Croatia, made a pilgrimage to the Marian Sanctuary of Trsat-Rijeka, and visited Croatia’s capital city, Zagreb.
The second part of the Congress was held in Slovenia, from August 20th to the 23rd. The visitors met with YouFra in Ptuj, made a pilgrimage to Nazarje where they celebrated the 750th Anniversary of the Death of St. Clare’s with a group of sisters, and made a visit to the caves of Postina. The following themes were presented for study and reflection: Europe’s YouFra in preparation for the World Youth Day 2005 in Cologne, presented by Ivan Matic, OFM; and Vocation and Mission of YouFra, given by Valentín Redondo, OFM Conv. On the last day the assembly focused on concrete proposals concerning the life and mission of Europe’s YouFra and, in particular, the preparation of WYD 2005 in Cologne.
Ireland -- Doug Clorey and Michael Higgins, TOR, were present in Ireland from August 29--30 for the National Elective Chapter celebrated at St. Patrick’s College, Drumcondra, Dublin. For the second time, Ita O'Neill was elected as National Minister of the SFO in Ireland.
Great Britain -- From September 6-8 the National Elective Chapter took place in Wimbledon. The Chapter was presided over by Doug Clorey and witnessed by Ivan Matic, OFM. Mary McCormick was elected as the new National Minister in Great Britain. The Chapter discussed the following matters: promotion of Secular Franciscan Vocation, especially among the youth, and the necessity of collaboration with the First Order regarding the formation of the Franciscan Youth.
Tanzania -- From September 4-6 Irudaya Samy, OFM Cap., together with Felix Mbete took part in the National Chapter of the SFO. Felix presided over the elections. The Chapter was inaugurated by the Capuchin Minister Provincial who also presided at the Holy Eucharist. Forty-five Secular Franciscans took part and elected Laurent Mutalenwa as National Minister of the SFO in Tanzania. The National Spiritual Assistants, Artur Hauser OFM Cap., Valerio Boelafo, OFM, and Dominik Wasilewski, OFM Conv., also took part in the Chapter.
Cameroon -- The fraternal and pastoral visit to the SFO in Cameroon took place September 8--13. Irudaya Samy, OFM Cap., and Felix Mbete attended as delegates of CIOFS along with the National Spiritual Assistant, Roberto, OFM Cap. They were able to visit various English speaking members of the SFO and three French speaking fraternities in Yaoundé. They also met with YouFra. The visiting delegates observed that there is a great need for formation in the country.
Puerto Rico -- The 25th Anniversary of SFO in Puerto Rico, held August 25-31, was attended by 80 brothers and sisters of the SFO. The main theme of the assembly was the person of Mary. Valentín Redondo, OFM Conv., gave a talk on the person of Mary in the writings of St. Anthony of Padua. During the second session he gave a talk on spiritual assistance to the Secular Franciscan Order. This was followed by a vivid and interesting dialogue. A lot was said about the weaknesses that currently exist and ways to reach a collegial assistance to the SFO.