SFO International Council - Weekly edition
Volume: 12 - N. 08 - 2006 - February - IV
From: Koinonia, 2005, N. 4
The National Elective Chapter of the Secular Franciscan Order of the Republic of South Africa was held at the Schoenstatt Retreat House near Cape Town from October 28-30. After a consideration of various reports and a discussion of the national statutes during the first two days the Chapter moved to the election on the afternoon of Saturday, October 29, 2005. The election was supervised by Lucy Almirañez, CIOFS Presidency Councilor, and witnessed by Michael Higgins, TOR, General Spiritual Assistant. The following sisters and brothers were elected to serve the SFO in South Africa for the next three years: Albertina Dhlamini, National Minister; Sylvia Landsberg, Vice Minister; Churchill Mokoena, Formator; Jenny Harrington, Secretary; Sharon Dutoit, Treasurer; Michael Harrington, Councilor; Jenny Harrington, International Councilor; and, Felicity Maart, substitute International Councilor.
The CIOFS Presidency met in Assisi from November 1 - 5 in order to prepare for the General Chapter of the SFO that was held from November 5-12. The Presidency elected two new members: Maria Aparecida Crepaldi from Brazil as Presidency Councilor for the Portoghese language to replace Carlos Moura, and Luis Herve Silva from the Island of Mauritius for the French language to replace Felix Mbete.
The national elective chapter of the SFO in Portugal was celebrated from November 18-20 at a house of hospitality staffed by the Capuchin friars. The Minister General of the SFO, Encarnacion del Pozo, presided at the chapter and was accompanied by the General Spiritual Assistant Ivan Matić, OFM. Reports were presented during the first day of the chapter. The first one on the theme “To Live our Mission with Joy and Hope” was presented by the National Spiritual Assistant Severino Centomo, OFM. Conv. This was followed by “The SFO: A Journey of Lay Sanctity” presented by Bro. Ivan. Reports on the SFO, YouFra, and the situation of spiritual assistance in Portugal were also presented. Two other National Spiritual Assistants - Cesar Pedrosa Pereira Pinto, OFM. Cap. and Daniel Antonio Silveira Teixeira, OFM - joined with Bro. Severino and participated in the chapter. José Carlos Gorgulho Santos was elected as National Minister and Pedro Nuno Coelho was elected as International Councilor.
The Conference of General Spiritual Assistants (CAS) met in Fatima, Portugal, from November 21 - 27 for our annual “Tempo forte,” or extended work period. Ivan Matić, OFM, the President of CAS, Samy Irudaya, OFM. Cap., Secretary, and Martín Bitzer, OFM. Conv. completed the work in accordance with the agenda. Michael Higgins, TOR, was with his father and other members of his family this year in the United States due to the recent death of his mother. Among the principal themes that were dealt with include the approval of the calendar of activities for 2006: pastoral visits and chapters; topics, editing, and publication of Koinonia; the editing and publication of the Manual for Assistance to the SFO and YouFra; and reflections on the recently concluded General Chapter of the SFO (November 5-12, 2005). The spiritual character of Fatima and the fraternal welcome of the Capuchin friars were a tremendous aid to the success of the meeting. In addition to celebrating the Eucharist in the heart of the sanctuary, the General Spiritual Assistants were able to visit the village where the blessed Francesco and Jacinta, and Sr. Lucia were born and raised.
On May 31, 2005, the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Bro. Andrés Ginés Lilao, OFM Conv., died in his friary in Barcellona, Spain. But who was Bro. Andrés? From the letter written by Bro. Valentín Ridondo, the current Minister Provincial of the Conventuals in Spain, (dated June 4, 2005, from Spain) the following emerges: “Bro. Andrés was born to Pedro José and María, his parents, in Alba, Teruel, on September 30, 1932... He was ordained to the priesthood in Barcellona on June 29, 1956… On May 17, 2004, he underwent an operation for stomach cancer… and even though he was weakened he never lost interest in providing spiritual assistance to the Secular Franciscan Order in Spain - where he once served as National Spiritual Assistant. In fact, he had care for the formation of a group through which he restored the SFO fraternity in Barcellona, he accompanied and cared for other pastoral groups, and provided the animation for the liturgical-musical preparation for the Sunday Eucharistic liturgies… With his life he left us important values for our Franciscan spirituality: kindly welcome for all those who approach us (ER 2:1)…; faithful and devoted work (LR 5:1)… as a teacher, director of postulants, guardian, director of a middle school, and provincial secretary; cheerful joy that is pleasant, animates, and is contagious (ER 7:16). On April 16, 2005, he felt very ill and requested the Sacrament of the Sick. He received the sacrament surrounded by the other friars in the house. On May 15, the Solemnity of Pentecost, he happily participated in the entrance into the SFO of a group that he had accompanied…” With this issue of Koinonia we wish not only to remember Bro. Andrés in our prayers but also to express our ardent thanks to God for the life of this fellow friar and for the luminous testimony to the evangelical life that he left for everyone.
Beginning in 2006 Koinonia will no longer be published on paper. From this time on our letters can be found on the CIOFS web site:
When the web site is accessed you will see the icon for Koinonia - under the icon you can choose one of the four languages of the publication:
Nota bene: For those who do not yet have the capability of direct access to the Internet, we would like to recommended that they contact people in their area who are able to connect from whom they will be able to receive a printed copy of the bulletin which, as is well known, appears four times a year.