PREPARATORY DOCUMENT
TO DEAL WITH THE THEMES OF THE NEXT GENERAL CHAPTER
THE PROFESSION OF SECULAR FRANCISCANS AND THEIR SENSE OF BELONGING

Prot. N.1807
Circ. 64/02-08

Rome, March 5, 2008
       To the National Councils of the SFO
To the International Councillors SFO and Youfra

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

May the Lord give you peace! 

In order to be fruitful and become a strong moment of grace for the entire Order, the upcoming General Chapter must be preceded by:

ü  intensive and constant prayer in all the fraternities throughout the world, so that the Spirit of God our Lord can assist the capitulars of each country in allowing themselves to be guided by Him for the wellbeing of the Order and for the validity of the mission entrusted to the Franciscan Secular Order;

ü  a serious intellectual preparation

For the first objective, the CIOFS Presidency has diffused the text of a prayer to be recited in the entire Order. For the second objective the Presidency has prepared an introductory document on the theme of the Chapter: “The Profession of the Secular Franciscans and their sense of belonging to the SFO”, which we are here attaching, with the purpose of stimulating within the Secular Franciscan Order a global reflection to help in the individual (international councillor) and collective (all the members and the fraternities of our Order) preparation to the Chapter.

The national councils and the international councillors, in particular, are asked to divulge this important working tool and assure that it is the object of attentive reflection in their national fraternity; it is, in fact, essential that the maximum attention be given to the preparatory phase of the general Chapter so that, with the help of the Holy Spirit, it will achieve its purpose and define the objectives of the Order for the next six years.  

I would like to particularly ask the international councillors to adequately prepare themselves for this important event and commit themselves to studying in all earnest the theme of the Chapter. Only then can they truly fulfil their institutional responsibilities and become authentic and prepared representatives of their national and international reality.  

I confide in each and every one of you, and on behalf of the Presidency and the general Secretariat I wish all my brothers and sisters in the world a Happy Easter. 

Your sister and minister,

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