VOLUME XLVIII • EDITION 225 - OCTOBER 2015
FRATERNITAS
the EncYclicalLaudato Si’
The Order of Friars Minor greets Pope Francis and expresses its gratitude for the publication of the Encyclical Laudato, si’, written in the spirit of the saint from whom he took the name for his papal ministry...
Br. Michael A. Perry, OFM, the Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor, declared: “the commitment of Pope Francis to the poor and marginalized, to peace and reconciliation and to the care of the planet shows prophetic qualities that are derived from being in communion with God, with his fellow beings, with himself and with creation.For this very reason, Pope Francis has dared to embrace and carry out the mandate of the Christian apostolate modelled on the example of St. Francis of Assisi. His encyclical challenges all of us to simplify our life and to get rid ofand abandon that which is not necessary in order to re-discover the beauty that God placed in us, in each person and in each created thing. Our vocation is to live in unbounded solidarity with all that God created".
The Order of Friars Minor, together with all the members of the Franciscan Family, is promoting a series of initiatives regarding the challenges presented by the Pope:
- to encourage the Franciscans and those who are associated with us to read and reflect on the Encyclical, a study guide, which will contain practical suggestions for putting the proposals presented in the Encyclical into practice, will be prepared; each geographic region will be asked to prepare a simplified version of this study-guide to that it will be accessible to all;
- it is proposed that the next annual seminar of JPIC (Justice, peace and the integrity of creation), programmed for the Pontifical University Antonianum in Rome, should focus its attention on the Encyclical and on questions associated with environmental justice;
- finally, the Franciscan Study Centres scattered around the world will be invited to organize and propose programmes based on the Encyclical and to create its own study programmes on the environment or to strengthen those already in existence.
[The complete printed communication:
The Feast of St. Clare: The Letter of the Minister General
Dearest sisters, this year Pope Francis’s encyclical letter, Laudato si’ gives us the opportunity to share some reflections on the “care of our common home” based on the experience of Clare of Assisi. I consider it important to revisit with you the pope’s strong appeal to a Christian ecology for us all. Clare, we know, does not speak directly to this issue, but you can find in her life and in her writings some traces that reveal her understanding and that can offer you some challenges for the Poor Sisters of today.
Clare’s was a style that questions you, sisters andus Friars, regarding our use of assets and the managementof the resources that we possess; unmaskingour search for and perhaps claim to privilegesthat lead us to expect to have more than the others;it challenge us as to the extent of our sharing withour brothers and sisters. It calls us to the attitude ofgratitude rather than that of greed and accumulation.Does not a healthy and proper relationship with thegoods of creation ultimately remind us of the choiceof minority we have embraced? Does it not inviteus to keep from accumulating, from appropriating,from wasting, so as to accept with gratitude and give back by sharing?
Br. Jorge Enrique Concha Cayuqueo, OFM, new Bishop
The Holy Father has appointed Msgr. Jorge Enrique Concha Cayuqueo, O.F.M., as auxiliary of the archdiocese of Santiago de Chile, assigning him the Titular See of Carpi. He is currently Provincial Minister of the Franciscans in Chile.
Fr. George Bugeja, O.F.M. nuovo Vescovo
The Holy Father has appointed Fr. George Bugeja, O.F.M., as coadjutor of the apostolic vicariate of Tripoli. He was given the titular Bishopric of San Leone. He is currently guardian of the convent of St. Anthony of Padua in Gozo, Malta.
Brazilian Franciscan lay brothers fromBrazil met for the first time
Brazilian Franciscan lay brothers from the various branches of the Family (OFM, OFMConv, OFMCap and TOR) met from September 4-7 at Saint Anthony Seminary in Agudos, São Paulo, to celebrate fraternally and reflect on the lay dimension of our Franciscan vocation. The meeting can be called historic because it is the first such meeting held in Brazil. Eighty friars from fifteen different states participated.
Convocation of over 70 Lay Brothers from the ESC
A convocation of over 70 Lay Brothers from the ESC was held at St. Francis Retreat in San Juan Bautista, California, on August 10-14, 2015. It included Brothers from the seven United States provinces, Australia, Singapore and South Korea.
The Preparation Course for Solemn Profession
Young Friars, with their formators, came together under the guidance of Br. Andrzej Duk OFM, Secretary for Formation and Studies of the North-Slavic Conference, for the annual course of preparation for solemn profession in the Convent of Duszniki Zdrój in Poland, from the 5th to the 19th of July.
The first part of the gathering lasted 2 weeks and was carried out on the Conference level; then, another 2 weeks were managed by the individual Provinces. 23 Friars were prepared for solemn profession in the North-Slavic Conference this year.
The Minister General participated in the Feast of the Province of Naples
Many Friars from Naples gathered in Afragola, at the Sanctuary of St. Anthony, to celebrate the Feast of the Province on the 22nd of June 2015 with the participation of the Minister General, Br. Michael A. Perry.Br. Agostino Esposito, the Minister Provincial, thanked the Minister General for being present, a sign of esteem and affection, and then invited the Friars to give thanks to the Lord for the gift of fraternity and minority, to revive the sense of belonging to the Order and to our Province, to live this feast day of the Province as a "family feast".
Taizé: A meeting with young religious men and women
On the occasion of the centenary of the birth of its founder, Brother Roger, and the 75th year of the founding of the Community, young men and women religious of the different Christian denominations were invited to Taizé from July 5 to 12, 2015, to share an experience of prayer and reflection on consecrated life today. About 350 young people, mostly Catholics, plus some Orthodox and Protestant, accepted the invitation and gathered in this oasis of ecumenical spirituality to listen to the general Superiors of various Institutes or religious congregations as well as some leaders of monastic communities.
An Exhibition on the "Canticle" of St. Francis
There was an exhibition on "St. Francis, nature and animals", with pictures by the American artists Earl Gustaveson (deceased) and Linda Greigg(who was present), under the care of Br. Nicola Iachini, in the Cloister of the Convent of Monteprandone, which contains the remains of St. James della Marca, during the months of July and August.
Promoted by the City authorities of Monteprandone, Ascoli Piceno andSan Benedetto del Tronto and by the Franciscan Province “San Giacomo della Marca”of the Friars Minor, the exhibition wished to recall the 800 years of the arrival of St. Francis in Ascoli Piceno, in 1215, on one of his journeys in the so-called “Marca di Ancona”.
The St. Augustine Choir brought the feast of St. Camilla Battista da Varano to a close
The St. Augustine Choir, directed by Morena Rinaldi, gave a spiritual concert (“The Music of Silence: "In the monastery you will find sweet hymns") in the church of the Monastery of St. Clare of Camerino, where the relics of St. Camilla Battista da Varano are kept and venerated, on the 15th of June 2015. It brought to an end the multiple initiatives for the feast day of the Franciscan Sister, Saint Camilla Battista, canonized by Benedict XVI on the 17th of October 2010.
The St. Augustine Choir was accompanied by Livia Eugeni on the violin, Giacomo Diamantini on percussions and Carla Francesconi on the organ.
The VI International Festival of Sacred Song
The Aracoeli Cultural Centre of the Franciscans of Rome and the Musical Association 'Vocalia Consort'gave life to the VI International Festival of Sacred Song with the aim of drawing attention to the patrimony of sacred vocal music - from Gregorian to contemporary - and to give testimony to the wealth and versatility of musical production in relation to the sacred, re-affirming the importance of the values of spirituality for the human and civil experience.
The VI International Festival, held in the Basilica of St. Mary in Aracoeli, took place over three days: the 5th, 6th and 7th of June 2015, and saw the participation of two Italian vocal groups and one from Bulgaria. It focused, especially, on baroque music.
Franciscan Books
HILARION KISTNER, OFM, The Gospel according to St. Francis, Franciscan Media 2014, pp119.
Francis of Assisi fell in love with God and the Word of God, and wanted nothing more than to live the Gospel. His understanding of Scripture shaped the way in which he tried to imitate Jesus in every aspect of his life. A Franciscan priest, a student and teacher of Scripture, Br. Hilarion Kistner, explores how Francis listened to, lived and announced the Gospel. He considers the profound love of Francis for the Gospel, the movement of the Holy Spirit through the written word, the heart of the Gospels, and how Francis lived in the light of the Gospel.
DALARUN, JACQUES, To Govern is to Serve. An attempt at medieval democracy (Titolo originale: Gouverner c’est servir. Essai de démocratie médiévale), Edizioni Biblioteca Francescana, Milan 2015, pp. 233.
Dalarun, on the basis of the context of the Western Middle Ages, proposes a fundamental question: how and why did governing became synonymous with serving? by analysing "minor" texts (some passages from the life of Clare, the Letter of Francis to Br. Leo).
DALARUN, JACQUES, The Canticle of Brother Sun. A reconciled Francis of Assisi, Edizioni Biblioteca Francescana, Milan, 2015, pp. 123.
The author guides the reader in a fascinating way, made more attractive by the numerous illustrations which accompany the text: led by the hand through his prose and images, we discover and understand many things about the words, significance and motive of the Canticle.
New Visitators
Br. Nestor Inacio Schwerz
Province of St. Francis of Assisi (Brazil), Province of the Immaculate Conception (Brazil)
Br. Livio Crisci
Tuscany Province of the Stigmatization of St. Francis, (Italy), Neapolitan Province of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Italy)
Br. Baltazar Obico
Province of St. Peter Baptist (Philippines), Custody of St. Anthony of Padua (Philippines)
Br. Salvatore Ferro
Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus (Italy), Province ofSt. Mary of Graces (Italy)
St. Mary of the Angels, Italy–the Pardon of Assisi celebrated
The Pardon of Assisi was celebrated with special solemnity from the 1st to the 2nd of August as next year will be the eighth centenary (1216-2016) of the request of St. Francis.
The celebrations held in St. Mary of the Angels in Assisi were particularly solemn and well participated in. Among them we recall:
- The Triduum of preparation presided by Msgr. Paolo Martinelli, OFMCap.;
- The solemn Eucharistic celebration for the "opening of the Pardon", presided by Br. Michael A. Perry, Minister General of the OFM;
- The pilgrimage of the Diocese with First Vespers, presided by Msgr. Domenico Sorrentino, Bishop of Assisi;
- The celebration of the 2nd of August, presided by Br. Mauro Gambetti, OFMConv., Custos of the Sacred Convent and Msgr. José R. Carballo, Secretary of the CIVCSVA.
Finally, there was, as usual, the arrival of the Franciscan March, the XXXV, - named this year "I seek your face" - which saw about 1,600 young marchers from all over Italy and neighbouring countries: Albania, Croatia, Slovenia and Austria.
Venice, Italy–University Masters first level
The St. Bernadine Institute for Ecumenical Studies, affiliated to the Faculty of Theology at the Pontifical UniversityAntonianum, has organised a University Masters on "Ecumenical Theology. Matrimony and Family".
The Masters, which will be carried out during the academic year 2015-2016, will have teachers from the Institute of Ecumenical Studies in Venice; the Pentecostal Faculty of Religious Sciences inAversa; the Adventist Institute of Biblical Culture in Florence; the University of Padua; the Cà Foscari University in Venice; the University of Marburg and the University of Thessalonica. See: or for further information.
"The art of Francis" Exhibition”
An exhibition of the art of Francis, masterpieces from the art and lands of Asia from the XIII to the XV centuries, promoted, among others, by the Order of Friars Minor, the Custody of the Holy Land, the Commission for China and the Pontifical UniversityAntonianumwas held in Florence, at the Galleria dell’Accademia, from the 31st of March to the 11th of October 2015.
The exhibition was planned with the aim of "documenting, to the greatest level of quality, the artistic production of direct Franciscan background (painting, sculpture) from the 12th to the 14th Century and, at the same time, to highlight the extraordinary evangelical activity of the Franciscans in Asia, from the Holy Land to China, commemorating it also with objects of exceptional historical importance and incomparable charm.
The 11th Course of Ongoing Formation on Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue in Istanbul
The international Fraternity of Istanbul, in collaboration with the Secretary General for Missions and Evangelization, offers the Friars Minor and others of the Franciscan Family who are interested a Course of Ongoing Formation on ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, in Italian and Spanish, in Istanbul. The course will take place from the 14th to the 29th of October 2015. The proposed topics are: Formation for dialogue in the Franciscan charism, Islamic-Christian and Jewish-Christian ecumenical dialogue.Among the activities of the course there will be a 3 day visit to the places of “The Churches of the Apocalypse“.
Agenda of the
Minister General
October:
1-4:ASSISI –Meeting of the Ministers General of the Franciscan Family
Celebrations for the Solemnity of St. Francis
5-9:ROME, General Curia: On-going Formation
10-14: The NETHERLANDS: Visit to the Province of the Martyrs of Gorcom
15-17:CROATIA, Spalato: Fraternal Visit
18-21:CROATIA, Dubrovnik: Meeting of UFME
22: ROME, Pontifical UniversityAntonianum:
Inauguration of the Academic Year
23-25:ROME, General Curia
26-31: UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND MEXICO