SPECIAL EDITION VOLUME XLVIII ISSUE 224 JUNE Fraternitas. OFM International News

Transcription

1 SPECIAL EDITION VOLUME XLVIII ISSUE 224 JUNE 2015 Fraternitas OFM International News

2 CONTENTS THE 188TH GEN. CHAP. 2 The 188 Capitolo Generale 3 The greetings 4 Report of the Minister General 6 Homily of the Pontifical Delegate 8 Greeting of Pope Francis 10 Fr. Michael re-elected as Min. gen. 12 Fr. Julio re-elected Vicar General 14 New General Definitors 16 Homily by the Vicar General 17 Homily by the Minister General 18 Internet and Media 19 From all the Chapter Members: Thank You! Commemorative Tapestry of the OFM General Chapter 2015 Cover The New General Definitory Editor/Setting: Fr. Joseph Magro OFM Ufficio Comunicazione OFM - Roma fraternitas@ofm.org WWW: capitulumgenerale2015.ofm.org The 188th General Chapter of the Friars Minor began on the 10th of May The main celebrations are being held near the Sanctuary of the Portiuncula, where the Order of Friars Minor of St. Francis of Assisi was born 800 years ago. The solemn opening concelebration of the Eucharist, presided by the current Minister General, Br. Michael Anthony Perry, was on the 11th of May. The Minister, during his homily, highlighted the need that we are reminded that our call as disciples is to become children of light, of truth, of love, filled with passion for the Kingdom of God and for sharing with others the gift of faith that we have received and which we continue to nurture. When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will testify to me. And you also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning (John 15, 26). My Brothers, during this General Chapter, we are called, indeed challenged, to seek the truth with love and compassion. We are challenged to examine our lives, the quality of our commitment to live in radical dependence on God and radical interdependence with one another in the fraternity of faith-filled disciples. We are challenged not to be satisfied with the status quo in the life of the Order but, like the apostle Thomas, to probe the wounds of Christ, the wounds inflicted by a lack of trust, respect, open communication, honest dialogue, zeal, unconditional faith, economic transparency and all other wounds. It is the Advocate, the Spirit of God, who is always with us, who seeks to make manifest the glory and love of the Father for each of us, and who will give us the grace necessary to undertake this journey towards eternal life for which each of us longs. But we must let go of all that is not of God, all that distracts us, all that causes fear, anger or any other feelings that keep us from allowing God to instruct and guide us during these days of Chapter. Perhaps what we need at this Chapter is a spiritual Tsunami that will enable us to arrive where the Spirit might be leading us. 2

3 THE GREETINGS Following the intervention of the Minister General in the Hall of the Domus Pacis, the Friars were greeted by the Cardinal Delegate S.E. Francisco Javier Errazuriz Ossa conveying the closeness of the Pope to the Chapter and his invitation to continue the renewal of the life and mission of the Order in the light of Vatican II. The afternoon session opened with greetings from the Provincial Minister of the Seraphic Province (Assisi), who welcomed the members of the Chapter in the name of all the Friars of the Province. 3

4 REPORT OF THE MINISTER GENERAL ll of us are engaged in a spiritual «Ajourney involving the entire Order of Friars Minor, lived daily through lives offered freely and without condition to the Lord of Life, Jesus, the resurrected One. This journey is marked by special events in the life of the Order: the celebration of new candidates who join the postulancy program; those who are accepted into novitiate and who make first profession of our Rule and Life; those who after a long period of discernment and struggle make a solemn and perpetual profession to live forever the evangelical counsels in a radical and prophetic manner; those who are ordained as Franciscan deacons and priests, called to minister in a particular way to the ecclesial community of the Church and to reflect the values of the Franciscan consecrated vocation in all aspects of this special ministry; the election of Ministers to assist and guide us in living our fraternal profession of the Gospel life, particularly our Ministers Provincial and Definitoria; the holding of our Provincial Chapters, during which we strive to discern what the Lord is asking us to do in response to the signs the desires, the needs, the fundamental aspirations of our times. A General Chapter is just such a special event in our lives. By its very nature as a gathering of all the brothers, in the persons of Ministers and other delegates, the scope of the General Chapter touches all aspects of our Franciscan life, enabling us to step back and evaluate the current situation of the life of the Order and our lives together as brothers of the Gospel. We also are called to discern the voice and call of God who speaks continuously from the cross of San Damiano, speaking to each of us who have embraced the radical evangelical life, calling us to ever greater fidelity and to embrace the call we have received with absolute abandon and generosity, without placing conditions on God, on one another and on ourselves. 4

5 The General Chapter also provides us an occasion in which to renew our commitment to the universal and local brotherhood, to live in simplicity and minority, allowing God to call and guide us into the way of itinerancy and participation in the evangelizing mission of the Church in all of its diverse forms ( ad gentes, inter-gentes, intragentes ). As Pope Francis reminds us in Evangelii gaudium (EG): I am a mission on this earth; that is the reason why I am here in this world. We have to regard ourselves as sealed, even branded, by this mission of bringing light, blessing, enlivening, raising up, healing and freeing. (EG 273, emphasis added) This missionary invitation is extended to all of the brothers of the Order, as developed in Chapter V of the General Constitutions (GGCC), and serves as a permanent attitude or intuition about how we are to live with and for God, with and for one another, and with and for the Church, the world and for creation. God has sent you into the entire world for this reason : As the Son was sent by the Father, so all the friars, guided by the Holy Spirit, are sent to proclaim the Gospel in the whole world, to every creature and to make everyone know by the witness they give to his voice, that no one is all-powerful except God. (Ch. V, art. 83.1). Thus, all structures of the Order, all methods for organizing ourselves at the level of the General Curia, the Provinces, the Custodies, the Foundations, and in all of our apostolic endeavors must reflect this primary vocational intuition: we are mission on this earth; that is the reason for which we Friars Minor exist and to which our entire lives are turned. This is no less the case now, as we gather in General Chapter, to consider more purposefully as an Order the ways in which the Lord is inviting us to live this, our missionary vocation in and for the world today.» 5

6 HOMILY OF THE PONTIFICAL DELEGATE J esus chose a person who was sincere and generous, (who was) a believer and spontaneous, who knew how to welcome him into his boat and with him sail away from the shore, when it was required of him. Simon abandoned the assurances of having his boat secure on the shore, to acquire the safety of sailing with Jesus. (He) witnessed firsthand the love which by the lakeside encouraged those who had followed (Jesus) there, enflaming their hearts and hopes. Overwhelmed by the growing ties between the Lord and himself and by the awakening of his People, Peter believed Jesus s word; he rowed out into the lake and let down the nets, while his purely human experience strongly advised him against it. God had chosen a modest fisherman, one who was able to be filled with wonder, time and again, by works, wisdom, personality and extreme love of Jesus. You also seek a general Minister capable of always welcoming Jesus, of moving away from the shore and rowing into the deep, and capable of infecting you, like Francis, with an overwhelming awe and contemplation that awakens in us (the one) who came and comes to meet us, and asks for a place in the boat of our heart and tasks, of our itinerancy and our communities and our prayer, (the one who desires) a place as Lord and Shepherd, but also as a simple brother in the poor and those in need, who share his cross. You ask the Holy Spirit to help you find the name of (the one) whom he has appointed to be an instrument of communion and peace, and (who will) encourage the provincial ministers, custodians and guardians, as well as each of you in these roads of encounter. We have also heard another telling episode in the life of Peter after Pentecost. It is not always easy to understand or to be available in poverty, without thoughts or prejudices (of our own), to accept and assume the helm strokes with which the Holy Spirit guides the ship of the Church and her communities. 6

7 We heard it in the first reading. Simon Peter could have remembered what he had heard from the lips of the Master: That the things which defile a person are not those which enter through the mouth, but rather those that come out of the heart. In this way Christ had declared all foods clean. But, no! The customs of his day, precisely those customs that the Spirit wanted to destroy had more weight in (Simon s) mind. But the Spirit is persistent when seeking to provoke changes and break new ground. And so, the first Lord Pope, took his first steps among the pagans, resisting initially, he was able to follow the (Spirit s) guidance, and so witness the Pentecost of the Gentiles, opening a new path for the baptism of the centurion Cornelius s family. (He went on) to proclaim and defend in Jerusalem the Spirit s action, as well as his own obedience. He did not act alone, he had taken with him three companions, disciples of Jesus Christ and like him his brothers minor.... Do you love me? (Jn 21:15). This is the question that Jesus will make of the new general Minister not only today but many times, day after day, every time he renews in him the mission of being the shepherd of his flock of Brothers and Minors in our day. 7

8 GREETING OF POPE FRANCIS T he dimension of fraternity also belongs in an essential way to Gospel witness. In the early Church, Christians lived fraternal communion to the extent of establishing an eloquent and attractive sign of unity and charity. The people were astonished to see Christians so united in love, so willing to give and to forgive one another, in such a fellowship of mercy, of benevolence, of reciprocal aid, unanimous in sharing the joys, sufferings and experiences of life. Your religious family is called to express this concrete fraternity, by restoring mutual trust and I emphasize this: restoring mutual trust in interpersonal relationships, so the world may see and believe, recognizing that Jesus love heals wounds and renders all as one. From this perspective, it is important to recover the awareness of being bearers of mercy, reconciliation and peace. You will make this vocation and mission fruitful by being increasingly a congregation going forth. After all, this corresponds with your charism, as also attested in the Sacrum Commercium. In this narrative of your beginnings is recounted that the early friars were asked to show what their cloister was. In response, they climbed a hill, showed the wide world as far as the eye could see, and said: This is our Cloister (cf. 63: ff 2022). Dear brothers, in this cloister, which is the entire world, you go, still today, inspired by the love of Christ, as He invites you to be St Francis, who says in the Regula Bullata: I counsel, warn and exhort my friars in the Lord Jesus Christ, that when they go about through the world, they are not to quarrel nor contend in words, nor are they to judge others, but they are to be meek, peaceable and modest, meek and humble, speaking uprightly to all.... Into whatever house they may enter, first let them say: Peace to this house. And... it is lawful to eat of any of the foods which are placed before them (cf. III, 10-14: ff 85-86). This last thing is good! The Holy Spirit is the animator of reli- 8

9 gious life. The more space we give Him, the more He gives life to our relationships and to our mission in the Church and the world. When consecrated people live by allowing themselves to be enlightened and guided by the Spirit, they discover in this supernatural vision the secret of their fraternity, the inspiration of their service to their brothers, the power of their prophetic presence in the Church and in the world. The light and power of the Spirit will also help you to face the challenges that are before you, in particular the decline in number, the increase in age and the ebb in new vocations. This is a challenge. Then I say to you: the People of God love you. 9

10 FR. MICHAEL RE-ELECTED AS MIN. GENERAL The 21st May 2015 Br. Michael Anthony Perry was reconfirmed as Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor by the 125 representatives of the Order, gathered at St. Mary of the Angels, Assisi, for the 188 th General Chapter. The election rite was presided over by the Delegate of the Holy Father, H. E. Card. Errazuriz Ossa,, who handed over the newly elected minister the seal of the Minister of the whole Order of Friars Minor. Fr. Michael Anthony Perry, OFM, was born on 7th June 1954 at Indianapolis (Indiana, United States of America), in the diocese of Indianapolis, son of James Richard Perry and Agnes J. Coffey, both of Irish origin. In 1976 he began his Postulancy in the Province of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, in the USA (St. Louis). On 25th June 1977, he donned the Franciscan habit, beginning his novitiate, at the end of which he made his Temporary Profession on the Feast Day of St. Clare, 11th August After making his Solemn Profession on 10th October 1981, he was ordained as a priest on 2nd June His academic curriculum is comprised of two Bachelor of Arts degrees in History and Philosophy, a Master of Divinity in Priestly Formation, a Masters in Missiology and a Doctorate in Religious Anthropology, obtained from Birmingham University in the United Kingdom. His intense interest for the missions ad gentes brought him to live as a missionary for about ten years in the Democratic Republic of (formerly Zaire). He served in the field of religious and theological formation and in the sector of Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation. Returning from Africa to the United States of America he collaborated with the NGO, Franciscans International, with Catholic Relief Services 10

11 and with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Elected Provincial Minister of the Province of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (St. Louis, USA), he was called to serve the Order of Friars Minor as Vicar General, at the General Chapter of On 22nd May 2013 he assumed the service of Minister General for the completion of the six-year term. On 21st May 2015 the General Chapter elected him as the 120th successor of St. Francis. 11

12 FR. JULIO RE-ELECTED AS VICAR GENERAL On May 22, 2015, at the Domus Pacis in Santa Maria degli Angeli Assisi (Perugia, Italy), the Ordinary General Chapter elected Br. Julio César Bunader general Vicar of the Order Friars Minor, confirming him in the role that was already entrusted to him in July 2013 to complendum sexennium. Br. Julio César was born in Mendoza (Argentina), in the diocese of Mendoza, January 9, 1961, to Miguel César and Luisa Jalil. He entered the Order of Friars Minor, in the Argentinian Province of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1983 and after Postulancy he was vested in the Franciscan habit on March 5, At the conclusion of the Novitiate he professed simple vows on February 27, 1985 and his solemn vows on March 12, He was ordained a priest on May 1, He is a professor in philosophy and has a bachelors s degree in theology. He also completed his studies in moral theology at the Pontifical Alphonsian Academy in Rome, earning a Licentiate. His Franciscan life is dotted by service : in addition to having worked in parish ministry, has provided services in some educational centers. He was a formator for the Province and Rector of the Franciscan Theological Institute of Buenos Aires, as well as Dean of the Franciscan School affiliated to the Catholic University of Argentina (UCA) in Mendoza. Professor of Moral Theology. He was also general Visitator, provincial Definitor and from 2004 to 2009 he held the responsibility of the provincial Minister. Meanwhile he was also president of the Conference of provincial Ministers of the Cono Sur as well as UCLAF. In the General Chapter of 2009 he was elected general Definitor of the Order, the service that has undertaken until his appointment, July 9, 2013, as general Vicar ad complendum sexennium. 12

13 Min. Gen.: Fr. Michael Anthony Perry - Vic. Gen.: Fr. Julio César Bunader 13

14 NEW GENERAL DEFINITORS T he Order of Friars Minor, gathered at the Pentecost Chapter in accordance with the will of St. Francis, chose the Friars to whom the service of animation and authority will be entrusted for the next six years. We extend our deepest gratitude to the outgoing General Definitory for their service to the Order. Europe UFME Fr. Antonio Scabio OFM Province: Veneta di Sant Antonio di Padova (Venezia) Italia Date of birth: Temp. Profession: Sol. Profession: Ordination: Europe UFME Fr. Ivan Sesar OFM Province: B.V.M. in Coelum Assumptae (Mostar) Bosnia-Herzegovina Date of birth: Temp. Profession: Sol. Profession: Ordination: Europe UFME Fr. Lóránt Orosz OFM Province: A Magna Domina Hungarorum (Budapest) Hungaria Date of birth: , Temp. Profession: Sol. Profession: Ordination: Latin America UCLAF Fr.Valmir Ramos OFM Custody: Sagrado Coração de Jesus, (Sao José do Rio Preto) Brasil Date of birth: Temp. Profession: Sol. Profession: Ordination:

15 Latin America UCLAF Fr. Ignacio Ceja OFM Province: Ss. Francisci et Iacobi (Zapopan) Mexico Date of birth: Temp. Profession: Sol. Profession: Ordination: Anglophona Conference ESC Fr. Caoimhín Ó Laoide OFM Province: Hibernia (Gormanston) Irlanda Date of birth: Temp. Profession: Sol. Profession: Ordination: African Conference Fr. Nicodème Kibuzehose OFM Province: Saint Francis of Assisi (Nairobi) Africa Date of birth: Temp. Profession: Sol. Profession: Ordination: FACO Fr. Lino Gregorio Redoblado OFM Province: Philippinae S. Petri Baptistae (Quezon City) Filippine Date of birth: Temp. Profession: Sol. Profession: Ordination:

16 HOMILY BY THE VICAR GENERAL In this holy place and in front of the crucifix of San Damiano, we are invited to recognize the need to embrace, to desire, to contemplate and follow every day our Lord, creator, redeemer, consoler and saviour with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind (cfr. Pater),to live each moment: * The happiness of fraternity and minority. From history we have learned that the poverty of Francis is not exclusively an ascetic and individual value, but is always linked to a spiritual and fraternal poverty; and this poverty is the condition, almost the door, to enter on the path of discipleship, to live a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. * The joy of being minors, as a manifestation of the authentic humility of heart (cfr. Am 2, 3; 3; 4; 6, 4); as closeness to those who are in need; as capacity to open new constructive fraternal relationships. Francis in the Rule speaks of the sublimity of the highest poverty (Rb 6, 4) in the chapter on fraternal relations, sketching out therefore a fraternity in mission capable of living the value of solidarity. * The novelty of mercy. Francis tackles the problem of the poor, and his attitude, independently of the personal qualities of those whom he had in front of him was to not only to give alms, but to give the best: good bread as well as care, respect and good humour. Here there is the intelligence of love: Francis understands that men need to be treated as human beings, to be esteemed and respected. His mission is to win hearts through evangelical courtesy and with benevolence. 16

17 HOMILY BY THE MINISTER GENERAL The Gospel of John that we have heard proclaimed reveals the nature of authentic discipleship in Jesus Christ. It also reveals the way for us to live fully our evangelical commitment to the life and rule, which is the Gospel. We like Jesus mother and his mother s sisters are called to stand with Jesus and with humanity and the created universe in at all times, and most especially in moments of suffering, dehumanization, and death. This standing is not a passive act carried out by guilty bystanders. It is a prophetic activity, as our Lineamenta reminds us, because it reveals to us new paths, new models of acting, new forms of communal life and mission that we are called to undertake in order that our life and lifestyle might constitute a living memorial of Jesus way of living and acting Mary, the mother of Jesus, the other women, and the disciple whom Jesus loved who were standing at the foot of the cross recognized that by remembering Jesus way of living and acting they were participating in an act of spiritual and disruption: the tyranny of the present status quo in their lives and in ours is defeated by the power of Jesus suffering, death and resurrection. This is revealed most dramatically in Mary s Magnificat! The freedom we now enjoy enables us to summon up the courage to embrace one another and to embrace all of humanity as authentic brothers. This same freedom is renewed and deepened each time we reach out in love, mercy and hope to our brothers in the Order, to the blind and the beggar we meet along the road, to those who hold visions of God and the world different from our own, and to our wounded environment. By living as authentic men of faith we become brothers and lesser ones, companions with Jesus, Mary his mother, and with one another, journeying together on the road towards the Kingdom. 17

18 INTERNET AND MEDIA Information through the web has become part of any inter- national meeting organised by the Order. This has been true also for the celebration of the General Chapter during which we were able to keep the website up to date (almost to the minute) with texts, diaries, pictures, video clips and live transmissions. The response to our was very positive to our over 1032 pictures, 538 docs, 17 hours of videos. There were over hits and a download load of gigs. The highest peak was reached during the election of the Minister General (21th May). Visitors came from all parts of the world with 59.54%% from Europe and 29.67% from America. The videos on our YouTube page were viewed times an estimate of minute watched. Facebook helped to link to our website with clicks and Twitter: The use of digital media has also been a methodological option to facilitate chapter work and to save paper. This has been assessed positively. 18

19 FROM ALL THE CHAP. MEMBERS: THANK YOU! The General Chapter has been possible thanks to many Friars: Fr. William Short, Secretary of the General Chapter; Fr. Sergiusz Bałdyga, Vice-Secretary of the General Chapter; Fr. Vitor Quemacha, Assistant to the Chapter; Fr. Victor Papež, peritus in re juridica; Fr. Cesare Vaiani, peritus pro Capituli Document; Fr. Dominic Monti, peritus pro Capituli Document; Fr. Frédéric Manns, peritus pro Capituli Document; Fr. Adriano Appolonio, Interpreter; Fr. Federico Gandolfi, Interpreter; Fr. Patrick Hudson, Interpreter; Fr. Fabio L Amur Ferreira, Interpreter; Fr. Raul Martinez Hernandez, Interpreter; Fr. Francisco O Connor, Interpreter; Fr. Marcos Saravia Orellana, Interpreter; Fr. Philippe Schilings, Interpreter; Fr. Caomhin O Laoide, Verbalista; Fr. Miguel De la Mata, Verbalista; Fr. Stefano Recchia, Verbalista; Fr. Oscar Guadalupe Villalobos, Translator; Fr. Paolo Canali, Liturgical Commission, Translator; Fr. Gilberto Cavazos, Translator; Fr. Enrique Hidalgo Iglesias, Translator; Fr. Stefano Lovato, Translator; Fr. Rick Martignetti, Translator; Fr. Eunan Mc Mullan, Translator; Fr. Pasqualino Massone, Director of Domus Pacis and Logistics; Fr. Silvio De la Fuente, Treasurer of the CG and logistics; Fr. Tyberiusz Mąka, Vice-Treasurer of the CG and logistics; Fr. Joseph Magro, Press Office ad intra; Fr. Kamil Paczkowski, Liturgical Commission; Fr. Rubén Tierrablanca, Liturgical Commission, Press Office ad extra; Fr. Tom Washburn, Fr. Alvin Te, Press Office ad extra; Fr. Pasquale Berardinetti, Press Office ad extra; Fr. Giovanni Rinaldi, personal secretary to the MG; Special thanks are due to the Seraphic Province of St. Francis for their availability and the services offered. Welldeserved thanks also go to the staff of Domus Pacis, for their courtesy and patient availability. Thanks also to the fraternities visited: The Porziuncola, S. Damiano, Greccio, Fontecolombo, S. Chiara, La Verna and S. Convento. Thanks also to the Friars, Sisters and Friends, Franciscan and non-franciscan, who, in many parts of the world, have followed us and sustained us through their prayers and support and even visited our web site. All the material of the Chapter will continue to be available on the internet at: capitulumgenerale2015.ofm.org 19

20 PRESORTED STANDARD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO