The 203rd Ordinary General Chapter of the Order of Friars Minor Conventual began on June 1st with Mass at the Seraphicum College in Rome. The General Chapter convenes every six years to elect a Minister General and to plan for the future.
The friars attending the Chapter had very full days. They began with Morning Prayer and Mass at 7am followed by presentations, meetings, and discussions. They broke for lunch and a little free time followed by more work before ending with Evening Prayer at 7:30pm followed by dinner.
June 2nd, the first full day of Chapter, was a day of prayer and meditation. Minister General Carlos A. Trovarelli affirmed that the General Chapter is a privileged time to live and witness being Church, being brothers in the most diverse ways. Guided by the Holy Spirit, each is called to be part of a Eucharistic fraternity, to live together and for one another…
The next few days included reports from the Minister General and the main General Offices. On June 7 the friars were in Assisi – Friar Carlos A. Trovarelli was confirmed for a second term as Minister General.
At noon, the Capitulars went in procession to the tomb of St. Francis. They sang the Te Deum and Friar Carlos made his profession of faith and took his oath of office. Friar Carlos raised the Relic of the Chartula and bestowed his solemn blessing on all present. Next, each of the friars gave Friar Carlos a fraternal embrace. Later, an official group photo of all the Capitulars was taken.
Sunday, June 8, the friars returned from Assisi around 12:30am so it was a day of rest with Mass at 6:30pm at the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles in Rome. On Monday, June 9, the election of the General Definitors took place.
June 10 thru 12 – the Chapter officially confirmed the election of the new General Definitory and motions were discussed.
On June 13, the friars celebrated the Feast of St. Anthony of Padua. Some of the friars participated in the celebrations at the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua in Padua.
At the 7am Mass at the Seraphicum college, Friar Francesco Lenti, Minister Provincial of the Italian Province of St. Francis of Assisi, invited the friars to follow the example of St. Anthony who, through the Holy Spirit, was able to unite the wisdom of the Holy Scriptures to the work of evangelization and human development.
June 14 included a meeting with the Conference of the Franciscan Family. Its members include the Ministers General of the Franciscan First Order: Friar Carlos Trovarelli, OFM Conv.; Friar Massimo Fusarelli, OFM; Friar Roberto Genuin, OFM Cap.; and Friar Amando Trujillo Cano, TOR; as well as Tibor Kauser, OFS; and the President of the International Franciscan Conference of Friars and the Sisters of the Third Order Regular (CFI-TOR) Sister Daisy Kalamparamban.
June 16 through 19 work continued on motions and work in thematic groups focused on topics such as charism, mission and the New Evangelization.
Chapter concluded on the 20th after a morning audience with Pope Leo (see the Pope’s full address here)
In his closing admonition, the Minister General reiterated what he had proposed at the beginning of the Chapter: that we fix our gaze on hope. This call invites us to live fully, to write into the present what we hope for in the future. Today we must live what is foreseen in the future! We want to believe that we can begin living now the fraternity we hope to fully realize in the future.
