Happy Feast Day

Statue of St. Francis at Mount St. Francis, Mt. St. Francis IN (photo by friar Ken Bartsch)

Post published:October 4, 2023

On the Solemnity of the Seraphic Father St. Francis, 2023, Friar Carlos Trovarelli, Minister General, wrote a message to his brothers.

…as we celebrate the eighth centenary of the Later Rule, we cannot help but look at the text of the life of those who, after leaving everything behind, followed the Lord in accordance with the evangelical counsels and in extreme simplicity.
On one hand, we know the promulgation of the Later Rule was a golden moment in Franciscan history. On the other hand, it signaled the crisis of a community that was growing in complexity. …

…

I invite you, then, dear brothers, to revitalize, to the extent possible, with a free and fresh approach, and with evangelical depth, certain questions associated with the grace of Franciscan itinerancy: the itinerancy of our thought, which has perhaps become sedentary, rigid and closed; the itinerancy of our heart, which has perhaps become more focused on itself than on others; the itinerancy of our spirit, which has perhaps grown old, unmotivated and lacking faith; the itinerancy of our personal relationships, which has perhaps become more energized about things than about people; the itinerancy of our community life, which has perhaps become more about maintaining the balance of power than being a brotherhood in conversion; and finally, the itinerancy of our mission, which has perhaps become more of a mirror in which we admire our reflection than a door that we open to the world.