ROME — Br. William Short, OFM, of St. Barbara Province, has been appointed General Secretary of the 2015 General Chapter, according to the latest issue of the Order’s newsletter.
Fraternitas reports that Br. William, who made his simple profession in 1972, worked as an interpreter during the General Chapters of 1979, 1985, 1991, 2003, 2006 and 2009. He also worked on the Plenary Council of Bangalore in 1988, Guadalajara in 2001 and Konstancin-Jerziorna in 2013. Br. Bill currently serves as president of the Franciscan School of Theology at the San Luis Rey Mission in Oceanside, Calif. This summer, he was awarded the 25th Franciscan Institute Medal. Next year’s General Chapter will be held from May 10 to June 7 in Assisi.
Pope Francis’s May visit to the Holy Land was also highlighted in the Order’s newsletter. The pontiff “profusely thanked the friars for their life and mission” while visiting with the community at Holy Savior Friary in Jerusalem. “You can say, without exaggeration, that the Holy Land is alive and, if there are Christian communities, it is thanks to you,” he added.
Additional news from the August/September issue of Fraternitas includes:
- General Minister’s letter about the feast of St. Clare
- The June 28 episcopal ordination of Fr. Vincent Zungu, OFM, as bishop of Port Elizabeth, South Africa
- Upcoming events on the General Minister’s schedule, including visits to Assisi and La Verna in Italy, Lourdes, France, and Brazil
- The appointment of Sr. Mary Melone, SFA, as the first rector of the Antonianum
- New provincial ministers of provinces in Colombia, Italy and Mexico
— Compiled by Maria Hayes