ROME — In four months, members of the Order of Friars Minor from around the world will gather for the 2015 General Chapter. Approximately 160 friars are expected to participate in the May 10 to June 7 gathering in Assisi, according to the January issue of Fraternitas.
The Order’s newsletter reports that the majority of those attending the chapter will be members of the General Curia, as well as the Secretary General for Missions and Evangelization, the Secretary General for Formation and Studies, 90 provincial ministers, eight custodes of autonomous custodies and 14 lay brothers — one from each conference. Provincial Minister Kevin Mullen, OFM, will attend, as well as Brian Belanger, OFM, who will serve as a delegate-at-large, and Dominic Monti, OFM, who will serve on the three-man committee that will compile the final chapter report.
Other participants include those who are in charge of the Chapter Secretariat, translators, interpreters and members of the commissions for liturgy and logistics. Last summer, General Minister Fr. Michael Perry, OFM, asked all friars to read and reflect on the Lineamenta as preparation for the General Chapter and the Curia provided a guide with questions and references.
In other news from the Order, the General Definitory, along with the General Secretariat for Formation and Studies, invites simply professed friars to participate in a July 5 to 12 gathering, promoted by the community of Taizé. Its theme will correspond with the Year of Consecrated Life.
Fraternitas also includes information about:
- The 450th anniversary of the founding of the Province of Sts. Peter and Paul of Michoacán.
- The General Minister’s schedule, including his attendance at the founding chapter of the new Province of the Immaculate Conception from Jan. 1 to 2 in Madrid, Spain
- Recently elected provincial ministers, custodies and presidents
- The beginning of the Year of Consecrated Life in November
- Descriptions of books, including “150 Questions About the Mass” and “The Life of Br. Lodovico da Casoria”
Additional news about the Order of Friars Minor can be found in its website and Facebook page.
— Compiled by Maria Hayes