ROME — It was 800 years ago that St. Francis was given La Verna, an isolated mountain in Tuscany, as a retreat for contemplation.
This anniversary is featured in the March issue of Fraternitas, the monthly newsletter of the Order of Friars Minor, with photos of the Mount La Verna region of Italy. “Thanks to the generosity of Count Orlando, Francis received the gift of this mount which the Friars Minor of Tuscany have had for 800 years as the place where the poor man of Assisi received the final seal from Christ,” according to the article.
The newsletter also provides an excerpt from the 2013 Easter letter of General Minister Fr. Jose Rodriguez Carballo, OFM, and reports on the pastoral service of a bishop in southern Brazil and on an interview with Cardinal Claudio Hummes OFM, on new evangelization.
Several upcoming events are publicized in the March newsletter. They include:
• The June 2-6 meeting of the General Minister with the Franciscan missionaries of the Amazon region
• The international gathering of the Young Franciscans from July 22 to 24 in Brazil
The newsletter, which is produced in several languages, also offers the traditional list of monthly commitments of the General Minister. The issue also announced the departure of the newsletter editor, Fr. Robert Bahoc, OFM, who is returning to his province in Slovenia.
The Order’s website, which was redesigned last year, provides a variety of news on its home page including:
• The joint assembly on March 6 of two Italian provinces
• A visit of the General Minister to India in February
• The meeting of the Order’s Commission for Contemplation
• The March 4 seminar on new forms of evangelization in Europe
• A message from the Commission for Dialogue in the Order after a February meeting with the secretaries for the missions and evangelization for the African Conference
— Compiled by Jocelyn Thomas