ROME — “May the Lord give you peace!”
The General Minister welcomed Pope Francis to Assisi with the words of St. Francis last month as the pontiff visited the city on Oct. 4. The full text of the General Minister’s greeting was published in the November issue ofFraternitas, the Order’s monthly newsletter.
“We, [St. Francis’s] little brothers of the Order of Friars Minor, still and always promise obedience to You, Holy Father, as we try to participate in the renewal of the Body of Christ which is the Church,” said General Minister Fr. Michael Perry, OFM. “We commit ourselves anew to live the evangelical counsels of poverty through a radical life in fraternity, chastity and obedience to the Father and Lord of life. We also promise to ‘make noise’ and try always to announce prophetically the mercy, love, and reconciling peace of God with courage and joy.”
Photos of the pope’s visit to the birthplace of St. Francis appear throughout this issue of Fraternitas.
The Holy Father recently appointed Fr. Joao Inácio Müller, OFM, as bishop of Lorena, Brazil. The bishop-elect was born in 1920 in Santa Clara do Sul, Brazil. He made his solemn profession in 1985 and was ordained in 1988. Prior to his appointment as bishop, he served as provincial minister of the Province of St. Francis of Assisi of the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
The monthly newsletter also reports information about:
• The merging of the Custody of Br. Luis Bolaños in Paraguay, dependent on the Basque Province in Spain, with Assumption Province in Argentina
• The General Minister’s schedule, which includes a Nov. 4 to 15 meeting with the General Council
• The beatification of OFM and OSF martyrs in Tarragona, Spain, who died during the religious persecution there in 1936
— Compiled by Maria Hayes