LAS CRUCES, N.M. — More than 40 friars from various OFM communities gathered last month at the Holy Cross Retreat Center for the annual interprovincial retreat led by the General Vicar of the Order of Friars Minor, Fr. Michael Perry, OFM. They were from most of the U.S. provinces, but the majority of them were from Our Lady of Guadalupe Province in the Southwest, according to the Jan. 20 issue of Around the Province, the newsletter of Sacred Heart Province.
Fr. Michael, former provincial minister of Sacred Heart, reflected on the future of the Order and used the 2009 General Chapter document, “Bearers of the Gift of the Gospel,” as the focus of many of his remarks, according to the newsletter. He reminded the retreat participants that “the Chapter has given the friars over 60 mandates to attend to the next six years,” the newsletter said. “Many of them are for all the friars to engage. They had to do with the animation of life in the Order, our evangelizing mission, formation and studies, justice peace and integrity of creation, and the government and finances of the Order.”
“The speaker said his talk may be available in some form in the next months,” said Fr. Ralph Parthie, director of novices, who wrote the article.
The retreat was held the same week as Holy Name Province’s 2011 Chapter, Jan. 3.
Other recent Sacred Heart Province newsletters highlighted:
• A Dec. 12 blessing by Archbishop Robert Carlson of a new addition to the Poor Clares monastery in St. Louis
• Franciscan Outreach Association’s service to Chicago’s homeless and marginalized for nearly 50 years
— Compiled by Jocelyn Thomas, who reminds readers that links to the OFM provinces in the United States can be founded on the Province’s website.