FRATERNITAS

Eng. Vol. XLII. Nr. 153 - OFM Rome E-mail: rbahcic@ofm.org - 01. 04. 2009

Happy Alleluia!
In the Risen hrist !ho is our pea"e# !e !ish you a HA$$% &A'(&R!

April 1) in *ur History

+ull o, $ope le-ent XII
In Everlasting Memory Because the beloved son, Giuseppe Maria of Ebora, ommissary General of the !rder of "riars Minor of #t. "rancis $also called of the observance%&, e'plained to us ho( the "riars of all the "riaries of his !rder are in every (ay used to rene(ing their profession on )pril *+ , day in (hich #t. "rancis of )ssisi, "ounder of the same !rder, together (ith his companions, made the same profession in the hands of Innocent III, our predecessor of happy memory , and so that such a pious action may bear much fruit for the salvation of souls, to increase the devotion of the "riars, and to dra( (ith pious charity from the celestial treasury of the hurch, (e grant, than-s to the mercy of the .ord, the plenary indulgence and the remission of sins present and future to each "riar of (hatever "riary of this !rder present and future (ho, having truly repented, confessed, and received communion on )pril *+, rene(s in (hatever (ay his profession and offers up to God prayers for the concord of hristian /rinces, the eradication of heresies, and the e'altation of 0oly Mother hurch. 1e (ish, therefore, that to the transunti% or solemn copies of these same letters, undersigned by the hand of some public notary and bearing the seal of a person of ecclesiastical dignity, should be sho(n the same and identical faith that (ould be sho(n to the same 2letters3 if they (ere displayed or sho(n in the presence of the same 2people mentioned3. Given in 4ome at #t. Mary Ma5or under the fisherman6s ring, the 78 th of March *97:, on the ; of our /ontificate.% - ". ard. !livieri.

.ran"is"an /artyrs0 alen1ar

<oday, in the seraphic family spread throughout the (orld, )pril *+ is a solenmn, venerable, and memorial day in (hich the 0oly "ather "rancis, in the year *=8> and for the support of the hurch, gave start to the !rder of "riars Minor (ith the profession of his rule in the hands of /ope Innocent III. In remembrance of so happy a beginning, it (as established 2on that day3 the rene(al of profession to be made (ith true fervor by every member, (hether in common or privately, of the male or female branches of the same family? and to all (ho rene( their profession (ill also be accorded the plenary indulgence granted by /ope lement @II $from the Franciscan Martyrs Calendar, year 19 9, !!. 1" #.

April 1)# 1959

<he fact that (e are dra(ing closer to the ;III entenary of the "oundation of our !rder $*=8>-=88>& has offered Br. "rancesco )ntonelli, the eldest "riars of the General uria, the occasion to reminisce on an episode connected to the celebration of the 9:8th anniversary of the "oundation of the !rder in *>:>. In order to commemorate (ith solemnity such a momentous date, as a rule, the presence of /ope Aohn @@III, "ranciscan tertiary, (as announced on the Gelsomino $Aasmine& hill (here the hurch of #aint Mary Mediatri' stands as part of the General uria. In vie( of such a moment, the Mayor of 4ome ordered the road bearing the same name , bac- then still a dirt road , to be paved. Bnfortunately, during the road (or-, an arch (as -noc-ed do(n right at the start of the road because it (as too imposing for the passage of cars. <here (as an old man (hose name (as <obias? he lived in a modest small home not far from the arch. #ince he (as little, he (as used to seeing a terracotta image of !ur .ady (ith baby Aesus placed on the summit of the arch. )t first, he ob5ected to the profanation, but later became furious (hen he came to -no( that the /ope (ould not be going to the uria after all, but that he (ould be going instead to #aint Aohn .ateran for the solemn celebration of the 9:8 th of the "oundation of the !rder. <ruthfully, there (as an overall disappointment , even from the "riars of the uria , over the demolition of the arch, the disappearance of the Marian capital $ archit&, and the change of plans by the /ope. .ater on, though, they all re5oiced (hen /ope Aohn @@III (hen, during his commemorative discourse, started off by saying (ith a loud, yet fatherly voice, &2o su- 3oseph ,rater 4ester%, thus remembering (ith 5oy his profession as a "ranciscan tertiary made on March *, *C>: at the age of *D in the seminary of Bergamo and the "riars Minor of the "riary of Boccanello of the .ombardy /rovince. It is still possible to have access to the discourse of Blessed /ope Aohn @@III on )pril *+, *>:>. #imply do(nload here.

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Ro-e 5 600 7- 8y ,oot ,or the VIII entenary

;ido Gregar and Miha 0ribovHe- of #lovenia, devotees of #t. "rancis, (anted to celebrate the great "ranciscan Aubilee (ith a uniIue initiative, that is, by covering C88 -m by foot from the "riary of #aint )nna of Goper in #lovenia $9C8 yrs of "ranciscan /resence& to the General uria of the "riars Minor in 4ome. <hey began their pilgrimage on "eb. *D, =88> and concluded it on March :, =88>, having visited, among other things, the shrine of .a ;erna, Montecasale, Gubbio, )ssisi, /oggio Bustone, Greccio, "ontecolombo, and the "oresta. <hey (ere (elcomed (ith great fraternity by the Minister General (ho than-ed them for this generous gesture on the 5ubilee year of the !rder. It is certainly a gesture that reminds us all of our common vocation as pilgrims to(ard heaven (ho follo( in the footsteps of hrist, our only (ay.

/a1ri15 ele8ration o, the VIII entenary o, the *r1er 8y All .ran"is"an .a-ily
<he "ranciscan "amily of #pain regathered in Madrid on "eb. *:, =88> to celebrate the ;III entenary of the "oundation of the "ranciscan !rder. Br. AosJ 4odrKgueL arballo, the Minister General of the !rder of "riars Minor, presided at the #olemn Eucharist? he (as assisted by Br. Mauro AMhri, the Minister General of the "riars Minor apuchins and representatives of the "riars Minor onventuals, the <hird !rder 4egular, and the )migonian apuchin tertiaries. !ver :8 concelebrants participated, among (hom (ere representatives of the )rchdiocese, the ;icar General of the region and the Episcopal ;icar for the consecrated life. !thers (ho assisted at the Eucharistic celebration (ere the #uperior General of the "ranciscans of the 1hite ross, Br. Miguel .NpeL Oacarino, the Minister General of the #"!, Encarnita del /oLo, many religious of different "ranciscan ongregations, and a good number of brothers and sisters of the #"!. )t the end of the celebration, a copy of the letter of #t. "rancis to all the faithful (as printed out and distributed to all (ho (ere present for the occasion. <his celebration, (hich (as also televised in #pain, too- place in the basilica of #t. "rancis the Great. <his basilica has been recently renovated and displays (ith splendor all the architectural and artistic elements that embellishes and ma-es it one of the most significant monuments in the capital of #pain.

+o2ot9# olo-8ia 5 2n1 Latin A-eri"an &"u-eni"al an1 Interreli2ious :ialo2ue

<he =nd .atin )merican #eminar on Ecumenical and Interreligious Fialogue too- place at #t. Bonaventure Bniversity in Bogota, olombia, from "eb. *+-=*. )mong the participants (ere *8= "riars Minor, 78 members of the "ranciscan family, =C professors and researchers, => faithful people of the /entecostal hurches, * !rthodo', and =8 students of <heology. <he #eminar (as organiLed by the !"M commission for dialogue from the Bniversity of #t. Bonaventure of Bogota, the !"M /rovince of #anta "e, the "ranciscan family of olombia, the <heological "ranciscan Institute of /etropolis, and the #chool of )dvanced #tudies of <heology and "ranciscan spirituality of /ort )legre. <he ob5ectives of the seminar (ere to deepen the -no(ledge of /entecostalism in .atin )merica, create room for dialogue according to #t. "rancis and the "ranciscan <radition, and organiLe an e'change net(or- in the "ranciscan family regarding the theme of ecumenical and interreligious dialogue. <he theme, $ Franciscan %a&e on 'entecostalism and (eo-'entecostalism in )atin $merica, (as developed through relations, assembly and group discussions, moments of prayer, and the sharing of e'periences on dialogue. )t the conclusion of the #eminar, a brief document (as (ritten out (ith the approval of the assembly in (hich possible (ays for real dialogue and guidelines (ere highlighted to be put into action in the area of EvangeliLation.

(he *./ .raternity in .i2ures

)s of Fecember 7*, =88C, the number of "riars Minor is *D,9=D $78+ less compared to =889&. #ome factsP /ostulants :>9 $not included in the official tally&? Oovices 7>:? #imply /rofessed *:*7? #olemnly /rofessed *=C*+ $/riest *88*9? /ermanent Feacons C9? "riars (Q a clerical option D+:? .ay Brothers =*D8&? ardinal 9? )rchbishopsQBishops *88? Feceased "riars of the year 7*>. <he "riars Minor are spread throughout the (orld in **8 countries. In )frica and the Middle East there are *8C* $-9&? .atin )mericaP 7:78 $-9>&? entral )mericaP *::D $-+=&? )sia-!ceaniaP *78: $R D&? 1estern EuropeP D9+> $-*DC&? and Eastern EuropeP =DC: $-*D&. <he (hole universal "raternity is structured in *87 /rovinces, C )utonomous ustodies, *D dependant ustodies, * "ederation, =8 "oundations, *D onferences of /rovincial Ministers, and 7 Bnions of onferences $)siaQ!ceaniaP " )!? .atin )mericaP B .)"? and EuropeP B"ME&. Oumbers are not everything. 1e confess that our strength is not in chariots and horses, but in the .ord. 1e affirm that the future is based above all on the Gospel-Iuality of our life. Set, at the same time, (e also need to pay attention to the numbers. <his is the invitation of the very Gospel. <his is the realistic layout of (hoever desires to plan for the near future% $Re!ort of the Minister %eneral for the Cha!ter *++9, p. =>*&.

.ran"e 5 (he 6th entennial o, the *r1er

<he "ranciscan family of "rance has predisposed a solid program for celebrating the ;III centennial of the !rder $*=8>=88>& in the best of (ays. "or e'ample, there are retreats for each month of the year, meetings, initiative (ith the young, EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE 4egula et vita Minorum "ratrum haec est, scilicet Fomini nostri Aesu hristi sanctum Evangelium observare $4B I,*& =

cultural events, "ranciscan vacations, and pilgrimages. Everything is laid out in an elegant pamphlet. "or further information, go to (((.franciscain.net.

+russels 5 .ran"is"an /issionary .or-ation

<he group of "ormators of Brussels is (or-ing assiduously for the ne't course in English (hich (ill begin in #eptember =88>. Famien is studying missionology, "rench, and interculturality. Benoi-Michel continues to deepen his -no(ledge of both )frican and 0aitian cultures as (ell as interreligious dialogue. Aean-"rancois is perfecting his English as he prepares for the "ormation of Missionaries for )sia. 1e received the good ne(s that onventuals have found a German "riar, a current missionary in /eru, (ho (ill be added to our group? his name is Michel George Imhof Fangel and is an e'pert in interculturality. !ur t(o e'perts of pastoral ministry, Aean-.an and Ben5amin are (or-ing in their respective activities. 1e are also in the process of restructuring our (or- space by creating a missionary library, providing an office for the coordinator, and appraising all the documents (hich (e have accumulated through the years. 1e (ere visited by the Minister General and he encouraged us in our (or-. )fter meeting (ith him, (e came up (ith a proposal for the participation of a sister in the program of missionary formation. urrently, (e are reflecting on the -ind of program (e can offer to brothers ta-ing a sabbatical and for missionaries returning from the missions.

Ne! .ran"is"an +ishop

Vati"an ity# /ar"h 12# 2009 , /ope Benedict @;I nominated #alvador 4angel MendoLa, !"M as Bishop of 0ue5utla, Me'ico $surface areaP +,8*D? populationP :78,888? atholicsP :8=,888? priestsP >:? religiousP +7&. 0e (as born in <epalcatepec, Me'ico in *>D+, made his solemn profession in *>97, and ordained to the /riesthood in *>9D. In his /rovince, he has been a ;ocation Firector and both /rovincial ;icar and Fefinitor? he6s also been /astor in the diocese of Morelia, ;icar "orane $Fean&, ollaborator in the ustody of the 0oly .and, 4ector of the !"M Minor #eminary in elaya, and the Bursar $treasurer& of the International ollege of #t. )nthony in 4ome. #ince =88+, he has been the Episcopal ;icar of the pastoral region of !ur .ady of the .ight% in the )rchdiocese of Morelia.

.ran"is"an +oo7-ar7
+et!een the Her-iti" ;ay o, Li,e an1 $rea"hin2. (he 3ourney o, .ran"is o, Assisi an1 His .raternity< by /ietro Messa, EdiLioni /orLiuncola, )ssisi =88>, pp. *9+. If the life of Br. "rancis of )ssisi (as an alternating bet(een hermitage and city, prayer and preaching, then after his death such a dialectic became more and more polariLed as it tended to(ards one of the e'tremes. 1hile some of the "riars became fully involved (ith preaching (ith all its conseIuences, such as the need for larger spaces, bigger hurches, studies in "riaries that are (ell furnished (ith boo-s -ept in suitable libraries, research in areas (here one freely e'ercise one6s ministry, others, on the other hand, preferred retiring in hermitages (here they conducted a life dedicated only to contemplation. Each sought to 5ustify his o(n choices by appealing to the life of #t. "rancis and narrating and composing accounts of the life of the man of )ssisi that confirmed the choice of their (ay of life. <he same happened (ith some of the companions of #t. "rancis $e.g. Bl. Giles of )ssisi&. )ll this goes to sho( that the option bet(een the hermitic (ay of life and preaching (as one of the most crucial points after "rancis? and the choice bet(een the t(o (ays of life , or even the synthesis , is an indicator of a 5ourney (ith different outcomes. (he Intelle"tual 3ourney o, &1ith 'tein by Mobeen #hahi and "ranciso )lfieri, EdiLioni Giuseppe .aterLa, Bari =88>, pp. 7+C <he essays included here have an in-depth (ay of developing the different aspects of Edith #tein, such as her philosophical-phenomenological formation under the guide of her master 0usserl, her (ay of reading history of philosophy and its theoretical contrast , especially (ith medieval thought , the vastness of her social and cultural interests, and lastly her involvement (ith the great armelite mystics. It is (ith great pleasure that I present it to you because it constitutes, for the most part, the (or- of a human and intellectual community, (hich formed itself through time around the figure of Edith #tein during (hich, at some point, I became interested myself. <hrough both the translation and commentary of her boo-s, a small school% began to emerge, distinguishing itself by the study of the (or-s of German phenomenology to (hich the authors of the te'ts compiled here have dedicated themselves (ith enthusiasm and historical-theoretical competency.

=reat an1 '-all Ne!s

>(hir1 .ran"is"an International on2ress o, /onterrey 2009<. <he /rovince of #aints "rancis and Aames in Me'ico is organiLing the <hird "ranciscan International ongress (hich (ill ta-e place in Monterrey, Me'ico from )pril 78 , May 7, =88>. <he theme (ill be "rancisP Sesterday, <oday, and <omorro(%. Everyone is cordially invited. "or further information, go to (((.congresofranciscano.com.m' In this year of #t. /aul, the $ro4in"e o, 'aint /i"hael the Ar"han2el o, the .riars /inor o, 8oth Apulia an1 /olise returned for the 7rd consecutive time to <ur-ey (ith some fello( brothers of .ecce from Aan =D , "eb. 8+ for a refresher course, entitled, In the .ootsteps o, 't. $aul?&n"ounterin2 *rtho1o@y %. <his includes not only the beautiful and meaningful e'perience of <ur-ey, -no(n as the 0oly .and of the hurch (here in )ntioch

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the disciples of Aesus (ere first called hristians%, but also the -eanin2,ul passa2e into the lan1 o, 'yria . <he latter is considered, in fact, the cradle of civiliLation (here hristianity first came in contact (ith other religions, especially in Famascus, the city (here the conversion of /aul happened. 0ence, it (ill be a special e'perience (ith a special )postle, #t. /aul, the )postle of the Gentiles. roatia 5 ourse o, .or-ation ,or the '.* Assistants an1 %ou.ra. "rom "eb. *9-*>, there too- place at the "riary of the "riars Minor in #plit the third course of formation for the #"!-Sou"ra #piritual )ssistants and some members of the #"! and Sou"ra. <he main theme of the course (as .ocal )ssistant of the #"!-Sou"ra. Futies and #piritual and /astoral 4esponsibilities%. Br. Ivan MatiT, !"M, )ssistant General to the #"!-Sou"ra, participated in this course and presented a report, "raternal .eader $)nimator&. 4elationship and ollaboration bet(een #piritual )ssistant and "raternal .eader $)nimator&. <he course (as organiLed by the onference of Oational )ssistants of roatia. >'t. $aul an1 hristian I1entity<. "rom )pril *D-*9, =88>, there (ill ta-e place at the ,t-di-m .i/lic-m Franciscan-m of Aerusalem, the 7:th biblical-theological refresher course. "or more information (rite to claudio.bottini@studiumbiblicum.org (he VII on4ention o, =ree"e (ill ta-e place from May C->, =88> on the occasion of the ;III entenary of the approval of the 4ule of "riars Minor? it (ill ta-e into account a theme of utmost importance for the "ranciscan movement, namely, (or-. #ince the beginning, the "ranciscans have modeled their pastoral (or- according to the decisive indications of "rancis of )ssisi, i.e., to e'ercise dutifully a (ell learned profession. <he goal is to understand both the history and themes that have emerged from that initial prescription $i.e. 4ule (ithout a /apal Bull, ;II and 4ule (ith a /apal Bull, ;& and measure its effects in the contemporaneity bet(een choice and need, economic (orld and productivity, repetitiveness and creativity, (ithout forgetting, ho(ever, the (hole meaningfulness that moves from the dimension of grace% in the ministeriality of the "ranciscan !rder bet(een gift and administration of the created (orld. /rogramU /e-8ers o, the on2re2ation ,or the &astern hur"hes. !n March 9, =88>, the 0oly "ather nominated )rchbishop Basil Myron #chott, !"M, Metropolitan bishop of /ittsburgh of the ByLantines $/rovince of the )ssumption of the B;M in the B#)&, as member of the aforesaid ongregation. (he =eneral :e,initory on a $il2ri-a2e in (ur7ey. "rom March *-C, =88>, the General Fefinitory e'perienced a pilgrimage in <ur-ey in the footsteps of #t. /aul on the occasion of the /auline year. .ed by Br. 4uben <ierrablanca from our "raternity in Istanbul, the brothers of the General Fefinitory visited some meaningful places mar-ing the origins of the hurch and of the ministry of the )postles /aul and Aohn $)ntioch, #eleucid, <arsus, appadocia, Iconia, .aodicea, Gerapoli, and Ephesus&. <hese visits (ere all accompanied by moments of reflection and prayer. In Istanbul, there (as the possibility of meeting all the International "raternity engaged in ecumenical and interreligious dialogue as (ell as visiting the Ecumenical /atriarch Bartholome( I. Hun2ary 5 'ta-ps in honor o, the VIII entenary. !n "eb. =D, the 0ungarian postal service issued a stamp (orth *88 forint (ith the (ritten te't, #aint "rancis of )ssisi founded the "ranciscan !rder C88 yrs ago.% <he form of the cross creates different spaces that are filled up (ith "ranciscan motives, among (hich is also a part of a "ranciscan Medieval manuscript in 0ungarian. <he artist is EsLter FomJ. (he on,eren"e o, ono 'ur. .ast "eb. C at the border bet(een )rgentina and hile (here there is a historical monument of hrist the 4edeemer, the onference of ono #ur $)rgentina, hile, and /araguay& celebrated C88 yrs of the "oundation of the !rder. Fespite the (ind and cold, the "riars, together (ith a group of laity, managed to celebrate the Eucharist before the monument at an altitude of 7,C7= meters $*=,:9= ft&. "or more information, lic- 0ere.

A2en1a o, the /inister =eneral

)pril 8*-8DP ;isit to the /rovince of the 0oly "amily in Egypt. )pril 8+-*7P 0oly 1ee-. )pril *:-*CP International hapter of Mats $)ssisi-4ome&. )pril =9-78P Meeting /eriod of the General Fefinitory at the General uria in 4ome, Italy.

600 yrs sin"e the Rule o, the .riars /inor 0++ yrs of the R-le of the Friars Minor is to recall a glorious past, rich in testimony, service, and sanctity. It is, li-e(ise, an occasion to represent the person of #aint "rancis as both a Man and hristian (ho (as able to transmit the strength and validity of the Gospel proposal. <he #aint of )ssisi, more than through (riting, spo-e and still spea-s (ith his charism of Gospel radicalness.
<o celebrate )t first, "rancis and his first companions consulted the Gospel three times (here they came across (ords of calling and mission. 0e, therefore, e'claimed (ith 5oy, Brothers, behold our life and rule and of all those (ho (ill (ish to 5oin us.% 1ithin this proposal of Gospel life, entrusted by the .ord to #t. "rancis, are enclose d all the force of the EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE 4egula et vita Minorum "ratrum haec est, scilicet Fomini nostri Aesu hristi sanctum Evangelium observare $4B I,*& D

redemptive mystery through (hich Aesus hrist, both crucified and risen, besto(s daily the great love and mercy of God the reator and "ather.
.RA(&RNI(A' 5 *./ 5 Ro-e Re1a"torA Ro8ert +ahBiB InternetA httpACC!!!.o,-.or2C,raternitas. &D-ailA r8ah"i"Eo,-.or2

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