On Thursday 18 February a total of 98 friars from the fraternities of Galilee and Judea gathered in the friary of Emmaus for the annual meeting of ongoing formation. This meeting was dedicated to the immediate preparation of the upcoming Custodial Chapter and was presided by the Visitator General brother Francesco Bravi and by the Father Custos.
This chapter of mats was the final result of the meetings of ongoing formation for sectors of the Custody during these last months. A total of four meetings were held, two for Guardians and Superiors, and one each for Parish Priests and Directors of Schools, and for Sacristans and Sanctuary Assistants. The aim of the meeting was also that of providing material for reflection in view of the Instrumentum Laboris of the Custodial Chapter.
The Visitator introduced the meeting thanking the friars of the Custody for their fraternal welcome to him and his secretary during the canonical visitation. He then spoke about the upcoming Custodial Chapter as a moment of verification of a journey undertaken during these last six years, and as a moment of programming our future. He reminded the participants that ongoing formation sustains our quality of life. The project of ongoing formation in the Custody during these last three years has followed the same journey outlined by the Order, and particularly the guidelines of the last General Chapter that has reflected upon the theme “Bearers of the gift of the Gospel”. In agreement with the journey of our universal fraternity, even the friars in the Holy Land have received the gift of the Gospel that they now have to offer in restitution to all the brothers. The profound sense of this process is the search for the Lord and a radical commitment to conversion, that is underlined especially in the opening prayer of the Mass of Thursday after Ash Wednesday: so that all our activities will begin in the Lord and will find in Him their fulfilment.
The Custos then underlined three fundamental aspects that have been object of reflection during the meetings of ongoing formation for various sectors. These include: (1) collaboration with lay people in our mission; (2) initial and ongoing formation of the friars; (3) our presence and mission in a non-Christian setting. Our reflections have to encourage us to assume our responsibility for an examination of these last six years in order to programme our future with this spirit of restitution of the gift that we have received, namely that of living the Gospel in the Holy Land. We need to make a healthy auto-criticism and ask ourselves: how are we to work, and what is the Church expecting of us here and now? We need to have faith in the Lord who is present in the midst of our difficulties, even in the midst of situations of fatigue, or lack of personnel, and of personal and community crises.
After a brief interval the participants met in five different working groups in order to examine the proposals presented by the meetings of ongoing formation for the various sectors, and to offer other suggestions and proposals in view of the Instrumentum Laboris of the Chapter. The morning session then ended with a fraternal lunch generously offered by the fraternity of the friars and sisters of Emmaus.
During the afternoon the participants gathered in the assembly hall in order to listen to the reports of each workshop that will be later published for all the friars of the Custody.
The participants were then given the opportunity to ask for clarifications regarding particular themes. These included the need to organise on a more professional basis the service of our lay volunteers, to take care of the formation of the new missionaries and to reflect upon the fact that not all missionaries remain in the Custody. The Visitator underlined the fact that the reflections of the friars touched upon technical aspects of their life in the Custody, that are certainly very important, but that he was hoping that the Instrumentum Laboris would also contemplate other themes that touch the Franciscan values of our life, and which help us to better our quality of life and to take courageous decisions regarding the re-dimensioning of our presence and our structures.
Some friars also asked for information from the Custos regarding some concrete choices that the Custody has made in various regions (Italy, Cyprus, the future dependent Custody of Lebanon, Syria and Jordan), the use of the complex of Maria Bambina in Jerusalem, the future of the Hermitage of Gethsemani, and the Betphage housing project.
At the end of the day all the brothers gathered to thank the Lord during the Eucharistic celebration presided by the General Visitator.
Fra Noel Muscat ofm
This chapter of mats was the final result of the meetings of ongoing formation for sectors of the Custody during these last months. A total of four meetings were held, two for Guardians and Superiors, and one each for Parish Priests and Directors of Schools, and for Sacristans and Sanctuary Assistants. The aim of the meeting was also that of providing material for reflection in view of the Instrumentum Laboris of the Custodial Chapter.
The Visitator introduced the meeting thanking the friars of the Custody for their fraternal welcome to him and his secretary during the canonical visitation. He then spoke about the upcoming Custodial Chapter as a moment of verification of a journey undertaken during these last six years, and as a moment of programming our future. He reminded the participants that ongoing formation sustains our quality of life. The project of ongoing formation in the Custody during these last three years has followed the same journey outlined by the Order, and particularly the guidelines of the last General Chapter that has reflected upon the theme “Bearers of the gift of the Gospel”. In agreement with the journey of our universal fraternity, even the friars in the Holy Land have received the gift of the Gospel that they now have to offer in restitution to all the brothers. The profound sense of this process is the search for the Lord and a radical commitment to conversion, that is underlined especially in the opening prayer of the Mass of Thursday after Ash Wednesday: so that all our activities will begin in the Lord and will find in Him their fulfilment.
The Custos then underlined three fundamental aspects that have been object of reflection during the meetings of ongoing formation for various sectors. These include: (1) collaboration with lay people in our mission; (2) initial and ongoing formation of the friars; (3) our presence and mission in a non-Christian setting. Our reflections have to encourage us to assume our responsibility for an examination of these last six years in order to programme our future with this spirit of restitution of the gift that we have received, namely that of living the Gospel in the Holy Land. We need to make a healthy auto-criticism and ask ourselves: how are we to work, and what is the Church expecting of us here and now? We need to have faith in the Lord who is present in the midst of our difficulties, even in the midst of situations of fatigue, or lack of personnel, and of personal and community crises.
After a brief interval the participants met in five different working groups in order to examine the proposals presented by the meetings of ongoing formation for the various sectors, and to offer other suggestions and proposals in view of the Instrumentum Laboris of the Chapter. The morning session then ended with a fraternal lunch generously offered by the fraternity of the friars and sisters of Emmaus.
During the afternoon the participants gathered in the assembly hall in order to listen to the reports of each workshop that will be later published for all the friars of the Custody.
The participants were then given the opportunity to ask for clarifications regarding particular themes. These included the need to organise on a more professional basis the service of our lay volunteers, to take care of the formation of the new missionaries and to reflect upon the fact that not all missionaries remain in the Custody. The Visitator underlined the fact that the reflections of the friars touched upon technical aspects of their life in the Custody, that are certainly very important, but that he was hoping that the Instrumentum Laboris would also contemplate other themes that touch the Franciscan values of our life, and which help us to better our quality of life and to take courageous decisions regarding the re-dimensioning of our presence and our structures.
Some friars also asked for information from the Custos regarding some concrete choices that the Custody has made in various regions (Italy, Cyprus, the future dependent Custody of Lebanon, Syria and Jordan), the use of the complex of Maria Bambina in Jerusalem, the future of the Hermitage of Gethsemani, and the Betphage housing project.
At the end of the day all the brothers gathered to thank the Lord during the Eucharistic celebration presided by the General Visitator.
Fra Noel Muscat ofm