Plenary Council 2018

Nairobi, Kenya

Join us for this year’s celebration of the Order’s Plenary Council. From June 12th – 28th, we will reflect on contemporary realities in the world, the Church, and the Order, spending time in prayer, study, discussion, and decision-making. As we move towards the eighth centenary of the meeting of St Francis with the Sultan al-Malik al Kamil in 1219, this gathering is an invitation to embody a life of dialogue by seeking concrete ways of listening, discerning, and putting into action.

Moving from the celebration of the PCO to the production of the Final Document

Letter from the Minister General and the Definitory to all the friars: Moving from the......
02 August, 2018
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You will recognize them by their fruits – Homily of the Minister General for the Closing of the PCO

The richness of the word that has just been given to us shines a providential light on the final stage of our Plenary Council. I repeat again what I said two days ago, namely, that this Eucharistic celebration, this sacramental moment, must impel each one of us to go and tell everything that the Spirit of the Lord has commu...
27 June, 2018
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‘First Love’ has the last word! – Final Message of the Minister General

The closing session of the Plenary Council of the Franciscan Order, held this month of June, in Nairobi, Kenya, heard Br. Michael Perry, Minister General, urging the friars to return to their first love. (The full text of his message follows)...
27 June, 2018
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PCO Chronicles: Monday 25 June & Tuesday 26 June

Monday 25 June We began our day with a short prayer session followed by a......
27 June, 2018
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Beyond the PCO —What Next?

It’s hard to imagine that only two days remain before the Plenary Council comes to an end! So the big question as we leave Nairobi is, what comes next? The Minister General, on behalf of the General Definitory, assured the Council Members that the work of re-examining all of the reports from the Conferences, as well as the...
26 June, 2018
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The Friars as Modern-Day Mendicants

History tells us that the Franciscan Order, along with other medieval Orders, began as a mendicant Order — or, more simply, a band of beggars! These Orders represented a counterculture, challenging the prevailing culture that gave priority to an individual’s financial and social status. St. Francis of Assisi is particularly...
25 June, 2018
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