"I greet you and express all my joy to be here with you to share the anniversary of 125 years of Franciscan presence in this country, the oldest Franciscan presence of our Order in sub-Saharan Africa, which began precisely here in Beira". With these words the Minister General, Br. Massimo Fusarelli, began his homily at the closing Mass of his visit to the Custody of Mozambique.
Commenting on the readings for the feast of St. Clare, the Minister General compared the Church, the Fraternity, to the vine chosen and cultivated by the Lord: "Today this word is very important for us friars here in Mozambique, as we commemorate the 125 years since the first six friars arrived in this hospitable land. The fruits we see today, including the four Friars who are making their solemn profession in my hands, are a sign of the Lord's faithfulness and the witness of so many brothers and sisters".
Br. Massimo concluded his homily by recalling that "St. Francis invites the friars to start again and again from the mission, stripping ourselves of the comforts that slow us down. I invite you to return to the midst of the people, not only in parishes, in homes, where people live, especially the most remote. St. Francis wants us to be simple and itinerant".
During the Eucharistic celebration, two friars were sent for a new presence in the mission of St. Joseph in Mitucue, in the diocese of Lichinga: Br. Orlando Antonio and Br. Anselmo Elivio Manjor.
At the end of the Celebration, Archbishop Claudio Dalla Zuanna of Beira greeted the Minister and the friars present and thanked them for their presence in Mozambique. Addressing the friars who had taken their vows, Archbishop Claudio recalled that "they are the fruit of the encounter between the Gospel proclaimed by the missionaries and the Mozambican land".
In addition to the friars and the Archbishop, the entire Franciscan Family and the civil authorities of the city of Beira and the province of Sofala participated in the Celebration.
After the visit to the Custody of Mozambique and before returning to Rome, the Office of Communications of the Order spoke with Br. Massimo about the visit:
Can you tell us what you found when you visited the friars and the Franciscan family present in Mozambique, the friars, the Poor Clares and the Franciscan family? The presence during these 125 years? What kind of Franciscan presence did you find?
I found a well-established and organized Franciscan presence; in fact, it is the oldest OFM presence in sub-Saharan Africa. The structures of the missions and presences speak for themselves. The friars are growing and are in good contact with the social and cultural context.
The Poor Clares are relatively new in their two monasteries and are growing, entering more and more into the Mozambican culture and mentality. The SFO really impressed me with its numbers and especially with its strength of organization, presence and sense of belonging to the Franciscan family.
Our presence is parish pastoral and educational, I must say, in a more traditional way. It is recognized and this gives it a certain strength. All this is good, but it can also burden our presence a little with spiritual and material structures that may no longer be able to intercept the changes that are taking place, especially among young people.
What are the challenges of the Custody and where do you think the Holy Spirit is leading the Custody?
The Custody is living the challenge of its growth and therefore of the institutional stability it needs to mature, especially in the perspective of becoming a Province. This requires from the friars a greater sense of belonging, of co-responsibility, of communion and of participation in the one vocation and mission. In a special way, the Custody must qualify the formation of formators and the friars must adopt the same standard of living in order to witness to the youth the truth and beauty of our Custody.
Mozambican society is changing rapidly and still experiences widespread poverty and the uncertainty of peace, especially in the north of the country. The past still weighs heavily and calls for ongoing processes of reconciliation and peace. Accompanying people and groups on this journey is also a great challenge. I would like to make an urgent appeal to the Franciscan Family to organize itself into a "Union" in order to be present together in the security and the Race that exists in the country.
I believe that the Spirit is urging the friars in Mozambique to these goals and to consciously choose a greater closeness to the poor and even more missionary presences, such as the new reality of Mitucue in the north of the country. This inauguration, on the occasion of the 125th anniversary of the presence, takes up the missionary journey that brought the first six missionary friars here in 1898. We must not stop, but we must go on, lighter and freer for the mission.
What is the message for the Custody and the Franciscan Family?
Maintain the leadership of the faith and the Franciscan vocation, remaining among the people and privileging the poorest and most marginalized. Never forget the youth, the real strength of Mozambique! It is important to transmit to them the joy of faith in Jesus and the beauty of the life and message of St. Francis. All this with a missionary spirit that helps us to always go out from ourselves to others, to the real world where people are close to us.
