The visit of the Minister General, Br Massimo Fusarelli, and the Definitor General of the area, Br Victor Luís Quematcha, to the Province of St. Francis in East Africa is still underway. From the 4th to the 7th of June the Minister, accompanied by Br Frederick Odhiambo, Minister Provincial, and by Br Oscar Girardi, Vicar, met the friars in Malawi and Zambia. Furthermore, the Minister visited the Poor Clare nuns of Lilongwe and the Christians of two parishes in Malawi, as well as the Secular Franciscan Order.
After the visit, we gathered some testimonies from the friars of the area.
Br Sebastian Unsner, of the Franciscan Province of St. Hedwig in Poland, in Africa for 34 years, recalled how the Minister General spoke of internationality and fraternity, which are the starting points of the Province of St. Francis in Africa: "I thank the Minister General for his words of encouragement to continue our mission in Africa. Since the beginning of the Africa project, internationality and fraternal life have been present, and that's what we've been trying to do here in Malawi for the past 40 years."
The parish priest of Chilinda, Br Jean Damascene Karanganwa, Rwandan, in Malawi for 7 years, shared the challenges highlighted by the Minister General: “Fraternity is a richness, even if there are challenges. Being an international fraternity, we have different nationalities, different ways of thinking, and making the fraternity grow together is something challenging; however, the joy of fraternity is always present, because we share the same joy".
Br Massimo's visit was a blessing according to Mother Monica, the Abbess of Lilongwe Poor Clare Monastery: “The visit of our Minister General and Definitor for Africa was a blessing for us. We felt that Francis is amongst us and it has helped us to pray more for our Order, for the whole Franciscan family. We thank God for this Franciscan-Clarian vocation”.
Br Ivica Peric, a Croatian from Bosnia-Herzegovina, who has been in Africa since 1990 said that Br Massimo's visit to the friars present in Zambia is a true demonstration of fraternal love: “The presence of the Minister General shows love for the brothers. Having this opportunity is a great Franciscan lesson for us: we are brothers, we appreciate each other's gifts and we take care of each other".
