A Shared Journey to Strengthen the Franciscan Missionary Presence in Australia

On Thursday, 7 May 2026, an important meeting dedicated to the missionary presence in Australia of friars from the Provinces of the Conference of St Jerome took place at the General Curia in Rome.
Present at the meeting were the Minister of the Province of the “Holy Spirit” in Australia and Aotearoa-New Zealand, Br Stephen Bliss; the Minister of the Province of the “Holy Cross” in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Br Zdravko Dadić; the Minister and Vicar of the Province of “Saints Cyril and Methodius” in Croatia, Br Ivica Jagodić and Br Mario Zubak; and the Minister of the Province of the “Holy Cross” in Slovenia, Br Christian Gostečnik, together with their respective secretaries and a canon lawyer.
Also present were the Minister General, Br Massimo Fusarelli, and the General Definitors for the Slavic Conferences and the Asia-Oceania Conferences, Br Konrad Cholewa and Br John Wong.

The moment of fraternity and reflection focused on the present and future of the missionary presence in Australia of the friars from these southern Slavic Provinces, a presence historically connected with the Australian Province.
In his opening greeting, Br Massimo expressed the hope that the meeting would be “a time of encounter filled with great joy and hope”, capable of fostering not only a sincere dialogue on present realities, but also “a shared vision for the future of the Franciscan mission in that part of the world”.
During the meeting, various questions concerning the current situation of the missionary presence were addressed, both in relation to the local Church and within the context of Australian civil authorities. Reflection also focused on concrete forms of collaboration and fuller participation in the life of the Australian Province, while valuing the bonds of fraternity and gratitude already existing among the Provinces involved.

In the days prior to the meeting, the Ministers of the three Provinces of the Conference of St Jerome had already held separate meetings with the Minister of the Australian Province to discuss administrative, financial, safeguarding, ongoing formation, and fraternal collaboration matters.
Br Stephen Bliss, who chaired the meeting, underlined how this process had strengthened the sense of interconnection among the Ministers. “We looked at the difficulties honestly. There were surprise, pain, and emotion, but the strength of our fraternity has grown.”
Br Zdravko Dadić shared the experience of his Province, which is engaged in accompanying migrant chaplains in different parts of the world. He expressed gratitude to the Australian Province for the opportunity to address these realities together, while also emphasising the desire to strengthen fraternal bonds with the brothers sent on mission.
The Ministers of Slovenia and Croatia likewise highlighted the importance of the meeting in gaining a deeper understanding of the concrete reality of the Franciscan presence in Australia and in making shared decisions for the pastoral care of migrant communities that has been present in the country for more than seventy years.

The meeting concluded with an agreement on a concrete plan for the future. Common processes and specific programmes of work were defined for each collaboration through to the end of 2026. The Ministers will meet together again in December, continuing a fruitful fraternal journey of dialogue, shared responsibility, and common mission.