From 24-27 April 2023, the Assembly of Ministers Provincial and Custodes of the Franciscan Conference of Brazil and the Southern Cone was held in Franca, Brazil, at the Friary of St Mary of the Angels.
The purpose of the Assembly, as explained by Br Fernando Aparecido dos Santos, OFM, Custos of the Custody of the Sacred Heart and Vice-President of the Brazil and Southern Cone Conference, "is to share the experiences of the respective entities and, above all, to rationalise, with the secretariats and offices of the Conference, the work defined in the Enlarged Assembly held in March last year in São Paulo/SP, Brazil".
Br César Külkamp, General Definitor of the area, shared the activities carried out during the 4-day meeting: "The climate in the Conference is quite good, sharing and we have seen that the animation services of the Conference are going well. These days we have had periodic meetings of the Animation, Mission and Evangelisation services, of the Educational Ministry, which is very significant in the Conference". And for the future, Br. César added: "The Ministers discussed future activities such as the preparation of the Chapters of Lay Brothers and the Chapter of Mats that will be held in each entity of the Conference, as well as the Missionary Congress on New Forms of Evangelisation to be held in Peru in June 2023".
The following Ministers and Custodes participated in this Assembly:
Br César Külkamp, OFM – Definitor General for Latin America (Rome/Italy)
Br Daniel Alejandro Fleitas Zeni, OFM – San Francisco Solano Province (Argentina), and President of the Brazil and Southern Cone Conference.
Br Edilson Rocha, OFM – Franciscan Custody of St Benedict of Amazonia (Brazil)
Br Fernando Aparecido dos Santos, OFM – Franciscan Custody of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (Brazil)
Br Rogério Viterbo de Sousa, OFM – Custody of the Seven Joys of Our Lady (Brazil)
Br Antônio Pacheco Ramos, OFM – Our Lady of the Assumption Province (Brazil)
Br Carlos Antônio da Silva, OFM – Holy Name of Jesus Province (Brazil)
Br João Amilton dos Santos, OFM – St Anthony Province (Brazil)
Br Hilton Farias de Souza, OFM – Province of Holy Cross (Brazil)
Br Marino Pedro Rhoden, OFM – St Francis of Assisi Province (Brazil)
Br Paulo Roberto Pereira, OFM – Province of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Brazil)
Br Emilio Andrada, OFM – Province of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin of the Rio de la Plata (Argentina and Paraguay)
Br Carlos Guillermo Paz Guzmán, OFM – Holy Trinity Province (Chile)
The Conference of Ministers Provincial and Custodes of Brazil and the Southern Cone was created by the Minister General in 2020 as a result of the merger of two Franciscan conferences covering the following countries: Brazil, Argentina, Chile and Paraguay.
