From 12 to 16 August, the friars of the Franciscan Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Central America and the Caribbean held their Chapter of Mats at the Monte San Francisco Retreat House in Guatemala. The Chapter was attended by 56 Friars from Central America, Panama and the Dominican Republic, including Friars Minor, Consecrated Sisters, members of the SFO, parish pastoral and educational leaders, and Social Works.
The Provincial Minister, Br. Edgardo Pérez, urged everyone to listen to one another in order to find a path that leads to fraternal life as a family and to proclaim the values of the Kingdom of God in order to be a living witness. The General Definitor, Br. Joaquín Echeverry, was also present, and he shared the good news that vocations are flourishing in spite of the contrasting realities of the world.
The first reflection was on the charism, while the second meditation was on communion (fraternal life), orienting the theme with the following statement: Fraternity in the Old Testament, where it is written that to be a brother is to recognise in the other the image of God. The third reflection was on Franciscan spirituality: “Embracing the future, witness and mission”, whom and how do we serve? All were invited to live the Franciscan mission as a silent proclamation of the Kingdom of God.
This was followed by work on the proposals to be taken into account in order to consolidate the presence of the Franciscan Family. It was a time of reflection and celebration on what to do today as Friars Minor, on the collaboration with the laity, on the projection for the future and on the mission to be carried out in union with the Franciscan Family of Central America.
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