From September 9th to 11th, 2024, the friars, with the religious and lay collaborators of the Province of San Antonio de Padua – Philippines gathered to celebrate the Chapter of Mats. The Chapter took place at the Holy Family Retreat House in Cebu City, Philippines. 32 delegates participated, including 17 friars, one Poor Clare Sister, three Franciscan religious sisters, seven Franciscan Seculars, one Youfra, and three lay collaborators.They came together to pray, discern, and share the promptings of the Holy Spirit to renew the friars’ Charism, Communion, and Mission.
The Chapter of Mats was a significant event that employed the Synodal Process, echoing the Church’s current impetus. This process, a synthesis and culmination of a meticulous method, involved the friars in their friaries and areas of ministry in collaboration with religious and lay partners. The Chapter’s ardent hope was to revitalize the Province and the friars’ lived reality in the core aspects of vocation, community dynamics, and mission.
The three-day chapter began on September 9, 2024, with a Mass of the Holy Spirit presided over by the Vicar Provincial Br. Neil J. Badillo, OFM. The Eucharistic Jesus was constantly present in all the sessions, which always began with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, making the sessions genuinely inspired by the presence of the Incarnate God. During the initial sessions, the focus was on presenting and sharing the collated strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis results from the local versions of the Chapter. These results came from friaries and various areas of ministries of the friars and their collaborators.
After each small group discussion, a plenary session was conducted to share the insights from the smaller groups with the larger ones. This collaborative process was a key aspect of the Chapter of Mats, demonstrating the collective effort to renew the friars’ Charism, Communion, and Mission. Towards the end of the gathering, the World Café method was used to gather more relevant ideas and insights to enhance the life and ministry of the friars and their collaborators in the mission.
With the richness of the sharing, a substantial Final Document of the Chapter of Mats was formulated, which includes a tangible commitment to improving the friars’ vocation, community dynamics, and mission in relation to the people they serve and their lay collaborators. The Chapter of Mats concluded on September 11, 2024, with a Eucharistic Celebration presided over by the Minister Provincial, Br. Renee C. Dean, OFM.
The fruits of this Chapter were as varied and abundant as the diversity of participants. The presence of the friar-delegates and their collaborators in ministry, representing the Poor Clares, Franciscan religious sisters, the youth, and lay Franciscan Seculars, demonstrated the richness of our synodal Order and Church, which was displayed exemplarily during this Chapter of Mats.
