From the 4th – 7th July, the Custody of St. Benedict of the Amazon, Brazil, celebrated its Fifth Chapter of Mats, which took place at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, in Santarém, Pará. "From Assisi to the Amazon: remembering and reviving Franciscan life and the Franciscan Mission" was the theme proposed by the local commission. About 130 capitulars including friars, lay people and nuns belonging to the Franciscan Family participated in this celebratory and fraternal moment.
The first day was dedicated to "Celebrating the encounter between Assisi and the Amazon". Br. Erlison Campos organized the participants into teams divided by colours and a pole covered with fruits of the earth, a symbol of the religious festivals of the region, was raised. The opening celebration was special, because in Br. Fábio Vasconcelos was ordained a deacon, through the laying on of hands by Msgr. Evaristo Spengler, OFM.
On the second day, the theme "Remembering: a look at the Jubilees and Franciscan life in the Amazon" was discussed. Present at the opening table were the Bishop of the Diocese of Roraima, Msgr. Evaristo Spengler, OFM; Fr. Wilmar Santin, Ocarm. of the Prelature of Itaituba, Msgr. Bernardo Bahlmann, OFM of the diocese of Óbidos, and Msgr. Irineu Roman, Archbishop of Santarém, as well as Br. Alex Assunção, Br. Erlison Campos and Br. Edilson Rocha, of the Custody of St. Benedict.
The reflections of the second day began with the intervention of Vitor Paiva of the OFS on the theme "Renewing our Franciscan vision on Amazonian soil, a look starting from the Church". After the first reflection and the opening table, a break took place. The afternoon began with prayer and praise for sister water, there were moments of prayer on the Franciscan Centenarians, then there was a round table on the main Amazonian challenges for Franciscan life, which was attended by journalists Jota Ninos and Joelma Viana, who understand the socio-political reality of the region. The afternoon ended with workshops on "Amazonian eco-spirituality" and "Amazonian art and Franciscanism”
"Reviving the Franciscan ardour on this sacred land" was the theme of the third day; the reflection was held by Sister Nilda Munis, FMM, who brought biblical and Franciscan insights.
Br. Wellington Buarque, OFM, spoke about "Going to the Sources: Elements of the Charism That Challenge Us to Continue." The friar, from the Province of S. Antonio (Northeast Brazil), was decisive in his speech when he emphasized that being a minor means becoming a minority, amongst those who suffer the most. Before lunch, the sharing of the local Chapters, which took place in May, took place as a preparatory stage. The groups creatively presented the results of the discussions on the supporting texts.
In the afternoon, the capitulars recited the prayer "Praise to Sister and Mother Earth", followed by group work. The afternoon ended with the prayer based on the "stigmata of St. Francis".
On the last day of the Chapter, he developed the theme "New Paths of Life and Mission." At 6:30 a.m., the Eucharistic celebration took place, in which everyone had the opportunity to contemplate the sunrise and the meeting of the waters of the Tapajós and Amazon rivers.
The closing activities also included entertainment, group work based on the "World Café" methodology, the plenary; On the basis of the discussions and proposals made, a synthesis committee was tasked with writing the final document. The Chapter concluded with the celebration of being sent as missionaries followed by a festive lunch.
The Chapter was completely inspired to live the Franciscan charism. All the programming has been designed with the Chapter of Mats in the aim of strengthening ties, reviving Franciscan spirituality in the Amazon and celebrating Franciscan jubilees. This is now followed by the stage of the Chapter of the Brazil-Southern Cone Conference.
