The November 2017 Tempo Forte was held from the 6
th to 17
th of the month. Br. Nicodème Kibuzehose could not be present because he was in Congo-Brazzaville assisting the Visitator General for the Foundation of Our Lady of Africa, Br. Roger MARCHAL.
On Thursday of the first week, November 9
th, sessions were suspended so the Minister General and some Definitors could attend the study day commemorating Blessed John Duns Scotus, as well as the feast day of the friars of the Penitentiary at the Basilica of St. John Lateran. The Minister General also took part in the concluding session of the St. Bonaventure Conference at the Pontifical University,
Antonianum, on the afternoon of Friday 17
th.
In addition, during the second week, the Minister General and Definitory met with the Visitators General from Tuesday 13
th to Thursday 16
th — in the coming months, these Visitators will undertake the service that has been entrusted to them.
On the first day of Tempo Forte, each of the friars of the Definitory spoke about the activities and experiences in which they had been involved during the previous 2 months since the September Tempo Forte.
Over the succeeding days, attention was given to the following: the personnel situation in houses dependent on the Minister General was discussed several times; a document outlining the guidelines and planning of the life and mission of the Order for the biennium 2018/2019 was approved (this will be published in due course on the Order’s website); the acts of elections which took place at Provincial Chapters were ratified — the Provinces concerned were:
- Holy Faith, Colombia;
- Our Lady of Guadalupe, Central America and Panama;
- Most Holy Trinity, Chile;
- and the newly erected Province (formerly a Custody) of St. Francis, Herald of Peace, West Papua and Indonesia.
Numerous acts of elections that took place during Capitular Congresses, and those that took place outside Chapter, were ratified, and the suppression of some houses in different entities were approved.
Changes to
Particular Statutes were also approved:
- from the Province of St. Francis Solanus, Peru;
- from the Foundations in Myanmar and Thailand, which at the moment are dependent on the Minister General, in view of their being entrusted to the Province of the Holy Martyrs, Korea.
- from the Sannito-Irpina Province of St. Mary of Graces, Italy
- from the Province of Ireland.
The
Final Reports of the Canonical Visitation of the following Provinces were studied:
- Francis and James (Zapopan), Mexico
- Peter and Paul (Michoacán), Mexico
- Sacred Heart of Jesus (St. Louis), U.S.A.
- Leopold, Austria and Northern Italy
In addition, the following requests were examined:
dispensation from the obligations of the clerical state (2);
secularisation pure et simpliciter (1);
dismissal from the Order (3);
dispensation from Solemn Vows (5);
exclaustration (4);
transfer to the Order from other Institutes (2);
dispensation (2) and sanatio (1) for Novitiates with fewer than three novices.
Six friars volunteered to be part of the Missionary Projects of the Order and were accepted, and new members of various Committees attached to the Secretariats and Offices of the General Curia were nominated.
The General Definitory also held listening, dialogue, and sharing sessions with the following:
- Cesare VAIANI and Br. Siniša BALAJIC, from the General Secretariat for Formation and Studies,
- Luis GALLARDO, of the General Secretariat for Missions and Evangelization,
- Jaime CAMPOS and Br. Rufino LIM, from the Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation Office,
- John PUODZIUNAS and Br. Silvio R. DE LA FUENTE, from the General Bursar’s Office, together with Br. Antonio RICCIO, Legal Representative of FOA (Fondazione Opere Antoniane),
- Franco MIRRI, from the Development and Fundraising Office.
The next Tempo Forte takes place at the General Curia from December 18
th to 22
nd, 2017.
Rome, November 30
th, 2017
Br. Giovanni Rinaldi, OFM
Secretary General