From the 12th to the 15th of February 2026, the Congress of the Formators of the Franciscan Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Central America and Panama, was held at the Monte Auvergne Franciscan Spirituality Centre in Planes de Renderos, El Salvador.
The meeting brought together student friars, temporarily professed, accompanied by their formators and representatives of the postulants, in an atmosphere of fraternity, prayer and discernment. During these days, the friars shared their lives, deepened their formation process and reflected together on the current challenges facing the Church, the Order and the Province.
The general objective of the Congress was to offer a space for formation, reflection, and discernment, allowing the young friars to deepen their human, spiritual and Franciscan growth, renewing their identity as Friars Minor and developing concrete proposals for formative and missionary development in preparation for the Elective Provincial Chapter of 2026.
The daily program was marked by the celebration of the Eucharist, moments of prayer, formative discussions, group work and plenary sessions. These spaces fostered an open and sincere dialogue on fundamental themes such as affective maturity, self-knowledge, fraternal life, mission, and the Franciscan presence in the new peripheries, especially in the digital world, on the margins of society and in the care of creation.
One of the significant fruits of the Congress was the formulation of concrete proposals to strengthen the formation accompaniment in the different phases and the election of the new Commission of Formands, as well as of the representatives to the Provincial Chapter. These moments demonstrated the commitment and co-responsibility of the young friars in building provincial life.
The Congress ended with the celebration of the Eucharist and an atmosphere of gratitude for what was shared. The participants returned to their respective houses of formation with a renewed desire to continue walking as Friars Minor, at the service of the Church and the People of God in Central America and Panama.
Br. Edgar Daniel Coyoy Medrano, OFM, Provincial Secretary
