From the 24th-28th March 24, regional meetings of the friars of the Franciscan Province of Saints Cyril and Methodius in Croatia were held. The meetings took place in Osijek (Tvrđa), Zagreb (Siget), Linz (Austria) and Novi Sad (Serbia). All the meetings were attended by Br. Konrad Cholewa, Definitor General, in charge of the Slavic zone. Br. Darko Tepert, member of the Province and Secretary General for Formation and Studies, also took part in the meetings in Zagreb and Osijek.
The main theme of these meetings concerned reflection on the priorities of the Province of Saints Cyril and Methodius. After the friars, in their local chapters, discussed it on the basis of the letter and the materials prepared by the Minister Provincial, these meetings were the second stage in the process of discernment and choice of priority places of action and the main activities to which the friars wish to devote themselves most.
The priorities will have to be definitively chosen by the Provincial Chapter of 2026; before then, a session of the Plenary Council of the Province will be held on the same theme, during which all the proposals that emerged from the work of the local Chapters of all the friaries in the area and from the regional meetings will be concretized.
Before each meeting, the Minister Provincial offered a brief summary of the reflections conducted so far, also recalling the letters and messages of the Minister General that encourage us to choose the priorities of life in presence and action.
Subsequently, the Secretary of the Province presented the reflections and proposals that emerged from the reports received from the local Chapters.
Finally, the floor was passed to Br. Konrad, who first conveyed the greetings of the Minister General to the friars, and then encouraged dialogue starting from the Gospel passage that tells of a man intent on building a tower (Lk 14:28) and a king preparing for war (Lk 14:31): both calculate their own forces and evaluate whether they are able to complete the projects undertaken. In this way, the Definitor General encouraged the friars to be wise people, who do not look only at the past, but who, by observing the past, evaluate the reality of the present and also look to the future.
Those present then wondered about what skills they have to realize the Franciscan charism in today's Croatia. Fr. Konrad emphasized that there will not be answers to all the questions that the look at the future suggests, but that this does not mean that we are not responsible for that future. For this reason, he urged the friars to think positively, to choose the priorities of life, to nourish hope, but also to have the courage to cut what can no longer be sustained, to improve the life and action of the friars elsewhere.
In the discussion, the friars expressed their questions and reflections raised by the ongoing process of restructuring the Province.
In his conclusion, the Definitor General highlighted how the lack of the necessary forces to maintain all the current presences is already evident, emphasizing the importance of taking responsibility for decisions now, without postponing to the future. If that happens, said Br. Konrad, in ten years someone else will have to make much more radical decisions – and he cited some of the Order's provinces that are already facing similar difficulties. He then encouraged the friars not to adapt their forces to the structures, but to modify the structures according to their strengths, so that it is clear that the priority is life in fraternity and common action in the apostolate and pastoral care.
On the occasion of the meeting in Zagreb, a session of the Provincial Definitory was also held at which were present, in addition to Br. Konrad, Br. Domagoj Runje, Delegate of the Minister General for the process of restructuring the Provinces based in Zadar and Zagreb in Croatia, and Br. Tomislav Šanko, Minister Provincial of the Province of St. Jerome in Dalmatia and Istria.
