EAC Ministers’ Meeting in Cebu

The Provincial Ministers, Custodes, President and Secretaries of the East Asian Conference (EAC) gathered for their Annual Meeting in Cebu City, Philippines on 5-8 September 2016 with this year’s theme, “Moving to the Peripheries as Brothers and Lesser Ones.”  The Minister General, Br. Michael Anthony Perry, in his message delivered by General Definitor Br. Lino Gregorio Redoblado, renewed his invitation for more friars to volunteer as missionaries to fourteen mission areas under the General Curia. About 60 friars are needed to volunteer to these new mission fields. He said that what is needed are “men of deep faith who are committed to living in fraternity and sharing life and mission together, men who are flexible, capable of learning new languages, willing to collaborate with fellow friars and also with the people of God, and open to learning and sharing new cultural and life experiences.”  Perry also encouraged the EAC Ministers “to reflect on the role of the lay brother in the Order and problems with our vocation promotion and also initial formation programs that all to readily appear to promote and prepare only future Franciscan priests.” He laments that there continue to appear a type of “subtle clericalism in the Order, acting as if the only true vocation to Franciscan life is that of a priest, for the pastoral work of the Church.”  In response to this, the EAC Ministers will organize an EAC Meeting of Lay Brothers to be held in South Korea in March next year.     The Provincial Ministers also gave their sharing on how the Order’s 2016 Animation Guidelines on the Jubilee Year of Mercy and 8th Centenary of Portiuncula Indulgence was realized in their respective entities.  They also discussed their proposals for a collaborative animation of the 2017 Animation Guideline on Justice, Peace and Integrity of Creation and Laudato Si in the conference level.  Also present at the meeting was the General Treasurer, Br. John Puodziunas, who gave a four-part report on the Franciscan Management of Finances and an over-all picture of the current financial status of the General Curia.   The following friars were present at the meeting: Lino Gregorio Redoblado, OFM (Definitor General); Carolo Ho Myeong Hwan, OFM (EAC President, South Korea Provincial); Ignatius Nguyen Duy Lam, OFM (EAC Vice President, Vietnam Provincial); Paul Miki Murakami, OFM (Japan Provincial); Claudio Pegoraro, OFM (Taiwan-Hongkong Provincial); Cielito Almazan, OFM (Philippine Provincial); Arturo Daquilanea, OFM (South Philippines Custos); Gabriel Gao, OFM (China Custos); William Ng, OFM (China Project/ Desk Coordinator); Basil Heo Jeong Min, OFM (Myanmar Foundation President); Irineo Tactac III, OFM (EAC Secretary for Formation and Studies); Napoly Pasion, OFM (EAC Secretary for Missions and Evangelization); Louis Kim Jong Hwa, OFM (EAC JPIC Animator) and Dexter Toledo, OFM (EAC Secretary).  [gallery link="file" ids="11425,11424,11423"]