From the 1st to the 7th April, 2026, against the backdrop of Holy Week and Easter, Br. Massimo Fusarelli, Minister General, and Br. César Küllkamp, Definitor General, made a fraternal visit to the Province of the Holy Cross, in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais.
The Easter context gave the visit a particularly significant tone. In the communities of São João del Rei, Divinópolis and Betim, the Minister General presided over the celebrations of Holy Week, inserting himself into the every day life of the parishes and fraternities as a brother amongst brothers. The moments of prayer, sharing and meeting with the Christian communities and with the Franciscan nuns have marked these days with a presence that goes beyond a simple institutional visit.
On Easter Day, a meeting was held with the temporary professed and their formators, an opportunity for a serene and constructive evaluation of the formation process in progress. Afterwards, the meeting with the 11 postulants currently present in the Province represented a concrete sign of vitality and hope for the future of the Order in this land.
The meeting with the Definitory and the assembly with all the friars offered the Minister General the opportunity to share some reflections born from listening: gratitude for the dedication of the friars and for the missionary commitment in one of the largest states in Brazil, and at the same time some fidelities to be preserved and renewed, such as authentic fraternal life, the quality of relationships and communication between brothers, a bolder openness to the mission, the paths of reconciliation, as well as the fraternal economy and the future sustainability of the Province.
There was no shortage of meetings that further broadened the gaze: the visit to the Poor Sisters of St. Clare, the sharing with the educators and young students at the College of St. Anthony of Belo Horizonte and the knowledge of some social works, a sign of a fraternal presence that reaches not only the churches, but also the peripheries of life.
At the end, Br. Massimo brought back from this visit a deep gratitude: for the Easter context that gave flavor and depth to each meeting, for the warm and fraternal welcome received everywhere and for the possibility of a frank and constructive dialogue with the friars, with a look that was both honest and full of hope turned to the future of the Province and its mission in the heart of Brazil.
