At the San José de Tarata House of Spirituality (Cochabamba) in Bolivia, the Elective Chapter of the San Antonio Missionary Province of the Friars Minor was held, with the motto: "We praise the Creator as pilgrims of hope."
This motto included two events of great importance for the Church and for Franciscan spirituality in this year 2025: the Jubilee Year and the eighth centenary of the "Canticle of the Creatures" of St. Francis of Assisi.
The Chapter began with a pilgrimage to the Jubilee Church of St. Bartholomew in Arani, where the friars crossed the Holy Door and celebrated the Jubilee Mass. On the first day, and within the framework of the commemoration of the 800th anniversary of the "Canticle of the Creatures", the Bolivian Watercolor Dance Company presented a choreographic work inspired by this hymn of praise, highlighting the Franciscan values of universal brotherhood, respect for nature and celebration of cultural diversity.
The work of the Chapter was organized around a single path that defines and sustains our Franciscan life, expressed in three deeply intertwined dimensions: fraternal life, formation and evangelization-mission.
Fraternal life is the heart from which everything is born: to be brothers and sisters who share faith, prayer and mission, living in simplicity, acceptance and mutual care. This fraternity becomes the best proclamation of the Gospel and the first school of formation.
Formation is not understood as an isolated process, but as the continuous task of growing in humanity, spirituality and capacity for service, always in the fraternal dynamic. To be formed as a Franciscan means to learn to live as a brother, to listen to God's voice in reality and to prepare to serve with competence and joy.
From that root springs evangelization and mission, which is nothing other than sharing with the world the gift of being brothers and minors. The Franciscan mission is carried out in parishes, schools, media, shrines and social works, but always with the same spirit: to proclaim peace, reconciliation and care for creation, walking alongside the poor and marginalised.
In this way, the three themes are understood as a single project of evangelical life, where fraternity, formation and mission are not parallel paths, but the same experience that identifies the Friars Minor and gives meaning to their presence in Bolivia. Inspired by the letter of the Minister General, Fr. Massimo Fusarelli, and by the report of the Visitor General, Fr. Jorge Iván González Silva, the capitulars elaborated a community project for the coming years, faithful to the spirit of St. Francis and attentive to the signs of our times.
During the Chapter, the new Provincial Government was also elected:
In a spirit of gratitude and hope, the Franciscans of Bolivia reaffirmed their commitment to live and proclaim the Gospel with simplicity and joy, following the example of St. Francis of Assisi.
Enlightened by the spirit of the Chapter, the Brothers invite everyone – laity, young people, families, consecrated persons and priests – to weave together the bonds of a Church that listens, discerns and sets out. This shared journey seeks to make visible the dream of St. Francis and of the Church: a people of God united in faith, open to listening and community discernment.
In this journey, the Franciscan Brothers of the Province in Bolivia strongly reaffirm their option for the poor and marginalized, who occupy a privileged place at the heart of the Gospel and their mission. Following the poor and crucified Christ, they desire to be a close, supportive and committed presence where life cries out for justice, dignity and consolation.
In the same way, they respond to the urgent call to care for the Common Home, assuming with responsibility the ecological crisis that affects the planet. Inspired by the "Canticle of the Creatures", they desire to celebrate the whole of creation as a gift of God and commit themselves to protecting and safeguarding it as an essential part of their Franciscan vocation.
In this way, encouraged by the example of St. Francis, the brothers wish to continue to be witnesses of peace, builders of fraternity and humble servants in the midst of the Bolivian people.
Fr. Kasper Kapron, OFM
Secretary of the Chapter
