First Congress of the Lay Brothers of the Conference of the Southern Cone and Brazil

With a fraternal welcome from Br. Paulo Roberto Pereira, Minister Provincial of the Province of the Immaculate Conception of Brazil, the friars of this Province and the Organizing Committee of the Congress, thirty Lay Brothers of the Entities (Provinces and Custody) of the Order of Friars Minor, who make up the Conference of the Southern Cone and Brazil (composed of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile), participated in the First Congress of the OFM Lay Brothers.

The theme of the Congress, “Renewing and rethinking our vocation as Lay Brothers, inserting ourselves into the reality of our Conference and embracing our future, dreaming of building bonds of fraternity with today’s minors”, and the motto “Convoking everyone, without exception, of the Brothers Minor... and wash one another’s feet” (RnB VI, 3 – 4), guided the reflection on the identity of the Lay Brother, synodality, the different ecclesial realities, as well as directing the steps of the Brothers in concreteness, in activities in the different realities carried out by SEFRAS – Franciscan Solidarity Service – developed by the Province of the Immaculate to serve the poor, the suffering and the vulnerable.

The Congress began on the 5th November and will continue until the 11th November, with the rich bilingual Portuguese/Spanish experience for communal living, studies, prayer and work practices.

With the assistance of Br. Vanildo Luiz Zugno, OFM Cap, Master in Theology, the Brothers deepened their spirituality, identity and what it means to be a Brother in the different realities of each OFM Province/Custody.

“Renewing our vision for a new world that is being born” and “embracing the future as a sign of tenderness”, as Br. Fernando Ferrario recalled at the opening of the Congress, cultivating the synodal spirit of communion, participation and mission, renewing creativity and ecclesial mentality where there is reality and the possibility that “all without exception are Brothers”, they were formative moments that recall the space, the baptismal dignity and the consecration with the vows of the Lay Brother active and participating in the life of the ecclesial community, in the Church, in the Consecrated Religious Life alongside the clergy, without clericalism or divisions.

During these days of formation, an analysis was made of the situation regarding the decline in the number of consecrated religious life, the reduction of vocations, the changes in the social and ecclesial scenario of the Church, for example, the formation of the family and young people, the “changes of the time” (a world that is going through very rapid transformations), and the “time of change” (new forms of society that are advancing very rapidly, new family structures), colliding with the return to the past: conservatism. This axis of socio-ecclesial analysis requires from the Consecrated Person responses with creativity, serenity, mysticism and evangelical depth inspired by St. Francis of Assisi in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.

The First Congress of the Lay Brothers of the Conference of the Southern Cone and Brazil has been planned for some time, since it is a request of the General Chapter of the Order of Friars Minor of 2021, of the Minister General, Br. Massimo Fusarelli OFM, with his Definitory, so that it could be carried out.

It is interesting to note that the Meeting of the Lay Brothers of the Provinces and Custodies took place with the aim of reflecting on the vocational journey, formation, identity and consecration of the Lay Brother.

Br. Ronildo Arruda, OFM