Franciscan Studies Week 2024

The Week of Franciscan Studies, organised by the Missionary Province of St. Francis Solano of Peru and the Pontifical University Antonianum of Rome, was held from the 15th to the 18th of October in the Coliseum of the Private Educational Institution "San Antonio de Padua" in Jesús Maria - Lima - Peru.

This Franciscan Week had as its central theme the event of the Stigmatisation of our Father St. Francis, on the 800th anniversary of this extraordinary and important event in the life of the Friars Minor.

All the friars who belong to the great Franciscan family in Peru were present: religious, sisters, SFO brothers and teachers from our educational institutions, who enjoyed a few days of formation and fraternal encounter.

Bernardo Molina Parra, OFMCAP, professor at the Pontifical University Antonianum and other Franciscan Universities and Institutes, who gave us a didactic introduction to the importance of the stigmata of Francis in the life of the Church and their significance for Christian life.

Among the conferences received during these days, we can mention:

• From the Testimony to the Original Sources.
• The importance of the cross in the Christian experience of St Francis: the encounter with San Damiano.
• The Chartula of Assisi 1: From supplication to praise.
• The Chartula of Assisi 2: From the " You of God " to the " You of the brother "

Furthermore, once again we had the presence of Br Jorge Cajo Rodríguez who explained the historical context of the stigmata of St. Francis.

There were panelists who spoke about different approaches to the theme of suffering: Prof. Jean Luis Arana Alencastre (philosophical vision), Prof. Lila Castro Rojas (psychological vision) and Br Jorge Ñiquen Urquiza, OFM (theological vision).

We have also had brothers who gave their testimonies of suffering in their work: Sister Norma Alburquerque, FMN; Dr. César Fernández Quintana and Prof. Teófilo Ayala Espinoza.

Finally, perspectives for the future of Franciscan evangelisation were presented: Fr. Marco Huatay Flores, OFM; Br Jimmy Alvarado Sánchez, OFMCAP; Sister Dina Silvera Enriquez, FMNJ; and Sister Esther Yauri Inga, FIC.

Our Brother Minister Provincial, Br Marcos Saravia Orellana, OFM, gave the closing address, thanking the organisers, the speakers and above all the participants, and emphasising the need to strengthen the Franciscan Family in Peru.

Thanks be to the Almighty and Good God for allowing these spaces of Franciscan formation.

Br Jorge Ñiquen Urquiza, OFM
Provincial Secretary for the Missions and Evangelisation.