"The greatest joy of the three-week visit to East Africa was to see the growth of our Order and the living faith of so many Christian communities. Christians grow and are co-responsible for their community life." These are the words of Br Massimo Fusarelli, Minister General, at the conclusion of the visit to the Province of St. Francis of Assisi in East Africa, which took place from the 2nd to the 16th June 2023. "The celebrations are filled with a joy that is not only exterior and noisy, but is profound and is also seen in the various services and commitments that arise in these vibrant Christian communities," he added.
Before his return to Rome, the Minister wanted to share 4 challenges for the Franciscan presence in East Africa.
"The first challenge we have as Friars Minor is certainly that of an exponential growth of the Order, in this part of the world, which requires adequate means, formators and structures; and sometimes it's hard to keep up with that."
The Minister continued: "Another challenge concerns the inculturation of the charism of St. Francis in the various cultures, languages, mentalities present in Africa. We are in a part of the African continent where some countries have had a recent tormented and difficult history, between violence, wars and ethnic conflicts".
The third challenge concerns the so-called "diversified mission": "It is necessary to have a diversified Franciscan presence and mission. Here I found friars who are opening up, for example, to the educational mission in schools and in some places to welcome and to lead spiritual animation. Here, we cannot think only of parish ministry".
Finally, Br Massimo spoke of the challenge of freedom: the ever greater freedom, for brothers, from conditioning and bonds that can also prevent a missionary spirit, within this Province, distributed over many states, and elsewhere in the world.
The Minister concluded his sharing by thanking "the Lord and the brothers I met, the Poor Clares, who live the same reality of growth; There is a need to inculturate the charism, but also many prospects for the future. All this is sustainable because there are vocations, there is the joy of growing and also looking to the future".
The Minister Provincial, Br Frederick Odhiambo, who accompanied Br Massimo during the visit, shared his joy: "Also together with Br Victor Luís Quematcha, Definitor General, we visited the small missions that were not expecting the arrival of the Minister General, and so in this way encountered a real image of our Province".
The first stage of the visit was held in Nairobi, Kenya, seat of the Provincial Curia of the Province of St. Francis, on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of its creation. Subsequently, the Minister visited Malawi, Zambia, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi and, finally, Tanzania. In addition to the friars, the Minister met the Poor Clares, the Franciscan Family, the local bishops, and visited the social works of the Province.
The Province of St. Francis of Assisi of East Africa, founded in 1983, to-day has 131 friars distributed in 9 countries. The friars dedicate themselves to pastoral service, education, spiritual assistance to the Poor Clares and the Secular Franciscan Order.
Read all the news about the visit:
https://ofm.org/en/40-years-of-franciscan-presence-in-east-africa.html
https://ofm.org/en/40-years-of-project-africa-internationality-and-fraternity.html
