“Don’t let your dreams die. Don’t let this space for continuing formation end. The initiatives of the retreat in this meeting are very welcome and I am happy that they are happening. These are living spaces. We speak of our sorrow, our anxiety, our hopes.” With this intervention, the Minister Provincial of the Province of the Immaculate Conception of Brazil, Br Paulo Roberto Pereira, motivated the brothers participating in the Under Ten meeting, aimed at those who have up to 10 years of profession of religious vows in the Order: they are those who have recently completed Initial Formation and are already engaged on the front lines of evangelization in the province.
The activities took place in the Convent of St Bonaventure, in the city of Campo Largo (PR), on March 14 and 15.
In view of/ahead of the 2024 provincial chapter, “we want to prepare a text based on our experience of fraternal life and of service on the fronts of evangelization, with the objective of contributing to the reflections of our province”, affirmed Br Junior Mendes, coordinator of the brothers Under Ten. “We need to share our anxieties, challenges, dreams, joys, hopes, in sum to share what pertains to us as friars minor”, he added.
“It is normal that the young provoke institutions more, above all because they carry vigor and creativity. Many expect that young brothers, when they arrive in the fraternities, to join in the work. Soon they are tasked with activities, including those which no one wants to do. But the young brother, when he arrives in a fraternity, is not just an extra person for the job, but a necessary brother”, Br Paulo highlighted.
“Bound by love, pilgrims of hope” is the motto of this year’s provincial chapter. Motivated by this prospective, the brothers, in the presence of the Minister Provincial, were able to offer a contribution to the preparatory commission of the Provincial Chapter, which will be held in the month of November.
In the internal chapel of the Convent the brothers celebrated the Eucharist. Br Leandro Costa Santos, who presided at the celebration, reflected in his homily on the invitation that Jesus makes to every person. He emphasized, “We are invited to review our projects, our journey. Let there be clarity in our life, let there be the conviction to fulfill the will of God starting from the vocation that we intend to live.”
Br Augusto Luiz Gabriel
Prov. Immacolata Concezione – Brasile
From: www.franciscanos.org.br
