Sao Paulo, 22 February 2023. With the Celebration of Ashes, the Minister General, Br Massimo Fusarelli, accompanied by the General Definitor for Latin America, Br César Külkamp, concluded their visit to the Franciscan entities of Brazil, Colombia and Peru.
The last stage of the visit was to the Custody of the Sacred Heart in Brazil between 18 and 21 February, where the Minister General met the friars in Bebedouro/SP, Olimpia/SP, the International Joint Novitiate in Catalão/GO and the friary of St Mary of the Angels in Franca/SP.
Br Fernando Aparecido dos Santos, OFM, Custos of the Custody of the Sacred Heart, shared the joy his fraternity experienced with the presence of the Minister General: "Blessed is he who has come in the name of the Lord. In analogy with this quotation, I want to highlight the presence of the Minister General during these four days that he has been with us. It was a significant moment that we welcomed as a gift from God as we celebrate the jubilee of the Custody, the 75th anniversary of the arrival of the friars, and the first missionaries in this interior region of São Paulo. The visit of the Minister is a great gift for us".
One of the most memorable moments of the Minister General's presence was his visit to the Joint International Novitiate on the St Bonaventure Farm in Catalão. In this novitiate, the Minister conversed with the novices, formators, and Ministers Provincial and Custodes of the entities in the area: the Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus of Brazil, the Franciscan Custody of the Seven Joys of Our Lady of Brazil, the Franciscan Custody of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Brazil, the Province of the Most Holy Trinity of Chile, and the Province of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin of the Rio de la Plata of Argentina and Paraguay.
"We had a fruitful and emotional meeting. The Minister shared his concern about all of us novices and the Order, emphasising his desire to see the Order become lighter in terms of structures," shared Br Lucas Souza of the Most Holy Name of Jesus.
For Br Rafael Meza, a novice of the Chilean Franciscan Province, the Minister General emphasised fraternal life: "It was a fruitful meeting that motivated us, as an Order, to have hope and fraternal life, stressing that what is important is not structures but fraternal and vocational life".
In addition to visiting the friars, the Minister General met with the Franciscan Family at the Shrine of Our Lady of Aparecida in Olympia. During the meeting and the Mass, the Minister reflected on communion in the work of the whole Franciscan Family, emphasising the terminology of "synodality" that Pope Francis uses in his reflections, stressing the importance of listening to everyone.
After the visit to the Custody, the Minister and Definitor went to São Paulo, where they celebrated Ash Wednesday, and then returned to Rome.
Special thanks to Br Alef Henrique Pavini, OFM, for the photographs
