The annual meeting of the Franciscan Partners took place in Waterford, Wisconsin (USA), on 27 and 28 June 2023. The organization looked at the meeting of the Development Office of the General Curia OFM with three non-profit organizations dedicated to fundraising: General Secretariat of Franciscan Missions (GSFM) of Waterford, Franziskaner Helfen of Bonn (Germany) and the OFM Fraternitas Foundation of Rome (Italy).
The meeting was attended by Br. Andrew Brophy and Br. Gil Noriega, respectively director and responsible for the GSFM-Waterford projects; David Rauch and Ansgar Danath, director and project manager of Franziskaner Helfen; Br. Matthias Maier, president of Franziskaner Helfen of Bonn; Br. Konrad Cholewa, Definitor General; Br. Nikola Kozina and Br. Baptist De'Souza, director and vice-director of the Development Office of the General Curia; Br. Franco Mirri and Gennaro Marsiglia, director and project manager of the OFM Fraternitas Foundation.
This annual meeting is the result of a continuous informal collaboration throughout the year through the exchange of information on ongoing projects, in relation to funds, the history of the various activities, and verification. The agenda for this Waterford meeting included: coordination for emergency projects; verification of the implementation of projects in the various territories of the Order; in-depth analysis of some support programmes, in particular those concerning initial training and the protection of minors; the development of an integrated digital system to measure the impact of aid in the various entities of the Order.
The various categories of projects underway concern initial formation, scholarships, construction, social and pastoral activities. In 2022, the projects supported by the Partners were more than 500 in over 50 countries around the world. The support of many projects and many activities of the friars in mission and in formation has been made possible thanks to the work of many friars and lay people involved in the fundraising service, but above all thanks to the precious generosity of many benefactors who in various parts of the world love the Franciscan charism and support it with continuous donations.
The next meeting will take place in Rome on 12-14 June 2024.
