The Minister General visits the Provinces of the Southern Cone

From April 17 to May 1, Br. Michael Anthony Perry, Minister General, accompanied by the Definitor General Br. Ignacio Ceja visited the Provinces that make up the Conference of the Southern Cone in Latin America The visit to the Province of the Assumption in Argentina and Paraguay was made through three regional meetings: one in Paraguay and two in Argentina. The meeting with the brothers of the Province of San Francisco Solano took place in the city of Salta, Argentina. Finally, the meeting with the brothers of the Province of the Holy Trinity in Chile took place in the Convent of San Francisco in Santiago. Br. Michael participated with the brothers in prayer, in the celebration of the Eucharist and listened to them speak about their places of life and service, their concerns about the Order, about the present and the future of their Entities. He himself shared his vision about the situation of our present world, about the Order's walk, about the lights, hopes and challenges that he perceives in the Provinces he visited. He asked the brothers to be attentive to the changing circumstances of our world and to be true brothers and minors in the world today. He exhorted them to return always to the source of life, the Lord Jesus, through a greater dedication to personal and fraternal prayer. To initiate processes of renewal through the elaboration of fraternal projects of life and mission, involving the commitment of each brother, each local fraternity and the entire provincial fraternity. He spoke of the necessary resizing of provincial structures, always attentive to the quality of our life and mission. He shared his vision about some situations that our Order is experiencing and some challenges the Order faces, as well as some reflections on what he called "My dreams for the Order". During his visit Br. Michael also encountered the brothers in initial formation, the brothers in their first ten years of solemn profession, the elderly and sick brothers, and  the Definitory of each of the Provinces. In several places, he was able to greet the Poor Clares, the brothers and sisters of the Secular Franciscan Order, and other members of the Franciscan Family. [gallery type="rectangular" link="file" ids="15661,15660,15659,15634,15633,15635,15636,15637,15639,15638"]