The General Secretariat for Missions and Evangelization (SGME) and the General Office for Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation (JPIC) of the Order of Friars Minor wanted to get closer to the different Franciscan presences in some countries of the Asian
continent: Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Malaysia and Singapore, to animate the mission of the brothers who, in different contexts, they seek to bear witness with their lives "in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Kings 1:2) "to fill the earth with the Gospel of Christ" (1 Cel 97).
Arriving in Singapore on 17th February, 2025, the friars of the formation house "Fraternity of Greccio" of the Autonomous Custody of St. Anthony (Malaysia-Singapore-Brunei) welcomed Br. Francisco Gómez Vargas, Br. Dennis Tayo (SGME), Br. Daniel N. Rodriguez Blanco and Br. Taucen H. Girsang (JPIC) with fraternal affection. The formation fraternity, in addition to accompanying the brothers in formation, also has the task of spiritually accompanying the community in prison pastoral care, in the service of assistance to migrants and the deaf and dumb, in pastoral counseling, in the care of social services.
The following day, visitors attended the meeting of the South Asia, Australia and Oceania Conference (SAAOC), where the Mission Secretariat and the JPIC Office were able to share the progress made and the projects to be carried out in the current year with the Provincial Ministers, Custodes and Foundation Presidents of the Conference.
The challenge remains that of continuing to animate missionary evangelization in each entity starting from the social reality, in the commitment to justice, peace and care for creation for a witness of evangelization starting from the charismatic identity.
We thank God and every friar for the intercultural experience we have had and for the fraternity we have shared: even if in many places we hear trumpets of war, we are still full of hope in the kingdom of God that continues to spread. We felt and lived it in this closeness to the different experiences of missionary evangelization that the friars and Sisters bear witness to with great commitment.
Br. Francisco Gómez Vargas, SGME Secretary
