During the month of January, the brothers of the Franciscan Province of the Most Holy Trinity of Chile experienced a strong and privileged time of missions marked by the encounter with families, the celebration of life and shared faith, the revival and renewal of the evangelising commitment of the Christian communities, urban, rural and island.
Mission in Angol
From the 4th to 11th January, the friars in initial formation together with their Master of Temporary Professed, Br. Luis Cisternas, OFM, lived a very enriching and challenging missionary experience, in a context of urban communities, corresponding to the Franciscan Parish "St Bonaventure", a historical presence of the Franciscan Brothers, in the Diocese of Temuco. Local church visited by two Popes: John Paul II in 1987 and Pope Francis in 2018.
The friars placed themselves in urban realities, encountering families and the diversity of social, cultural and religious situations that the new urban planning processes imply and that challenge the missionary and pastoral attention of the parish service.
The rural communities of Vegas Blancas and Los Mellicos were missioned by young people from JUFRA – Chile, from the fraternities "Semilla de Asís" (Coronel) and "Renacer Franciscano" (Mulchén), in the company of the National Spiritual Assistant, Br. Ronald Villalobos, OFM.
The high temperatures of the summer and the high relief of the Nahuelbuta Mountain Range were not an impediment for the missionaries to visit the families with simplicity and Franciscan joy.
Mission in Chiloé
From the 7th to 14th January, friars and lay people, in the spirit of a fruitful shared mission, lived an intense time of missionary work on two islands of the Chiloé Archipelago: Quehui and Chelín, in the southern part of Chilean territory, the last stronghold of the Spanish colonisation annexed to Chilean territory 200 years ago.
This island mission is part of a three-year project (2024-2026) to accompany island communities, train catechists and lay leaders, such as the so-called fiscal officers; and likewise, visits to families, the elderly and the sick; strengthening of liturgical and sacramental life; support for young people and children in their process of maturing their faith.
This pastoral and missionary mission of the Franciscan Fraternity of Castro-Chiloé is the southernmost presence of Chile and of the Order; an uninterrupted presence of 468 years. The first Franciscan friars arrived in these island lands in 1558, and the mission continues with commitment and dedication.
Br. Luis Alberto Nahuelanca, OFM
