On the 7th November, the Minister General, Br. Massimo Fusarelli, made a fraternal visit to St. Anthony's International College on the occasion of the beginning of the 2024-2025 academic year. This year 20 new friars joined the fraternity, for a total of 93 solemnly professed student friars of 33 nationalities, from 49 entities of the Order, who study in 13 different universities. Amongst the specialization courses they are following are, among others, Spiritual Theology, Canon Law, Sacred Scripture, Philosophy, Dogmatic Theology, Psychology.
The Rector Br. Angel Montoya and the Guardian of the fraternity, Br. Miljenko Šteko, are in charge of the animation and accompaniment of the students. This College helps the professional preparation of the friars, so that they can render a better service in formation or in the different missions and apostolates that the Order has in the world.
The meeting began with Vespers, followed by the Rector's words of welcome. Subsequently, Br. Massimo presented Br. Hieronimus Yoseph Dei Rupa, as his delegate to accompany this fraternity. Br. Hieronimus urged the students to do their best in their studies, without neglecting the fraternal life and prayer to which all Friars Minor are called.
In his speech, the Minister General gave a brief historical summary of the foundation of the College of St. Anthony, recalling that it was founded in the nineteenth century by Br. Bernardino del Vagol, Minister General of that time, who from its origins structured the College as a place of formation and professionalization of the friars, but also as a meeting point and union of the friars from the different Provinces. Br. Massimo added that today the College still carries out this function of creating bonds of fraternity and collaboration between the friars of the different Provinces.
This was followed by a dialogue between the students and the Minister General through a group dynamic, in which the students were able to share their expectations and reflect on the richness and challenges of living in this fraternity. Interculturality, fraternal relations, interprovinciality, responsibility, animation of small fraternities were some of the themes highlighted by the students. At the end, Br. Massimo urged the students to take care of fraternal life and to study not only to memorize the contents, but to awaken in them a critical sense of reality.
