Visit to the Province of the Assumption of the BVM, Brazil

Br. Michael A. Perry visited the Province of the Assumption of the BVM (Brazil) from February 25th to March 2nd. He was accompanied by Br. Valmir Ramos, General Definitor for the region. At the beginning of the visit, the Province welcomed the Minister General in Teresina, where the local Archbishop Jacinto Furtado de Brito presided at a celebration attended by the friars of the Province, Capuchin friars, the Franciscan family, and many faithful. Br. Michael gave an address encouraging fidelity to Christ, the Gospel, and the Franciscan charism. While in Teresina, Br. Michael met with the Provincial Definitory, listened to their hopes and fears, and shared something of the state of the Order. He also had an encounter with the friars in Initial Formation, listening to them and reflecting with them on a rapidly changing world with which we need to be engaged in order to better live out our charism. On March 1st, he met all the friars of the Province in a dialogue session. Taking a passage from Mark 1:9-18 as his starting point, he highlighted Jesus’ experience as the Beloved, an experience that can also be ours. He also spoke of our personal encounter with the Lord; of being able to see our brother as a Sacrament of God’s presence; and of the need to have a Franciscan ecclesiology in accordance with the documents Evangelii Gaudium and Laudato si’. Br. Michael also visited a project founded in 1995 that cares for women and girls who are victims of sexual exploitation and abuse. Another highlight was a celebration of the Province’s 65th anniversary during which Br. Carlos Magno de Souza Santos, OFM was ordained to the priesthood. [gallery type="rectangular" link="file" ids="17902,17903,17904,17905"]