On Saturday, March 9, 2019, four friars from the San Giacomo friary in Rome celebrated their 50th anniversary of priesthood at the nearby parish of Santa Dorotea. All four belong to the Italian Province of St. Francis of Assisi (Central Italy).
It was a historic event for the community to have four Conventual Franciscans celebrating their 50th Jubilee together. The four friars carried out a number of pastoral activities in various capacities. Friar Vittorio TRANI (Central Italy) is an ex Provincial of the former Province of Rome and served as the chaplain of Rome’s Regina Coeli Prison for forty-two years. Friar Umberto FANFARILLO (Central Italy) is the Pastor at the Conventual Franciscan parish of Santa Dorotea, in Rome. Friar Paolo FIASCONARO (originally from the Province of St. Agatha and St. Lucy in Italy – Sicily) served for eighteen years as the Secretary of the Federazione Inter-mediterranea Ministri Provinciali (FIMP) and is the current Director of the Franciscan Missionary Center Non-Profit Organization in Rome. Finally, Friar Amedeo FERRARI (originally from the Italian Province of St. Anthony of Padua – Northern Italy) was for several years the Spiritual Assistant of the Focolare Movement.
The Mass was presided over by the Minister Provincial of Central Italy, Friar Franco BUONAMANO. At the beginning of the liturgy, the Guardian of the San Giacomo friary, Friar Renzo DEGNI, highlighted some characteristics of the life and ministry of the four friars during their fifty years of service to the Church and to the Order.
Others attending included the Secretary General, Friar Vincenzo MARCOLI; the Assistant General for the FIMP Federation, Friar Joaquín AGESTA CUEVAS, the Procurator General, Friar Maurizio DI PAOLO, some thirty more confreres from the General Houses in Rome and various communities in the Province of Central Italy. They were joined by some clerical students who led hymns. Also present were the relatives and friends of the four jubilarians and many faithful from the parish of Santa Dorotea.
At the end of the ceremony, the participants were invited to the refectory in the San Giacomo friary where the four friars thanked them with refreshments featuring typical specialties from the jubilarians’ home regions.
Friar Paolo Fiasconaro, Chronicler for the San Giacomo friary
