The Ministry of Reflection of the Federación América Latina Conventuales (MiReFALC) is a Conventual Franciscan initiative in Latin American which draws upon the Order’s rich intellectual tradition in order to offer an enlightening response to the needs and realities of the present day.
Since 2007, the purpose of MiReFALC has been to offer the friars of Latin America the results of its meetings through written texts. These texts reflect more than the individual thoughts of the group members, they also reveal their discussions, which provided corrections and gave them incentive to achieve a new and more complete vision of reality. The results of these meetings were condensed into several editions of Decires magazine, which was circulated in print and digital form until 2016.
On July 10-14, 2023, at the behest of the FALC Federation, a MiReFALC meeting was conducted in Buenos Aires, Argentina, at the headquarters of the “Rioplatense” Province of St. Anthony of Padua in Argentina-Uruguay. Those attending included Friar Marcos A. QUESADA NAVARRO (Costa Rica); Friar Jacek LISOWSKI (Peru), Friar Elio ROJAS (Argentina); Friar Rubén MARTÍNEZ HERNÁNDEZ (Mexico); Friar Arnaldo C. ROCHA (Brazil); Friar Jair del Cristo CONTRERAS LÁZARO (Colombia); and Friar Sidifredo de la Cruz CHAPARRO GUALDRÓN, President of the FALC Federation. The Assistant General for the FALC Federation, Friar Rogério PEREIRA XAVIER, participated online. On July 9, the Minister General, Friar Carlos A. TROVARELLI, briefly stopped by to greet the participants and make some suggestions about resuming the work of this ministry.
MiReFALC wants to continue to make a significant contribution to the Federation and the Order. After a four-year hiatus, the purpose of this meeting was to create a calendar of activities and define the approach and methodology that the MiReFALC members will use. The organizers want to provide the time and resources needed to foster profound and meaningful reflection. They will rely upon members of the FALC Federation who are trained in various fields of knowledge, and on some external guests, to make contributions that will enrich this ministry.
Finally, one should mention the fraternal hospitality of the “Rioplatense” Province as well as its Minister Provincial, Friar Javier A. FONTANA, and all of the friars who made this meeting possible.
Friar Sidifredo de la Cruz CHAPARRO GUALDRÓN
