For the first time in two and a half years, the friars of the “Rioplatense” Province of St. Anthony of Padua in Argentina-Uruguay met together in person to celebrate a four-day Provincial Assembly (May 16-19, 2022), at the Colegio Máximo de San José [Maximum College of St. Joseph] in San Miguel, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The Assembly included time for celebration, formation, discernment and planning and was particularly focused on Provincial restructuring. To this end, the friars conducted an Extraordinary Provincial Chapter session, during which they decided to close the Nuestra Señora de Luján Friary in El Bolsón, Río Negro, Argentina. The Definitory was then authorized to begin the process of suppressing the friary, which, as always, included consultation with the Guardians of other friaries.
The Assembly was led by the Minister Provincial, Friar Javier A. FONTANA. The Assistant General for the Federación América Latina Conventuales (FALC) Friar Rogério PEREIRA XAVIER was also present and was of great help to the community during its discernment.
Friar Martín P. BITZER, Provincial Secretary