On Monday, September 7, 2020, a joint session of the Provincial Definitories of the Province of St. Bernardine and St. Angelo in Italy (Abruzzo) and the Province of St. Nicholas and St. Angelo in Italy (Puglia) took place at the San Francesco Center of Spirituality and Sociality in Bari, Italy.
This was the second of two joint sessions; the first was held January 27, 2020, in Pescara, Italy. These meetings were scheduled in view of the upcoming unification of the two Jurisdictions. Their unification was sanctioned by Motion No. 15 of the 2019 General Chapter. The event will take place in 2024.
The Minister General, Friar Carlos TROVARELLI and the Assistant General for the Federazione Inter-mediterranea Ministri Provinciali (FIMP), Friar Giovanni VOLTAN, attended this second meeting, as they had the first. This meeting was particularly focused on a systematic and detailed presentation of the numerical strength of the two current Provinces. It also examined the composition and main activities of the existing communities and considered various options for their further development.
Just prior to the joint session, on the afternoon of Saturday, September 5, 2020, the Minister General blessed the oratory and other areas of the adjacent Mater Ecclesiae Friary, which is the Provincial Curia of the Province of Puglia. The friary also serves as the Franciscan Youth Center of Puglia and Provincial Vocations Guest House. It has recently had some extraordinary interior renovation work done.
Later on Saturday, Friars Carlos and Giovanni visited the Basilica of San Nicola, where they were greeted by the local Dominican fraternity. On Sunday morning, they went to the shrines of Santa Maria della Grottella and San Giuseppe da Copertino, in Copertino, Italy. Later on Sunday, they took part in a session which only included the Provincial Definitory of Puglia.
The next joint session is scheduled for December 14, 2020, in Lucera, Italy.
Friar Massimo Antonio RUGGIERO
