On October 24-29, 2022, a formation week took place at the Santo Antônio Common Novitiate of the Federación América Latina Conventuales (FALC), in Cascavel, Brazil. The event was led by Friar Elio J. ROJAS, a member of the “Rioplatense” Province of St. Anthony of Padua in Argentina-Uruguay. The theme of the formation week was, “The Origin of Temptation According to St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi and How to Overcome It.”
This very timely and stimulating theme helped the novices understand that Franciscan spirituality is not based on moralism or pietism.
Since the novitiate is comprised of novices from different places and Jurisdictions in Brazil and Venezuela, it is a useful place to learn how to live with people of different cultures. Moreover, this diversity enriches fraternal relationships. The novice learns that being a Conventual Franciscan friar means loving and living with brothers who are different from himself. He learns that we are united in the same ideal inherited from our father St. Francis of Assisi, preserved in his Rule, his writings, his hagiography, the Constitutions, the General Statutes and in other documents that were studied and reflected on during the canonical year. The novices take part in manual labor, prayer, sports and leisure time, while always fostering a fraternal and joyful atmosphere. The formation week that Friar Elio led inspired the novices to learn more about Conventual Franciscan spirituality.
We offer our sincere thanks to Friar Elio and we pray for the perseverance and vocational discernment of these young novices and all those in formation in the Order.
Friar André Luiz FERREIRA MACHADO, Novice Master
