Today is Monday, December 2, 2024. Exactly six months from now, it will be June 2, 2025, and it will also be a Monday. This will mean that – si Dios quiere y La Virgen permite, as they say in Paraguay – we will already be immersed in the second day of the 203rd Ordinary General Chapter. Alleluia!

In the last few months, we have learned some new names among the participants. Following the Provincial Chapters in Zambia, Japan and South Korea, we know that Friar Mathews KASONGO, the Minister Provincial of the Province of the Franciscan Protomartyrs in Zambia, will be participating, as will Friar John LESA, the Delegate of the same Province. Friar Luca TANIZAKI, the Minister Provincial of the Province of the Immaculate Conception of the B.V.M. in Japan and Friar Benedetto Seung-jae BAEK, the Minister Provincial of the Province of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe in South Korea will also be participating.
We are still awaiting the Chapters of the Provincial Custody of the Holy Cross in Ukraine, the General Custody of the Sacred Convent of St. Francis in Italy (Assisi), the Italian Province of St. Anthony of Padua (Northern Italy), the Province of the Seraphic Father St. Francis in Italy (Naples), the Italian Province of St. Francis of Assisi (Central Italy), the Italian Province of the Immaculate Conception (Sicily-Calabria) and the first Chapter of the Italian Province of St. Joseph of Cupertino (Abruzzo-Molise–Puglia).
The names of the Ministers Provincial and Delegates of the largest Italian Provinces [Northern and Central] will be determined by March 21, 2025, by which time the first parts of all the above Chapters should be concluded. Therefore, the list of participants in the General Chapter will be complete before Easter.
As soon as we know the names of all the Capitulars, we will send out the Instrumentum laboris of the General Chapter as well as the reports. As you can imagine, we are not idle; preparation for the Chapter is already underway. This week, for example, the Directory for the Celebration of the 203rd Ordinary General Chapter will be hitting the desks at the General Curia.
In six months, we will already be at point 102 of the Directory. Also, on June 2, 2025, Friar Štefan KOŽUH, OFM Cap., a former Vicar General of his Order, will be leading us on a beautiful spiritual retreat.

Obviously, si Dios quiere y La Virgen permite.

Friar Tomasz SZYMCZAK
Secretary General