“What we do is about more than taking action; it’s also about being. When we take action, it should be to give life to others. We share what bread we have and present a different way of existing and relating to the world, starting with our own littleness.”
With these words, our Minister General, Friar Carlos TROVARELLI, encouraged the participants of the course for Franciscan missionaries in Latin America during their closing Mass on Saturday, August 3, 2024.
During July and August of 2024, this group of friars, members of the Friars Minor, Friars Minor Conventual, Friars Minor Capuchin and the Third Order Regular, attended a training course for missionaries. It was held in the Triple Frontier area of the Amazon rainforest, where the borders of Brazil, Peru, and Colombia meet. The course was organized by the General Secretariats for Mission Animation of the Franciscan Family.
The course covered such topics as: critical moments in the history of evangelization in Latin America; as well as the biblical, ecclesial, and Franciscan foundations of mission and inculturation in the region. Additionally, there was a focus on interreligious and ecumenical dialogue, along with the exploration of new platforms for dialogue in Latin America.
During the final week, in an atmosphere of meditation and retreat, the participants gathered their abundant insights from this experience. They expressed profound gratitude to God for the opportunity to witness, as one family, the richness of fraternal encounter. They also embraced the shared challenge of revitalizing their mission, drawing strength from their charism, responding to the signs of the times, and fostering inter-obediential collaboration.
In addition to the valuable lectures offered during the course, the friars also took part in missionary experiences on the weekends. This allowed them to compare theory with real ecclesial and social experiences in the Amazon setting. The friars spent many hours on boats and canoes, visiting communities, discovering the faith present in local cultures, and experiencing the difficulties that affect those living on the rivers and in the cities of the region.
Several Conventual Franciscans participated in the course, namely, Friars Mariusz PRUSZAK, Julio César GONÇALVES COSTA and Erick G. MARÍN CARBALLO (leader). Friar Roberto TOMICHÁ CHARUPÁ served as a teacher on the course, while Friar Dariusz MAZUREK, the General Delegate for Mission Animation, helped organize the course and was present for the first two weeks. We are also grateful to our Minister General for his fraternal presence at the end of the course and for his support for these formation events.
As participants, we reaffirm our commitment to building upon this fraternal experience, expanding our current missionary efforts, and exploring new opportunities for service and mission in Latin America.
Friar Erick G. MARÍN CARBALLO
