On March 10-15, 2025, the friars of the Provincial Delegation in Chile conducted their annual spiritual retreat at the Nuestra Senora de Quilvo, Monastery of the Trappist Sisters in Quilvo, Chile. The retreat was led by His Eminence Cardinal Celestino AÓS BRACO, OFM Cap., former Archbishop of Santiago de Chile.
In addition to the friars of the Delegation, other participants included: Yoel Daniel BAJINAY, a postulant from the Rioplatense Province of St. Anthony of Padua in Argentina-Uruguay, and Friar Alberto LACOVARA from the Italian Province of St. Anthony of Padua (Northern Italy) who will remain in the Delegation in Chile until mid-2025.
During the retreat, the cardinal invited the friars to reflect on hope, following the motto of the 2025 Jubilee Year: Pilgrims of Hope. He emphasized that despite suffering, failures, abuse, discord and lack of self-esteem, we must know how to find hope in Jesus, in St. Francis, in the Church, in the Order/fraternity, as well as in ourselves and in Mary, our Mother and the Mother of Hope. He emphasized that no one is perfect, only God, and that we must always fix our gaze on Him. He posed two key questions for reflection: “What do I expect from Jesus, from St. Francis, from the Church, from the Order/fraternity, from myself, and from Mary? Moreover, what do Jesus, St. Francis, the Church, the Order/fraternity and Mary expect from me?” He emphasized that the retreat is an opportunity to enhance the positive aspects, qualities and potential of each person and situation. In order to keep hope alive, the preacher himself emphasized the importance of two fundamental aspects in daily life: prayer and fraternal dialogue. He explained that prayer helps one move from worldly matters to the spirit of the Gospel, focusing on the teachings of Jesus and transforming one’s heart. A community that does not pray is not a religious community, but only a group of collaborators or friends. During Mass, we ask for unity, peace and fraternal dialogue and this helps us to strengthen unity among ourselves. Without dialogue, we risk moving away from fraternity and, the more we move away from fraternity, the more we move away from God and vice versa.
On Friday, March 14, after Evening Prayer, the friars shared their “Personal Life Plan.” It is more than some simple habit within the Delegation, it is an expression of the commitment of each friar to his own personal growth, which, in turn, will help his growth in the fraternity and in the Delegation.
On the last day, March 15, the Delegation held its first meeting of the year. During the meeting, guidelines for the work of the Delegation in 2025 were shared and reports were provided on the first part of the Ordinary Chapter of the Mother Province of St. Anthony of Padua (Northern Italy), which was celebrated last February. The friars also discussed financial matters and other topics such as the formation of postulants, the meeting of the Federation, the evaluation of the activities of youth and vocation ministry, and the summer mission.
This retreat was more than an opportunity for spiritual renewal, it was also a time for reflection, which allowed the friars to renew their hope, in keeping with the 30th anniversary of the Delegation in Chile.
Friar Jack GINTING
