On November 27-29, 2023, the Provincial Custody of St. Francis of Assisi in Colombia celebrated an Extraordinary Chapter midway through its current four-year mandate. The Chapter took place at the San Antonio de Padua Friary in Bogotá, Colombia.
Those participating in the Chapter included the Minister Provincial of the Mother Province of Our Lady of Montserrat in Spain, Friar Juan Antonio ADÁNEZ SILVÁN; the Provincial Custos of Colombia, Friar Sidifredo de la Cruz CHAPARRO GUALDRÓN; his Provincial Secretary, Friar Roberto LLORENTE PIZARRO, and most of the solemnly professed friars of the Jurisdiction.
Several topics were covered. One was the revision and approval of the Custodial Statutes. This was the work of several friars on behalf of the Custody. The preliminary work was done by a commission in charge of drafting the proposed Statutes. The Custodial government made some corrections. The Statutes were discussed and approved by the present Chapter. They are the expression of the friars’ earnest desire to continue making the charism present in all their presences in Colombia. During the Chapter, the Capitulars also evaluated the journey the Custody had made midway through the current mandate, considering different realities that invited us to continue to look positively at the future and to build together as brothers.
The Chapter concluded in a very significant way with a closing Mass that commemorated all the saints of the Franciscan Family and recalled the 800th anniversary of the approval of the Later Rule. During the Mass, all the solemnly professed friars renewed their religious profession. They committed themselves to God, with fidelity and dedication, as members of the fraternity founded on the charism that was bequeathed to us.
Friar David TABARES VÉLEZ
