From August 1–9, 2026, I, Friar Bernardino HOSPITAL POSADA, Secretary General for Formation, made a fraternal visit to the Provincial Custody of St. Francis of Assisi in Colombia, where I focused particularly on initial and continuing formation.
Following my visit to the Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico and my meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with the heads of formation of the Federación América Latina Conventuales (FALC), I made a fraternal visit to the Provincial Custody of St. Francis of Assisi in Colombia, a daughter Jurisdiction of the Province of Our Lady of Montserrat in Spain. Together with the Custos of Colombia, Friar Sidifredo de la Cruz CHAPARRO GUALDRÓN, who currently also serves as President of the FALC Federation, we agreed on an itinerary for the visit, with the aim of gaining a better understanding of the state of formation in this Jurisdiction.
There is an advertisement at El Dorado Airport, the modern international airport serving the capital, Bogotá, that proclaims Colombia to be “the country of beauty.” That was precisely my experience, particularly within the Custody, to which I would add: “and of fraternity.”
The Custody consists of twenty-six solemnly professed friars, one of whom is serving as a confessor at the Apostolic Penitentiary in the Vatican. The Custody has six communities. During my visit, I visited the Custody’s two friaries in Bogotá: the San Antonio de Padua formation house, which houses the postulancy and post-novitiate programs, and the Inmaculada Concepción Friary, known as “La Cuarenta y Cinco,” near the airport.
The Custody currently has seventeen friars in initial formation. Six are completing the postulancy program. One is a novice at the novitiate of the Province of Mexico in Totolapan. Six temporarily professed friars are studying philosophy and theology at the University of San Buenaventura in Bogotá, a university affiliated with the Pontifical University Antonianum in Rome. Two temporarily professed friars are carrying out their fraternal experience. Two others are completing their formation in the Province of Spain at the formation house in Madrid.
In my discussions with the formators and the coordinators of the Formation Commission—including the Director of Vocation Ministry—I observed a strong desire to strengthen and improve the formation program, particularly by adapting it to the new challenges that the Custody and, more broadly, the Order face today.
I met with the men in formation, including postulants and temporarily professed friars. Moreover, I observed the changing profile of those entering religious life. Some are already over twenty-five years old, and several have completed prior academic studies and have work experience. The Custody’s strong commitment to vocation ministry is particularly noteworthy, especially its use of social media. This work has received recognition even at the international ecclesial level.
The Commission for Initial and Continuing Formation meets regularly and follows a program tailored to the Custody’s current reality. Efforts are made to foster communication, dialogue, and participation, particularly through formation days at the local and Custodial levels. The Custody also benefits from the support of the friars of the Province of Spain, particularly for the Custody’s spiritual retreat, and from participation in the formation initiatives of the FALC Federation.
During my stay, Friars David de Jesús VELÁZQUEZ CARDONA and Cristian Josué DE LA CRUZ DE LA CRUZ were ordained to the diaconate on Saturday, August 8. My fraternal visit concluded that afternoon with a meeting with the Custos and his Definitory. During the meeting, we addressed several important aspects of initial and continuing formation.
Friar Bernardino HOSPITAL POSADA, Secretary General for Formation
