Each year, the Feast of St. Francis brings together many brothers and sisters of the Franciscan Family in Assisi.

The Ministers General come to Assisi as well, and usually take the opportunity to plan the working sessions of the Conference of Ministers General of the Franciscan First Order and TOR, and the Conference of the Franciscan Family as well.
The meeting of the Conference of the Franciscan Family took place on the morning of October 3, 2022, at Assisi’s Domus Laetitiae Center. The Ministers General met with the members of the International Board of Directors of Franciscans International and the members of the committee in charge of preparations for the Franciscan Centenary. They also discussed the topic of common initiatives for World Youth Day, which will take place in Lisbon next year.
At the end of the meeting, the Ministers General spoke about world peace and proposed a day of fasting and prayer as a common initiative for all the members of the Franciscan Family (see attachment).

Friar Tomasz SZYMCZAK, OFM Conv.
Conference Secretary

DOWNLOAD HERE: “Peace, Prayer and Fasting”

 

Conference
of the Franciscan Family

Dear Brothers and Sisters of the Franciscan Family,
May the Lord give you peace!

As we are gathered together in the city of St. Francis on the occasion of his feast, we send you our heartfelt request to stay attentive to the issue of peace at this very difficult time for humanity. We want to express our deeply felt concern for peace, especially in the light of the suffering that has already been inflicted upon so many, and the risk that nuclear weapons could be used.
The Lord gave St. Francis a proclamation to be addressed to all, “May the Lord give you peace!” It has become an essential element of our charism. We welcome the gift of peace through the conversion of hearts. We ourselves are called to be meek, peaceful, modest and humble men and women, without quarrels or rivalry. Let us therefore be witnesses to the peace we have received.
“Nothing is lost with peace. Everything may be lost with war. May men once more begin to understand one another. May they once more talk to each other. If they deal with one another in good faith and with respect for reciprocal rights, they will realize that an honorable outcome is never prejudiced by frank and effective negotiations.” In 1939, Pius XII addressed this cry to everyone on the eve of the outbreak of World War II. Now, his words are dramatically relevant again. “Never again war!” exclaimed St. Pope Paul VI during his address to the United Nations. St. Pope John Paul II called war “an adventure without return.” On September 25, 2015, Pope Francis addressed the Unitd Nations with an identical request: “No more war; war is the negation of all rights.”
Attentive to the signs of the times and these words from our charism and our pastoral leaders, we invite everyone to seriously and passionately take up the concern for peace, and to pray constantly for this precious gift.
Therefore, we ask that you join with the Franciscan Family in observing a special day of fasting and prayer on October 11, 2022. While with evil we see the mystery of immorality in action, we respond to it with penance and prayer, by promoting reconciliation and peace, and by raising awareness among ourselves and many others regarding this fundamental issue. In our formation and our preaching, in our various works and service projects, in proclamation and in daily life, may we promote peace and reconciliation with power and conviction.
Let us entrust this great and urgent prayer for peace to the Queen of Peace and to our humble and peaceful Saints Francis, Clare and Elizabeth. In closing, we offer you our best wishes and a fraternal embrace.

Assisi, October 4, 2022
Solemnity of St. Francis of Assisi, the Herald of Peace

Sr. Daisy Kalamparamban, AFBP,
Vice-President IFC-TOR

Tibor Kauser, OFS,
Minister General

Friar Massimo Fusarelli, OFM,
Minister General

Friar Roberto Genuin, OFM Cap.,
Minister General

Friar Carlos A. Trovarelli, OFM Conv.,
Minister General

Friar Amando Trujillo Cano, TOR
Minister General,
Current President of the CFF

Prot. N. 20/2022